Hello, I’m Luke O’Shea-Philips, and I manage the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s Photo Archive. It’s the best job ever, overseeing this rich and fascinating collection of over six million images, from 1922 to the present day, and in every sort of format.
Of course the collection expands exponentially every year, as the contemporary appetite for photography just grows and grows. What I hope this brief collection of Faces of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ shows is how Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ portraiture has transformed over time, from the institutional images – formal, composed - of the early decades to images that shout character and tantalising celebrity. Images too that increasingly engage the audience, in the playful narrative gap between the real person they are and the broadcast persona they inhabit.
If asked to choose one image I’d be hard pressed. But I think it would have to be the photo of Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses, shot against a backdrop of Peckham flats, part of who he is but maybe a place he wants to escape from too.
It’s just one of the many beautiful and engaging narratives in this collection. I do hope you enjoy Faces of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.