Colin Ford, a visionary museum director and photography historian, passed away on 21st December 2025 at the age of 91. Ford was the founding head of the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford, now known as the National Science and Media Museum, where he worked tirelessly to make the art and science of photography and moving images accessible to the public.
Ford’s passion for photography began in 1972 when he became the inaugural keeper of photography and film at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the first such role at a national museum. During his time at the NPG, he proposed showcasing film portraits of prominent British figures, though the director at the time was hesitant to tackle still photography, with the gallery’s primary collection consisting of just one portrait of the Victorian cookbook writer Mrs Beeton.
Undeterred, Ford soon launched a campaign to establish a dedicated national museum of photography, leading the effort to stop the Royal Academy from auctioning off three volumes of 1840s photographs by the pioneering Scottish duo David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. Ford secured £32,000 from an anonymous donor to purchase the collection for the NPG, which was later the first set of photographs to be accessioned by the new national museum.
In 1975, Ford intervened to stop the export of an album assembled in the 1860s by the portraitist Julia Margaret Cameron for the astronomer Sir John Herschel, which had been sold to a US collector. This was the first time the designation of outstanding cultural significance had been applied to photography. A public appeal raised £52,000 to acquire the Herschel Album for the NPG, and it became a cornerstone of the new national museum’s collection.
Under Ford’s leadership, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford attracted over 3.5 million visitors by 1988, with a wide range of attractions including the first IMAX cinema in the UK, displays of photographic technology, and exhibitions by renowned artists such as David Hockney. After 10 years in Bradford, Ford went on to direct the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, consolidating 10 institutions into 7 during his five-year tenure.
Throughout his career, Ford remained passionate about classical music, opera, and theatre, and his flair for performance served him well as a lecturer, broadcaster, and arts campaigner. He was appointed CBE in 1993 and made an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 1999. Ford’s legacy as a pioneering curator and champion of photography will continue to inspire future generations.
