Crabs and people, Skinningrove, North Yorkshire, 1981
In 1991, Killip and Smith’s works were shown alongside three other photographers at MoMA, New York, under the controversial title British Photography from the Thatcher Years. Following a backlash in some UK newspapers, and the effect that had on the people and communities in Smith’s images, he stepped back from the public arena of photography. As a consequence, Smith’s work is not as widely known as it merits. Killip, who was teaching at Harvard University in this period, went on to exhibit widely, and his work was the subject of a posthumous touring retrospective first shown at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, in 2022.
Photograph: Chris Killip/Chris Killip Photography Trust/Magnum Photos