Photographer David Bailey, known for iconic portraits of The Beatles, David Bowie, the Kray Twins, Twiggy, Michael Caine and the late Queen, is the subject of a new retrospective opening on November 11 at Leica Gallery London. The exhibition, titled Time After Time, focuses on his early career and his documentation of London's streets and everyday people before his famous fashion work.
Early Memories of East Ham
Bailey, now 88, says the London he recalls most vividly is that which surrounded him growing up in East Ham. He explains: "I remember the London of my childhood. That's probably the London that stays with you the most."
Asked what drew him to ordinary people and streets, he says: "Because you can see these people. Famous people generally aren't walking down the street. I've always been passionate about photography and all forms of art. I photograph what interests me."
Exhibition Highlights and Personal Favourite
The exhibition showcases 22 images from the late 1950s through to the mid 1960s. Included is a shot of legendary model Jean Shrimpton, with whom Bailey had a four-year relationship. He captured her in a 1964 backstreet, wearing the photographer's own army jacket, and later noted that she was "magic," with a knack of knowing where the light was and a natural in front of the camera, which loved her. Of all the images in the exhibition, he says this is his favourite.
Some photographs show the city's blackened post-war buildings. Others reflect some of the hardships faced by its residents, caught in his lens as they go about their daily lives.
A Career Built on Persistence
Bailey, who was married to both actress Catherine Deneuve and model Marie Helvin, says of the exhibition title: "It's about time, I suppose, and looking back." The child of a tailor's cutter and a machinist, he struggled at school with undiagnosed dyslexia but was attracted to photography thanks to his love of natural history. He left on his 15th birthday to become a copy boy in Fleet Street.
It was during his National Service that he bought a Rolleiflex camera and became determined to pursue a career in photography. He admits he never had a grand plan: "I just carried on taking photographs." After starting as a photographic assistant, by 1960 he was contracted as a fashion photographer for British Vogue, helping change how the world saw both fashion and celebrity culture by injecting energy, sharp lighting and movement into shots.
Gallery Director's Perspective
Gallery Director Lou Proud says those early images formed the roots of his work. She explains: "Everybody knows David Bailey as a great photographer, but they are not so used to seeing the other side of him. I think these images are a deeply personal vision - it's where he came from and that's still part of him."
She adds: "We see glimmers of what is to come afterwards but there is no sugar coating what he is seeing - the darkness and austerity of the end of the 1950s when some were still on rations." Proud, who has been director of the Mayfair gallery since it opened in 2019, admits she thought there was a "fifty fifty chance" of him saying no to the exhibition, so was thrilled when he gave it the green light.
Bailey says he doesn't spend much time thinking about the London he captured decades ago. "London changes, people change. That's life. You take the photographs and move on. People can make up their own minds. That's the point of photographs." As for what might come next in a still busy career, his answer is simple: "Tomorrow."
Time After Time is at Leica Gallery London Mayfair, 14 Dover Street, London, W1S 4LW from November 11 2026 to January 14.
