The Incredible Photography I found in a Fish & Chip Shop (feat. Frank Meadow Sutcliffe) 

MY FATHER RECENTLY PASSED AWAY AND I DISCOVERED NUMEROUS PHOTO BOOKS BY SUTCLIFFE IN MY FATHERS BOOK COLLECTION. AMAZING STUFF. I FELL IN LOVE WITH HIS WORK INSTANTLY. I'LL TREASURE THOSE BOOKS.

It's interesting that in this time when so many are predicting the end of the work of photography, care of AI, along comes this story from the dawn of photography. And what was this creative, Frank Sutcliffe, remembered for? His gear? The tech he employed? The work that earned him a good (assumably) living? No, it was his ability to connect with his subjects, to allow him to get the shot, and with his viewers, who took the time to appreciate his art. That's the job of a photographer. Photography is the realm of humanity, not technology. It is so striking, how modern, how normal his work looks. We're not used to seeing candid shots from that era. Such a gift Frank Sutcliffe offers us. Brilliant!

I'm quite surprised by how many photographers have never heard of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, who, in my opinion, is undoubtedly one of the greatest British photographers. He was the first photographer to capture my imagination, and I remember being mesmerized by his images during a visit to Whitby in my early teens in the early 1970s. His work captivated me not only for its historical content but also for the sheer beauty of its composition. One of his photographs even adorned my bedroom wall during my teenage years. For many years afterward, no trip to Whitby was complete without a visit to the Sutcliffe Gallery, so I was saddened to find out it had closed. Frank Meadow Sutcliffe is an integral part of Whitby's heritage, and it is an absolute travesty that his photographs are not on permanent display. I visited the museum last year, and nobody could tell me when they would have a permanent Sutcliffe Gallery; all I could find were a few postcards. Has the museum given any indication of when we will be able to see his photographs?

Wow, beautiful photography. Thank you for exposing me to this amazing artist. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for prints

The compositions are exceptional but also the clarity of these images, the density, the pop is unreal. This guy was born 170 years ago. One thing is for sure. Gear really doesn’t matter…

Thank you Sean for taking the time to resurrect the work of this amazing artist.

What a brilliant photographer. And I really liked Mr. Shaw‘s interesting narration; it gave so much perspective to how extraordinary Sutcliffe‘s approach was. Thank you for this video, Sean, fantastic content.

They look like paintings. He was a master of his craft.

Thank you so much Sean for introducing me to this unbelievably beautiful work. Excellent interview. If Sutcliffe had known at the time that a little over a century later people would be able to see his work in their homes, and that at least one of them would be moved to tears by his photographs. What a genius. I’m lost for words.

What a treat! Thanks for sharing with us!

I could stare at those photos for hours, they are amazing. The thing that leaves me most speechless is the quality of the light, even though they must have been taken at different times, it always seems like there's almost the same light. Speechless!

According to a commentator I encountered, our 'voice' is how WE interpret and document the inspiration of our hearts, in the world that is before us. There were no doubt a multitude of unity songs before Lennon wrote Imagine. A plethora of Churchill portraits before Karsh's, and now we see Sutcliffe's memorable rendering of what was before him and moldable into his narrative. Thankyou Sean for reminding us yet again that our time is now, and we too can find our 'voice' and create images that will last. Regards -Greg

Thank you Sean for highlighting this great photographer, someone I had never heard of until now. His work is absolutely gorgeous. It’s amazing to think of his process compared to the current day digital workflow, as you mention in the end.

His work speaks for itself . Exquisite .

That was brilliant! thankyou. Linden

Beautiful story, I loved this very much. Those photographs are so beauty and moving, a great work. And yes, that discipline to shoot carefully is an excellent exercise. I do that, perhaps for beeing a generation that was limited by 24 or 36 oportunities per film. Thank you for this jewel, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe deserves been known by much more people!!!!

I became aware of Sutcliffe back in the eighties. I visited Whitby and saw many of his works shown around the town, I was inspired! Unfortunatley, even though my camera gear was more advanced than his, it brought home to me that the man was a genius, for the pictures he produced with the equipment he had, he was a true Photographic Master.

Sutcliffe was one of my late father's favourites. Thanks for reminding me of his work. I'll be digging out my father's old books on him. I'd encourage anyone to visit the North Yorkshire coast. Beautiful part of the world.

Again another magnificent photographer I had never heard of. Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing these gems.

A great photographer capturing Social history... Thank you Sean for finding this man and sharing here...

The joy of serendipity! Discovering such art and beauty accidentally! Thank Sean, this was lovely to watch and learn from. ☺️

Fantastic video, Sean. Thank you, Mike, a lovely story and legacy.

