Remember those days when we looked at the still life outside our windows? When we all shielded from the virus that was circulating amongst us.
There were so many images flashed on our screens that we will long remember – images that have become apart of our history.
During the first national lockdown, The Duchess of Cambridge along with the National Portrait Gallery launched a project to create a unique collective portrait of the United Kingdom. The Hold Still initiative invited people of all ages from across the UK to submit a portrait they had taken during the first lockdown (May and June 2020). From more than 31,000 images submitted, 100 portraits were chosen.
We received our copy of HOLD STILL – A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020.
The sad, worried eyes of the frontline workers behind PPE.
The separation – when the elderly shielded and they couldn’t hold their families.
And remember the rainbows everywhere to say THANK YOU to the NHS?
Today is International Nurses Day and we say thank you again as we remember the many who put themselves in the frontline to save the lives of many.
May’s comment: An emotional book. There were so images that we have seen. They spoke volumes. The images convey humour and grief, creativity and kindness, tragedy and hope.
“Through Hold Still, I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing – to capture individuals’ stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic. For me, the power of the images is in the poignant and personal stories that sit behind them.” Duchess of Cambridge & NPG
The Duchess of Cambridge and Book Fairies have hidden books all over London for people to find them and share them.
You can order a copy through Amazon or directly from the National Portrait Gallery Shop.
