fishermen friends

[lobelia321]

Did anyone else buy The Guardian yesterday and see this beautiful picture of two fishermen from Aberdeen, taken before the First World War?

More here and here.

I am quite in love with this postcard and may need to visit this exhibition soon, in the hope of obtaining a proper reproduction. I find the image quite, quite extraordinary. The fact that it betokens friendship, at the very least, between a black man and a white man, on what seems a footing of absolute equality and a sort of innocent trust, the tug of history because this was on the eve of war and who knows what became of these two?, the possibilities opening out beyond our view of early-twentieth century class and race relations, and (not least) the trace, no matter how faint, of something more -- all of this makes me feel a sort of wobbly yearning.

P.S. This pic is small and dark. If you can't see it: the black man has his hand on the white man's wrist. The pic is also cropped: at the left edge, there is actually a small table with a framed photo of a little girl.

Comments

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful.

Phillips published a book of his postcard collection in 2000 - one for every day of the century. I wonder if this one is in it? I'll have to have a look - I bought it for my mum. But I'd like to see the exhibition too.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Oh, so you knew about this man? I'd never heard about him, nor about this wonderful postcard book! Do you want to see the exhibition together?

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I took this icon from his book 'A Humument', which is a 'treated' Victorian novel - very strange and interesting - website about it here. Tom Phillips official website here.

I'd love to come and see the exhibition with you, if we can work out a time when we're both free. Unusually, I seem to have lots of things on at the moment.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Oh!! He's the Humument guy!!!!!! *penny drops*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

"In some cases the real stories might be as interesting as the stories we make for these people in our heads - but they might not," he said yesterday

Ah, yes. How true...

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

Indeed!!!!!!

[lazulus]

Yes, I did! That postcard is so moving, I found myself feeling very emotional over it yesterday. Just beautiful.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? It *is* very moving.

[novanumbernine.livejournal.com]

i saw it too! what a beautiful pic.

i will definitely go to the show if i'm in london anytime soon.

n.x :)

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Isn't it touching?

[bunnysquee.livejournal.com]

pictures like this give me hope for this world.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Isn't it a wonderful picture? But also sad.

[bunnysquee.livejournal.com]

yes, sad also because, after all this time, discrimination and racism and hate still exist in this world.