Marjorie's StoryMarjorie Baker (1912 - 2004) was for over sixty years one of the district's foremost photographers, renowned for her ability to capture naturalistic and characterful portraits and for her skill at distilling spirit and sense of place. Her long career often meant that she became the visual chronicler for multiple generations of the same family and of locations which saw significant change during her lifetime.
The Museum curators Marjorie Carreck and Alan Barwick worked with Marjorie to catalogue her collection in her final years, and in 2006 the museum accepted a bequest of over 30,000 of her negatives - a life's work and an invaluable picture of the district across a large portion of the 20th century. Marjorie was born the daughter of local butcher Albert Baker and Ethel Thrift, who had married at St. Peter's at Henfield in 1910. Upon finishing school and not being sure of which direction to go, she opted to take the leap to begin an eight year photographic apprenticeship, building upon an interest she had had since her schooldays. |