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Untitled [A well fully clad man photographed standing by his television in Stockwell, South London,]

Photograph
1972 (Photographed), 2011 (Printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Photographer Neil Kenlock (born 1950) moved to London from Jamaica in 1963 and became determined to document black pride in the face of racial prejudice. Building on his background in protest photography, Kenlock brought the same sense of confidence to the colour photographs he took of British Caribbean people at home in the 1970s.

Photographs like this were taken for the sitter to send to relatives in the Caribbean to show that they had settled well in Britain. The compositions of these images recall studio portraiture, yet showcase the variety of material goods families owned and the modern homes they had made for themselves.

The V&A acquired ten photographs by Kenlock, including a photograph depicting a woman sitting in the same room, as part of the Staying Power project. Photographs by Kenlock’s contemporaries Charlie Phillips and Armet Francis were 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

Categories
Object type
TitleUntitled [A well fully clad man photographed standing by his television in Stockwell, South London,] (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
C-type print
Brief description
Photograph by Neil Kenlock, 'Untitled [A well fully clad man photographed standing by his television in Stockwell, South London]', C-type print, London, 1972, printed 2011
Physical description
A colour photograph of a black man wearing a suit standing in front of a television set in a living room. The room is decorated with colourful carpet, wallpaper and curtains all of different patterns. The man poses leaning on the televsion and is surrounded by a range of other material goods.
Dimensions
  • Image size height: 34.5cm
  • Image size width: 34.6cm
  • Paper size height: 50.1cm
  • Paper size width: 40.8cm
Style
Gallery label
Text label for the exhibition, 'Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s 16 February – 24 May 2015 Neil Kenlock (born 1950) Untitled [Young Jamaican Lady Standing in Her Mother’s Front Room in Brixton Hill] Untitled [A Well Fully Clad Man Photographed Standing by His Television in Stockwell, South London] Untitled [Young Woman Seated on the Floor at Home in Front of Her Television Set] Untitled [A Young Girl Speaking on Her Parents’ Telephone in South London] 1972 – 73 Jamaican-born Kenlock made this series of photographs of Caribbean people at home in London in the 1970s. The sitters often sent these photographs to their relatives to show how well they had settled in Britain. The photographs resemble studio portraits, but instead of backdrops and props, the individuals pose in their own homes with their possessions, showing a sense of pride in their surroundings and belongings. C-type prints (printed 2011) Museum nos. E.212, 214, 215, 306-2012(16/02/2015-24/05/2015)
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
Summary
Photographer Neil Kenlock (born 1950) moved to London from Jamaica in 1963 and became determined to document black pride in the face of racial prejudice. Building on his background in protest photography, Kenlock brought the same sense of confidence to the colour photographs he took of British Caribbean people at home in the 1970s.

Photographs like this were taken for the sitter to send to relatives in the Caribbean to show that they had settled well in Britain. The compositions of these images recall studio portraiture, yet showcase the variety of material goods families owned and the modern homes they had made for themselves.

The V&A acquired ten photographs by Kenlock, including a photograph depicting a woman sitting in the same room, as part of the Staying Power project. Photographs by Kenlock’s contemporaries Charlie Phillips and Armet Francis were 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
Collection
Accession number
E.215-2012

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Record createdApril 5, 2012
Record URL
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