Tomorrow's Crucifixion (1938)

Horace Roye (born Horace Roye-Narbeth; 4 March 1906 – 11 June 2002) was a British photographer.

Life and work

Roye's photograph Tomorrow's Crucifixion, depicting a nude model wearing a gas mask while pinned to a crucifix caused controversy when published in the North London Recorder in August 1938, but later became a noted photograph of its time.

In 1954 with a fellow photographer called Vala, Roye came up with the Roye-Vala 3-D Process. Not to miss an opportunity his company The Camera Studies Club published the Stereo Glamour Series of 3-D books of nude studies and pin-ups.^[1] As a photographer of nudes, he successfully contested the obscenity laws of his day. An account of which he published in 1960 in the booklet Unique Verdict – the Story of an Unsuccessful Prosecution.^[2]

Roye retired to Portugal. During the 1974 revolution, he was besieged in his house, holding out with a shotgun. Forced to sell up he returned to England.^[2] In 1980, he made his final move to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. He became Morocco's oldest British expatriate, and he was also the longest-serving member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers. He took up parasailing at the age of 75 and water-skied on the river Bouregeg until he was 78 years old.^[3]

Roye was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Joan Dare. He later married Renee Bernadeau who had been a French dancer. His final marriage was to Marilyn, a Canadian model who died in 1993.^[3]

In 2002 at the age of 96, Roye was stabbed to death by an intruder at his home in the kasbah of Rabat.

Publications

• Phyllis in Censorland. The Camera Studies Club, 1942 and later edition 1956.
• Perfect Womanhood. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1941.
• The English Maid. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1939.
• The Scottish Maid. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1940.
• The Irish Maid. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1941.
• Desirée. Chapman & Hall, London, 1942. Later, smaller sized paper backed edition, The Camera Studies Club, London.
• The Welsh Maid. George Routledge & Sons, London, 1942.
• Phyllis Dixey Album The Spotlight on Beauty Series no.3. The Camera Studies Club, Elstree. Relates to Phyllis Dixey.
• Rhapsody in Colour. The Camera Studies Club, London, 1943.
• Maids. Elstree, Elstree, 1947.
• Canadian Beauty. The Camera Studies Club, 1952.
• Glamour on Parade No.1, Posed by George Black's Lovelies. The Camera Studies Club, Elstree.
• Nude Ego. Hutchinson, London, 1955.
• Unique Editions, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Art, London.
• Unique Verdict - the Story of an Unsuccessful Prosecution. Art, 1960.
• Unique Verdict – Art Supplement. Art, London.
• Curves and Colour. The Camera Studies Club, London, 1943. With Walter Bird and John Everard.
• More Eves Without Leaves (with Walter Bird and John Everard). The Camera Studies Club, Elstree, 1941.
• Eves Without Leaves (with Walter Bird and John Everard). C. Arthur Pearson, London, 1940.
• Eternal Eve (with Walter Bird and John Everard). Elstree, London, 1947.
• Arthur Ferrier's Lovelies. Photographs by Roye. Published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1941. Later, smaller sized paperback editions by the Camera Studies Club, London.

References