Picture Post
Picture Post was a British photojournalistic magazine published from 1938 to 1957 and known for combining documentary photography with liberal, anti-fascist and populist reporting.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Picture Post was a British illustrated weekly magazine that helped establish photojournalism as a powerful form of mass communication. Published from 1938 until 1957, it used sequences of documentary photographs, concise explanatory writing and strong editorial design to cover politics, war, social conditions, work, family life and public affairs. Its visual approach made it a British counterpart to major international picture magazines such as Life, while its editorial voice was distinctly shaped by the political and social concerns of interwar and post-war Britain. The magazine was founded within the Hulton Press group, with Stefan Lorant as its founding editor. Lorant had previously developed the picture-story format in Germany and had founded Lilliput. His experience as a Jewish journalist imprisoned by the Nazi regime informed the magazine's early anti-fascist orientation. Picture Post began publishing at a time when illustrated magazines were becoming increasingly influential and when improvements in photographic reproduction allowed images to be printed at large scale and in coherent narrative sequences. From its beginning, Picture Post treated photography as evidence rather than mere decoration. It campaigned against the persecution of Jews and other victims of Nazism, and a November 1938 picture story contrasted prominent Nazi leaders with scientists, writers and actors persecuted by the regime. During the Second World War, the magazine expanded its reporting on military events, civilian life and the consequences of conflict. Its circulation rose substantially, reaching approximately 1.95 million copies a week in December 1943. The magazine's contributors included photographers such as Bert Hardy, Kurt Hutton, Felix H. Man, Francis Reiss, Thurston Hopkins, John Chillingworth, Grace Robertson and Leonard McCombe, supported by writers including MacDonald Hastings, Sydney Jacobson, James Cameron, Robert Kee and others. Picture Post also sought to influence debate about Britain's future. In January 1941 it published “Plan for Britain”, a programme advocating measures including minimum wages, full employment, child allowances, a national health service, planned land use and major educational reform. The proposal became part of wider wartime and post-war discussions about social reconstruction and anticipated several themes later associated with the Beveridge Report and the creation of the post-war welfare state. Editorial independence was not absolute. The magazine's editor Tom Hopkinson, who succeeded Lorant in 1940, developed increasingly serious disagreements with owner Sir Edward G. Hulton. Hulton was politically sympathetic to the Conservative Party, while Hopkinson and several contributors held socialist or left-liberal views. Hopkinson was dismissed in 1950 after the publication of a controversial report by James Cameron, illustrated by Bert Hardy, concerning South Korean treatment of political prisoners during the Korean War. The same year, Leader magazine was incorporated into Picture Post, but the change did not reverse the magazine's longer-term commercial difficulties. After the war, circulation declined as the magazine faced competition from television, changing media habits and a succession of editors. Circulation had fallen to about 1.422 million copies a week by the end of 1949 and to approximately 935,000 by June 1952. When Picture Post closed in July 1957, weekly circulation was below 600,000 copies. The publication's photographic legacy continued through its archive. The Hulton Press Library was formally established in 1947 after Edward Hulton commissioned Charles Gibbs-Smith of the Victoria and Albert Museum to catalogue the growing collection of photographs and negatives. The resulting keyword and classification approach was an early systematic picture-indexing method. After the magazine closed, the archive passed to the BBC, later to Brian Deutsch, and in 1996 to Getty Investments. Getty Images subsequently digitised and integrated the material into its Hulton Archive holdings. The complete magazine was later made available as the Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938–1957. The magazine's influence was also revisited in the 2021 documentary Picture Stories, which examined its photographers, editors and continuing importance to documentary photography.
