![Untitled [two men with roller skates sitting on bench] from the series On a Good Day top image](https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EH8154/full/735,/0/default.jpg)
Untitled [two men with roller skates sitting on bench] from the series On a Good Day
Photograph
1970s (photographed), 2010 (printed)
1970s (photographed), 2010 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
By the 1970s, American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) had abandoned his commercial career to take street photographs. Having studied photography in New York alongside Alexey Brodovitch, Richard Avedon and Bruce Davidson, Vandenberg became a successful commercial photographer and art director working in both New York and London during the 1960s. After a period of travelling, he settled in London in 1974 with the aim of using his photographic skills to create portraits of city life without a commercial agenda.
Vandenberg’s series On a Good Day documents a wide variety of Londoners. He used the city as his backdrop and encouraged the people he photographed to engage in the process, creating portraits in which the sitters appear confident and at ease. Seen together, the series gives an idea of the communities that made up London and the urban styles of the era.
The V&A acquired fifteen photographs from Al Vandenberg’s On a Good Day series 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.
Vandenberg’s series On a Good Day documents a wide variety of Londoners. He used the city as his backdrop and encouraged the people he photographed to engage in the process, creating portraits in which the sitters appear confident and at ease. Seen together, the series gives an idea of the communities that made up London and the urban styles of the era.
The V&A acquired fifteen photographs from Al Vandenberg’s On a Good Day series 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 | Untitled [two men with roller skates sitting on bench] from the series On a Good Day (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Al Vandenberg, 'Untitled' [two men with roller skates sitting on bench] from the series On a Good Day, gelatin silver print, London, 1970s, printed 2010 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of two young black men sitting on a bench in a park wearing roller skates. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given in part by Al Vandenberg and Eric Franck. 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 | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | By the 1970s, American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) had abandoned his commercial career to take street photographs. Having studied photography in New York alongside Alexey Brodovitch, Richard Avedon and Bruce Davidson, Vandenberg became a successful commercial photographer and art director working in both New York and London during the 1960s. After a period of travelling, he settled in London in 1974 with the aim of using his photographic skills to create portraits of city life without a commercial agenda. Vandenberg’s series On a Good Day documents a wide variety of Londoners. He used the city as his backdrop and encouraged the people he photographed to engage in the process, creating portraits in which the sitters appear confident and at ease. Seen together, the series gives an idea of the communities that made up London and the urban styles of the era. The V&A acquired fifteen photographs from Al Vandenberg’s On a Good Day series 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.436-2010 |
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| Record created | February 1, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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