Without a Trace ― Manchester and Salford in the 1960s

Shirley Baker started to photograph the streets of Manchester and Salford in the early 1960s when homes were being demolished and communities were being uprooted. 'Whole streets were disappearing and I hoped to capture some trace of everyday life of the people who lived there. I was particularly interested in the more mundane, even trivial, aspects of life that were not being recorded by anyone else.' Shirley’s powerful images, sparked by her curiosity, recorded people and communities involved in fundamental change. People’s homes were demolished as part of a huge ‘slum’ clearance programme, however Shirley was able to capture some of the street life as it had been for generations before the change. The areas have been redeveloped to form a new and totally different environment. As Shirley once said, 'I hope by bridging time through the magic of photography, a connection has been made with a past that should not be forgotten'.

Shirley Baker (1932-2014) was one of Britain’s most compelling yet underexposed social documentary photographers. Her street photography of Manchester and Salford in the in the 1960s has come to define her humanist vision. Her curiosity and engagement with everyday life around her confirms her acute observation, visual humour and compassion. These photos have been selected by Shirley's daughter, Nan Levy, who is keen to make her mother's work widely available.