Administrative/biographical history

Phil Maxwell has been photographing the East End of London since the early 1980’s, becoming the pre-eminent photographer of Brick Lane. His astonishing body of work stands unparalleled in the canon of street photography, both in its range and in the quality of human observation that informs these eloquent images. In its mutable nature, Brick Lane presents an ideal subject for photography, offering an endless source of fleeting moments, which expose a changing society within a changing environment. Bishopsgate Institute is pleased to house the archive of Maxwell’s photography. We are in the process of digitising the entire collection, which is of international importance as well as a brilliant insight into the East End of London.

Scope and content

c10,000 digital photographs and negatives by Phil Maxwell of the East End of London, street life in Liverpool, Labour politics and politicians and personal images, 1975-2013.

Quantity

6 Boxes.

To view further images from the collection, visit Phil Maxwell's website or the Spitalfields Life blog.