Never heard of him. Never saw his work. But now I'm completely enthralled. Just remarkable and so ahead of his time.

Man was a genius, the real history of this country. Great legacy. Nice video work 👍

Wonderful exposure of a new (old) photography artist. Just bought 3 of his photography books to study. I find this a wonderful explanation of time, communication, commitment, judgement and discipline as we live in such a fast "need it yesterday" throw away culture. Use your time well and your work may become a legacy. In time.

Wow, I'm a new photographer that adores your channel. This artist was ahead of his time and the photographs are just stunning. Thank you so much for sharing!

An amazing photographer. Thank you so much for introducing him to us.

A million shades of grey :) I'm struck by the tone of these pictures, from the deepest blacks to white there is soooo much tonality, it's beautiful. So much of today's photography takes those tones away and is in-your-face contrast. Add to that his ability to connect with his subject, fantastic. Great video Sean, thanks.

Stunning photos, I think it's worth noting that the early photographers shooting this style were influenced by painters rather than other photographers when it came to composition, obviously not too many photographers around back then. When I see some of his seaside photos, I can imagine these looking as good in an oil painting, and many paintings were done of the seaside villages. Thanks Sean for the video, great to watch.

I feel like a beginner compared to these astounding photos. The mastery is immense. The eye he had in a fledging medium is remarkable. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for this wonderful and atmospheric portrait of Mr. Sutcliffe, Sean. You can only imagine how it was like to be a photographer back in those days... The photograph of the milkmaid has to be my favourite! 🇳🇱 Warmest regards from The Netherlands!

Once again this video reminds us of how special this channel is! Thank you

The tones. Thankyou Sean and Mike Shaw.

Astonishing. Thank you Sean for introducing me to this great man.

Chapeau, Mr. Sutcliffe! Chapeau, Sean! Really Masterclass. We can learn a lot from his Photographs, they combine Patience, Accuracy and Passion. Far beyond every Disscussion about Gear or Equipment. Thanks for another wonderful video. 🙏🇩🇪 Frank

Absolutely astonishing work, how on earth did he managed to produce that quality with the equipment he had. Mind blowing.

Wow, what a fantastic series of photos! Very impressive even without considering the limitations he was working with. Mike Shaw also came across as very knowledgeable and passionate about the work of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe. Thank you for introducing me to yet another exceptional body of work!

My family are from Beverley Sean and my mum and dad have a had two framed Sutcliffe photos in their dining room since I was a child, I always found myself looking at them during dinner time as a kid and they were two images that always inspired me to take up photography as a young adult.

These photographs are truly magnificent

You have done a real service to us by bringing these beautiful images to our attention with such care and grace. A touching documentary that brings the history, depth and magic of photography alive.

He's one of my favourite photographers. I was introduced to his work about 25 years ago by my dad, who had a Frank Meadow Sutcliffe calendar hanging in his computer room. It's still there now, as the images are just too good to take down. As you say Sean, his style of photography should make you slow down and think about the moment, the light and the composition. Great video, thanks for sharing his work on here!

Thank you for showing this fantastic photographer!

Beautiful and unique. Thank you for introducing me and a lot of others to the creations of this amazing artist.

Thanks both of you for this video. I had not seen these wonderful images before, not only are they historically/ethnologically important but the ones chosen are beautiful. Thank you.

Wow, just wow. Thank you Sean. Bunches....

Such an amazing art work by Frank. Brilliant! Thank you so much Sean, for sharing this gem of a discovery with us.

Thank you for introducing us to this incredible artist. ❤️‍🔥

Thank you for this discovery. His work is just as surprising and impressive as the legacy Vivian Maier left behind. Mr. Sutcliffe created amazing work.

Marvellous! Thank you Sean.

Wonderful photos, taken and composed very much in the tradition of paintings of the time .

His photographs are so good and when one realises the time they were taken, makes it even more unbelievable. Almost like someone has taken these photographs now on a set. Beautiful work wh8ch has stood the test of time.

Sean, thank you for a great production. What a gift!!

Thanks for this wonderful look at a master photographer from the late 19th century.

This man photographed all the local places near and far, the most important pictures are of people and places and buildings......take note, Landscapes, Fine Art, and even Wild life pictures will mean nothing in years to come! This man is a legend in recording all things that matter! he produced some wonderful pictures.......Thank you for reminding people about this Photographer......

A truly extraordinary craftsman and artist.

Oh my! What a revelation. Thank you so much for bringing Frank Sutcliffe's breathtakingly beautiful photographs to us. Such a remarkable window to a lost world. And, Sean, also impressive is your perceptive and eloquent commentary.

