Archive management Acquisitions Appraisals
Elizabeth Smith is a professional photography consultant based in London. Originally from the US, she worked for Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York for two years. She subsequently moved to London in 1993 and was hired by the Photographers’ Gallery where she worked as Print Sales Manager until late 1999. Under her direction the Print Sales room greatly expanded its remit and became the first London gallery to show internationally known photographers such as Bill Jacobson, Martine Barrat, Elinor Carucci, Robert Lyons and Ed van der Elsken. They also arranged sponsorship with organisations such as Nicole Farhi and the Designers Guild. During this time the Print Sales room became the first place in London to introduce both a membership print scheme as well as a serious limited edition print programme, which included photographers such as Rineke Dijkstra, David Byrne and Massimo Vitali amongst others.
Elizabeth left the Photographers’ Gallery in December 1999 to become the Head of the Photographs Department for Christie’s, London. She remained there until late autumn 2001 when she left to set up her photography consulting company Mirror.
In December 2005 she co-founded with Eric Franck the Norman Parkinson Archive. The Norman Parkinson Archive was the exclusive world -wide representative for the British fashion photographer Norman Parkinson’s work. The Archive produced over 60 exhibitions, two books, a BBC/Arena documentary and handled all publications, syndication and commercial use for Parkinson’s images. Commercial projects included a major campaign with Charlotte Tilbury Cosmetics and Mulo shoes. The NPA -under Elizabeth’s direction- ceased operations in December 2017. She now works independently advising photographers and estates on their collections, assisting collectors with acquisitions and completing photographic appraisals for individuals and institutions both private and public.
Books
Norman Parkinson, A Very British Glamour, Rizzoli, 2009, Co-editor
William John Kennedy, The Lost Archive, ACC Artbooks, 2022, Editor and Author
Ed Watson, A Different Dance, Prestel, 2023, Project Manager
Anthony Crickmay, A Life in Photography [working title], 1960 - 2019, date tbc
Elizabeth is a Trustee of the Abderrahim Crickmay Charitable Settlement and is on the Friends Advisory Panel for the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
ecsmith32@gmail.com
+ 44 [0]7738 920 489
