Jimmy Forsyth (15 August 1913 – 11 July 2009)[1] was a British amateur photographer, who in his later life became celebrated for his portrayal of the working class communities of Tyneside and received wide recognition for this achievement prior to his death aged 95.
[3] His subsequent attempts at gaining paid employment proved frustrating and included a further industrial accident.
[7] That he combined an unusual ability coupled with overcoming financial and physical impairment was remarkable, although recognition of this took time.
His presence in the west end of Newcastle also coincided with major social change, as terraced housing and heavy industry gave way to high-rise flats and green space.
Although he had no formal training Forsyth developed a systematic approach, indexing his images and carefully identifying their subjects.
[8] It accelerated with a combination of a TV documentary and a Bloodaxe Books volume Scotswood Road in 1986.
The work towards this end had started with Jimmy's full co-operation and a grant from Northern Arts in the early 1990s.
[18] Exhibitions have been held firstly with Scotswood Road with a Box Camera in January 1979[11] and then at the Side Gallery Newcastle in 1981.