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Untitled [woman hugging boy with baseball cap at angle] from the series On a Good Day

Photograph
1970s (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 with the subjects often placed against a wall. The people photographed present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. 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
TitleUntitled [woman hugging boy with baseball cap at angle] from the series On a Good Day (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Brief description
Photograph by Al Vandenberg, 'Untitled' [woman hugging boy with baseball cap at angle] from the series On a Good Day, gelatin silver print, London, 1970s, printed 2010
Physical description
Black and white photograph of a woman hugging a boy in front of a brick wall. The woman has her hair up in a tall bun style and wears large earrings. The boy wears a baseball cap at an angle.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 12.4cm
  • Image width: 17.8cm
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
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 with the subjects often placed against a wall. The people photographed present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. 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.430-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
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