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Eva, London

Photograph
1960s (Photographed), 2011 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Born in 1929, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor documented the shift towards modern living as experienced by black people in both Africa and Britain. Whilst living in London in the 1960s, Barnor took fashion and lifestyle photographs for Africa’s first black politics and lifestyle magazine, Drum. His photograph of Drum model Eva gives a new face to modern glamour, recording the emergence of cosmopolitan urban society for a trans-national readership.

The V&A acquired five photographs by James Barnor 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.

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Discover more about this object
read Studio, street and style: the photography of James Barnor With a practice spanning six decades and two continents, ranging from street to studio and fashion to documentary, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor (b. 1929) is now recognised as a pioneering figure within the history of photography.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleEva, London (generic title)
Materials and techniques
gelatin silver print
Brief description
Photograph by James Barnor, 'Eva, London', gelatin silver print, London, 1960s, printed 2011, ed. 2/10
Physical description
Black and white, square format photograph depicting a young woman's shoulders and face. Taken from behind the sitter's left shoulder, she looks back over her shoulder, directly at the camera; smiling slightly. A three-globed silver earring hangs from her left ear, which is covered by her beehive hairstyle. The shoulder strap and part of the bow from a polka-dot dress can be seen and she is wearing a necklace that matches her earrings. Her eyebrows are accentuated and she has dark eyeliner flicking up from under her left eye.The background is blurred.
Dimensions
  • Image size height: 280mm
  • Image size width: 278mm
Style
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
Lower right of image signed 'JAMES BARNOR 1960s/2011' and lower right, verso; 'ED 2/10'.
Gallery label
Text label for the exhibition, 'Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s 16 February – 24 May 2015 James Barnor (born 1929) Everything in My Hand I Bring, 1953 Selina Opong, Policewoman #10, 1954 Wedding Guests in London, 1960 – 69 Eva, London, 1960 Barnor set up a photography studio in Accra in Ghana in 1947. Although intended as personal mementos for the sitters, his studio photographs also record changes in Ghanaian society in the 1950s and ’60s. Policewoman Selina Opong, who poses in one of the photographs, was one of the first female police officers to graduate from the newly established police academy in Accra. Barnor later moved to London, where his reportage work for magazines showed the emergence of a modern, multicultural city. Gelatin silver prints (printed 2011) Museum nos. E.102, 104 to 106-2012(16/02/2015-24/05/2015)
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.
Subject depicted
Place depicted
Association
Summary
Born in 1929, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor documented the shift towards modern living as experienced by black people in both Africa and Britain. Whilst living in London in the 1960s, Barnor took fashion and lifestyle photographs for Africa’s first black politics and lifestyle magazine, Drum. His photograph of Drum model Eva gives a new face to modern glamour, recording the emergence of cosmopolitan urban society for a trans-national readership.

The V&A acquired five photographs by James Barnor 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
Other number
2/10 - Limited Edition Number
Collection
Accession number
E.104-2012

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Record createdMarch 7, 2012
Record URL
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