Wedding Guests in London
Photograph
1960s (Photographed), 2011 (printed)
1960s (Photographed), 2011 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Born in 1929, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor documented the shift towards modern living as experienced by black people in both Africa and Britain. Barnor first moved to London in 1959, and his reportage of the capital during the 1960s records the emergence of a modern, multicultural city. The outfits worn by two wedding guests combine Western and traditional West African fashions into a global 1960s style. The leafy backdrop and telephone box locate this multicultural scene on British streets.
The V&A acquired five photographs by James Barnor 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.
The V&A acquired five photographs by James Barnor 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 | |
| Title | Wedding Guests in London (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
| Brief description | Photograph by James Barnor, 'Wedding Guests in London', gelatin silver print, London, 1960s, printed 2011, ed. 2/10 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph depicting two women standing on a path in a park in front of a traditional red British telephone box wearing smart clothing. The woman on the left wears patterned heels which match her bag and a white dress with embroidered flowers around the shoulders and a full, fifties skirt. She has a large white flower in her hair and looks straight at the camera, smiling. The woman on the right of the image wears a longer, patterned dress with wide 3/4 sleeves and has a large bouffant hairstyle, she looks out of frame to the right of the image. Both women are stood with one foot slightly in front of the other, tilted showing off the shoes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Limited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions | Signed 'James Barnor 1960s/2011' at bottom right of the image and 'ED 2/10' on verso, lower right. |
| 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 | Born in 1929, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor documented the shift towards modern living as experienced by black people in both Africa and Britain. Barnor first moved to London in 1959, and his reportage of the capital during the 1960s records the emergence of a modern, multicultural city. The outfits worn by two wedding guests combine Western and traditional West African fashions into a global 1960s style. The leafy backdrop and telephone box locate this multicultural scene on British streets. The V&A acquired five photographs by James Barnor 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 | |
| Other number | 2/10 - Limited Edition Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.102-2012 |
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| Record created | January 31, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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