God Save The 99

Photography Delving Into the World of the British 99 Ice Cream

Nothing screams summer like slurping on an ice cream as you stroll along the beach. Luke Stephenson’s upcoming book 99 x 99s is a photographic exploration into the wonderful world of the 99 ice cream. He spent 25 days travelling along the coastline of Britain, photographing (and tasting!) 99s at every stop. Although he ensures us he didn’t eat all of them.

‘The tastiest I ate was in a place called Joes ice cream parlour in the mumbles just outside Swansea.’ he tipped. Luke’s work will be featured in Photographers’ Galley group exhibition on 11th July, and his book will be released in September this year.

We asked Luke more about this project:

The Plus: What inspired this project?
Luke Stephenson: I wanted to do a project around the English seaside, as it seems to be a right of passage for a British photographer. The Americans have long road trips across the country: we have the seaside.

TP: Did all the Ice creams cost 99p?
LS: They ranged from 99p to £2.55 but the average is £1.70 I’d say.
Its a myth that they are called 99s because of the price they once were, the truth is no one actually knows why they are called 99s. That’s another reason I love them so much; they have an air of mystery.