PETER ELLIOTT TALKS ABOUT CONSTANCE STUART LARRABEE

Constance Stuart Larrabee has till now been a little remembered pioneering and brave photo-journalist who made her name in what was in her time a very male (and dangerous) world.

The book and Peter Elliott

Peter Elliott (W, 1967) has just published a book on her, Constance: One Road to Take. The Life and Photography of Constance Stuart Larrabee (1914-2000) and he shared the journey he embarked on to document this extraordinary woman who spent the first half of her life in South Africa and the second, after her marriage, in the United States. Initially she covered - in photographs - the lives and stories of the African communities
in South Africa, exposing the hardships of the migrant workers and the poor rural communities (not only black) eeking out an existence in the face of the increasing desperation caused by the start of forced removals.

Constance Stuart Larrabee

At the start of the war she was engaged to cover the Allied advance in France and in 1944 and 1945 followed and photographed the South African troops in Italy.

Peter's book, motivated by his interest in art and history, includes ninety photographs which reflect the depth and breadth of Constance's work and in particular her technical skill and her relationships with her subjects.

Last night (7 May 2019) top and tailed by very drinkable South African wine from wine maker Bruce Jack (G, 1987) twenty-five ODs and friends (see list at the end of this post) thoroughly engaged in Peter's presentation which was held in the offices of Stonehage Fleming. Our huge thanks go to Hamish Sinclair (S, 1992) for his continued support of the UK branch in making his firm's facilities available to us.

Apologies are given for the poor quality of these photographs which were taken on a phone (the branch secretary wished more than once for Constance's first camera, the Kodak Box Brownie with which she performed miracles).

Please click on the photos to enlarge

Maddie Elliott and Richard Montgomery 

Gordon Robinson, Anton du Plessis, Caelim Parks and Rob Campbell

Alison Robinson, Hamish Sinclair and Peter Elliott

Greg Baldwin, Dominic Ward and Mark Charnock

Mark Charnock and Alan Fraser

Clemmie Foulser, Mark Charnock and Sue Knutzen

Peter Elliott, Peter Robinson and Jeff Foulser 

Martin Fletcher and Peter Robinson

Gordon Robinson, Dominic Ward, Greg Baldwin and Rob Campbell

Mark Hartnady and Martin Fletcher

Maddie Elliott, Mark Hardnady and Anton du Plessis

Spellbound

Tim Loughton and Greg Baldwin

Greg Baldwin, Dominic Ward and Richard Montgomery

Hamish Sinclair, Caelim Parkes and Anton du Plessis 

Two of the photographs from the book (which need to be seen in the book to do them justice)

Maddie Elliott and Dominic Ward

Paul Winter and Peter Elliott