Over 70,000 Images Enter Our Collection of Photography

For over forty years, Armet Francis’ mission in photography has been to document the African diaspora. As a Jamaican-British photographer with an acute understanding of black consciousness, his life-affirming images celebrate the resilience and survival of African diasporic cultures. Francis is now recognised as a pioneering figure in the photographic canon, best known for his social documentary, advertising and fashion images.

Francis’ archive encapsulates fragmented experiences of Pan-African diasporic communities: his 1970s Brixton Market fashion shoots are playful and rare frames of black joy and celebration; his 2008 commemorative portraits of those who arrived on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 are critical interventions that gave names to the faces of those who journeyed on that historic voyage that changed Britain forever. The archive also contains his seminal series The Black Triangle which guided his photographic practice from 1969.

In 2024 Francis was awarded a grant by independent charity Art360 to receive support in maintaining his archive of work – including inventory management, legal consultancy, photographic and film documentation. As a result of the Art360 project, the photographer has gifted his works to Autograph where it will be cared for as part of our collection of photography. This gift comprises over 70,000 images, including negatives, prints and archival material documenting Francis' career from the late 1960s onwards.

Francis was one of the founding signatories of Autograph in 1988, making this acquisition significant for us. We are proud to have worked with the artist over many years across several artist commissions and his acclaimed solo exhibition Armet Francis: Beyond the Black Triangle at our gallery. Since 1988, Autograph’s mission has remained unchanged: to championed photography and the work of artists that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice. This acquisition highlights our ongoing commitment to preserve the legacy of practitioners, like Francis, who have recorded important diverse narratives that have contributed to the representation of Black British history.

And Daniel Rudd (Art360’s Head of Artists' Services) tells us: “I’m delighted to see Armet Francis’s archive enter Autograph’s collection, ensuring that the work of one of the most important photographic voices of his generation is preserved, studied and shared with future audiences. It has been a privilege to support this project and to help secure a permanent home for such a significant body of work. This outcome reflects the vital role organisations such as Autograph play in safeguarding photographic heritage and would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of archivist Clare Hewitt and artist Eileen Perrier. As part of DACS’s commitment to supporting artists and protecting their legacy, we are proud to have played a role in helping secure greater recognition of, and long-term access to, this remarkable archive.”