Sir John Harold Plumb (20 August 1911 – 21 October 2001), known as Jack, was a British historian, known for his books on British eighteenth century history. He authored over thirty books, but was also well known for his acerbic tongue [Encyclopaedia Britannica]. Kt. 1982; FBA 1968; historian; Fellow Christ's 1946; Master of Christ's College 1978-1982. Professor of modern history, Cambridge University 1966-74. Photograph by Ben Schwartz who photographed Margaret Thatcher amongst others. (See also cc01036)
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Sir John Plumb in a library. Photograph of Sir John Harold Plumb (20 August 1911 – 21 October 2001), known as Jack, was a British historian, known for his books on British eighteenth century history. He authored over thirty books, but was also well known for his acerbic tongue [Encyclopedia Brittanica]. Kt. 1982; FBA 1968; historian; Fellow Christ's 1946; Master of Christ's College 1978-1982. Professor of modern history, Cambridge University 1966-74.
He was born in Leicester and educated at Alderman Newton's Grammar School, University College, Leicester and then Christ's College, Cambridge. His doctorate (1936) was supervised by G. M. Trevelyan; this was the unique occasion when Trevelyan accepted a student. He had a research fellowship at King's College, Cambridge just before World War II, during which he was at Bletchley Park where he headed a section working on a German Naval hand cipher, Reservehandverfahren.
In the 1960s he branched out as an editor, notably of The History of Human Society series. Contributors to his books included other well known historians like Morris Bishop, Jacob Bronowski and Maria Bellonci. Later Plumb worked on a television series about the British Royal family and the royal collections (Royal Heritage BBC 1977).
He is seen as mentor to a school of historians, having in common a wish to write accessible, broad-based work for the public: a generation of scholars that includes Roy Porter, Simon Schama, Linda Colley, David Cannadine and others, who came to prominence in the 1990s. He was champion of a 'social history' in a wide sense; he backed this up with a connoisseur's knowledge of some fields of the fine arts, such as Flemish painting and porcelain. This approach rubbed off on those he influenced, while he clashed unrepentantly with other historians (notably Cambridge colleague Geoffrey Elton) with a perspective from constitutional history whose emphasis was on more traditional scholarship.[Wikipedia]
Bern Schwartz (1914-1978) was a Californian who turned to photography in his early sixties after a successful career in business. Taken between 1975 and 1978 they include portraits of Margaret Thatcher, Rudolf Nureyev, John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Lord Denning, the Prince of Wales, A J Ayer, Tony Benn, Zandra Rhodes and Twiggy. His portraits now form part of the collection in the National Portrait Gallery.
