Candid cameras capture street life in London over 150 years

Sarah Morrison
Monday 14 February 2011 01:00 GMT
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A magazine seller at Ludgate Circus in 1893 is seen here after being covertly snapped by Paul Martin, the first photographer to use a hidden camera in an attempt to record life in London "as it is". Visitors to the Museum of London are being given the chance to view life on the capital's streets over the last 150 years in a photo exhibition, set to open on Friday.

The London Street Photography show will include the work of 70 photographers and aims to show the evolution of the city's streets – from the first instantaneous black and white shots taken in the 1860s to colourful images of shoppers outside Sainsbury's in 2010.

The exhibition, which is set to run until September, includes the work of well known photographers including Paul Martin, John Thomson and Roger Mayne, as well as anonymous artists.

The collection will explore the shift in approaches of those behind the lens, as well as the impact of new cameras.

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