Mines, No. 7
Ernest Levi Tsosloane Cole, South African, 1940 - 1990
circa 1960
Gelatin silver print
Image: 6 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (17.1 × 24.8 cm)
Sheet: 8 1/4 × 10 in. (21 × 25.4 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Contemporary Art Fund, the Elizabeth and David C. Lowenstein '67 Fund, the Virginia and Preston T. Kelsey 1958 Fund, and the Fund for Contemporary Photography.
2020.19.3
Geography
Place Made: South Africa, Africa
Period
20th century
Object Name
Photograph
Research Area
Photograph
Not on view
Inscriptions
Signed, on reverse, center, in black ink: c[circled] ERNEST COLE.; inscribed, on reverse, upper right edge, in black ink: MIMES 7. / No. 24.; Stamped, on reverse, center, beneath signature, in blue ink: THE / JOHN HILLELSON / AGENCY LTD. / 145, FLEET STREET, / LONDON, E.C.4.
Label
Ernest Cole was a South African documentary photographer who set out to depict the lives of Black South Africans under apartheid. These three images of people holding on to traditional cultural practices, exclusionary public spaces, and transnational, transracial religions are representative of Cole’s insider view. A self-taught photographer, Cole made numerous sacrifices to bring his photographs to the world. His work was considered so disruptive to the apartheid system that Cole and his photobook titled House of Bondage were both banned from the country. His work reflects the intimate perspective photographers can offer when documenting a situation that directly impacts them.
From the 2024 exhibition An Instant Out of Time: Shaping a Collection, curated by Alisa Swindell, Associate Curator of Photography
Course History
Art History 48.02, Histories of Photography, Katie Hornstein, Spring 2024
African and African American Studies 63.01, Sociology 71.01, Race Matters: Race Made to Matter, Trica Keaton, Spring 2024
Music 18.03, African and African American Studies 39.07, Verzuz: A History of Black Popular Music, Allie Martin, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
An Instant Out of Time: Shaping a Collection, Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 20-July 21, 2024.
Provenance
Goodman Gallery UK Limited, London; sold to present collection, 2020.
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