Michael Joseph (1941-) - Pool ladies swimming opposite, authentic darkroom test print

Swimming opposite - Pool Ladies in Clapham — Photo taken mid-1980s

Original Darkroom Print by Michael Joseph

Offered here is a rare original darkroom print by Michael Joseph, celebrated internationally for his exuberant, chaotic, almost operatic group scenes—most famously The Banquet, that legendary explosion of characters, props, and visual excess.

What makes this piece so compelling is the unexpected contrast.

“Pool Ladies in Clapham,” photographed in the mid-1980s (this particular print dates to March 1992), reveals a moment of quiet, hypnotic stillness from an artist best known for orchestrated mayhem. Two women drift in a dark, shimmering pool, their bodies suspended in a painterly wash of water and light. Where Joseph’s iconic group portraits pulse with tension, noise, and wild personality, this work offers the opposite: serenity, rhythm, and an uncommon softness within his oeuvre.

This is one of the very few surviving original hand-printed photographs, featuring Joseph’s handwritten darkroom notes and signature across the lower margin. It embodies everything collectors treasure about vintage printing—the depth, the tactility, the sense of the artist’s hand in every tonal decision.

Title: Pool Ladies in Clapham

Photo taken in the mid-1980s

Print date: March 1992

Process: Original darkroom print with handwritten printing notes

Signature: Signed by Michael Joseph on lower margin

Mount size: 50 cm wide × 40 cm high

Condition: Excellent vintage condition; beautifully preserved

Dispatch: Packed flat between archival boards and shipped with full tracking

Please note: the mount is a poster Michael produced in 1987, with a window cut to reveal the print. There are pencil markings; if preferred, a professional framer can refine the edges, and there is ample margin to do so. The simple grey card mount can also be replaced with any colour to suit your interior style.

This is a one-off historical artwork, intimate and rare—an unexpected whisper from an artist so often associated with visual pandemonium.

I handle these unique prints with great care, and each dispatch reflects the devotion and respect these pieces deserve - always hoping that they please their new owners - the photographer's daughter, Justine

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