EPS Member

John T Knight

Lantern Slides

In his early John T Knight was most renowned for his monochrome 31/4" x 31/4" lantern slides.  It may well have been for these that he was awarded his FRPS [Gracie Alison]

He later moved on to prints and colour slides including bas relief.

Lectures to EPS Wednesday Meetings

Between 1940 and 1976, John Knight gave lectures to Edinburgh Photographic Society's Wednesday evening meetings on 25 occasions.

His subjects included travel, landscape, theatre, ballet and several photographic processes:  lantern slides, solarised slides, Paper negatives, brometching and bromoil.

I particularly remember being impressed by some of his theatre and dance photography.

His final lecture to the society was given, on tape in January 1982, just over a year after his death.

Other Lectures

John gave instruction to the EPS Studio Group in the 1950s.

He gave lectures to the EPS Colour Group in the 1960s and 1970s and to the EPS Advanced Section in the 1970s.

EPS hosted Christmas Lectures for children for one year only.  It was John Knight who delivered these lectures, one in December 1974 and one in January 1975.

Exhibitions

John judged the EPS Members' Exhibition in 1951 and again in 1958.

Several EPS Members each staged a 'One Man Show' of photographs in the 1950s. John was one of the Members to do so.

Twelve of John's prints were included amongst an exhibition of 66 prints from Leith Amateur Photographic Association that were shown in the Art Library at Edinburgh Central LIbrary.  [I don't have a note of when this exhibition was held but it should not be difficult to discover.]

Edinburgh Central Library would like to include some of John's photos in a booklet to be published in 2006, and are investigating who now holds the copyright to his photos.  So if you know the answer to this question, please e-mail me and I will pass on your answer.

Obituary

John T Knight ES.FIAP died suddenly on 27 December 1980 at the age of 84.  At the time of his death he was still a regular attender at EPS meetings, his last one being on 10 December 1980.

In his obituary, written for the Edinburgh Photographic Society Journal, Gracie Alison wrote of him as an enthusiastic photographer with a very youthful zest.  she wrote:

"John Knight must for many years have been the best known figure in photography in Scotland."

"There can be few clubs that did not have a visit at some time from John Knight."

EPS Bulletin No 130. April 1981