James ‘Jimmy’ Jarché (1890-1965), my grandfather, was one of the most sought-after photojournalists of his generation.
He was born to immigrant Lithuanian parents in Rotherhithe, near the docks by Tower Bridge, in 1890. Jimmy’s parents arrived in London after living in Paris for a while, where his father, Arnold, worked as an assistant in a photographic studio.
In London, having set up Tower Bridge Photographic Studios, Arnold would take classic portraiture pictures during the day, but after hours his work would take a macabre turn. With no photographic unit of their own at that time, the Metropolitan Police would call on Arnold to photograph
