Pioneering Portrait photographer Dorothy Wilding celebrated in new exhibition

The life and career of pioneering photographer, Dorothy Wilding (1893 – 1976), who took the iconic portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II featured on UK stamps, is being celebrated in an exciting exhibition opening today, International Women’s Day (8 March), at the Eastgate Centre in Gloucester.

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to a grant award of £11,274 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund allocated to AIM as part of New Stories New Audiences.

This is a unique opportunity for budding young photographers to see, and be inspired by, some rare photographs produced by one of the UK’s most accomplished and commercially successful professional female photographers.  Her career spanned a body of work produced over 60 years, from her studios in Bond St, London and New York.

The exhibition features 130 of Dorothy Wilding’s most iconic photographs of legendary film stars, writers, celebrities and royalty – one image for every year of the 130-year anniversary since her birth in Gloucester.

As well as her striking portraits of the young Queen Elizabeth, the exhibition will feature life-size images of some of Dorothy’s famous sitters, including Tallulah Bankhead, Cecil Beaton, Noël Coward, Vivien Leigh, Joyce Grenfell and Barbara Cartland. Other works taken in her New York studio in the 1940s and 1950s will include iconic portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and new stars of the 1950s, Yul Brynner and Harry Belafonte.

The portraits on display have been reprinted in a large contemporary style, alongside smaller original prints and ephemera including books, magazines, coins and stamps featuring Dorothy’s work.

Accompanying the photographs will be a series of podcasts, a pop-up photo booth, late openings for younger people and artist-led creative workshops designed to highlight the achievements of Dorothy’s impressive and unusual career as a female photographer in this era.

Eilish McGuinness, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to work with AIM on the New Stories New Audiences grants which help small museums across the country to broaden their audiences and tell new stories. The Hundred Heroines’ Dorothy Wilding exhibition and project is a great example of this approach in action – championing Wilding’s achievements in the world of photography, and using her work to inspire women and girls today.”

Lisa Ollerhead, Director, AIM, said:

“We’re delighted to see a rediscovered story in a collection open on International Women’s Day to inspire people of all genders. It’s another great example of how, with the support of lottery players, our New Stories New Audience grants are enabling museums to stay relevant, increase their impact and inspire their communities.”

The exhibition opens on 8 March at 18:30 and runs until the 23 May. Click here to find out more about the exhibition>>

This grant is one of fourteen New Stories, New Audiences small grants of up to £15,000 made by AIM and funded by Heritage Fund this year.  A further round of New Stories New Audiences will open to applications from AIM members in summer 2023. Click here to find out more about these grants>>