Annebella Pollen, professor of visual and material culture at the University of Brighton, has delved into the largely unstudied history of children's photography. Her research, which began with a simple question about first photographs, has culminated in a new book and exhibition exploring how a child's first photo can be as formative as their first record.
A Personal Fascination with First Photos
Pollen's interest was sparked by a personal memory: "I certainly remember my first photos, because they coincided with me falling in love, as a 10-year-old, with a beautiful boy at school. I pursued him with my camera." This led her to explore photographic museums, marketing campaigns, school records, and photography books and magazines written for children, as well as social projects from the 1930s onwards that gave cameras to children.
The story is told in her new book Whippersnappers: How Children Became Photographers and the exhibition Snap Happy! at The Photographers' Gallery in London.
From Privilege to Mass Practice
Technological advances in the 1900s transformed photography from an expensive hobby for the wealthy to an accessible diversion for the masses. Cameras were marketed as simple enough for a child to use, and receiving a first camera became a landmark childhood gift. Schools invested in photography clubs, the Scouts offered a photographer badge from 1910, and by 1933 boys' social clubs in east London were offering photography classes.
Pollen notes that children have long used cameras in ways that mirror modern behaviour: "Looking through school photography club archives, you see that long before smartphones children were sneaking cameras into class and taking clandestine photos of their teachers; I found examples going back to the 1950s. Similarly, kids have photographed their pets for more than 150 years."
Changing Cultural Attitudes
Cultural attitudes towards children's photography have shifted significantly over time. In the earliest days, photography was a privilege for those with time and money, and children were expected to act as apprentice adults. By the mid-20th century, children's photography was expected to be distinctive, offering a fresh perspective. However, Pollen's research reveals a more recent shift: "Now what they are deemed to be capable of has diminished in some ways, and there's increasing fearfulness about their image-making practices. Some adults now view photographic production as risky."
In contrast, "In the early 20th century, photography was considered healthy and engaging; it was promoted as outdoorsy and a form of productive leisure. Photography was described as unselfish rather than narcissistic."
Photography as a Tool for Social Inclusion
One of the most fascinating chapters in this history is the use of cameras as a tool for social inclusion. Since the 1930s, cameras were given to the needy as a form of betterment or as a potential career opportunity. The 1990s brought a boom in projects documenting how children saw the world, such as Kodak's research and development report on children's photography.
Pollen notes the limitations of these projects: "The claims made for them are sometimes very ambitious even if the platform they offer children is brief. Most were temporary moments of engagement, and the organisers moved on and the children grew up. Photography can be a powerful tool for communication, but it can't change inequality."
The Photographers' Gallery show focuses on postwar children's photography and the marketing push to bring a camera into every home during the 1950s. Clare Grafik, head of exhibitions at the gallery, hopes the show will reveal how children shape visual culture: "[The exhibition] is an invaluable opportunity to think about young people's relationship to photography... It also helps us understand more about how the groundwork was laid for young people's interaction with image-making in the digital age."
Pollen's fascination is personal as well as academic. She became interested as a "broke single parent" who spent time at car-boot sales, often finding old family photo albums. She points to the ubiquity of photography today: "The latest study shows that 99% of 15-year-olds own one and 25% of three and four-year-olds. These children grow up with photographic tools at their fingertips; they are making photos as soon as they are able to swipe. Everyone starts somewhere."
Whippersnappers: How Children Became Photographers by Annebella Pollen is out now. Snap Happy! is at The Photographers Gallery from 14 October 2026 to 21 February.
