Girton People

Anne Crabbe

Photographs by Anne Crabbe,
Emily Davies Publications, Girton College, Cambridge, 1997
Available from Chapter One Bookshop, High St, Chesham, Bucks £7.50 + £1 p+p



Photographs reproduced here from the printed page have a moire effect not present on the originals All pictures © Anne Crabbe
'Fifty years ago, at morning assembly in the Girls' Grammar school where I had just started, a sixth former (was she really as beautiful and ethereal as I remember?) was presented with pride from the dais as "The Girl who is Going to Girton". It seemed so mysterious, so remote a place then. Although I later read about is in Rosamund Lehmann and Virginia Woolf, it remained thus until my niece became a Girton Woman five years ago.'
Thus writes Anne Crabbe in her delightful book of portraits of people - students, academic and non-academic staff from Girton.
Much has changed in those fifty years, not least that many of their are now Girton Men as well. Her forte appears to be the showing of people in their space, people who obviously she makes feel at their ease and who collaborate willingly in fixing their image on paper.
I find the 30 or so black and white pictures more successful in general than the few colour or sepia ones also included, but others may disagree.
This really is a nice book - as Richard Draper writes in his introduction 'These are gentle and positive photographs; Anne has gained the trust of all her subjects, revealing them with dignity and integrity. Girton appears a happy and purposeful community.'

Anne's work can also be seen in Stratford on Avon, at the RSC's 'The Other Place' where some of her work on former WWII evacuees from her exhibition 'With a Label on my Coat' is on show with a new play about evacuees in war.

Contents page