Sitting in front of my tent a few weeks ago on a short camping break I opened up the excellent British Photographic History website to find that attempts are being made to fund the repair of Alvin Langdon Coburn’s grave.*
Coburn is an interesting figure: an American who made a great splash in early 20th century photography when himself only in his twenties. He settled in Wales and more or less gave up photography in his early forties and retreated – or advanced, depending on your views – into mysticism. I haven’t checked but I imagine that he is the only American Symbolist photographer and Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society to have also become an Honorary Ovate of the Welsh Council of Druids.
Anyway, I was amazed to find that his grave was only a few miles from where I was sitting outside that tent. So I shot off to investigate and found it in a lovely spot overlooking the sea in St Trillo’s churchyard in Rhos-on-Sea on the north Wales coast (not to be confused with St Trillo’s Chapel on the seafront). Here it is.
What has always interested me about his work is the number of self-portraits he took all of which seem to suggest a massive self-esteem. One in particular has stuck in my mind for one other reason: the hairstyle. Most Victorian men’s hairstyles look as though they have been cut with a small lawnmower and then plastered down with a mixture of carbolic soap and goose fat. Like this anonymous chap to the right. What was he thinking of?
But not Alvin. Look at this.
ALC self-portrait: © holder unknown
Cool or what? It must have taken him forever to get that look without a hairdryer. If the mystics are right and he has come round again I am sure we would find him in a little jazz club somewhere knocking out a sax solo with some cool cat pals.
*If you would like to make a contribution to the restoration of his grave then the man to contact is Brian Iddon at brianiddon53@gmail.com