Not on display

Woman Reading a Possession Order

Photograph
1997 (made)
Artist/Maker
Hunter, Tom (photographer)
Place of origin
Hackney (made)

Tom Hunter's work often depicts groups of people with housing problems, including squatters, council house tenants and caravan-dwellers, in a positive light. This photograph is from a series of images of a squatter's community in Hackney, East London. It won the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award in 1998 and has been exhibited widely. The composition echoes Vermeer's painting Woman Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657.

Object details

Categories
Photographs
Interiors
Household Objects
Object type
Photograph
Titles
  • Woman Reading a Possession Order (assigned by artist)
  • Persons Unknown (series title)
Materials and techniques
Dye destruction print (Ilfochrome)
Photographic Paper
Silver-Dye Bleach Process
Brief description
Hunter, Tom. 'Woman Reading a Possession Order' from the series 'Persons Unknown', 1997. Dye destruction print.
Physical description
Photograph of a woman reading a possession order at a window. A baby is lying in the foreground.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 591mm
  • Image width: 492mm
  • Frame height: 600mm
  • Frame length: 408mm
Gallery label
Making It Up: Photographic Fictions (2008)

Hunter’s depictions of contemporary people living in precarious urban conditions often make reference to historical paintings. He based this composition, from a series on London squatters, on Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657–9) by Johannes Vermeer. The copy of the actual eviction notice that accompanies the photograph sharply asserts the reality behind the carefully staged picture.

Marta Weiss
Credit line
Purchased through the Cecil Beaton Royalties Fund
Object history
'Woman Reading a Possession Order is from the series 'Persons Unknown', 1997. The image appears with the original summons. The series was produced by Hunter during his final year at the Royal College of Art.

Historical significance: This photograph is from a series based on a squatting community in Hackney, London. It won the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award in 1998 and has been exhibited widely. The composition echoes the painting by Jan Vermeer 'Woman Reading a Letter at an Open Window', 1657.
Subjects depicted
Housing
Infants
Women
Place depicted
Hackney
Summary
Tom Hunter's work often depicts groups of people with housing problems, including squatters, council house tenants and caravan-dwellers, in a positive light. This photograph is from a series of images of a squatter's community in Hackney, East London. It won the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award in 1998 and has been exhibited widely. The composition echoes Vermeer's painting Woman Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657.
Bibliographic reference
p. 45 Jennifer Sliwka. Reframed : the woman in the window. London : Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2022. ISBN: 9781898519461
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.407-1998

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdSeptember 15, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84240/woman-reading-a-possession-order-photograph-hunter-tom/
Download as: JSON