The original images come from the South East Archive of Seaside Photography (SEAS). The archive is located within the Centre for Research on Communities and Cultures at Canterbury Christ Church and provides an insight into our coastal history, showing people enjoying the beaches and attractions around our South East coast. However, as Dr Vale worked through the archive, he became aware of the absence of a queer narrative within the images. 

Dr Vales explains: “The SEAS archive is an amazing collection of historical photographs depicting our connection with our coastal towns, but I could not help but notice the absence of queer male history. More than likely this is because the time these images were taken homosexuality and acts of public affection between men was illegal and could result in serious consequences. But I was determined to find the hidden stories of these men, who had to conceal their romantic relationships from the public gaze and give them their own platform.” 

Dr Vale meticulously worked through thousands of images looking for hidden gestures and anything that would suggest a romantic connection between the men in the background.  

This painstaking work of systematically enlarging and searching for glimpses of stories untold eventually found success, producing around 30 cropped images, that refocuses the viewers’ attention onto details that had been overlooked for decades.

Dr Vale said: “These new images point toward lives that could not lived in the open; stories that can only be imagined, lost to history. These pictures are not retouched or edited any further, but present real events and situations not necessarily meant to be documented. Obscured and beyond focus, they serve as a memorial and tribute to the many lives and loves lived in secret, behind closed doors.

“All these images come from Thanet and heavily feature Margate. This weekend we celebrate Margate Pride and the massive steps that have been achieved in acceptance and equality. These images demonstrate that this has not always been the case in the UK, and in some countries around the world this is still not the case. While it is important to acknowledge and celebrate our freedoms and social liberties, we should not forget that the fight is not over.”

We wish everyone in Margate celebrating this weekend a happy Pride!

Latent: A Hidden History will be featured in this weekend's FT Magazine.

Find out more about Dr Sam Vale’s work here.