Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Kings Road from the series On a Good Day

Photograph
1975 (photographed), 2010 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the 1970s, American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) had abandoned his commercial career to take street photographs. Having studied photography in New York alongside Alexey Brodovitch, Richard Avedon and Bruce Davidson, Vandenberg became a successful commercial photographer and art director working in both New York and London during the 1960s. After a period of travelling, he settled in London in 1974 with the aim of using his photographic skills to create portraits of city life without a commercial agenda.

Vandenberg’s series On a Good Day documents a wide variety of Londoners. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed and the subjects present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. Shopfronts and window displays serve as the backdrops in many of the photographs. Seen together, the series gives an idea of the communities that made up London and the urban styles of the era.

The V&A acquired fifteen photographs from Al Vandenberg’s On a Good Day series 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.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleKings Road from the series On a Good Day (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Brief description
Photograph by Al Vandenberg, 'Kings Road' from the series On a Good Day, gelatin silver print, London, 1975, printed 2010
Physical description
Black and white photograph of two women wearing shorts standing next to eachother. The woman on the right wears a cloth cap. They stand in front of a door.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 17.8cm
  • Image width: 11.7cm
Style
Credit line
Given in part by Al Vandenberg and Eric Franck. 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
By the 1970s, American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) had abandoned his commercial career to take street photographs. Having studied photography in New York alongside Alexey Brodovitch, Richard Avedon and Bruce Davidson, Vandenberg became a successful commercial photographer and art director working in both New York and London during the 1960s. After a period of travelling, he settled in London in 1974 with the aim of using his photographic skills to create portraits of city life without a commercial agenda.

Vandenberg’s series On a Good Day documents a wide variety of Londoners. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed and the subjects present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. Shopfronts and window displays serve as the backdrops in many of the photographs. Seen together, the series gives an idea of the communities that made up London and the urban styles of the era.

The V&A acquired fifteen photographs from Al Vandenberg’s On a Good Day series 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.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
E.433-2010

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest