{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1260712"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1260712/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1260712","accessionNumber":"E.312-2013","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"The Harder They Come","type":"generic title"},{"title":"Black Beauty Pageants","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"Grenadian born photographer Raphael Albert (1935-2009) was committed to celebrating the growing black population in Britain. Whilst living in Hammersmith, West London he began to organise and photograph a host of black beauty pageants from the 1960s to the 1980s, mostly targeted at women from the British Caribbean community. \r\n\r\nPrizes for winning contestants often included music records. The woman on the corner of the makeshift stage displays the Jimmy Cliff record ‘The Harder They Come’ released in 1972, which accompanied the Jamaican crime film of the same name starring Cliff. Both the film and the music it featured helped to popularise reggae music in Britain, showing the mainstream success of Caribbean culture.    \r\n\r\nThe V&amp;A acquired seven of Albert’s photographs documenting beauty pageants and the British Caribbean community in London as part of the Staying Power project. Staying Power is a five year partnership between the V&amp;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&amp;A and oral histories conducted by Black Cultural Archives.","physicalDescription":"A black and white photograph of spectators surrounding a low stage area. In the centre of the crowd there is a woman sitting on the edge of the stage wearing a satin wrap dress and bangles, she holds the Jimmy Cliff record 'The Harder They Come with the sleeve removed sitting behind her arm. The central woman and some of the crowd look upwards, out of the frame, but one man on her left wearing large aviator sunglasses looks directly out of the frame.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Raphael Albert","id":"AUTH327265"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"photographic paper","id":"AAT14190"}],"techniques":[{"text":"gelatin silver process","id":"AAT139114"},{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gelatin silver fibre-based print","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"African Diaspora","id":"THES48873"},{"text":"Pageants and Ceremonies","id":"THES253008"},{"text":"Music","id":"THES253065"},{"text":"Caribbean","id":"THES286921"}],"styles":[{"text":"documentary","id":"x37881"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"none","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"SP","shelf":"6","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Hammersmith","id":"x36844"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c.1970s","earliest":"1965-01-01","latest":"1983-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""},{"date":{"text":"2012","earliest":"2012-01-01","latest":"2012-12-31"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"E.311-2013","id":"O1260710"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.313-2013","id":"O1260715"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.314-2013","id":"O1260713"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.315-2013","id":"O1260716"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.316-2013","id":"O1260708"},"association":"Series"},{"object":{"text":"E.317-2013","id":"O1260703"},"association":"Series"}],"creditLine":"Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"281","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"05/10/2013","earliest":"2013-10-05","latest":"2013-10-05"},"part":"image","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"280","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"05/10/2013","earliest":"2013-10-05","latest":"2013-10-05"},"part":"image","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"305","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"05/10/2013","earliest":"2013-10-05","latest":"2013-10-05"},"part":"paper","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"405","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"05/10/2013","earliest":"2013-10-05","latest":"2013-10-05"},"part":"paper","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Autograph ABP stamped on verso"}],"objectHistory":"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.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by Raphael Albert, 'The Harder They Come', from the portfolio <i>Black Beauty Pageants</i>, gelatin silver print, Hammersmith, London, c. 1970s, printed 2012","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Hammersmith","id":"x36844"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"Stage","id":"AAT4751"},{"text":"music","id":"AAT54146"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Raphael Albert (1935 – 2009)\r\nThe Harder They Come\r\nUntitled\r\nMiss Black & Beautiful\r\nBeauty Salon\r\nUntitled\r\nUntitled\r\nFrom the series Black Beauty Pageants\r\n1960 – 79\n\r\nThis series of photographs echoes the sentiment of the\r\n‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, which started in America\r\nin the 1960s. The movement encouraged black people to\r\nembrace their natural beauty, especially their hair. Albert\r\nbecame interested in black British beauty pageants while\r\nworking as a freelance photographer for the newspaper\r\nWest Indian World. His photographs also explore the\r\nobjectifying nature of pageants as beauty parades, where\r\nfemale contestants are judged on their physical rather than\r\nintellectual attributes.\n\r\nGelatin silver prints (printed 2012)\r\nMuseum nos. E.312 to 317-2013","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}},{"text":"Raphael Albert (1935 – 2009) \r\nUntitled\r\nUntitled\r\nThe Harder They Come\r\nBeauty Salon\r\nUntitled\r\nMiss Black & Beautiful\r\nFrom the series Black Beauty Pageants\r\n1960 – 79\r\n\r\nThis series of photographs echoes the sentiment of the ‘Black is Beautiful’ movement, which started in America in the 1960s. The movement encouraged black people to embrace their natural beauty. Albert became interested in black British beauty pageants while working as a freelance photographer for the newspaper West Indian World. He founded the Miss Teenager and Miss West Indies in Great Britain contests in 1974. He viewed the contests as a way of restoring confidence within his community. \r\n\r\nGelatin silver prints (printed 2012) \r\nMuseum nos. E.312 to 317-2013\r\n","date":{"text":"16/02/2015-24/05/2015","earliest":"2015-02-16","latest":"2015-05-24"}}],"partNumbers":["E.312-2013"],"accessionNumberNum":"312","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":2013,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-09","recordCreationDate":"2013-02-07","availableToBook":false}}