Dignity in Poverty, Hackney
Photograph
1974 (photographed), 2010 (printed)
1974 (photographed), 2010 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Dennis Morris moved to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960s and began taking photographs from the age of eight. His personal photographs of British Caribbean community life in Hackney came to form the series Growing Up Black.
‘Dignity in Poverty’ presents the harsh reality faced by many post-war Caribbean migrants who were forced to live in sub-standard tenement housing. Morris was part of this community, living in one room shared with his mother when arriving in England. Recalling the experience he emphasises, ‘Although conditions were cramped, we all had a sense of pride. Our rooms would be spotless and everything was kept in place.’ In order to create a home within a single space it became, according to Morris, ‘customary to part the room with a curtain. One side would be the bedroom and the other side the sitting room.’
The V&A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris as part of the Staying Power project. A photograph by Charlie Phillips depicting a racially discriminating housing advert in 1959 was also acquired as part of the project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.
‘Dignity in Poverty’ presents the harsh reality faced by many post-war Caribbean migrants who were forced to live in sub-standard tenement housing. Morris was part of this community, living in one room shared with his mother when arriving in England. Recalling the experience he emphasises, ‘Although conditions were cramped, we all had a sense of pride. Our rooms would be spotless and everything was kept in place.’ In order to create a home within a single space it became, according to Morris, ‘customary to part the room with a curtain. One side would be the bedroom and the other side the sitting room.’
The V&A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris as part of the Staying Power project. A photograph by Charlie Phillips depicting a racially discriminating housing advert in 1959 was also acquired as part of the project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Dennis Morris, 'Dignity in Poverty, Hackney', from the series Growing Up Black, gelatin silver print, London, 1974, printed 2010 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of a black man wearing a suit and trilby hat standing in a room in front of two washing lines with clothing items hanging from them. The door to the room is open and to the right-hand side of the image a floral curtain hangs from the ceiling in front of sheet of dark fabric acting as a wall. |
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| Marks and inscriptions | (signed and titled on the reverse) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. |
| Object history | The V&A acquired this photograph as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Dennis Morris moved to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960s and began taking photographs from the age of eight. His personal photographs of British Caribbean community life in Hackney came to form the series Growing Up Black. ‘Dignity in Poverty’ presents the harsh reality faced by many post-war Caribbean migrants who were forced to live in sub-standard tenement housing. Morris was part of this community, living in one room shared with his mother when arriving in England. Recalling the experience he emphasises, ‘Although conditions were cramped, we all had a sense of pride. Our rooms would be spotless and everything was kept in place.’ In order to create a home within a single space it became, according to Morris, ‘customary to part the room with a curtain. One side would be the bedroom and the other side the sitting room.’ The V&A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris as part of the Staying Power project. A photograph by Charlie Phillips depicting a racially discriminating housing advert in 1959 was also acquired as part of the project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives. The project aims to explore black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs acquired by the V&A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic reference | Morris, D. Growing Up Black (London: Autograph ABP, 2012), illustrated |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1488-2010 |
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| Record created | February 1, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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