Thurston Hopkins

Born in 1913, Thurston Hopkins' career made him one of the great British photojournalists.

Hopkins originally trained as a graphic illustrator at Brighton College of Art, but discovering that the camera “paid better than the brush,” he began working as a freelance press photographer in 1930.

When WWII broke out, Thurston joined the RAF Photographic Unit. After the war he freelanced for a wide variety of newspapers and later worked exclusively for Picture Post, where he remained until its demise in 1957.

Hopkins then set up his own studio and embarked on a highly successful career in advertising. Retiring in the late ’60s, he continued to teach and lecture in a number of academic institutions before returning to his first love, painting. He currently lives on the south coast with his wife.