Father Russian émigré; family lived in Paris for a time where both parents danced at the Folies Bergères; acrive photographer from 1944 to late 1960s; Straker's practice and ideals were concerned with the representation of the female form and, importantly, that people should have the freedom to see this type of photography; founded Visual Arts Club in Soho, London, 1951; in court a number of times under Obscene Publications Act in the 1960s; collection at NMeM.