Martin Jenkinson

Born in 1947 Martin Jenkinson was a leading photographer, responsible for some of the most striking images of Britain’s political and industrial struggles.

A former steel worker, Jenkinson developed his photography career after being made redundant in 1979. He completed a placement at a local newspaper, where he was able to utilise his love of photography, before continuing as a freelance photographer.

Jenkinson was dedicated to trade unionism, capturing union conferences, demonstrations and other labour movements across the UK. His subjects also included portraits of people and their everyday lives, as well as images from his travels.

Jenkinson was commissioned by numerous unions, including the National Union of Teachers and the National Union of Mineworkers. He was also the official photographer for the People’s March for Jobs in 1981. In 1982 he worked as the photographer on the booklet A Land with People: A Report from Occupied Palestine, co-produced with the deputy editor of the Morning Star newspaper. His portrait of British trade unionist Arthur Scargill was selected for the National Portrait Gallery’s Faces of the Century exhibition in 1999.