In December 1975, Liverpool Central Library took receipt of approximately 300 biscuit tins, which contained over 100,000 large format sheet monochrome negatives. These photographs were the commercial portraits taken by the Liverpool based photographer Edward Chambre Hardman and were taken between 1923 to 1963.
In addition to the photographic materials received, a series of 11 Studio Registers were also included. These registers detailed the names and titles of all the individuals photographed by Hardman during the 40 years of his commercial practice. Most importantly, they linked the identity of the sitters with a unique number written on each negative, so as they might be retrieved from the biscuit tins at a later date.
The entries in these Studio Registers have now been digitised, providing a key to unlock the contents to these biscuit tins. This database offers new insights into the daily workings of Hardman and his portraiture studios.
A key objective of this project is to get this commercial portraiture seen once again by the communities from where it originated. The aim is to evoke and record collective memory, triggered through showing the work in and around the city over the coming years.
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