Model Journal April 1989 - 'Marlowe Press - The Story' by Barbara Molyneux
"I've got to see a lot of photographers this week," she whispered, "and I'm almost out of pictures to give them".
It was early one winter morning in London and for Peter Marlowe this news meant that as his girlfriend had no time, she wanted him to visit several of the studios like Barry Lategan's and order two dozen prints of her recent photos. This was 1965, and in those days models used to give away a real photo with their name, measurements and agent's name and telephone number hand written on the back. Modelling then was in its infancy, with only 50 or so good fashion photographers supplying the 10 London agencies with all their editorial bookings. Not only was it time consuming to have to keep ordering photos which were always paid C.O.D., but it was monotonous to have to write all the information on the photos, and EXPENSIVE!
Left to ponder this for the morning, Peter Marlowe decided to solve the problem once and for all. Taking the best photos out of her portfolio, he proceeded to work on a layout, and later that day ordered 100 copies be printed on a litho' machine. This was the first time anyone in Europe had used a printing machine to reproduce photos for models' publicity. The present turned out to be a surprise for both Ruth and Peter, however, since she was one of the stars in the Peter Lumley Agency, no sooner had she shown it to other models at Lumley's than a whole stream of them descended on Peter's flat every morning. It was the end of a degree at London University for Peter and the beginning of the composite card business.
