David Prescod (Step Father) at home on his break, Primrose Hill
Photograph
1986 (photographed), 2011 (printed)
1986 (photographed), 2011 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Photographer Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson was born in Camden, Northwest London in 1966 and became a documenter of British youth culture in the 1980s and 1990s. His photographs also record community life in Camden when his mother and step father were living in Primrose Hill. Both Normski’s mother and step father worked for London Transport. The organisation ran a photography club for its employees where his parents were able to buy Normski photographic equipment that was being sold cheaply.
Normski’s step father, David Prescod, wears the uniform of a London bus conductor. London Transport had a long history of employing British Caribbean people, which began as a result of labour shortages in the immediate post-war period. In 1956 they started a recruitment drive in Barbados, which was extended to other parts of the Caribbean in the mid 1960s. In 1968, London Transport estimated that they had around 9,000 black staff. The employment opportunities they offered contributed to migration from the Caribbean in the 1950s and 1960s.
British transport also has a history of refusing employment to black people. The racial discrimination of the Bristol Omnibus Company in their refusal to employ black or Asian staff led to the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963, which lasted for four months. Organised by the West Indian Development Council and led by Paul Stephenson, the boycott was successful in overturning the colour bar. Following the boycott, the Race Relations Act passed in 1965 made racial discrimination in public places unlawful, which was extended to include employment and housing in 1968.
The V&A acquired seven photographs by Normski 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. A photograph by Al Vandenberg, which depicts a black female bus conductor hugging her white male colleague, was also acquired as part of Staying Power.
Normski’s step father, David Prescod, wears the uniform of a London bus conductor. London Transport had a long history of employing British Caribbean people, which began as a result of labour shortages in the immediate post-war period. In 1956 they started a recruitment drive in Barbados, which was extended to other parts of the Caribbean in the mid 1960s. In 1968, London Transport estimated that they had around 9,000 black staff. The employment opportunities they offered contributed to migration from the Caribbean in the 1950s and 1960s.
British transport also has a history of refusing employment to black people. The racial discrimination of the Bristol Omnibus Company in their refusal to employ black or Asian staff led to the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963, which lasted for four months. Organised by the West Indian Development Council and led by Paul Stephenson, the boycott was successful in overturning the colour bar. Following the boycott, the Race Relations Act passed in 1965 made racial discrimination in public places unlawful, which was extended to include employment and housing in 1968.
The V&A acquired seven photographs by Normski 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. A photograph by Al Vandenberg, which depicts a black female bus conductor hugging her white male colleague, was also acquired as part of Staying Power.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | David Prescod (Step Father) at home on his break, Primrose Hill (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver fibre-based print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Normski, 'David Prescod (Step Father) at home on his break, Primrose Hill', gelatin silver print, London, 1986, printed 2011 |
| Physical description | A black and white portrait photograph of a black man wearing a suit standing in front of a blurred background. He has five badges relating to the bus conductor profession pinned to his lapels; three read 'London Transport' and one says '3 years'. He has another larger badge pinned below his waist which reads, 'N 90867'. He has a chain leading from a buttonhole into a pocket - probably for a fob watch. He has a dark moustache, dark hair and a receding hair line. In his hands he holds a package. He looks directly out of the frame. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| 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 | |
| Places depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Photographer Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson was born in Camden, Northwest London in 1966 and became a documenter of British youth culture in the 1980s and 1990s. His photographs also record community life in Camden when his mother and step father were living in Primrose Hill. Both Normski’s mother and step father worked for London Transport. The organisation ran a photography club for its employees where his parents were able to buy Normski photographic equipment that was being sold cheaply. Normski’s step father, David Prescod, wears the uniform of a London bus conductor. London Transport had a long history of employing British Caribbean people, which began as a result of labour shortages in the immediate post-war period. In 1956 they started a recruitment drive in Barbados, which was extended to other parts of the Caribbean in the mid 1960s. In 1968, London Transport estimated that they had around 9,000 black staff. The employment opportunities they offered contributed to migration from the Caribbean in the 1950s and 1960s. British transport also has a history of refusing employment to black people. The racial discrimination of the Bristol Omnibus Company in their refusal to employ black or Asian staff led to the Bristol Bus Boycott in 1963, which lasted for four months. Organised by the West Indian Development Council and led by Paul Stephenson, the boycott was successful in overturning the colour bar. Following the boycott, the Race Relations Act passed in 1965 made racial discrimination in public places unlawful, which was extended to include employment and housing in 1968. The V&A acquired seven photographs by Normski 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. A photograph by Al Vandenberg, which depicts a black female bus conductor hugging her white male colleague, was also acquired as part of Staying Power. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.109-2012 |
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| Record created | January 31, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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