Image of Gallery in South Kensington
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Black police officer - Camden High Street, Camden Town

Photograph
1984 (photographed), 2011 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Photographer Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson was born in Northwest London in 1966. He was bought his first camera by his mother at an auction when he was nine years old and by the age of eighteen he was working as a freelance photographer. His photographs include a personal record of community life in Camden where he grew up. During a period in which the Metropolitan Police faced accusations of racial prejudice, Normski documented a black member of the profession.

The V&A acquired seven photographs by Normski 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
TitleBlack police officer - Camden High Street, Camden Town (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver fibre-based print
Brief description
Photograph by Normski, 'Black Police Officer - Camden High Street, Camden Town', gelatin silver print, London, 1984, printed 2011
Physical description
A black and white photograph of a black police officer walking down a busy street, with a fruit stall and posters on the wall behind him. He is in the centre of the image walking with his arms behind his back, as he looks directly out of the frame. The posters on the wall behind him advertise concerts by bands such as Nina Hagen, Queen, Chris Rea, Killing Joke and the Kinks, as well as Poetry International '84 at the Royal Albert Hall on April 21st.
Dimensions
  • Image size height: 55.4cm
  • Image size width: 37.4cm
  • Paper size height: 60.1cm
  • Paper size width: 50.8cm
Style
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
Place depicted
Associations
Summary
Photographer Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson was born in Northwest London in 1966. He was bought his first camera by his mother at an auction when he was nine years old and by the age of eighteen he was working as a freelance photographer. His photographs include a personal record of community life in Camden where he grew up. During a period in which the Metropolitan Police faced accusations of racial prejudice, Normski documented a black member of the profession.

The V&A acquired seven photographs by Normski 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
Collection
Accession number
E.107-2012

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Record createdJanuary 31, 2012
Record URL
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