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One Hundred Years: From birth to 100 years, Jenny Lewis captures the people of Hackney

Award-winning photographer Jenny Lewis has spent the last three years documenting the people who live in Hackney, London, covering every age from birth to 100 in chronological order. Now her tender series is being presented in a new book, One Hundred Years.

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Man in a black T-shirt holding a newborn baby, looking at the camera against a neutral background

In the title, published by Hoxton Mini Press, her images are paired with revealing quotes and short stories from each of her subjects, giving us a rare insight into a vibrant pocket of east London, but also the many "vital moments of connection, contradiction, confusion, growth and reflection" that we all experience in life and as we age.

Although sometimes we might feel weighed down by the thought that our lives are meaningless and pretty mundane, given how many there are of us on this planet, these portraits remind us of quite the contrary, as Lucy Davies remarks in the book's introduction: "Perhaps you think you have a typical, ordinary life. Most of us do. But read even a tenth of the 100 stories that are chattering and rustling away inside here, and you will grasp that there is no such thing."

In fact, the portraits and accompanying stories reveal life's universal moments of triumph, sorrow and humour. In one picture we meet Jack, aged seven: "People are always stereotypical to me. Just because I’m a boy they say you can't like pink, but I love pink. One of the first times I wore a skirt, my mum bought me a tutu. I looked in the mirror and I loved it. It makes me feel happy when I'm glamorous."

In another, there's Mia, aged 16, who says: "I moved into this studio in the garden when I turned 16 and we've agreed that I can live here until I move out. My desire to leave home was so strong but impractical at my age, so this was the compromise we reached. Now I have this sanctuary."

One Hundred Years by Jenny Lewis is published by Hoxton Mini Press.

Young child with curly brown hair eating from a bowl at a black table in a modern kitchen, touching their face with one hand
Jack

Jack

Young woman with long dark hair wearing a white crop top and tie-dye trousers, sitting on a colourful cushioned seat next to a potted plant
Person wearing a black t-shirt that reads "Gays against boris" sits against a dark background, displaying tattoos on their arms and wearing gold jewellery
Older man with grey hair wearing a patterned light blue shirt, sitting indoors with framed pictures and speakers visible in the background
An elderly man in a dark suit stands in front of a Victorian brick terraced house with two distinctive white-framed arched doorways, from Jenny Lewis's One Hundred Years series
A woman laughing while sitting on a patterned sofa against a light blue wall, wearing a colourful geometric patterned shirt
Man wearing green hat and patterned top sits on a colourful striped sofa beside potted plants in a bright room with decorative wall art
Person wearing a bright yellow jacket smiles at the camera in front of ivy-covered walls and a red door in Hackney, London
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