The Shaw Thing 2
Regarding my Ruth Cavendish post, I received a question from reader Murray asking if photographer Shaw was a “bit of a ratbag” and had he ever been “outed for his behaviour”. The plain answer is, of course, who knows! Unless one of the models still with us came forward to vouch for him or otherwise. we are not likely to know. The only thing we can picture of him was that he was comfortably off — and that he appeared to have links to Bearsden Lawn Tennis Club. What the club must have thought of him photographing the Kent sisters and Louise Crawford on its premises I would have loved to know. But then again, it’s entirely possible he was Mr Bearsden Lawn Tennis Club and could do more or less what he liked. I have two points regarding Shaw. One, it was evident ToCo held all the negs, otherwise they would not have been able to sell prints. That meant he didn’t get to keep what he shot. So, as he appeared to have a bob or two, one could imagine he used up a couple of (stronger?) reels on the side with the consent of the model for his own use. Two, the business is full of photographers, professional and amateur alike, who consider any girl who shows a bit of stocking top or takes her kit off for the camera is “up for it”. That is by no means the case. But it won’t stop those photographers from pushing their luck. Whether Shaw falls into that category, again, who knows!