Taken when she was 9 years old, this would have been commissioned by Vivien Leigh’s parents. The images perhaps hung in the family home or were kept in albums.
Marcus Adams (1875–1959) specialized in taking portraits of children. He was like the early-mid 20th century equivalent of a department store photographer, only with more talent, technical skill, and a richer clientele. For example, he photographed Queen Elizabeth II throughout her childhood.
With fellow photographers Bertram Park and Parks’ wife Yvonne Gregory, Adams formed the “Three Photographers” group in 1920. Based at 43 Dover Street, Mayfair, they each worked independently, but shared use of printing, retouching and darkroom staff.
Adams’s photos are very much in the style of 19th century ideals of childhood, his use of soft lighting and soft focus creating an almost dreamlike quality reminiscent of Julia Margaret Cameron. This is in contrast to the documentary realist images of photographers like Lewis Hine. Art was the goal for Adams. Other notable children photographed by Marcus Adams included Princess Anne, Christopher Robin Milne, John Julius Norwich and Simone Prendergast.
