His color photos made him famous – but these early black-and-white images prove that Martin Parr was always a master

Three men in flat caps and heavy coats stand behind a low stone wall, appearing to examine or converse over a row of fluffy white sheep.

Martin Parr, who died last December aged 73, was best known for his highly saturated color work. But before The Last Resort brought him to fame in 1986, he'd spent years mastering black-and-white photography with the same forensic eye and wry humour.

Now a new exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London, England, reveals exactly what that looked like.