Michael Joseph (1941-) - Jacuzzi James
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€ 10
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Selected by Kai Brückner
Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.
Estimate € 500 - € 600
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Description from the seller
James Mardell in the jacuzzi at the photographer's pool in Claphm, London
An authentic darkroom photograph from an original negative
Photograph taken in the early 1990s
This quietly arresting darkroom print reveals a side of the photographer’s work rarely seen—intimate, restrained, and deeply sensual without ever becoming explicit. A male figure rests alone in a jacuzzi, seen from behind, his back slick with water, steam softening the air around him. The body is relaxed rather than posed, present rather than performing.
In contrast to the exuberant, crowded, and often raucous scenes that dominated much of the visual culture of the time, this photograph withdraws into solitude. There is no audience here, no bravado. Where so many images of the period thrive on noise, excess, and spectacle, this one breathes. It is slow, private, and contemplative.
The sensuality lies in what is withheld. Shoulders emerge from steam, skin catches light, water beads and runs. The composition invites the viewer not to consume but to linger. This is not the rowdy world of backstage chaos or nightlife bravura; it is a moment after, or perhaps before—when the body belongs only to itself.
Printed traditionally in the darkroom, the photograph carries a softness and depth that amplifies its mood. Tonal transitions are gentle, the highlights never harsh. The surface bears the unmistakable presence of hand-printing, anchoring the image firmly in the physical world rather than the digital one.
Titled and signed by the photographer on the mount, and accompanied by studio markings on the reverse, this work stands as a counterpoint within the archive: proof that alongside energy and excess there was also quiet observation, tenderness, and restraint.
This is a photograph to live with. One that offers calm rather than noise, suggestion rather than declaration. A sensual image not of action, but of atmosphere—where stillness becomes its own form of intensity.
The print will be packed and dispatched with great care, respecting its status as a unique darkroom object and a fleeting, intimate moment preserved.
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Over those decades, he produced an extraordinary body of work—his most widely recognised image being the iconic Beggars Banquet gatefold for the Rolling Stones.
My ongoing mission is to share and celebrate what we call “the other photos”: the lesser-known but no less compelling images from his archive. These are the works that lived beyond the headlines—test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, and quieter, more personal photographs, all made with his characteristic intensity, discipline, and devotion to craft.
Much of their atmosphere comes from the darkroom itself. These are photographs shaped by light, timing, and handwork: intricate group compositions, sculptural still lifes, and moments that invite the viewer to linger and look again. Variety is central to the archive, and I frequently offer unique, one-off pieces that exist nowhere else.
I hope you enjoy discovering my father’s work as much as I enjoy sharing it, and that you find here not just an image, but a genuine piece of photographic history.
All works are dispatched carefully protected, and packed with devotion and care, appropriate to a one-off historical photographic print.
US purchasers please note: Customs and excise charges are paid at source and included in the postage fee. No further charges should be due on delivery, unless regulations change.
James Mardell in the jacuzzi at the photographer's pool in Claphm, London
An authentic darkroom photograph from an original negative
Photograph taken in the early 1990s
This quietly arresting darkroom print reveals a side of the photographer’s work rarely seen—intimate, restrained, and deeply sensual without ever becoming explicit. A male figure rests alone in a jacuzzi, seen from behind, his back slick with water, steam softening the air around him. The body is relaxed rather than posed, present rather than performing.
In contrast to the exuberant, crowded, and often raucous scenes that dominated much of the visual culture of the time, this photograph withdraws into solitude. There is no audience here, no bravado. Where so many images of the period thrive on noise, excess, and spectacle, this one breathes. It is slow, private, and contemplative.
The sensuality lies in what is withheld. Shoulders emerge from steam, skin catches light, water beads and runs. The composition invites the viewer not to consume but to linger. This is not the rowdy world of backstage chaos or nightlife bravura; it is a moment after, or perhaps before—when the body belongs only to itself.
Printed traditionally in the darkroom, the photograph carries a softness and depth that amplifies its mood. Tonal transitions are gentle, the highlights never harsh. The surface bears the unmistakable presence of hand-printing, anchoring the image firmly in the physical world rather than the digital one.
Titled and signed by the photographer on the mount, and accompanied by studio markings on the reverse, this work stands as a counterpoint within the archive: proof that alongside energy and excess there was also quiet observation, tenderness, and restraint.
This is a photograph to live with. One that offers calm rather than noise, suggestion rather than declaration. A sensual image not of action, but of atmosphere—where stillness becomes its own form of intensity.
The print will be packed and dispatched with great care, respecting its status as a unique darkroom object and a fleeting, intimate moment preserved.
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Over those decades, he produced an extraordinary body of work—his most widely recognised image being the iconic Beggars Banquet gatefold for the Rolling Stones.
My ongoing mission is to share and celebrate what we call “the other photos”: the lesser-known but no less compelling images from his archive. These are the works that lived beyond the headlines—test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, and quieter, more personal photographs, all made with his characteristic intensity, discipline, and devotion to craft.
Much of their atmosphere comes from the darkroom itself. These are photographs shaped by light, timing, and handwork: intricate group compositions, sculptural still lifes, and moments that invite the viewer to linger and look again. Variety is central to the archive, and I frequently offer unique, one-off pieces that exist nowhere else.
I hope you enjoy discovering my father’s work as much as I enjoy sharing it, and that you find here not just an image, but a genuine piece of photographic history.
All works are dispatched carefully protected, and packed with devotion and care, appropriate to a one-off historical photographic print.
US purchasers please note: Customs and excise charges are paid at source and included in the postage fee. No further charges should be due on delivery, unless regulations change.
Details
Date of print
1987
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Jacuzzi James
Condition
Original State
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
30.5 cm
Edition
Vintage edition
Width
29 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Nude
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