Joseph McKeown
Encyclopedia
Joseph McKeown was a British photojournalist whose work documented the changes in Great Britain
following the Second World War as well as embracing celebrity and fashion photography.
family. He left school at the age of 14 and went to work in the darkroom
of the Daily Herald. He joined the Navy in 1943 and served with the Fleet Air Arm
in the Far East on board HMS Ameer as a photographer. At the end of the Second World War, he returned to London.
He was offered a job at Illustrated London News
in 1946 and he stayed with the magazine until 1952. In 1950, his picture Jitterbugging on a London Dance Floor won the international "News Picture of the Year" competition. He married Doris Leslie in 1952.
(1953 – 1957) saw him mature as a photographer, producing some of his most memorable work. These included assignments to the Soviet Baltic Fleet
in 1953, featured in the coronation issue (a story about this has him drinking multiple toasts in vodka with the Soviet officers, ending in one to the Queen
), the funeral of Sibelius, Princess Margaret's tour of the West Indies and the wedding of Grace Kelly
and Prince Rainier of Monaco
. His photograph Need for Speed, which depicts the great Argentine racing driver Fangio winning the 1954 French Grand Prix
remains one of his most widely reproduced.
In stark contrast with the pictures of royalty and high society were those he took of ordinary people living in the austerity of post-war Britain. It is perhaps these, though, which are of the most lasting value as social documents.
In 1954, he photographed Leonard Cheshire
for Russell Braddon
's biography, Leonard Cheshire VC: a story of war and peace.
In 1956, he was dispatched to Egypt
to cover the Suez crisis
, an event which his brother Michael portrayed from the Israel
i side. His photographs have become some of the defining images of the war and were widely reproduced on the 50th anniversary of the conflict. He was sent back home after he was blown out the back of a Land Rover.
and Paris Match
. He did a considerable amount of advertising work in this era; probably the best remembered campaign he worked on was "Go to work on an egg
".
In 1967, he took a picture of Donald Campbell
rowing on Coniston Water
, the evening before his fatal attempt at the water speed record
. The picture was unpublished until 1981.
Also in 1967, he collaborated with Aubrey Wilson on London's Industrial Heritage. The Evening News said: "Illuminated by Joseph McKeown's moody, lyrical photographs, here is a guide to a London that has hitherto eluded eyes accustomed to other aesthetics standards." As such, Wilson and McKeown were among the pioneers of industrial heritage
as an idea.
He moved, with his wife and two children, to Bungay, Suffolk
in the early eighties. His best known photograph from this period was the 1990 picture of John Selwyn Gummer, then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
, feeding his daughter Cordelia a hamburger at the height of the BSE
crisis.
Shortly after his death in 2007, his work was featured in a Getty Images
exhibition of photographs from Picture Post.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
following the Second World War as well as embracing celebrity and fashion photography.
Early life
McKeown grew up as one of a large, working-class LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
family. He left school at the age of 14 and went to work in the darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
of the Daily Herald. He joined the Navy in 1943 and served with the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
in the Far East on board HMS Ameer as a photographer. At the end of the Second World War, he returned to London.
He was offered a job at Illustrated London News
Illustrated London News
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper; the first issue appeared on Saturday 14 May 1842. It was published weekly until 1971 and then increasingly less frequently until publication ceased in 2003.-History:...
in 1946 and he stayed with the magazine until 1952. In 1950, his picture Jitterbugging on a London Dance Floor won the international "News Picture of the Year" competition. He married Doris Leslie in 1952.
Work for Picture Post
McKeown's years at Picture PostPicture Post
Picture Post was a prominent photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months...
(1953 – 1957) saw him mature as a photographer, producing some of his most memorable work. These included assignments to the Soviet Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
in 1953, featured in the coronation issue (a story about this has him drinking multiple toasts in vodka with the Soviet officers, ending in one to the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
), the funeral of Sibelius, Princess Margaret's tour of the West Indies and the wedding of Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
and Prince Rainier of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. His photograph Need for Speed, which depicts the great Argentine racing driver Fangio winning the 1954 French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
remains one of his most widely reproduced.
In stark contrast with the pictures of royalty and high society were those he took of ordinary people living in the austerity of post-war Britain. It is perhaps these, though, which are of the most lasting value as social documents.
In 1954, he photographed Leonard Cheshire
Leonard Cheshire
Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War....
for Russell Braddon
Russell Braddon
Russell Reading Braddon was an Australian writer of novels, biographies and TV scripts. His chronicle of his four years as a prisoner of war, The Naked Island, sold more than a million copies....
's biography, Leonard Cheshire VC: a story of war and peace.
In 1956, he was dispatched to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to cover the Suez crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, an event which his brother Michael portrayed from the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i side. His photographs have become some of the defining images of the war and were widely reproduced on the 50th anniversary of the conflict. He was sent back home after he was blown out the back of a Land Rover.
Later life and work
After leaving Picture Post, McKeown worked as a freelance, with photographs appearing frequently in LifeLife (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
and Paris Match
Paris Match
Paris Match is a French weekly magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. It was founded in 1949 by the industrialist Jean Prouvost....
. He did a considerable amount of advertising work in this era; probably the best remembered campaign he worked on was "Go to work on an egg
Go to work on an egg
"Go to work on an egg" was an advertising slogan used by the United Kingdom's Egg Marketing Board during the 1950s as part of more than £12 million it spent on advertising, including a series of television adverts starring the comedian Tony Hancock and actress Patricia Hayes in 1965. The...
".
In 1967, he took a picture of Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
rowing on Coniston Water
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...
, the evening before his fatal attempt at the water speed record
Water speed record
The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. The current record of 511 km/h was achieved in 1978....
. The picture was unpublished until 1981.
Also in 1967, he collaborated with Aubrey Wilson on London's Industrial Heritage. The Evening News said: "Illuminated by Joseph McKeown's moody, lyrical photographs, here is a guide to a London that has hitherto eluded eyes accustomed to other aesthetics standards." As such, Wilson and McKeown were among the pioneers of industrial heritage
Industrial heritage
Industrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for tourism.The...
as an idea.
He moved, with his wife and two children, to Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
in the early eighties. His best known photograph from this period was the 1990 picture of John Selwyn Gummer, then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
, feeding his daughter Cordelia a hamburger at the height of the BSE
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
crisis.
Shortly after his death in 2007, his work was featured in a Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
exhibition of photographs from Picture Post.