Where are all the photos?

[Rob Lightbody]

In 1968 and 1969, officials must surely have taken many hundreds of colour photos of the new QE2 to use in brochures, adverts, magazine articles etc.

I feel like I've never seen (anywhere) all that many photos of the brand new QE2.  Are there some hiding in archives somewhere?

[Alan Snelson]

I am sure you must be right Rob. I have been trying to establish contact with the company who took over the photographic concession on QE2 from Ocean Pictures (so far with no response) to see what became of the archive of negatives from the on board photography service. I know that there were hundreds of photos of all the public rooms as well as exterior shots amongst them.

As you rightly say, there must also be thousands of other commercial and publicity photographs somewhere from various advertising campaigns from launch onwards. Does anyone know the name of the advertising agency handling Cunards' publicity back then as they would most likely be the copyright holders of such material.

[Michael Gallagher]

Kingsley Manton and Palmer (KMP Partnership) took over the Cunard advertising account in 1966.

In order to sell the message of QE2’s modernity to as wide a public as possible Cunard also employed Crosby/Fletcher/Forbes, the multi-disciplinary design agency masterminded by the architect Theo Crosby. The result was a marketing and advertising campaign the like of which had never been seen before for the introduction of a new ship. Crosby had already been commissioned to design not only the Look Out Bar, while one of his partners, Alan Fletcher, who was a graphic designer, produced all of the signage throughout the ship. It was only natural that the graphic design brief should be extended to include Cunard’s publicity material as well.

The brochures designed to promote QE2 during the first few years in service were very stylish with bold graphics, bright colours and enticing lifestyle photography. Models wearing dark eye shadow and dressed in Paisley pattern shawls reclined on bright pink bedspreads, while foppish young men pouted in the middle distance. Meanwhile, beautiful people lined the cocktail bars, or lounged around the swimming pools.

However the interiors were documented in enormous colour detail by photographers such as Christian Ridley (DESIGN Magazine) and Sherban Cantacuzino (Architectural Review). While the exterior was captured by famous photographer John Jochmimsen who has just prouced a book on his photographic career and his time photographing QE2 is talked about in that.

[Rob Lightbody]

Thank you Michael, fantastic information as usual!

Enormous colour detail photos sound good to me!  I've seen a couple, but I want to see more more more!

[riskygizmo]

The link below will take you to the rmsqueenelizabeth2.com website, and their pictures from '69 - including the lady in Paisley lying on a bed whilst her chap phones home. The photos appear to have been culled from an early brochure.

http://www.rmsqueenelizabeth2.com/pleaisle.html

 

[Rob Lightbody]

The link below will take you to the rmsqueenelizabeth2.com website, and their pictures from '69 - including the lady in Paisley lying on a bed whilst her chap phones home. The photos appear to have been culled from an early brochure.

http://www.rmsqueenelizabeth2.com/pleaisle.html

Thanks very much!  These are probably all the photos I've ever seen... the trouble is they've been printed, then aged, then scanned, and there must be lots and lots more somewhere!  For instance I've only seen a couple of the original intact PG, and I don't think I've seen any of the PG bar at all, and precious few of the observation bar...

[Alan Snelson]

It seems that John Jochimsen is still alive and well and writing books. I have written to him to ask if he might consider visiting the QE2 Story forum and maybe post some of his photos. The link below should take you to a photo of him and you can see a couple of his pictures of QE2 on the wall behind him.

www.flickr.com/photos/artseyephotographic/6922948019/?Cached

[Alan Snelson]

I have had a couple of responses from John Jochimsen the first of which is copied below. Perhaps Flagship could throw some light on the new owners that John refers to, and we might be able to trace some of these original images.

Hi Alan, As you know I photographed the QE2 from the laying of the keel till she was finished at John Browns and sent to Southampton to be finally fitted out.  We were the only photographers that Cunard would allow on the ship throughout all of her building.  I have many stories and happenings about the QE2 in my memoirs '80 Years Gone in a Flash' which has been out for a year this September and can be purchased from Amazon or all good book shops. Although the book is the story of my life as a photo-journalist there is quite a bit about the ship and a few pictures of her.  The reason that there are very few of the hundreds of pictures that we took over the six years is that when she was finished, Cunard was sold to another Company, the name of which I have forgotten.  They insisted that I give them all the colour and black and white negatives and transparences which I had to do. What they did with them I have no idea. I don't think they realised what they had and just handed them out instead of keeping them.  All I have is about eight original B/W prints of her which I have saved.  At the moment I am making a picture book of 120 of my best shots over my lifetime of work all over the world.  This will be out in September and will have one picture per page.  This is all I can tell you at present but as I say, look at my memoirs because they have a pretty accurate history of the six years that the QE2 was building.  Kindest Regards, John Jochimsen  johnjoch@tesco.net

[Michael Gallagher]

He must be referring to Trafalgar House.

I was in contact with John Jochimsen a few months ago and he kindly sent me some of his shots. His book is a great read too!

[Twynkle]

Hello Michael,
Thank you for the mention of John Jochimson's book - this review came up under  his name on google
http://www.thewirelessradio.com/good-stuff/Book-reviews/80-Years-Gone-in-a-Flash/

So - later in her time in service, it would be interesting to learn who then had the contracts?

Was it ever possible for James Morgan to work with you and QE2?
(Maybe I've missed them, however it does seem as if there may not have been anything from Cunard that was credited to him for nearly 2 years - more is the pity)
Rosie.