Now Keep Quite Still by Herbert Shergold

The first publication of the late Herbert Shergold who operated a commercial photography studio in Bristol using glass plate negatives throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In his studio he used this unusually antiquated technique, popular in the 1910s, to create highly stylised portraits of actors as well as his local community where Bristol’s working class residents were styled to appear as Hollywood film stars. Little is known of Shergold and after his death his images largely disappeared from view, falling into the possession of private collectors in the U.S., the Netherlands, as well as Bristol.

Shergold’s studio attracted local residents who desired a moment of glamour or escapism against the backdrop of post-war Britain. Many of his sitters were men, likely looking for a space where they could be themselves. Some disrobed posing partially nude, while others wore feminine clothing and makeup. His studio became a place of freedom in a world of austerity, repression and secrecy. Shergold’s ability to offer such a space likely emerged from his own desire for self-exploration. Now Keep Quite Still is supported by Marcel Brent (Vintage Photographs) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Design: IC Visual Lab
Size: 170x240mm
Pages: 76 with Gatefolds
Publication: 2024
Text: Hedy van Erp
Binding: Staple Bound
ISBN: 4758-345-356