Bradford Christopher Pratt photos show 'side of life that disappeared'

Christopher Pratt grew up in a middle-class household in a grand family home at Highcliffe House in Bradford

A Bradford boy's pictures depicting "a side of life that has disappeared" from the city have gone online.

The exhibition, called Lad Wi' Camera, shows the early photographs of Christopher Pratt, who was born in the city in 1888.

He started to take pictures in about 1900 when he would have been aged 12.

Archivist John Ashton said Pratt was "born in a prosperous house and could afford all the latest gear as not many people owned a camera then".

Pratt also photographed families in the city's slums in the early 20th Century

Mr Ashton, an archivist at Bradford Museums Photo Archive, said some of the images were taken while Pratt was still at school, using a technology that had only recently become more widely available.

His grandfather, also called Christopher Pratt, had founded a furniture store that is still trading.

Pratt's middle-class upbringing allowed him to photograph society events like garden parties at his home.

The pictures show a side of city centre life that has disappeared

Pratt took many photos of nature around where he lived but also made forays into inner-city Bradford, taking pictures of conditions there.

Mr Ashton said: "Housing was then packed in much closer to the centre of Bradford and his pictures show a side of life that has disappeared."

Ian Beesley, a Bradford-born acclaimed photographer, said Pratt "realised the power of photography if used for campaigning".

"He also used the pictures as magic lantern slide shows to portray living conditions," he said.

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This self-portrait, taken in 1902, is one of the world's early selfies, said Mr Ashton

Mr Beesley, said: "You could argue he was one of the earliest social documentary photographers, particularly in the north of England.

"He was a pioneer and his images along with many others means the Bradford Industrial Museum has one of the best photographic collections in England.

"He was a competent, thoughtful photographer that used his camera for pleasure but also for the betterment of his fellow Bradfordians."

Mr Ashton said Pratt could have been known locally as "that lad wi' camera"

The modern-day view from George Street of Eastbrook Hall, on Leeds Road in Bradford

The Lad Wi' Camera exhibition has gone online due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The full online archive of 1,000 of Pratt's pictures were digitised a few years ago.

Christopher Pratt, in civilian clothes, with his nine siblings in uniform during World War One

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