Informally Royal

A chance meeting in 1936 gave Lisa and Jimmy Sheridan the opportunity of a lifetime. Keen amateur photographers, their company, Studio Lisa, were engaged by the then Duke and Duchess of York to take informal, casual photographs of them and their young daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, at their home in Piccadilly. At a time of traditional formality, when it was unheard of for mere commoners to be given such an opportunity, the hiring of Studio Lisa proved to be a revolutionary and popular move on the part of the royals as it humanized them in the eyes of their subjects.

They soon struck up an unlikely friendship with Lisa and Jimmy - a friendship that would span over 30 years and yield 13 separate photographic sessions, the latter including Queen Elizabeth's young children. Informally Royal charts the story of Studio Lisa, from its humble beginnings right through to it being granted a Royal Warrant, and showcases for the first time in one volume their remarkable royal photographs, making it a collector's item for posterity.