LEAVERS CAN YOU HELP?

In October 2022, Jeremy Cooper (The Park 1959) generously presented three of his artworks to the OSRG collection. Comprising montages of ‘cigarette cards’ of famous footballers, film stars and gaiety girls that were collected by children in the 50s, 60s and 70s, Mother’s Boy and Black and White Harrow are a compilation of Jeremy’s own childhood memories, enhanced by photographs of himself in his prep school and Harrow football and cricket teams.

The largest item however – Leavers – is a montage of 169 portrait photographs of the kind traditionally presented by boys departing from Harrow to their friends and beaks. Such photographs, taken in full dress privileges by the School photographer, are mounted on card, signed and dedicated on the front, with contact details and a personal message on the back. Between 1946 and 1960, Cooper’s father, Basil, taught Maths at Harrow, and was known by his initials, BEDC. Seventy-seven of the Leavers’ portraits in this piece have dedications to ‘BEDC’, the other 92 to Jeremy himself.

The two Coopers overlapped as Master and boy for a year, before Basil Cooper took up the post of Headmaster of St Bartholomew’s Grammar School in Newbury, Berkshire, where he stayed until retirement in 1985. Jeremy became a School Monitor and triple blood. He went on to read History of Art at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and eventually became Sotheby’s expert in gothic furniture. His exhibition catalogue, Postcard Narratives (2012), featured all three artworks.

Jeremy and the OSRG team (with invaluable help from Dale Vargas) have managed to identify all but a few of the OHs in the montage. The portraits reproduced here however have still not been identified. If you recognise and can recall the name of any of these boys do please get in touch. The ultimate challenge would be to provide a name for the silhouette at the centre of the piece.

Find more information and a larger version of the picture on OH Connect.

waltonj@harrowschool.org.uk