Customer Reviews

Marcus Adams: Royal Photographer

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This book, MARCUS ADAMS, ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHER, by Lisa Heighway, is relatively small and easily held in one hand. However, when it is opened and looked through, one has a feeling somewhat similar -- though in the very most opposite of ways -- to what Pandora must have felt when she opened her box. Only here, "Evil" does NOT go flying out....only goodness, beauty, sweetness and optimism greet the viewer. These things literally "fly" out of the book....well, they "fly", happily, into the reader's eyes, and, if the book is looked at long enough, into the reader's conscious and subconscious mind, as well.

In these days of the "paparatzi", photographers who hound celebrities' every move, (and, who, in the case of poor Princess Diana, may have literally hounded her to death!), "official" Royal photographs are not thought about that often. Yet, official royal photographers HAVE existed, it seems, since almost the very inception of the photographic art, itself. (There is, in fact, on page 40, a picture NOT taken by Marcus Adams -- but by Caldesi -- of Queen Victoria's third son, Prince Arthur, in 1857. The picture is there to compare it to two other pictures on the page, of Princess Elizabeth -- photographed by Christopher Adams, Marcus Adams' elder brother, in 1931 -- of the toddler Princess Elizabeth.)

There are over 180 photographs in this book. Marcus Algernon Adams, (1875 -1958), obviously took many, many more -- but this is as good a saampling as one can find, in a book so small. One only hopes a second, third, fourth, (and tenth?) volume in this serious would also come out. The pictures in it are not only charming, but very often search into the very personalities of the sitters, providing the reader a priviledged peek into what these royals were, perhaps, thinking and feeling, as they sat for these photographs.

The cover photograph is well chosen. It shows Princess Eliabeth in 1934, at age eight. Her dress may be that of a child, and her hairdo as well, but, looking straight at the camera here as she does, she exhibits a serious, just-about-adult understanding of herself, her world, and her place in that world, which is precocious and self-evident. The picture is again reproduced on page 62, with comments from this book's author....

At first, it was difficult for me to find the page numbers in this book at all. They are printed, clearly and of normal size, on the bottom edge of each page -- but they are printed in pink, on these white pages, so as not to take any attention away from the photographs being displayed. A very thoughtful touch, I think.

After two, (to me), introductory chapters, on the "Life and Work" of Marcus Adams, and an overview of his work as a "Royal Photographer", (both chapters filled with pictures and photographs as well -- including one very telling one of a "Young Girl From Redding, 1912"), The chapters devoted to photographing the Royal Windsor family begin. The chapters proceed chronologically, from Princess Elizabeth's first sitting, (at age seven months, in 1926), to Princess Anne's (and Marcus A. Adam's), last sitting -- in 1956. In the very first chapter, (Princess Elizabeth's first sittings, 1926- 1929), the hallmarks of Adam's Royal pictures come through. There is a joyousness and informality within these formal royal portraits which must be seen by any ardent Anglophile. Each photo is a delight, and truly merits a commentary, here, all by itself, but there are commentaries in the book for this, so I'll pass this by for most of the photos. However, I must make mention of three of these photos. One, on page 32 shows the one year old baby princess. looking down at her hands, as she is seriously engaged in exploring some Venetian glass, (this picture is also reproduced on the back flap of the dust-jacket). On page 33, there is a full page photograph of the baby princess seemingly reading a newspaper, open to a page wherein are pictures of her parents. (The truth of the matter is they were on tour then, and had to leave their daughter in the care of both sets of her grandparents. The little princess was given pictures of her parents to study, whilst they were away.) On page 42 is another picture of an older Princess Elizabeth, (in 1928), putting her head back, laughing. It is amazingly similar to another picture, taken years and years later, (and by another photographer), of the now-adult Queen, laughing at a joke, her head back and her body forward -- just as in this so-much earlier picture! There are pictures here, too, with Elizabth on her parents' laps -- and the pride in their faces is unmistakeable.

The next chapter, "The Royal Sisters, 1931-1935, show pictures of both Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, (born in 1930), and they show a proud older sister, (Princess Elizabeth), an impish and expressive Princess Margaret, and their very proud mother, the Queen. Some of these pictures may be familiar to the viewsr, some new. On page 64 are thte two sisters, each with her own doll -- and a photograph of both of the dolls, by themselves. On page 63 is another portrait of Princess Elizabeth -- her keen intelligence and understandign of the world again very evident, dispite her fluffy dress, and the little toy kitten that sits in the folds of her dress.

"Growing Up - 1936-1941" shows the princesses, again with their parents, who are now King and Queen. The expression of Princess Elizaeth in the family group portrait on pages 68 and 69 is especially telling. She looks slightly tired, (or is this my imagination?), but on her face is also a somewhat challenging expression, seemingly slightly annoyed at all this posing. The King looks intense, and somewhat grateful at all the effort being put in by the photographer, the Queen looks even more so, and Princess Margaret looks sweet and as if she somehow would like to help the photographer. After a few more pages of priceless photos, the chapter ends with the somewhat well-known sitting of March 1941, wherein one picture shows the princesses at work on a jigsaw puzzle in Windsor Castle. It was the last sitting of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, together, for Marcus Adams.

"A New Generation" follows, showing pictures which center on the adult Queen and her two eldest children. Two of them, on page 88 and 89, were taken in full colour, and the joyusness, on page 89, on the faces f the Queen, Princess Anne and the 1/4 view of Prince Charles, aee SO natural, I susect a joke had been told.

In "Royal Relatives", photos of the cousins, and aunts and uncles of the Queen are shown. Each has the "Adam's Touch", mingling formality with informality in magic combinations.

Following this is a chapter called "Royal Photographs by Bertram Parks", a friend, and close associate of Marcus Adams.

Following is a chronological listing of Marcus Adam's Royal Sittings, with a sidebar describing the "Marcus Adams Collection", and a tantalizing photo of closed scrapbook. It must contain thousands of photographs.

A two-page Royal Family Tree, followed by a one-page Marcus Adams' Family tree, follows. Acknowledgements, and Lists of sources for each individual photo are next. Many of the photographs within were taken on gelatin on silver photographic plates. The last page is an index.

This is a beautifully produced book, with sewn signature, and nice, thick paper. It is not only a book filled with wonderful royal portraiture -- but also is, inevitably, somewhat of an instruction book for would-be portrait photographers. The 180+ photos in this book give but a sample of Adams work. It is enough to whet the appetitee for more -- much more, and also to awaken any hidden photographic talent within the reader.

Like the royal personages photographed within, this book is a winner,
and a classic! The highest of recommendations

Marcus Adams was a most prolific photographer and a favorite of the royal family. This book includes some wonderful photos, many of them never before released to the public. It is also a short biography of Adams' life and work. He was a fascinating man.