Tish Murtha’s photographs are widely regarded as among the most important works of social documentary in 20th-century Britain.
Born in South Shields in 1956 and raised in Elswick, Newcastle, Murtha photographed the world around her from the inside.
Produced in long-term collaboration with the Tish Murtha Archive, this selection of archival pigment prints forms part of British Culture Archive’s ongoing work to bring Murtha’s photographs to wider audiences. Each print is made under the supervision of the Archive to museum-standard specifications, with careful attention to the original photograph.
Her photographs of Elswick and Tyneside from the late 1970s and 1980s are full of warmth and human connection. Made within the communities she knew, the work still feels vivid today, with a sense of dignity and pride that continues to resonate.
This Tish Murtha collection is presented in collaboration with the Tish Murtha Archive