Theatre Collection John Vickers

The Theatre Collection is excited to have recently received the John Vickers photographic archive as a donation. This comprehensive collection documents Vickers’ career throughout the 1940s and 1950s and compliments the London Old Vic collection which is also held here. Included in the collection are glass plate negatives, prints, framed items, correspondence and ephemera. John Vickers began his career by working as assistant to photographer Angus McBean in the 1930s, himself a famous name in the world of theatrical photography. From 1939 until the time of his death, he ran his own studio. After the war Vickers made a name for himself and became well known as a theatre photographer. He worked for many London theatres including, most famously the Old Vic. He photographed over 1,000 productions and his portraits of actors (such as Vivian Leigh and Laurence Olivier), writers and musicians gained him a high reputation. Throughout his photography the influence of Angus McBean can easily be seen, especially in some of his early, more surrealist work. The legacy of John Vickers can be seen to continue with the photography of Mario Testino, who was his assistant in the 1970s until his death. This collection is currently being repackaged to ensure its long term preservation and the Theatre Collection is seeking a grant to be able to catalogue the material and thereby make it available to researchers and the general public.