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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent

Interest in working-class photography booms but barriers to industry remain

Ella Murtha stands with her back to the camera as she looks at prints of her mother's photography displayed at Tate Britain
Ella Murtha looks at her mother’s work on display at Tate Britain. Tish Murtha created portraits of working-class life in Newcastle’s west end in the 1970s and 80s. Photograph: Screengrab/BBC/Freya Films/Demon Snapper Productions

At the end of Tish, the documentary about the photographer Tish Murtha, one of the lingering questions posed by her daughter Ella is how did this incredibly talented artist not manage to sustain a career in photography?

Murtha, who created unparalleled portraits of working-class life in Newcastle’s West End in the 1970s and 80s, has been “rediscovered” in recent years, but her inability to make a living in her lifetime not only haunts the film but also current photography – where working-class voices are increasingly rare.

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