Martin Gibbs

Aleck Martin Gibbs was born in London in 1905, the son of an acclaimed Engineer and incidentally a keen amateur photographer (as was his father before him).  

Upon leaving school, Martin went to London University to study Engineering. Although he was doing well, he was simply bored with the subject and decided to leave and get  a job. However, due to the post-World War One  depression, jobs were in short supply, vacancies being held predominantly for ex-servicemen.

Martin did nevertheless hear that the Bank of England was recruiting  applicants who could pass the rigorous entrance exam. In those days, working for the Bank of England was one of the most esteemed careers open to a young man.  He passed the exam and began working at the Bank. 

 Royal Family with Sir Pierre van Ryneveld and General Smuts at Army College

It was during this time, while working at the Bank, that Martin became interested in photography.

Pursuing his interest, he enrolled for evening classes at the Regent Street School of Photography, which was part of London University. For all but two years he attended the classes three times a week. Martin maintains that the most important aspect of his education there was portraiture, particularly basic lighting techniques… and rightly so – Martin was to acquire quite a reputation for outstanding portraiture down the line. Even further down the line, he has passed on his expertise - his sensitivity and impeccable attention to detail – to the photographers who have subsequently carried on the name, photography and ultimately the legacy of Martin Gibbs….

The Martin Gibbs Archive is represented by africanpictures.net