Percy Dunham

  Dunham was Jersey’s first photojournalist and for a very short period of time in1913 and 1914, he worked for Jersey Illustrated Weekly and then the Morning News, the main competitor for many years for the Evening Post (now known as the Jersey Evening Post and the island’s top daily newspaper).

In the years leading up to the First World War the Evening Post had not embraced the new processes for including photographs in their newspapers, therefore, the illustrated Weekly and the Morning News were the pioneers of photojournalism in Jersey, along with other short-lived publications such as The Jerseyman.

The early photographs were largely portraits or promotional images to keep advertisers happy, but then, in 1913, along came Percy Robert Dunham who worked simultaneously for the Illustrated Weekly and the Morning News.

Photojournalism at the time didn’t have many set rules or definitions, Percy Dunham would document anything and everything he felt was significant at the time.

Photojournalism at the time didn’t have many set rules or definitions, Percy Dunham would document anything and everything he felt was significant at the time.

Percy Dunham’s documentation photography is very natural, other than in group portraits, he photographs everything exactly how he saw it.  Working for two newspapers meant he spent a lot of his time tied to his camera, and his skill is very evident in the photographs. The photos capture jersey in its purest and most natural form- when I’m taking photographs I want to do the same. Much like Percy Robert Dunham, I want to photograph people on their natural environment; this could be environmental portraits or just street photography.