British Subculture, 1970s–1980s: Photographs by Janette Beckman

Janette Beckman’s career as a portrait and documentary photographer spans more than five decades. From the emergence of punk in 1970s London to sound system culture and the skinhead, ska, and mod revival scenes that took shape in the early years of Thatcher’s Britain, her work offers a vital record of youth culture and social change.

Growing up in North London, Beckman was surrounded by art and culture from an early age and knew she wanted to work in the arts. She enrolled on a course at Saint Martins with ambitions of becoming a portrait artist like David Hockney, though she felt her drawing was never quite strong enough. She eventually turned to photography, going on to study at the London College of Printing.

The Sex Pistols

After leaving college, she taught photography for a short period, just as the punk scene was beginning to explode. Beckman took to the streets, photographing young punks, before securing work shooting bands for Melody Maker and later The Face. Her subjects included The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie Sioux, and The Specials.

"It wasn't just about the bands; I documented the whole scene, particularly the fans. The fans were often as intriguing a subject as the bands themselves. They would frequently end up fronting a band themselves a week or so later." - Janette Beckman.

Rebellion

This was the late 1970s, and while rebellious youth movements had existed before, punk was different. It changed everything. Beckman observed the scene closely and recognised its significance as a DIY act of rebellion, an essential movement that extended beyond music into fashion and attitude. A two-fingered salute to the powers that be, her photographs captured the zeitgeist and energy of a society in transition.

"Punk is an irrepressible attitude. It brought an anti-establishment, raw freshness to music, art, and style. It was about change, the idea that people should question authority and take action themselves." - Janette Beckman.

Beckman approaches her work with an easy informality, while remaining deeply engaged with her subjects. “The most important thing, as a documentary and portrait photographer, is people skills. It’s important to make your subject feel relaxed and comfortable, so you can photograph them as they are, rather than asking them to do something ridiculous they would never normally do.”

The Islington Twins

Her first photograph to appear in The Face was of Chuka and Dubem Okonkwo, also known as the Islington Twins. Always impeccably dressed in a mod and rudeboy style, they were widely respected figures on the scene. The twins were often found hanging around The Bar outside Highbury and Islington Station.

Ska

Beckman first met them while she was still teaching. She stepped out during her lunch break to go to the pub, where she spotted them fully kitted out in matching ska uniforms and felt compelled to take their photograph. A few years later, when she showed the image to Nick Logan of The Face, he wanted to feature it in the magazine’s first issue. Beckman tracked the twins down again, conducted an interview, and arranged a second photo shoot.

New York

After moving to New York in 1982, she went on to document the rise of hip-hop and graffiti culture, producing early press images of Run DMC, NWA, and LL Cool J, among others. Beckman continues to photograph youth culture from her base in New York, alongside ongoing projects and commissioned campaigns.