![Untitled [three boys in descending height order, centre one with cloth cap] from the series On a Good Day top image](https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EH8153/full/735,/0/default.jpg)
Untitled [three boys in descending height order, centre one with cloth cap] 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. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed with the subjects often placed against a wall. The people photographed present themselves head-on to the camera with confidence. 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. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed with the subjects often placed against a wall. The people photographed present themselves head-on to the camera with confidence. 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 [three boys in descending height order, centre one with cloth cap] from the series On a Good Day (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Al Vandenberg, 'Untitled' [three boys in descending height order, centre one with cloth cap] from the series On a Good Day, gelatin silver print, London, 1970s, printed 2010 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of three boys standing in a line, in descending height order. The tallest boy on the left-hand side wears a dark turtle neck jumper with a blazer over the top. The boy in the centre wears a cloth cap and a shirt with a wide collar. The shortest boy on the right-side wears a shearling jacket over his school uniform; he is white while the other two are black. They stand in front of a corrugated metal wall. |
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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 | |
| 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. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed with the subjects often placed against a wall. The people photographed present themselves head-on to the camera with confidence. 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.435-2010 |
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| Record created | February 1, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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