Thanks for making us aware of this artist!

Wonderful, Sean. Thanks for this important post.

Beautiful video in which you showed the beautiful aspects of Whitby. I love Sutcliffe's work and it is great you shared them with us.

Wow Sutcliffe's photography was so incredible. Thank you for sharing Sean.

Wow, this one was special Sean. Well done

A marvelous production of an artist many of us haven't heard of. Thanks for sharing the beautiful work of this man.

WOW. What a hidden gem he was. I'm blown away.

Breathtaking, Well Preserved images of the past.

What a magnificent legacy. Sometimes it's nice to see where we come from to understand the importance of legacy. Legacy is maybe the difference between human and nature. Beutiful image and good reflexion about slowing down the way we're taking pictures. Thanks Sean.

I came across his work about 50 years ago when I was just getting into photography. I thought he was brilliant then and I have looked a lot of photography but I think he is arguably the best.Thanks for posting.

An absolutely excellent introduction to Frank Meadow Sutcliffe’s work Sean (and his archive collection at the Whitby Museum). Well Done!

Sean - Excellent video and thank you for the wonderful introduction to Mr Sudcliffe’s work -

Thanks Sean for this great and inspiring video! Thanks for the nice and warm words, just what I needed in my lack of motivation! The photos are beautiful.

Those images are pure poetry.

Perfect bit of Sunday afternoon viewing, superb!

That is stunning work! It makes me think about how I try to capture events or people going about their business in virtual tours, where I have to shoot brackets and ask people to be still for me for 3 frames and not even blink. This is truly inspiring.

Great video. Was unaware until watching this that the Sutcliffe gallery had closed, but the Whitby Museum really is a gem so safe to say the collection is in great hands.

Amazing photographs! What a treat. Thank you so much.

Every single frame is exceptional!

This was excellent Sean. The photographs were stunning. I’ll definitely look out for those prints of Frank’s images. Stunning. A great story to tell.

Ŵhat a phenomenal find, served justice by a superb video! Many thanks for posting this.

Amazing atmosphere and fantastic images. Instant one of my favorites. Thanks Sean for finding this.

What strikingly beautiful work 🤯

Excellent! Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

Another interesting and well produced video Sean. Thank you (As a Yorkshireman I was especially interested)

Beautiful photography. It's great seeing these "candids" from so long ago, that's not something you see elsewhere.

Those moody harbour shots are beautiful.

Thanks for producing this video. I loved the pictures and the narration, description of the work by this great photographer.

Wow! This was a wonderful look at Sutcliffe's work. I was completely unaware of him, but am so grateful to be introduced to his work. Thank you.

Thank you Sean. As a Yorkshire born ex-pat living in Canada for the past 40+ years this was a breath of air in my lungs and a desire to go shoot in Whitby when we get back there. Mr. Sutcliffe’s work and use of light is amazing and well above many photographers today. I will be sure to visit the museum. Again, thanks.

Thank you. He was a wonderful photographer.

WOW! The way these images look and thinking about the gear he had...the man had such a great eye and such great ideas for images! And the subject matter is so awesome, its like street photography in the 19th century!

Really stunning photos, my favorite photo being the last one-the little boy and the boat. Thank you Sean, it’s always a pleasure to watch any of your videos.❤

Fantastic interview and fantastic photos ! Thank you for sharing this Sean.

I'm so glad you discovered his work - he's probably the first photographer I encountered (sometime in the 90s) who really made me think wow! He captured Whitby and its people so well. The photo of the boy and his toy boat is probably one of my favourites of his. Sorry to hear the gallery closed but I'm happy to hear his collection is safe with the museum.

Speechless, these are just so beautiful and very unusual for the time, thank you for sharing, it would be great if they put a book together 😊

These photographs are amazing. Thank you very much, Sean, for sharing!

Beautiful images. What a wonderful discovery!

Stunning. I wish I could take such unforgettable photographs. His work is new to me and I'm grateful to you for bringing this to our attention.

A brilliant video! Your guest was amazing in his knowledge of the photographer and his life.

What a spectacular find! Beautiful images. Probably the best I have ever seen from that era. Thank you for discovering Sutcliffe and introducing him (or re-introducing him as the case may be) to the world! And I can't wait to purchase a print or two to hang in my wall!

3:05 Love that shot.😍

The Sutcliffe gallery used to be one of my favourite haunts when visiting Whitby, stunning photographer

Stunning images!! Great find in that F&C shop 👌🏼 🫶🏼🫶🏼 fantastic interview & history about Frank