Thousands of photographs from a collection belonging to playwright George Bernard Shaw are to be made available to the public online, the National Trust said.
The photographs include pictures of film stars such as Vivien Leigh, writers H.G. Wells and J.M. Barrie, and leading political and social figures of Shaw’s time including MP Lady Nancy Astor.
Shaw, who died 60 years ago, was a keen photographer and about 70 per cent of the photographs in the collection were taken by the Irish playwright and critic, while others feature him – including press shots and pictures taken on movie sets.
The National Trust said the largely unseen collection of around 20,000 photographic objects, including prints, negatives and albums, shed light on Shaw’s life and times.
The Trust, which owns much of the archive, is working with the London School of Economics and Political Science, which Shaw was involved in founding, to conserve, catalogue and put the pictures online.
Shaw, whose works include Man And Superman and Pygmalion, left his home, now known as Shaw’s Corner, in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, to the National Trust on his death.
The collection of photographs has been housed within the archives division at LSE since 1979, but funding only become available recently for the project which will allow the public to see the pictures.
Many are in a fragile condition and conservation work has been needed to prevent them deteriorating further. Several hundred images are already online, with plans for around two-thirds of the collection to be available for the public to see by the time the project is completed in summer 2011.
Fiona Hall, National Trust curator for the East of England, said: “For me the most interesting aspect revealed in the collection is the contrast between ‘GBS’ the public figure and ‘Bernard Shaw’ the private man.
“There are many portraits of Shaw himself, both self-portraits and those taken by others.
“The shots of ‘GBS’ the celebrity show him unsmiling, dressed smartly and holding a prop such as a cane. More intimate shots show him relaxed, surfing, picnicking, and striking poses from famous sculptures, including Rodin’s Thinker.” She added: “He clearly had a highly developed sense of fun and was very comfortable with his public and private personas”.
The collection spans from the 1890s to additions after Shaw’s death, with most images dating from between 1890 and 1930.
Pictures include images of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, founders of LSE and members of the Fabian Society, as well as photographs of the Fabian Summer School and images of Shaw, a strong socialist, meeting political figures including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
There are also many pictures of Shaw’s home country of Ireland and his travels through Europe, Algeria, New Zealand and South Africa – where he tried surfing.