Stephens Orr
 | This article needs more citations. (January 2014) |
John Stephens Orr (6 March 1907[1] – 1990) was a Scottish Glasgow photographer[2][3] whose subject matter was often people or motor cars[citation needed]. Practising between 1930 and 1970 in Glasgow's Langside and later at No. 4 Somerset Place, Charing Cross, he became known for his portraits of society figures in magazines such as Scottish Field.[4]
His photographs were often of judges posing in full regalia, antidisestablishmentarianism lawyers, Duchesses and controversial music hall characters. Orr also photographed celebrities and captains of industry, all visitors to Glasgow. Some of the people he photographed include:
- Paul Robeson — U.S. vocalist and black activist
- Dame Marie Rambert — Polish dancer and choreographer; founder of Ballet Rambert
- Marc Chagall — Jewish painter
- Richard Burton — Welsh actor
- Stanley Baxter — Scottish comedian
- Jacques Tati — French film maker
- Paul Tortelier — French cellist
- David Brown, Aston Martin cars
- William Lyons, Jaguar, Austin cars
- Walter Owen Bentley, Rolls-Royce/Bentley cars
- Nicholas Fairbairn — Scottish lawyer and British politician
Orr wore a distinctive kilt and was photographed in a portrait style similar to Yousuf Karsh. He recorded the last glimmers of a confident Scottish society in flamboyant style. His later life was spent with his wife, Jenny, on the Scottish Clyde coast island of Cumbrae. He "spoke with [a] pronounced Glasgow accent".[5]
He died in Cumbrae, aged 83.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "1907 ORR, JOHN STEPHENS (Statutory registers Births 646/2 458)". Scotland's People. National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon.
- ↑ Thomson, Patricia (24 April 1999). "Sydney Harrison". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014 – via HighBeam Research.
- ↑ "Stephens Orr (active 1960s), Photographer". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Kenny (4 October 2019). "John Stephens-Orr – the snapper to the stars". Scottish Field. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ↑ Maclean, Calum (24 February 2012). The Highlands. Random House. ISBN 978-1-78057-436-3. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
some of them, including Mr Stephens Orr, the noted photographer, spoke with pronounced Glasgow accents ... I do not think that Mr Stephens Orr has even tried to shed his native accent
- ↑ Scotland's People: Statutory registers - Deaths
