![Untitled [school girls in a line] from the series On a Good Day top image](https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EH8152/full/735,/0/default.jpg)
Untitled [school girls in a line] 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 and the subjects present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. Shopfronts and window displays serve as the backdrops in many of the photographs. 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 and the subjects present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. Shopfronts and window displays serve as the backdrops in many of the photographs. 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 [school girls in a line] from the series On a Good Day (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin silver print |
| Brief description | Photograph by Al Vandenberg, 'Untitled' [school girls in a line] from the series On a Good Day, gelatin silver print, London, 1970s, printed 2010 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of six girls wearing school uniforms standing in a line in front of a shop. They pose differently and have adapted their uniforms in different ways, particularly noticeable are the range of shoes they wear. The girls on either end of the line carry plastic bags. |
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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. Although made on the street, the photographs are carefully posed and the subjects present themselves head-on to the camera with ease and confidence. Shopfronts and window displays serve as the backdrops in many of the photographs. 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.434-2010 |
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| Record created | February 1, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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