Press releases

Iconic images of the UK taken by a Conservative MP will be on display during the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Marketing Birmingham and Birmingham Library and Archives Services are presenting the first major exhibition of photographs by Benjamin Stone for almost a century.

Celebrated Birmingham photographer Benjamin Stone was a household name between 1890 and 1910 when he was an MP. His pictures, including the Houses of Parliament, the Olympics and key figures, offer a historical insight into Victorian politics and way of life.

The exhibition will be launched by the Right Hon. David Cameron and will be on display in Centenary Square, Birmingham city centre, from 20th September – 30 October 2008. Admission is free.

The exhibition also includes a ‘Legacy’ section revealing the influence of Benjamin Stone’s work on subsequent generations of British photographers such as Daniel Meadows and Anna Fox.

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ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• Benjamin Stone:

'...I have aimed at recording history with the camera….Not only our buildings, but our everyday life, our manners and customs...'

• ’The Strand Magazine, 1910:

‘…Benjamin Stone is a national institution. Photography has been with him, as has been well said, not a hobby but a passion...’

• The exhibition is sponsored by Marketing Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Anthony Collins Solicitors, The Mailbox, Centro and West Bromwich Building Society.