Photographer Granted Rare Access to Cambridge’s May Balls for 40 Years

3 hours ago 50

A group of young people in formal attire celebrate on boats in a canal, some standing and cheering, others climbing out of the water, while more formally dressed people watch from the riverside.

A photographer has been granted unique access to Cambridge University’s famed May Balls for more than 40 years, and has documented this hidden world of late-night revelry in a new photography book.

Cambridge Balls is the new book by society photographer Dafydd Jones (published by ACC Art Books). Cambridge University’s colleges in the U.K. are not only known for academic success and well-known alumni, they are also famous for their annual May Balls, which are all-night events held at the end of the academic year.

A man in a suit and bow tie sits at a table with a bottle of wine, glasses, and a bouquet of flowers, dramatically lit with shadows obscuring the background. He appears to be holding a piece of bread or food.

Four people in formal clothing rest on blankets on the grass, with several wooden chairs in the background. The scene suggests the end of an outdoor event, with scattered litter on the ground.

Two men in tuxedos dance playfully in a conga line at an outdoor nighttime event, with other formally dressed people in the background. The setting appears to be a cobblestone walkway near a brick building.

Since 1981, Jones, who is known for his black-and-white photographs of British high society, has been granted access to these events. Over time, the photographer has built a visual record of more than 40 years of Cambridge May Balls, now published in Cambridge Balls.

The book shows a range of moments from across the decades. These include former British Prime Minister David Cameron in his Bullingdon attire (the Bullingdon Club is private all-male dining club for Oxford University students), rowing teams celebrating after races, and guests arriving by punt. Jones’ photographs also reveal how Cambridge’s May Ball events have changed over time, including more international student groups taking part in recent years.

A woman in evening attire leans back with her mouth open, about to eat cotton candy held by someone else. She holds a cigarette in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other, surrounded by people at a lively gathering.

Black and white photo of people punting on a river; a car is partially submerged in the water, surrounded by several punts, with a stone bridge and trees in the background.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Jones described his images as “an anthropological study of Cambridge celebrations.”

Jones says he first became interested in elite college social life while growing up in Oxford and photographing Oxford dining clubs. In 1981, he went to Cambridge with a small Olympus camera and black-and-white film to document May Week for the first time, despite not knowing anyone there. He arrived without accommodation, photographed gatecrashers at Trinity College, and later found a place to stay through another photographer.

A man in a shirt and underwear jumps into a river from a stone edge, while people on the grassy bank behind him watch, gather, and take photos. Some are dressed formally, suggesting a celebratory event.

A black-and-white photo of people in formal attire at a party. One man in the foreground is asleep with his head resting on his hand. Others sit or lounge on chairs and the floor, looking tired or relaxed. Text reads “CAMBRIDGE BALLS DAFYDD JONES.”.

Jones tells the Financial Times that he thinks people love the images because they capture a unique, emotional moment of celebration and transition at the end of university life.

“It’s a great subject,” Jones says. “At their final balls, not only were the partygoers celebrating the end of their exams, the balls were milestones in their lives, which would never be the same again. Some of the pictures are beautiful moments that are funny and eccentric too.”

“If anyone doesn’t want to be photographed, I leave them alone,” Jones adds. “No one has ever complained about any of the Oxbridge pictures. Some people have been disappointed not to be included.”

Cambridge Balls by Dafydd Jones is published by ACC Art Books and can be purchased here.

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