About Eric Hosking
Throughout his long and distinguished career, which spanned over sixty years, Eric Hosking OBE., Hon FRPS, FBIPP (1909 –1991), was widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most eminent natural history photographers. His work was admired, published and exhibited in countries around the continents of the world. For many years he travelled the length and breadth of the United Kingdom presenting lectures, illustrated with slides of his most impressive pictures. The superb quality of his images, his meticulous care for his subjects and his boundless enthusiasm inspired three generations of young naturalists and photographers to follow in his footsteps. There can be no doubt that his photographs have made a significant contribution to our wider understanding and concern for the living world.
Eric’s interests, however, were not confined simply to natural history photography; they ranged across a wide spectrum of matters ornithological. He was a perceptive and sensitive observer of birdlife and the thousands of hours spent patiently waiting in his hides produced many interesting and valuable observations, which were meticulously recorded in his notebooks. He was always keenly interested in painters and bird art. Some of his most treasured possessions were paintings, which he had gathered together and enjoyed for many years. He was an avid collector of books and his shelves were a treasure trove of ornithological volumes, many items of considerable historical interest in their own right.
Eric’s autobiography, An Eye for a Bird, written in collaboration with Frank Lane and with a foreword by HRH Prince Philip, can be purchased from the Amazon Kindle store here.
What We Do
The aims of the Eric Hosking Trust are to sponsor natural history and ornithological research through the media of writing, photography, painting or illustration. Bursaries of up to £750 may be awarded to suitable candidates from any country once a year. The Trust has charitable status and a board of Trustees, consisting of David Hosking, Dawn Balmer, Professor Richard Chandler, Mark Hosking, Robin Hosking, Edward Keeble and Paul Williams. The Trust was launched at a major retrospective exhibition of Eric Hosking’s vintage prints at The Wildlife Art Gallery in Lavenham, Suffolk, on 24 April 1993. In addition, “Classic Birds”, a volume of Eric’s black and white photographs with a text specially written by Dr Jim Flegg, and with a foreword by Dame Miriam Rothschild DBE FRS, was published by HarperCollins in autumn of 1993.
Registered Charity No 1018588