Autograph, London

Recent Acquisition:
Journeys to Hope

Extended to Jan 2024

Free outdoor display
Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund

A new display sharing the journey of the Windrush generation before, during and after arriving in the UK

ACCESSIBILITY

ADDRESS

Autograph
Rivington Place
London EC2A 3BA, UK

TICKETS

opening times

This display is outdoors and can be visited anytime

ABOUT THE DISPLAY

Following the Second World War, thousands of people from Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean were invited by the British government to relocate to the UK to address labour shortages. They, along with their descendants, are often referred to as the Windrush generation, after the ship HMT Empire Windrush on which the first group arrived in 1948.

In 2020, Autograph acquired a portfolio of 37 works from the TopFoto archives, some of which can be seen here for the first time punctuated with the profound words of Professor Stuart Hall. These works share the journey before, during and after arriving in the UK.

These important photographs, alongside their stories, are now part of Autograph’s permanent Collection of Photography that aims to preserve the legacy of important narratives that have contributed to British history.

IN THE PRESS

PREVIEW of the display

The display on Autograph's building

Wet Welcome into Southampton Docks, 1961

Sunday Best on board the SS Begona, 1962

Train Journey to the Land of Promise, 1954

Online gallery

Journeys to Hope: Windrush Narratives

View more works from the TopFoto archives, now part of Autograph’s permanent Collection of Photography that aims to preserve the legacy of important narratives that have contributed to British history.

View Gallery

PART OF the project

Resilient Heritage

A project to increase access to Autograph's collection and ensure robust collection care

Find out more

YOUR VISIT

sample

Everyone is welcome at Autograph. Planning a visit? Have a look at our Visit Us page to find out more about getting to the gallery, accessibility and more.

Acknowledgements

All images are from TopFoto, one of the world’s great independent photographic archives, since 1927. In 2020 TopFoto was awarded a Cultural Recovery Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect their internationally significant collections. Find out more at topfoto.co.uk

Thanks to National Lottery players

supported by

Banner image: Some of the thousands disembarking from the liner Begona at Southampton shortly before the Commonwealth Immigration Act came into force. 2nd July 1962 [detail]. Courtesy TopFoto.

Display preview: All images are from TopFoto, one of the world’s great independent photographic archives, since 1927. In 2020 TopFoto was awarded a Cultural Recovery Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect their internationally significant collections. Find out more at topfoto.co.uk

Other images on page: 1) Clapham South Deep-Level Shelter, London, 22 June 1948. Courtesy TopFoto. 2) Image of Autograph's archive. 3) Autograph, photograph by Kate Elliot. 4) Sasha Huber, Agassiz Down Under [detail], 2015. Courtesy the artist.