Overview

To celebrate the acquisition of the Tom Phillips archive, the Bodleian Library has asked the artist to assemble and design a series of books drawing on his themed collection of over 50,000 photographic postcards. These encompass the first half of the twentieth century, a period in which, thanks to the ever cheaper medium of photography, ‘ordinary’ people could afford to own their portraits. Women in Hats explores the remarkable range in the world of millinery from outrageous Edwardian creations to the inventive austerities of the Second World War. This book contains 200 images chosen with the eye of a leading artist from a visually rich vein of social history. Their covers will also feature a thematically linked painting, especially created for each title, from Tom Phillips’ signature work, A Humument.

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9781851243624

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Reviews

'These books will fascinate anyone interested in humanity or in the contrivances of image-making. Retrieving notionally commonplace portrait photos c. 1900-50 and grouping them by reference to supposedly merely accessory motifs they contain, Phillips reveals the ordinary as almost wondrous, its posed citizens as participants in mysterious rituals or cults. Whether bizarre, absurd, pretentious, sad or hilarious, these lost sitters are, however, presented by Phillips with the warm sympathy and open-mindedness that, reaffirming human dignity, is a hallmark of his art as a whole.' Richard Morphet, curator and postcard expert 'Tom Phillips has one of the greatest postcard collections in the world - the ultimate archive of British citizens from the turn of the century.' Martin Parr, photographer and postcard collector

'An important contribution to social history and visual culture.' * Visual Studies *

Author Information

Tom Phillips CBE, RA, is a major British artist who lives and works in London. www.tomphillips.co.uk

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