Homes Fit for Heroes: Photographs by Bill Brandt 1939-43 [Hardcover]

Peter James (Author), Richard Sadler (Author), Bill Brandt (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Despite Bill Brandt’s fame and considerable influence on the development of modern photography, the photographs in this book are a little known body of work and have never been previously published. The work was carried out between 1939 and 1943 when Brandt worked on a commercial assignment for the Bournville Village Trust. The photographs illustrate living conditions and form distinct picture stories where direct contrasts are made between slum and municipal housing. Many books and articles published around this time sought to address the issue of the living conditions of the working classes and photography played a key role.

2004 sees the celebration of Brandt’s centenary year. Major collections of his prints are held by MoMA and Rochester’s International Museum of Photography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Brandt is widely regarded as one of the masters of 20th century photography. His work has been widely exhibited internationally. Major collections of his prints are held by The Victoria & Albert Museum (London), MoMA (New York), Rochester's International Museum of Photography and Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris). Peter James is Head of Photographs at Birmingham Central Library. He is responsible for one of the national collections of photography and for commissioning and acquiring work.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Dewi Lewis Publishing (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904587070
• ISBN-13: 978-1904587071
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,941,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let the sunshine in, June 1, 2006

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homes Fit for Heroes: Photographs by Bill Brandt 1939-43 (Hardcover)

A fascinating book of Brandt photos contrasting English slums with planned municipal estates. This was the kind of assignment that he loved: the chance to put across a social point-of-view using real people and places. The sixty-three photos (beautifully printed with 200dpi) are probably the best of visits he made to Birmingham and London for the Bournville Village Trust.

There seems to be a continuing mystery about these photos though because they were discovered in the Trust's archives as a series of seventy-seven prints mounted on cardboard with the negatives (but actually missing eight of these). It would be rather unusual for a commercial photographer to hand over negatives to the client because additional income could be made by doing extra prints and the print quality could still conform to the original supplied prints. Brandt said of the commission that it was "...a job well done".

An interesting essay in the front of the book reveals how Brandt manipulated the artificial light in the slums to contrast with the brighter better homes where sunlight through open windows is the light source. Frequently a semi rural location is shown outside the windows. There is a stunning shot on page eighty-four of a young boy looking in a window at his parents eating a meal (with full plates) heavy shadows on the tablecloth from the bright sun and trees in the background. Compare this with a family eating in their dark slum living room on page twenty-nine, cups of tea and sandwiches possibly the main meal of the day.

As well as the sixty-three photos, one to a page, there are the eleven cardboard mounts shown that had the original prints, again one to a page, and three essays about Bill Brandt and his approach to photojournalism. A worthwhile photobook in my view.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.