In May 2020, the then Duchess of Cambridge launched "Hold Still", a photography project to capture life duringlockdown in Britain, which garnered 31,000 submissions from participants aged four to seventy-five years old.[1][2] The core themes of the exhibition focused on "Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness."[1] In July 2020, the exhibition was released and displayed the final 100 photographs online. In October 2020, the portraits were displayed on 112 public sites, including billboards, murals, and posters, across 80 towns and cities.[3][4] The online exhibition collected over 5.2 million page views.[5]
In March 2021, Catherine announced the exhibition was to become a photographic book titledHold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020.[6] The book was published on 7 May.[7][8] To commemorate the release, 150 copies of the book were hidden across the country.[9] Proceeds from the sales were announced to be divided between National Portrait Gallery and mental health charityMind.[10] Audio recordings of phone calls with the Duchess andHold Still photographers discussing the background of the pictures were also released.[11]
The introductory text, written by Catherine, stated the intention of creating a historical record of "individuals’ stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic".[12] The book contains 100 "poignant and personal” images taken throughout the pandemic.[12] Descriptors of featured images include a nurse inpersonal protective equipment attending to patients,Captain Tom Moore completing his walkathon for charity, a demonstrator at the2020 Black Lives Matter protests, a pediatric cancer patientsocially distanced from her father, a student receiving theirGCSE results in quarantine, and an elderly couple holding hands in theirhospital beds.[9][12][11]
Upon publication,Hold Still was reported to be a bestseller.[13][14] The book charted on the lists ofAmazon[15]The Sunday Times[16] andThe Independent.[17] The 100 photographs became a part of the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection, with the cover portrait being hung at theRoyal London Hospital to commemorate the work of theNHS during the pandemic.[18][19]Hold Still won the accolade for the category "Best Use of Digital – UK" at the 2021 Museums + Heritage Awards, which recognizes excellence in gallery attractions.[20]
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