Ilford Photo is to stage an exhibition showcasing 150 years of ?outstanding? b&w photography partly, the company says, to underline its ?commitment? to the genre.

The Host Gallery in London will stage the show of 50 prints which is timed to coincide with the official launch of Ilford?s new ?digital-friendly? Galerie FB Digital photographic paper on which all the exhibits are printed.

Photographers featured include Harry Benson, Eadweard Muybridge, Terry Fincher, Norman Parkinson and Cornel Lucas whose shot of Bridgitte Bardot is shown here.

An Ilford spokesman said: ?The images on display chronicle the rise of b&w photography over the past 150 years, encompassing historic landscapes and panoramic cityscapes from the 19th century? to contemporary documentary work from the 1980s and the present day.?

Entitled ?Ilford Photo, Pioneers of Photography? the exhibition runs from 16-28 April.

Ilford Galerie FB Digital is a fibre-based paper designed to be used on professional lab-based digital laser printers. It uses a baryta base.

Baryta coating creates a ?totally smooth pure white surface by filling all the natural textures of the basic material?, according to Ilford.

The Host Gallery is located at 1 Honduras Street, London EC1Y OTH. It is open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 11am-4pm. Tel: 020 7253 2770. Entry is free.

Picture credit: Cornel Lucas