Birkenhead International Salons:

100 years of world photography

Birkenhead Photographic Association (BPA) had been established for just 16 years when it organized its first International Exhibition in 1900, in which there were eight classes for prints. These included portraiture, architecture and landscape, as one would expect, as well as micrography. Work taken with a handheld camera had a class of its own.

Work was received from all over the British Isles and from four overseas photographers. It was the custom at that time for print titles to consist of two or three lines of poetry. This first entry was judged by A. Horsley-Hinton, Thomas Huson and Snowdon, eminent practitioners of their day. The subsequent Exhibition comprised 260 prints, 40 prints from the R.P.S. permanent collection and 300 slides (3 ¼" square).

The BPA International Exhibition continued in the same format until 1914 and gradually attracted more entries from overseas. After a break during the First World War, the Exhibition resumed in the early 1920's. Records for the inter-war years are sparse but in the 1938 Exhibition a total of 348 Open Prints were shown. Of these 134 came from overseas workers based in eight countries. In the following year's exhibition 144 of the prints came from 18 countries. The top award that year went to an Australian photographer and a Bronze medal went to Denmark. This was to be the last exhibition before the Second World War.

The International Exhibition was resumed in 1947, when 213 prints were shown including 88 from a dozen foreign countries. Within two years the total number of prints displayed in the Exhibition had increased to 250, 150 of which came from 17 foreign countries. The Plaque (top award) went to the USA as did a silver medal. Medals in those days were much more substantial, some being coined in solid silver.

1953 was a milestone year, which saw the introduction of a separate class for colour prints. Of the 300 prints accepted only 15 were colour. The three certificates awarded all went to the USA including one to Wellington Lee, whose name still adorns one of the BPA annual club trophies. Twenty-four countries were represented in the monochrome section.

An open class for colour slides was introduced in the very next year and just two years later the print classes were discontinued in the face of prohibitive postal costs.

The new exhibition format soon enjoyed the same level of support as the original. Indeed the number of images entered and the number of countries from which entries were received increased so dramatically that the exhibition doubled in size between 1959 and 1965, when entries were received from 22 countries. This, of course, reflected the rapid spread of 35mm cameras, colour films and suitable projectors. The size of the overseas entry increased and Austria and the USA were particularly strongly represented in the exhibition of 220-250 selected slides.

Another major change took place in 1971 when, with strong support from the late Fred Scott of the BPA and the late Bob Allen of Blackpool, the BPA affiliated with the PSA and adopted their exhibition rules. The number of entries increased immediately to 1,750 slides. The introduction of a separate Nature section three years later attracted a further 700 slides. The overall total increased each year as the Salon (as it had come to be termed) became better known around the world and peaked at 3,500 slides. The number of entries from Europe increased after the Salon affiliated to F.I.A.P. in 1981 and has remained high ever since.

Winning slides were reproduced in colour in the catalogue for the first time in 1987. This development greatly enhanced the value of the catalogue as a record of the quality of the winning slides.

1990 saw the introduction of a third section devoted to "Contemporary" or creative work. This new section was introduced in recognition of the increasing differences between results possible from traditional methods and from the latest treatments. Entries for the contemporary section have remained steady at around 500-600 each year and digital images are strongly represented today.

The Salon continues to attract support from enthusiastic photographers in a surprisingly large number of countries, including some blighted by wars. It is very encouraging, not to say moving, to find people pursuing their artistic endeavours in the face of adversity. A typical year will now include entries from between 45 and 50 countries.

Every International Salon requires a dedicated team of enthusiastic helpers to keep the incoming work processed, judged, exhibited and returned safely. Birkenhead has been blessed by just such a team but the efforts of Desmond Cooper APAGB ARPS, the Salon Chairman are worthy of special mention. Every cause needs a champion; somebody prepared to ringmaster the whole show and act as a backstop to cover the inevitable emergencies that arise during the protracted organizing of such an undertaking. Desmond, supported by his wife Winnie, has fulfilled that role for more years than he (or anybody else!) is prepared to reveal! All our entrants are indebted to him.

This article by Mike McNamee, FRPS, Secretary to Birkenhead International Colour Salon, first appeared in the catalogue for the 2000 salon which was published in February 2000.