Late summer 1979 in Handsworth, Birmingham, the summer after Britain reached rock-bottom in the ‘Winter of Discontent’. Mrs Thatcher had just won a massive landslide election, her first. In the afternoon light on Grove Lane, three photographers placed a camera (+ tripod, roll of backdrop and long cable-release) and let people make their own self-portraits…
“Barbara and Friend” (1979). Organisers: Derek Bishton (now Consultant Editor for the Daily Telegraph), Brian Homer (now Homer Creative), and John Reardon (became Picture Editor of The Observer).
The new BMagic website (the ‘under construction’ online catalogue for BM&AG) has all 44 pictures in the series.
Update, April 08: thanks to Dave Harte for pointing out in the comments that all 44 images are available, rather than just a selection, via the right URL.
Update, May 08: A new series of such photos, with Self Portrait Birmingham.
New photo
by Dave Harte
09 Apr 2008 at 23:35
All 44 of them are there to view aren’t they? I used to work for Brian and he had some of the original prints in his office.
Bit more context here.
Dave
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by Created in Birmingham » links for 2008-04-16
16 Apr 2008 at 06:36
[...] Handsworth Self Portraits Taken in the summer 1979. (tags: photography handsworth) [...]
by brendadada
23 May 2008 at 09:51
I remember this, it was fab. Rhonda Wilson also did a series of women’s self portraits, same setup. I wonder what happened to those?
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by Brum Link 23rd May | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit
23 May 2008 at 12:00
[...] » Welcome to Self Portrait Birmingham – "The Project is inspired by the original Handsworth Self Portrait of 1979 but updated with the latest digital technology." Via [...]