Michael Joseph (1941-) - Hen Party for Whitbread beer
06
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01
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28
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Starting bid
€ 1
No reserve price
Expert
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
This captivating black-and-white photograph captures a spirited tableau: a group of women gathered around a richly laid table, caught mid-conversation during what appears to be a convivial social occasion. The scene carries a hint of Victorian or Edwardian theatricality — animated expressions and expressive gestures suggesting laughter, wit, and the easy intimacy of shared ritual.
Here, the table becomes a stage — and a quiet act of defiance. Bottles, glasses, and scattered beer cans sit unapologetically among flowers and fine linens, creating a playful tension between elegance and informality. The women occupy the space with confidence and ease, neither posed for approval nor softened for convention. Several figures appear knowingly poised — half-performing, half-absorbed — lending the composition narrative depth, humour, and a faint sense of mischief.
The surrounding interior, with its framed artworks and decorative detail, deepens the photograph’s historical resonance. What might initially read as a period tableau subtly subverts expectation: this is not a tea table, but a scene of social freedom — women drinking, talking, and taking pleasure on their own terms.
This is a one-off silver gelatin darkroom print, hand-printed by Michael Joseph, not a later reproduction. As such, it stands as a singular object — an artifact of the photographer’s own practice. Joseph’s distinctive sensibility is evident throughout: a sharp eye for social choreography, a relish for visual wit, and a talent for revealing cultural shifts through seemingly ordinary gatherings.
Best known for his iconic portrait of The Rolling Stones at Sarum Chase, June 1968, Joseph moved fluently between staged glamour, social observation, and documentary play. In this work, those instincts converge, producing an image that feels spontaneous yet composed, intimate yet quietly provocative.
Printed on high-quality photographic paper and bearing the artist’s handwork, this photograph is not merely an image but a preserved moment — rich in personality, atmosphere, and period charm. A compelling acquisition for collectors drawn to fine art photography with wit, warmth, and social bite.
A slender line hovers beside the foreground woman’s ear, believed to be inherent to the original exposure—an almost celestial whisper, passing through the scene at the instant it was made.
Mount size: 50 × 70 cm
The work will be very carefully wrapped and swiftly dispatched via Colissimo.
#WomenDrinkBeer
#WomenAtTheTable
#NotJustTea
#SocialFreedom
#BreakingTheMould
#WomenUnfiltered
#CheersToWomen
#MichaelJosephLondon
#OriginalDarkroomPrint
#SilverGelatinPrint
#BlackAndWhitePhotography
#VintagePhotography
#FineArtPhotography
#BritishPhotography
#CinematicPhotography
#CollectibleArt
#OneOfAKindArtwork
#PhotographicHistory
#1960sPhotography
#AnalogPhotography
#HandPrinted
#TimelessImage
#ArtCollectors
#StorytellingPhotography
#VintageSocialScene
#QuietRebellion
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.
This captivating black-and-white photograph captures a spirited tableau: a group of women gathered around a richly laid table, caught mid-conversation during what appears to be a convivial social occasion. The scene carries a hint of Victorian or Edwardian theatricality — animated expressions and expressive gestures suggesting laughter, wit, and the easy intimacy of shared ritual.
Here, the table becomes a stage — and a quiet act of defiance. Bottles, glasses, and scattered beer cans sit unapologetically among flowers and fine linens, creating a playful tension between elegance and informality. The women occupy the space with confidence and ease, neither posed for approval nor softened for convention. Several figures appear knowingly poised — half-performing, half-absorbed — lending the composition narrative depth, humour, and a faint sense of mischief.
The surrounding interior, with its framed artworks and decorative detail, deepens the photograph’s historical resonance. What might initially read as a period tableau subtly subverts expectation: this is not a tea table, but a scene of social freedom — women drinking, talking, and taking pleasure on their own terms.
This is a one-off silver gelatin darkroom print, hand-printed by Michael Joseph, not a later reproduction. As such, it stands as a singular object — an artifact of the photographer’s own practice. Joseph’s distinctive sensibility is evident throughout: a sharp eye for social choreography, a relish for visual wit, and a talent for revealing cultural shifts through seemingly ordinary gatherings.
Best known for his iconic portrait of The Rolling Stones at Sarum Chase, June 1968, Joseph moved fluently between staged glamour, social observation, and documentary play. In this work, those instincts converge, producing an image that feels spontaneous yet composed, intimate yet quietly provocative.
Printed on high-quality photographic paper and bearing the artist’s handwork, this photograph is not merely an image but a preserved moment — rich in personality, atmosphere, and period charm. A compelling acquisition for collectors drawn to fine art photography with wit, warmth, and social bite.
A slender line hovers beside the foreground woman’s ear, believed to be inherent to the original exposure—an almost celestial whisper, passing through the scene at the instant it was made.
Mount size: 50 × 70 cm
The work will be very carefully wrapped and swiftly dispatched via Colissimo.
#WomenDrinkBeer
#WomenAtTheTable
#NotJustTea
#SocialFreedom
#BreakingTheMould
#WomenUnfiltered
#CheersToWomen
#MichaelJosephLondon
#OriginalDarkroomPrint
#SilverGelatinPrint
#BlackAndWhitePhotography
#VintagePhotography
#FineArtPhotography
#BritishPhotography
#CinematicPhotography
#CollectibleArt
#OneOfAKindArtwork
#PhotographicHistory
#1960sPhotography
#AnalogPhotography
#HandPrinted
#TimelessImage
#ArtCollectors
#StorytellingPhotography
#VintageSocialScene
#QuietRebellion
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
1969
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Hen Party for Whitbread beer
Condition
Original State
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
49 cm
Edition
Unique
Width
33 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Fine art photography
Sold by
