Historic pictures of Liverpool rarely seen in public by one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century are on display at a new exhibition in the city. For almost 50 years, no one did more than Edward Fitzmaurice Chambré Hardman to capture the evolution of one of Britain's iconic cities.

Hardman's studio in Rodney Street is now a National Trust museum where his life's work of almost 142,000 images are archived. Curator Michael Ewen, who has had the difficult task of picking just 56 images to be shown at the Victoria Gallery and Museum from November 1st 2008, says Hardman was a technological pioneer.

Others, like one local amateur photographer, James Malone, say Hardman's legacy has inspired him and other modern photographers to continue the work Hardman started in the 1920s of chronicling how Liverpool is changing. The video includes archive interview footage with Hardman himself.

You can browse pictures of Liverpool as European City of Culture from James Malone and many other photographers at the BBC Liverpool08 Flickr group.