The documentary photographer John Chillingworth, who has died aged 97, was one of the stable of famous photographic names who worked for the pioneering weekly magazine Picture Post in the 1940s and 50s. Picture Post’s unique characteristic was that it was accessible to all, but did not patronise the ordinary people whose lives were reflected in its pages.
The magazine documented the postwar social change that resulted from the Beveridge report of 1942. Among other examples, Chillingworth contributed images of a social worker in Nelson, Lancashire, in 1954, showing her engaged in the delicate task of combing out the newly washed hair of an elderly woman. As if in contrast, he followed up with a feature on elegant fashion models in Paris and London. A picture of the Leigh rugby player “Nebby” Cleworth at work as a labourer on a weekday between games celebrated the dignity of labour rather than the glamour of winning a match.
