Photograph by Rosalind Maingot, 'The Poem', 1943

The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.

Rosalind Maingot was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1894. Her career started as an actress in Australia, and she had small success with minor roles in plays, musicals and comedies. Maingot moved to Britain and in 1928 married the renowned abdominal surgeon Rodney H. Maingot (1893-1982). She found being a housewife boring and decided to take up photography, enrolling at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London. Maingot was committed from the start and converted rooms in her home into a studio and darkroom. She joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1932 and soon after was made an Associate (ARPS), and then a Fellow (FRPS) in 1940. Maingot was perhaps best known for her figure studies and costumed portraits. A clear influence in this work was her background in the theatre. She was highly praised for her execution of pose, texture, and lighting. Alongside studio portraiture Maingot developed a specialism in medical photography, sparked by her husband’s work as a surgeon. In 1946 Maingot founded the RPS Medical Group to encourage medical professionals to improve the quality of photography for teaching and research. Maingot produced lantern slides for her husband’s lectures and did copy photography of medical drawings for his publications.

RPS.1251-2018