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Overcrowded schools

Photograph
1966-1967 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Cole, Ernest (photographer)
Place of origin
South Africa (photographed)

Black and white photograph (gelatin-silver print) showing an example of an overcrowded school in South Africa, from the 'House of Bondage' series.

Object details

Categories
Photographs
Africa
Object type
Photograph
Titles
  • Overcrowded schools (generic title)
  • House of Bondage (series title)
Materials and techniques
Gelatine-silver print
Brief description
Black and white photograph showing an example of an overcrowded school in South Africa, from the 'House of Bondage' series by Ernest Cole, 1966-67
Physical description
Black and white photograph (gelatin-silver print) showing an example of an overcrowded school in South Africa, from the 'House of Bondage' series.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 19.8cm
  • Sheet width: 24.2cm
  • Image height: 15.5cm
  • Image width: 23.7cm
Gallery label
(10/2018)
Photography Centre, 2018-20:

Collection in Focus: John and Judith Hillelson
1930s–1970s

The Hillelson collection includes some of the most significant works of photojournalism from the 20th century. John Hillelson (1923–2012) founded the John Hillelson Agency in London’s Fleet Street in 1958. He was also the London agent for Magnum Photos, a cooperative that brings together photojournalists from across the world. His wife Judith (1930–2010) ran the agency's extensive picture library, from which this collection is drawn.

The agency collaborated with weekly magazine editors to publish photo-reportage, a genre that flourished in the 1930s with the invention of smaller, more portable cameras and new printing technology. The Hillelsons gained a reputation for presenting lesser-known work such as the pictures of apartheid, smuggled out of South Africa by Ernest Cole in 1966 and 1967. The Hillelson collection comprises key images from the agency’s library and reflects their position as leading advocates of human interest photography.

13. Ernest Cole (1940–90)
Overcrowded schools
1966
Gelatin silver print
Museum no. E.72-2003
Credit line
Given by John and Judith Hillelson
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.72-2003

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Record createdJanuary 19, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89711/overcrowded-schools-photograph-cole-ernest/
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