History
Picture Post was launched in the United Kingdom in 1938 as part of the Hulton Press publishing group. Its founding editor, Stefan Lorant, had pioneered the modern picture-story format in Germany during the 1920s and had also founded Lilliput. Lorant's experience as a Jewish journalist imprisoned by Hitler helped shape the magazine's early opposition to fascism and its concern with persecution, censorship and social injustice. The magazine's principal innovation was editorial rather than technological: it treated a carefully edited sequence of photographs as a complete narrative form. Images were commissioned to document people and places in detail, while accompanying text supplied context and interpretation. This approach made Picture Post accessible to a broad popular readership and distinguished it from publications that used photographs primarily as illustrations. Within two months of launch, it was reportedly selling about one million copies a week. Picture Post's anti-fascist position was visible from its first year. In November 1938 it published a photographic feature contrasting Nazi leaders with scientists, writers and actors being persecuted by the German regime. During the Second World War, the magazine expanded its coverage of military operations, civilian experience and political developments. Its art editor Edgar Ainsworth also worked as a war correspondent and recorded the liberation of Bergen-Belsen. In 1945, several of his drawings and sketches from the camp appeared in a feature titled “Victim and Prisoner”. The magazine commissioned and published work by a substantial network of photographers, including Bert Hardy, Kurt Hutton, Felix H. Man, Francis Reiss, Thurston Hopkins, John Chillingworth, Grace Robertson and Leonard McCombe. Writers included MacDonald Hastings, Lorna Hay, Sydney Jacobson, J. B. Priestley, James Cameron, Robert Kee and others, alongside notable freelance contributors. Tom Hopkinson succeeded Lorant as editor in 1940 after Lorant left Britain for the United States because he feared capture in a German invasion. Under Hopkinson, the magazine retained its strong visual identity while becoming an important forum for wartime and post-war political discussion. In January 1941 it published “Plan for Britain”, a programme calling for minimum wages, full employment, child allowances, a national health service, planned land use and comprehensive educational reform. The proposal contributed to public debate about reconstruction and anticipated several elements of the post-war welfare-state settlement. The magazine reached its largest wartime circulation in December 1943, when it sold approximately 1.95 million copies a week. Its success continued after the war but weakened over time. By the end of 1949 circulation had fallen to around 1.422 million copies weekly. In June 1952 it was approximately 935,000, and by the time of closure in July 1957 it had dropped below 600,000. Television, changing leisure habits, competition from other periodicals and repeated editorial changes all contributed to the decline. Political tensions also affected the publication. Owner Sir Edward G. Hulton was broadly sympathetic to the Conservative Party, whereas Hopkinson and several contributors expressed socialist or left-liberal positions. The dispute became particularly sharp after Picture Post published James Cameron's account, illustrated by Bert Hardy, of South Korean treatment of political prisoners during the Korean War. Hopkinson was dismissed in 1950. That year Leader magazine was incorporated into Picture Post, but the adjustment did not restore the title's previous commercial strength. The publication created a valuable photographic archive. As the collection of negatives and prints expanded during the war, Hulton commissioned Charles Gibbs-Smith of the Victoria and Albert Museum to develop a systematic catalogue. The Hulton Press Library was formally established in 1947, and its keyword and classification system became influential in the indexing of visual collections. Following Picture Post's closure, the archive was sold to the BBC and incorporated into the Radio Times photographic holdings. It later passed to Brian Deutsch and was acquired by Getty Investments in 1996. Getty subsequently digitised the material and incorporated it into the Hulton Archive, now presented through Getty Images. A complete searchable facsimile archive of the magazine was made available to libraries and institutions in 2011. The 2021 documentary Picture Stories further explored the magazine's photographic practice and historical influence.
- 2021
Picture Stories documentary is released
[1]A documentary revisits the magazine's editors, photographers and documentary tradition.
- 2011
Historical archive becomes available
[1]The complete Picture Post Historical Archive, covering 1938–1957, is made available to libraries and institutions.
- 1957
Magazine closes and archive changes hands
[1]Picture Post ends publication; its archive is sold to the BBC and later follows a separate ownership path into Getty's Hulton holdings.
- 1950
Hopkinson is dismissed
[1]A dispute with owner Edward Hulton culminates in Hopkinson's departure after publication of a Korean War political-prisoner report.
- 1947
Hulton Press Library is established
[1]The growing photographic collection receives a formal catalogue and indexing structure.
- 1943
Wartime circulation peaks
[1]Weekly sales reach approximately 1.95 million copies.
