Photographic Advertising Limited was founded in 1926 by a group experienced in photojournalism and film. The company created multi-purpose stock images with the potential for selling a range of products. Their trademark, the staged studio photograph resembling a film still, was its selling point—and later its downfall.
Sophisticated, adaptable and generic, this kind of image gradually fell out of favour as clients increasingly demanded targeted advertising campaigns with specific photographs.
Photographic Advertising Limited closed their doors in 1977, and their archive—a time capsule of marketing images from mid 20th century Britain —is now part of our collection.
