Michael Joseph (1941-) - Italian grape pickers at work
04
days
14
hours
56
minutes
47
seconds
Current bid
€ 19
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
Grape Pickers, Southern Italy – photo taken in the 1970s
By Michael Joseph
An evocative, sun-drenched scene of grape harvesters at work in Southern Italy, photographed in the late afternoon sunshine. This richly toned colour image captures a moment of shared labour and community — baskets brimming with fruit, hands mid-motion, faces lit by Mediterranean light. The composition is beautifully layered: foreground figures immersed in the harvest, background workers silhouetted against the sky, all bound together by the warmth of the season.
The colour palette — deep ambers, burnished reds and honeyed golds — carries the unmistakable atmosphere of early-1970s film stock, enhancing both its period character and documentary authenticity. It is a celebration of rural tradition, rhythm, and the dignity of manual work.
This print was laminated at some point in its life and does contain visible imperfections consistent with age and the lamination process. There is surface rippling and wear, which should be regarded as part of its history and material story. The lamination has preserved the vibrancy of the colour, while also giving the piece a distinct vintage object quality.
A compelling collector’s piece for those drawn to Italian social history, documentary photography, or mid-century colour work.
Mount dimensions: 50cm wide by 40cm high
Dispatch: Carefully packaged flat, fully protected to preserve its condition.
As always, this is a one-off historical piece, handled and packed with great care and respect for its provenance.
#MichaelJoseph #1970sPhotography #ItalianHarvest #SouthernItaly #VintageColour #DocumentaryPhotography #RuralLife #GrapeHarvest #ItalianCulture #MidCenturyPhotography #AnalogPhotography #FolkTradition #AgrarianLife #VintagePrint #CollectiblePhotography
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.
Grape Pickers, Southern Italy – photo taken in the 1970s
By Michael Joseph
An evocative, sun-drenched scene of grape harvesters at work in Southern Italy, photographed in the late afternoon sunshine. This richly toned colour image captures a moment of shared labour and community — baskets brimming with fruit, hands mid-motion, faces lit by Mediterranean light. The composition is beautifully layered: foreground figures immersed in the harvest, background workers silhouetted against the sky, all bound together by the warmth of the season.
The colour palette — deep ambers, burnished reds and honeyed golds — carries the unmistakable atmosphere of early-1970s film stock, enhancing both its period character and documentary authenticity. It is a celebration of rural tradition, rhythm, and the dignity of manual work.
This print was laminated at some point in its life and does contain visible imperfections consistent with age and the lamination process. There is surface rippling and wear, which should be regarded as part of its history and material story. The lamination has preserved the vibrancy of the colour, while also giving the piece a distinct vintage object quality.
A compelling collector’s piece for those drawn to Italian social history, documentary photography, or mid-century colour work.
Mount dimensions: 50cm wide by 40cm high
Dispatch: Carefully packaged flat, fully protected to preserve its condition.
As always, this is a one-off historical piece, handled and packed with great care and respect for its provenance.
#MichaelJoseph #1970sPhotography #ItalianHarvest #SouthernItaly #VintageColour #DocumentaryPhotography #RuralLife #GrapeHarvest #ItalianCulture #MidCenturyPhotography #AnalogPhotography #FolkTradition #AgrarianLife #VintagePrint #CollectiblePhotography
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
1970
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Italian grape pickers at work
Condition
Original State
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
27 cm
Edition
Authentic one-off colour print, laminated with imperfections
Width
35 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Portrait
Sold by