- 1941
Plan for Britain is published
[1]The magazine proposes a broad programme of employment, social security, health, education and land reform.
- 1940
Tom Hopkinson becomes editor
[1]Hopkinson succeeds Lorant, who leaves Britain for the United States.
- 1938
Picture Post is launched
[1]The Hulton Press title begins publication in Britain under founding editor Stefan Lorant and quickly gains a large readership.
- 1938
Anti-fascist editorial campaign begins
[1]The magazine publishes a picture story documenting Nazi persecution and contrasting victims with leading figures of the regime.
Products and positioning
Mass-market British photojournalism combining documentary images, social reporting and liberal, anti-fascist and populist commentary.
Illustrated news and photojournalism magazine · 1938
Picture Post weekly magazine
The core weekly publication combined photo essays, war reporting, political commentary, social investigation and human-interest features. Its defining format was the picture story: a sequence of documentary photographs arranged to communicate events and lived experience with supporting text. The magazine addressed a broad British readership and covered both national affairs and international conflicts.
Digital periodical archive · 2011
Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938–1957
A complete searchable facsimile archive of the magazine's issues, preserving the publication's photography, journalism and visual design for libraries and institutions. It provides access to the magazine as a historical record rather than as a continuing editorial product.
Photographic archive · 1947
Hulton Archive
The photographic collection developed around Picture Post and related British press holdings includes published and unpublished photographs and negatives. It passed through Hulton Press, the BBC and later private ownership before becoming part of Getty's Hulton holdings. The archive is now accessible as a historical image resource through Getty Images.
Marketing campaigns
- 1941Plan for Britain
United Kingdom
The magazine published a post-war programme advocating full employment, minimum wages, child allowances, a national health service, planned land use and educational reform.
Outcome. The proposal became part of public discussion about post-war reconstruction and anticipated several themes of later welfare-state planning.
- 1938Anti-fascist and anti-persecution coverage
United Kingdom
Picture Post used documentary photography to oppose Nazism and draw attention to the persecution of Jews and other cultural and intellectual figures in Germany.
Outcome. The campaign helped define the magazine's liberal, anti-fascist editorial identity.
Brand decisions
1950
Editorial leadership changes after Korean War reportOtherBackground
Picture Post published James Cameron's report on South Korean treatment of political prisoners during the Korean War, with photographs by Bert Hardy. The article intensified an existing political conflict between editor Tom Hopkinson and owner Edward Hulton.
Action taken
Hulton dismissed Hopkinson, ending his editorship.
Aftermath
The magazine continued under new editorial leadership but experienced declining circulation and did not regain its earlier wartime position.
1950
Leader magazine is incorporatedStrategyBackground
Picture Post faced a changing periodical market and ongoing pressure to maintain circulation.
Action taken
Leader magazine was incorporated into Picture Post.
Aftermath
The integration did not prevent continued circulation decline, which was increasingly associated with competition from television and changing media habits.
Recent events
- 2021
Picture Stories documentary revisits the magazine's legacy[1]
Other
The documentary examined Picture Post's editors, photographers and influence on documentary photography, receiving positive reviews and an audience award at the UK Jewish Film Festival.
- 1957
Picture Post closes[1]
Bankruptcy
The magazine ceased publication in July after several years of declining circulation and growing competition from television.
- 1950
Tom Hopkinson leaves Picture Post after editorial dispute[1]
Leadership change · Other
Editor Tom Hopkinson was dismissed after conflict with owner Edward Hulton, following publication of a report on South Korean treatment of political prisoners during the Korean War.
- 1943
Picture Post circulation reaches wartime peak[1]
Other
Weekly circulation reached approximately 1.95 million during the Second World War.
- 1938
Picture Post launches as a new British photojournalistic magazine[1]
Product launch
Picture Post began publication in the United Kingdom under founding editor Stefan Lorant and quickly established a commercially successful picture-story format.
- 1938
Picture Post publishes anti-Nazi picture story[1]
Campaign
A November issue contrasted leading Nazi figures with people persecuted by the regime, making the magazine's anti-fascist editorial position explicit.
Sources3 sources
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