Michael Joseph (1941-) - Courage, authentic darkroom print
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€ 9
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Selected by Kai Brückner
Over 35 years' experience; former gallery owner and Museum Folkwang curator.
Estimate € 750 - € 900
 | €9 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €8 | |
| €5 | |
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Michael Joseph (1941–) created Courage, an authentic darkroom gelatin-silver print from 1967, measuring 40 cm high by 24.5 cm wide and hand signed and titled by the photographer.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
My First Beer, Poster – Courage, London, 1960s
Original vintage silver gelatin photograph by Michael Joseph
Signed and titled by the photographer
A gloriously eccentric piece of 1960s British advertising photography by Michael Joseph, created for Courage beer.
An elderly woman, magnificently dressed in a feather boa, floral hat, pearls and pince-nez spectacles, raises an enormous glass of John Courage beer towards the camera. Her wonderfully deadpan expression - somewhere between suspicion, determination and quiet mischief - makes the photograph instantly memorable.
Michael Joseph was particularly adept at turning commercial commissions into miniature pieces of theatre, and this image is a superb example. Shot from extremely close range, the oversized glass dominates the foreground while the sitter's extraordinary face, costume and textures fill the frame. The result is humorous, slightly surreal and unmistakably British.
The contrast is particularly beautiful: dark porter, gleaming glass, weathered face, delicate spectacles and an explosion of pale feathers. It is an advertising photograph with enormous personality - the product is clearly present, yet it is the character who steals the picture.
This is an authentic vintage darkroom print from Michael Joseph's own archive, rather than a later reproduction. It bears Michael Joseph's period studio label on the reverse:
“Michael Joseph – 18 West Central St – London WC1 – Temple 0444.”
The bit of picture that was cut from the bottom is taped to the reverse of the mount, giving the piece additional archive character and offering a glimpse into the physical working life of Joseph's London studio. The mount size is 50cm high by 40cm wide.
The front is personally inscribed: “Marie McKina”, “My 1st Beer Poster” and signed by Michael Joseph.
A wonderfully characterful survivor from the golden age of British advertising - and an original photograph that combines humour, portraiture, social history and vintage beer culture in a single unforgettable image.
Please note that an AI-generated simulation showing the photograph framed and displayed on a wall has been included purely to illustrate how the work might look in an interior setting. Scale and proportions are approximate and the simulation is intended as a visual guide only.
The photograph is sold unframed. Thank you for your understanding.
#MichaelJoseph #CourageBeer #JohnCourage #VintagePhotography #1960sPhotography #BritishPhotography #AdvertisingPhotography #VintageAdvertising #SilverGelatinPrint #LondonPhotography #BeerAdvertising #Breweriana #SixtiesStyle #PhotographyCollector #OriginalPhotograph
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, and best known for his photographs for the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet gatefold.
My continuing mission is to share what we affectionately call “the other photographs”: the lesser-known treasures from his extraordinary archive — original darkroom prints, test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, his celebrated group compositions, and more intimate, personal images.
For this special Solo Seller Auction, I am particularly excited to include a selection from Michael’s 1964 Vietnam archive — photographs that have never previously been seen or offered for sale. These remarkable images reveal a very different side of his work, made when he was just 23 years old.
Alongside Michael’s authentic vintage darkroom prints, I am also presenting a new generation of works: striking prints on aluminium and my own handmade cyanotypes, created from his original negatives and transparencies in the Dordogne sunshine. Some are made on vintage photographic paper retrieved from Michael’s own working library, bringing the archive quite literally into a new generation.
Together, the collection brings photographic history and contemporary experimentation side by side — from unique vintage prints made by Michael himself to bold new interpretations of his remarkable archive.
I hope you enjoy discovering these photographs as much as I enjoy bringing them to light — sometimes preserved exactly as Michael made them, sometimes given an entirely new life.
All works are carefully protected and packed with the attention appropriate to collectible photographic artworks.
For US buyers: customs duties and applicable import charges are paid at source and included in the shipping cost. No additional charges should normally be payable on delivery, subject to any change in regulations.
