Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level H , Case DELTA, Shelf 10

Holiness unto the Lord, Shiloh Pentecostal church, Hackney

Photograph
ca. 1970 (photographed), 2010 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Dennis Morris moved to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960s and began taking photographs from the age of eight. His personal photographs of British Caribbean community life in Hackney came to form the series Growing Up Black.

A central part of community life photographed by Morris is the church. Shiloh Pentecostal Church on Ashwin Street in Dalston was, Morris said, ‘the first church owned by the local black community. It was custom for young and old to dress in their best clothes for the Sunday services.’ The church services documented by Morris convey the major role religion played in the lives of many British Caribbean people. The church is also shown as a space where new communities and traditions were forged.

The V&A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris 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
Titles
  • Holiness unto the Lord, Shiloh Pentecostal church, Hackney (assigned by artist)
  • Growing Up Black (series title)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Brief description
Photograph by Dennis Morris, 'Holiness unto the Lord, Shiloh Pentecostal church, Hackney', from the series Growing Up Black, gelatin silver print, London, ca. 1970, printed 2010
Physical description
Black and white photograph of women and men on stage in a church. One woman stands at a lectern clapping her hands. Behind her is a row of three women in coats; one of them is stood up, blurred from movement, and the other two seated each holding a book. At the back two men can be seen, one playing a guitar. A fabric banner hanging from a higher lectern behind the crowd has the words 'Holiness Unto the Lord' stitched on it.
Dimensions
  • Image size height: 45.5cm
  • Image size width: 68.5cm
  • Paper size height: 660mm
  • Paper size width: 838mm
  • Mount size height: 680mm
  • Mount size width: 920mm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(signed and titled on reverse)
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
Places depicted
Summary
Dennis Morris moved to Britain from Jamaica in the early 1960s and began taking photographs from the age of eight. His personal photographs of British Caribbean community life in Hackney came to form the series Growing Up Black.

A central part of community life photographed by Morris is the church. Shiloh Pentecostal Church on Ashwin Street in Dalston was, Morris said, ‘the first church owned by the local black community. It was custom for young and old to dress in their best clothes for the Sunday services.’ The church services documented by Morris convey the major role religion played in the lives of many British Caribbean people. The church is also shown as a space where new communities and traditions were forged.

The V&A acquired ten photographs by Dennis Morris 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
Bibliographic reference
Morris, D. Growing Up Black (London: Autograph ABP, 2012), illustrated, pg. 33
Collection
Accession number
E.1484-2010

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 createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
Download as: JSON