Under the Influence: John Deakin, Photography and the Lure of Soho

John Deakin (1912-1972) was one of London's greatest postwar photographers, renowned for his penetrating portraits, haunting street scenes and inventive fashion work. Though recognized as a genius by both peers and rivals, he was prodigal and careless with his talent. He flourished briefly at Vogue, but the lure of nearby Soho with its pubs, clubs and subterranean watering holes led him away from regular employment. Loved and loathed in equal measure, Deakin was a legendary member of the quarter's bohemian crowd of artists and misfits including the painters Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, the writers Dylan Thomas and Jeffrey Bernard, and Muriel Belcher, proprietor of the fabled drinking den the Colony Room. This volume explores the hidden corners and colorful characters of this notorious London scene as captured by Deakin. With dozens of his most compelling images, letters and contact sheets, it is an evocative record of life in and around 1950s and 1960s Soho.