Translated by Google TranslateMy First Beer, Poster – Courage, London, 1960s
Original vintage silver gelatin photograph by Michael Joseph
Signed and titled by the photographer
A gloriously eccentric piece of 1960s British advertising photography by Michael Joseph, created for Courage beer.
An elderly woman, magnificently dressed in a feather boa, floral hat, pearls and pince-nez spectacles, raises an enormous glass of John Courage beer towards the camera. Her wonderfully deadpan expression - somewhere between suspicion, determination and quiet mischief - makes the photograph instantly memorable.
Michael Joseph was particularly adept at turning commercial commissions into miniature pieces of theatre, and this image is a superb example. Shot from extremely close range, the oversized glass dominates the foreground while the sitter's extraordinary face, costume and textures fill the frame. The result is humorous, slightly surreal and unmistakably British.
The contrast is particularly beautiful: dark porter, gleaming glass, weathered face, delicate spectacles and an explosion of pale feathers. It is an advertising photograph with enormous personality - the product is clearly present, yet it is the character who steals the picture.
This is an authentic vintage darkroom print from Michael Joseph's own archive, rather than a later reproduction. It bears Michael Joseph's period studio label on the reverse:
“Michael Joseph – 18 West Central St – London WC1 – Temple 0444.”
The bit of picture that was cut from the bottom is taped to the reverse of the mount, giving the piece additional archive character and offering a glimpse into the physical working life of Joseph's London studio. The mount size is 50cm high by 40cm wide.
The front is personally inscribed: “Marie McKina”, “My 1st Beer Poster” and signed by Michael Joseph.
A wonderfully characterful survivor from the golden age of British advertising - and an original photograph that combines humour, portraiture, social history and vintage beer culture in a single unforgettable image.
Please note that an AI-generated simulation showing the photograph framed and displayed on a wall has been included purely to illustrate how the work might look in an interior setting. Scale and proportions are approximate and the simulation is intended as a visual guide only.
The photograph is sold unframed. Thank you for your understanding.
#MichaelJoseph #CourageBeer #JohnCourage #VintagePhotography #1960sPhotography #BritishPhotography #AdvertisingPhotography #VintageAdvertising #SilverGelatinPrint #LondonPhotography #BeerAdvertising #Breweriana #SixtiesStyle #PhotographyCollector #OriginalPhotograph
Seller's Story
My father, Michael Joseph, was a London-based advertising photographer, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, and best known for his photographs for the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet gatefold.
My continuing mission is to share what we affectionately call “the other photographs”: the lesser-known treasures from his extraordinary archive — original darkroom prints, test prints, alternative frames from major shoots, his celebrated group compositions, and more intimate, personal images.
For this special Solo Seller Auction, I am particularly excited to include a selection from Michael’s 1964 Vietnam archive — photographs that have never previously been seen or offered for sale. These remarkable images reveal a very different side of his work, made when he was just 23 years old.
Alongside Michael’s authentic vintage darkroom prints, I am also presenting a new generation of works: striking prints on aluminium and my own handmade cyanotypes, created from his original negatives and transparencies in the Dordogne sunshine. Some are made on vintage photographic paper retrieved from Michael’s own working library, bringing the archive quite literally into a new generation.
Together, the collection brings photographic history and contemporary experimentation side by side — from unique vintage prints made by Michael himself to bold new interpretations of his remarkable archive.
I hope you enjoy discovering these photographs as much as I enjoy bringing them to light — sometimes preserved exactly as Michael made them, sometimes given an entirely new life.
All works are carefully protected and packed with the attention appropriate to collectible photographic artworks.
For US buyers: customs duties and applicable import charges are paid at source and included in the shipping cost. No additional charges should normally be payable on delivery, subject to any change in regulations.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Date of print
1967
Artist
Michael Joseph (1941-)
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Title of artwork
Courage, authentic darkroom print
Condition
Extremely fine
Technique
Gelatin-silver print
Height
40 cm
Edition
Vintage print from the sixties
Width
24.5 cm
Signature
Hand signed
Genre
Fine art photography
Sold by
