A snapshot of the history of photography in Port Sunlight

For World Photography Day, we’re shining a light on the part photography had to play in the story of Port Sunlight. Discover how the artform of photography played its role in all aspects of life in Port Sunlight.

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Early images by Bedford Lemere & Co

Photographs of Port Sunlight were embedded in Lever Brothers promotional material from the village’s founding. The beautiful buildings and excellent living conditions reflected well on the company. Photographs of Port Sunlight first appeared in print in 1890. With the site expanding and the prosperity of the company growing, Lever Brothers commissioned Bedford Lemere & Co. to do a photographic survey of the village in 1896.

Bedford Lemere were the leading English firm of architectural photographers and pioneered the photography of new buildings. The result was a set of images of exceptional quality, depth and sharpness which Lever Brothers subsequently used extensively in their promotional material for the next decade.

Printing and promotion

The 1890s saw photographs replacing hand-drawn illustrations in printed publications. Developments in photographic printing methods during the second half of the decade meant publications could be illustrated with photographs cheaply and quickly.

Lever Brothers’ works at Port Sunlight had its own Printing Department with state of the art printing machinery and by 1896 they were mass-producing their own promotional literature. By the turn of the century the Souvenir of Port Sunlight visitor guide and the company’s in-house magazine Progress were reaching millions of people at home and abroad.

Employee photographs

As the village community took shape in the mid-1890s employees with an interest in science and the arts began to form their own clubs and societies and The Port Sunlight Photographic Society was formed in 1897. Lever Brothers supported and encouraged the society to flourish, providing the members with equipment and publishing reports of their activities in Progress.The company even used member’s photographs for the magazine as well as their wider public relations and promotional material.

Between 1896 and 1916, this was largely the work of three men: Edward Jenkins, George Cotton and Jonathon George Davies. Port Sunlight Museum’s collection contains many examples of their photographs, which together document the early days Port Sunlight’s development and the lives of Lever Brothers’ employees.

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A selection of photographs taken by Edward Jenkins

© Port Sunlight Museum Collection