Belfast Exposed

Exhibitions

3rd Aug - 16th Sep

Portrait of Humanity Vol. 5

In partnership with the British Journal of PhotographyBelfast Exposed is delighted to be hosting the British Journal of P...

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1st Jun - 22nd Jul

Else Time | Ulster University MFA Photography Exhibition 2023

In this unique time that we find ourselves in, the things that once were so certain, are no longer so.Else Time is an 'ot...

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Community

21st May - 22nd May

Showing the faces of dementia with Alzheimer’s NI

Ahead of the Alzheimer’s Society Annual Conference 2019 (ASAC19), Belfast Exposed was commissioned by Alzheimer’s NI to w...

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4th May - 20th May

Coronation Generation 2023

Bringing together young people from across communities for Coronation GenerationIn April 2023, Belfast Exposed worked wit...

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Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight

Gallery 1

30th May 2003 to 17th Jul 2003

About The Exhibition

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the John Hinde Studio, based in Dublin, produced a series of postcards to be sold at Butlin's holiday camps throughout the British Isles. Famous for their hi-de-hi catchphrase, redcoat hosts, and bargain packages with all entertainment included, this was Butlin's heyday. Throughout the 1970s, over a million Britons had a holiday at Butlin's each year. The collection contains photographs from Ayr and Mosney camps, popular with Irish holidaymakers.

With innovative use of colour and elaborate staging (the trademarks of a John Hinde postcard), it was the challenging job of two German (Elmar Ludwig and Edmund Nägele) and one British photographer (David Noble) to execute the photographs to Hinde's rigorous formula and standards. Each photograph is elaborately stage-managed, with often large casts of real holidaymakers acting their allocated roles in these narrative tableaux of the Butlin's quiet lounges, ballrooms and Beachcomber bars. Shot with large format cameras, and lit like a film set, the production of these photographs were an extraordinary undertaking. The images helped John Hinde become one of the most successful postcard publishers in the world.

The Artists

John Hinde

Acknowledgements

Curated by Martin Parr, produced by Chris Boot, in association with Les Rencontres d'Arles Images: © John Hinde Ltd.