sharon
(sharon)
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fromcontinentalEuropenewapproachestolayout.ForPicture PostLorant
refinedtheclassicalphotostory.Brandt’s‘ThePerfectParlourmaid’( 1939 )
wastypical.Acrossfivepagesitnarratestheactivitiesofaheadparlour-
maidofawealthyhome,from‘preparingtheMaster’sbath’to‘serving
nightcapsinthedrawing-room’.Thephotostorywasanadaptableif
conservativeformthatfitteddocumentaryphotographyintoafamiliar
‘dayinthelife’structure.Noimagestandsalone,eachopeningsmoothly
ontothenextaidedbycaptions.ManyofBrandt’sshotsevenresemble
filmstillsoftheperiod.Theywereoftencarefullypreparedandcollabora-
tive,usingfriendsasmodels(itisBillhimselfwhoisserveddinnerbyhis
uncle’sparlour-maidinthefinalimage).^19 ToLilliputLorantintroduced
pointedjuxtapositions,whichwerealreadyastapleofEuropeanpublica-
tions,suchastheGermanDer QuerschnittandtheBelgianVariétés.
Drawingontheburgeoningarchivesofpressphotos,Lorantwouldassem-
blesatiricalandanarchiccombinationswithformalsimilarities:theface
ofacatwiththefaceofGarbo;orAdolfHitlerwithCharlieChaplin(who
werebornonthesameday).^20
InhisfirstbookThe English at Home( 1936 ),Brandtusedthistech-
niquewithhisownimages,oftentohighlighttheclassstructureof
Britishsociety(e.g.,eastLondonchildrenplayinginthestreetcontrast
withachild’sbirthdaypartyinwealthierwestLondon).Hissecond
book,A Night in London( 1938 ),wasmoreambitious,fusingjuxtaposi-
tionwithaphoto-storystructure.^21 Thebookweavesacrossthecity
fromdusktodawn,takinginnightworkers,casinogamblers,publife,
policemenonduty,prostitutes,suburbandinnersandupper-class
parties.Manyoftheshotswerestagedandlit.Throughoutthebook
Brandt’scamerahoversbetweeninvolvementanddistance.Onespread
contrastsasceneofleisureinaKensingtondrawingroomwithwhatwe
readasasimultaneousviewofthekitchenbelow,wheretiredcooksand
housemaidsarefinishingtheirday.Althoughtheyareposing,thepeople
actasifabsorbedandunawareofthecamera.Theresultisanoddly
ungroundedvantagepoint,driftinginandoutofthescenes.Thisfasci-
natedbutdetachedapproachwasinpartaconsequenceofBrandt’sown
wealthyemigréstatus:hebelongedeverywhereandnowhere.Butwhile
70 thisstylewasunusualinphotography,itwascommonindocumentary
