Black Beauty Pageants
Photograph
1960s (photographed), 2012 (printed)
1960s (photographed), 2012 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Grenadian born photographer Raphael Albert (1935-2009) was committed to celebrating the growing black population in Britain. Whilst living in Hammersmith, West London he began to organise and photograph a host of black beauty pageants from the 1960s to the 1980s, mostly targeted at women from the British Caribbean community.
Albert also promoted black models as a freelance fashion photographer. This photograph was taken during a test shoot at his home. The extravagantly bejewelled woman features in a number of his photographs modelling different hairstyles.
The V&A acquired seven of Albert’s photographs documenting beauty pageants and the British Caribbean community in London 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.
Albert also promoted black models as a freelance fashion photographer. This photograph was taken during a test shoot at his home. The extravagantly bejewelled woman features in a number of his photographs modelling different hairstyles.
The V&A acquired seven of Albert’s photographs documenting beauty pageants and the British Caribbean community in London 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 | Black Beauty Pageants (series title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver fibre-based print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Raphael Albert, untitled, from the portfolio Black Beauty Pageants, gelatin silver print, London, c. 1960s, printed 2012 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of a black woman covering her chest with both her hands. On her hands she wears large plastic rings on every finger and has metallic painted nails. She also wears an embellished top with thin straps and a simple necklace with one jewel that is similar to the jewels on some of her rings. She has cropped hair and visible make up. In the background of the photograph, to the left, there is a man resting against an open door wearing a trilby hat and suit, he holds a camera which is dangling from his right hand. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (stamped by Autograph ABP on verso) |
| Gallery label | Raphael Albert (1935 – 2009)
Untitled
Untitled
The Harder They Come
Beauty Salon
Untitled
Miss Black & Beautiful
From the series Black Beauty Pageants
1960 – 79
This series of photographs echoes the sentiment of the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, which started in America in the 1960s. The movement encouraged black people to embrace their natural beauty. Albert became interested in black British beauty pageants while working as a freelance photographer for the newspaper West Indian World. He founded the Miss Teenager and Miss West Indies in Great Britain contests in 1974. He viewed the contests as a way of restoring confidence within his community.
Gelatin silver prints (printed 2012)
Museum nos. E.312 to 317-2013
(16/02/2015-24/05/2015) |
| Credit line | Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery 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 | Grenadian born photographer Raphael Albert (1935-2009) was committed to celebrating the growing black population in Britain. Whilst living in Hammersmith, West London he began to organise and photograph a host of black beauty pageants from the 1960s to the 1980s, mostly targeted at women from the British Caribbean community. Albert also promoted black models as a freelance fashion photographer. This photograph was taken during a test shoot at his home. The extravagantly bejewelled woman features in a number of his photographs modelling different hairstyles. The V&A acquired seven of Albert’s photographs documenting beauty pageants and the British Caribbean community in London 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 |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.317-2013 |
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| Record created | February 7, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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