In the late 1920s, National Geographic commissioned American photographer Clifton R. Adams to document life in England. The result was a vivid collection of autochrome images that froze a country in the middle of change — one foot still in its rural past, the other stepping into a modern age. Adams captured farms, city streets, seaside resorts, and ordinary people going about their daily lives.
The autochrome process, developed by the Lumière brothers, used a coating of potato starch grains on a glass plate to produce color images. Gaps between the grains were filled with lampblack. Light passed through colored filters and the starch layer, and the plate was then processed into a positive transparency. The result was a soft, richly colored image unlike anything black-and-white photography could offer.
Britain in the 1920s was a decade of real contrasts. The First World War had ended, and with peace came a cautious prosperity. Electricity was gradually replacing steam power. Petrol engines were becoming the standard way to get around. New materials like plastics and artificial silk — often called art silk — were replacing older staples like cotton and metal. The chemical industry was growing fast, creating new jobs and pulling the economy away from its old dependence on heavy industry.
The countryside Adams photographed was still deeply traditional. Horses pulled carts, hay was gathered by hand, and farming communities kept rhythms that had changed little for generations. Yet even here, the modern world was creeping in — motorized transport was increasingly common, and rural workers were aware of the shifting economy around them.
The role of women in British society had shifted dramatically after the war. Women over 30 who were householders gained the right to vote following World War I. By 1928, that right was extended to all women over 21. Wartime had also opened factory floors, land work, and bus routes to ordinary working women, and many stayed in these roles long after the war ended.
Public life in 1920s Britain was full of pageantry, charity work, and community events. Alexandra Rose Day, held annually since 1912, saw women and girls selling paper roses in aid of charity — a tradition begun to mark the 50th anniversary of Princess Alexandra of Denmark’s arrival in Britain in 1862. She had proposed marking the occasion by selling roses for her favorite charities, and the day became a fixture on the British calendar.
Transportation was changing rapidly across Britain. Buses were replacing older horse-drawn carriages on both urban and rural routes. Double-decker buses filled London’s streets, while tour buses were making leisure travel more accessible for working-class families. The petrol engine had firmly taken hold.
Education was also changing. The Education Act of 1921 raised the school leaving age to 14. All children received free state primary education starting at age five, attending school from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. Classrooms were basic — students practiced writing in sand trays with sticks before moving on to slates and chalk. Books and paper were expensive, so students shared them in groups. Lessons included country dancing, folk songs, sewing, and woodworking.
Adams also turned his lens toward Britain’s outdoor culture. Hiking groups, Boy Scout troops, and seaside day-trippers all made their way into his photographs. The British coastline drew families who built sandcastles and rode small locomotives at seaside resorts. These images show a population that, despite economic uncertainty, made full use of its leisure time.
Among the most iconic subjects Adams photographed were the Yeomen Warders — better known as Beefeaters — at the Tower of London. These ceremonial guards, alongside Coldstream Guardsmen, were a living symbol of British tradition standing firm amid the changes of the modern era.
