Woman Reading a Possession Order
Photograph
1997 (made)
1997 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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 | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Dye destruction print (Ilfochrome) |
| 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 |
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| 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 | |
| Place depicted | |
| 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 | |
| Accession number | E.407-1998 |
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| Record created | September 15, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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