The Edward Reeves Archive in association with the London College of Communication at UAL and Edward Reeves Photography present STORIES SEEN THROUGH A GLASS PLATE: WORKING LEWES, an exhibition of historic photographs of Lewes and its people displayed on lightboxes throughout the town centre during September 2026.
An exhibition for 2026 from the Edward Reeves Archive tells stories of Lewes townsfolk at work over a period of 100 years. Offering an intimate glimpse into their working lives and the town’s resilient community spirit.
The Edward Reeves Archive lightbox exhibition returns in 2026 with STORIES SEEN THROUGH A GLASS PLATE: WORKING LEWES. Including formal portraits taken in the Reeves’ Studio as well as Lewes street scenes, it reveals the world in which the subjects worked and the people they may have encountered. Contemporary newspaper reports and guidebooks have provided personal back stories of lives lived in this busy market town.
Displaying remarkable photographs which demonstrate the amazing quality of the images taken from the original glass plates, the lightboxes are placed in locations relevant to the subjects:
Living just across the road from photographer Edward Reeves, Arthur Kemp was described in the studio records as ‘Bird Stuffer’: he pursued the popular Victorian art of taxidermy. Further down the street you will find Miss Cockrum, fancy draper and milliner, later listed as one of the first female jurors in Lewes. More unusually there is a grave digger and a cricket bat maker – also both women.
At the 1930’s Odeon Cinema the usherettes, ‘chocolate girls’ and lab coated projectionists would have seen workers from the Phoenix Iron works, the nearby cement works, and jockeys from the racing stables on a night out. By the 1960’s the town was so busy that a controversial Council plan to relieve traffic congestion led to a war of words in the national press.
The lightboxes will be unveiled and lit on Friday 11th September and will be available to view until Monday 5th October.
VISITING INFORMATION
Friday 11th September – Monday 5th October 2026
Lewes High Street, Cliffe High Street & surrounding area
Exhibition maps available at the Lewes Tourist Information Centre, Lewes Town Hall, Edward Reeves Photography and many of the host shops and businesses.
EXHIBITION MAP:
ACCOMPANYING EXHIBITION AT THE EDWARD REEVES STUDIO
Spanning 170 years of photography, a fascinating accompanying exhibition at the Edward Reeves Studio will show images taken from the huge and varied output of the business. See the unique daylight studio and castle views.
Open 11th–13th & 19th–20th September
11.00am to 4.00pm
Edward Reeves Photography, 159 High St, Lewes
