A collection of photographs taken by Elizabeth Tyler as a teenager in Coventry during the 1960s has been rediscovered after six decades. Ms Tyler, now 80 and living in southern Sweden, found the box of images in her attic, leading to her first photography exhibition and a published book.
In 1963, a 17-year-old Ms Tyler, who had recently lost both parents and was homeless, used photography as an escape, capturing images of Coventry's bomb sites and abandoned buildings. She bought a 1933 Rolleicord camera with her first wages from a waitressing job and enrolled at Coventry College of Art.
Her work often focused on the Hillfields area, documenting the devastation still present 20 years after the blitz, including children playing among rubble and empty rooms in abandoned buildings. After completing her studies in 1965, she moved to Stockholm, taking the box of images with her, but was unable to afford to develop the negatives.
The images survived moves across four countries over six decades before Ms Tyler rediscovered them about six months ago. After digitising them, she began sharing them on a Coventry local history Facebook group. The photographs are now featured in an exhibition at LTB Showrooms in Coventry, part of Coventry Then & Now, which has been extended due to its popularity. The images have also been published in the book, Elizabeth Tyler — Coventry 1960s.