Red Saunders Photography

Hidden History

William Cuffay and the London Chartists, 1848

One of the big lies told about working class people is that we are more racist than the middle classes or the rich. In this tremendous photograph, "William Cuffay and the London Chartists 1848", Red Saunders reveals something quite different and hidden about both the history of racism and the role that working people have played in combating it
At the centre of this image, active and vital, stands elected Chartist leader William Cuffay. Lit by warm light (reminiscent of paintings by Johannes Vermeer and Caravaggio, Chartists laugh and joke and enjoy each others company as they surround him.
The photograph conjures up a Victorian tableau and was shot over two days using a traditional large format camera, later composited. It uses volunteers ( themselves workers and trade unionists ) as Chartists and every costume is accurate - staff and students from the London College of Fashion donated their time to help.
The image reveals the hidden history of a black worker at the core of the first mass workers' movement. For, more than 160 years ago, the London Chartists chose the son of a slave as a leader, rejecting the racism that had been invented to justify enslaving millions of black people.
The image represents a meeting, one of thousands that took place in 1848, as the Chartists organised their great demonstration on Kennington Common. It is full of life and the characters interact with each other, and by implication, the movement as they discuss and debate, or in the case of the boy at the back, peep into the meeting.
It is appropriate that this picture has been created by Red Saunders. Saunders is a socialist and artist and was the founder of Rock Against Racism in the 1970s.
By reminding us of this episode from the past he has done our present movement a great service.
This is the first in a series of Hidden History tableaux by Red Saunders. The next will feature Wat Tyler, the leader of the Peasants Revolt of 1381.

Richard Peacock.

for more information, or for a fine art print of this picture contact Red Saunders

 

 

MORE on Hidden History

'HIDDEN'
a digital photo-tableaux project
by Red Saunders

' William Cuffy and the London Chartists 1848 '

Red calls HIDDEN a photographic 'chamber epic' (a description suggested by the playwright Trevor Griffiths) which recreates events in the long struggle for parliamentary representation and democracy in Britain. Not the history of Kings and Queens, but of the 'Hidden' neglected scenes of working class history.
This was no smooth gradual transition, many actions in this long struggle were of life and death intensity as working people fought for their rights while struggling to keep alive the history made by mass movements of dissenters, non conformists, radicals and revolutionaries.

The first one is now completed: the scene a meeting room in East London in 1848, where William Cuffy, a black worker, son of a slave, elected president of the London Chartist is collecting signatures from fellow Chartists and supporters for the great 'Peoples Charter'.
[The Charter had six central demands Universal Suffrage, Equal Representation, Abolition of the Property Qualification, Vote by Ballot, Annual Parliaments, and Payment of Members.]

It has qualities of that huge Rembrandt history painting, The Night Watch. Meticulous detail in costume and historical accuracy, superb lighting and intense commitment of all involved make this a powerful photographic tableau. Red says the lighting in the paintings of Rembrandt, Velazquez, Caravaggio, have always had a huge influence on studio trained photographers like himself, he picks Van Goghs 'Potato eaters' as well.

This image was shot 'old school' on 5x4 inch color negative, then scanned to digital files the final image comprising of 12 different elements, all retouching in Photoshop on Apple Mac.

The role of a politically conscious artist, like Red, is to work with others to keep the memories of these struggles alive. On completion the whole series celebrating the struggles for liberty and justice will be such that they could be used on all media, billboard sites, gallery space, street posters, print, and the internet. However 'Hidden' has a further parallel creative application.
For Red asks the question “If Britain were a republic what might its stamps look like?” There would be no monarch’s head, and they would not celebrate the usual suspects: Queens, Kings, War, Imperial History, Nationalism. Instead there could be a collector’s set of stamps of HIDDEN. Each tableau would be printed as two stamps side by side one being the photograph and its companion stamp an explanatory text. A peoples stamp not a monarchs stamp.

Tony Benn, who has agreed to be a patron of the project encapsulates it all:
"Red Saunders 'Hidden' project is a most imaginative idea, allowing us to visualize the key moments in the long struggle of working people for Democracy and Social Justice, a struggle which the establishment has tried so hard to conceal from us”
“Those who see these photographic representations will then be able to identify with past generations and gain confidence from the knowledge that they are part of a world wide movement that has always existed and must be sustained.”

Pre production research and budget costings has started on the next image ' The assassination of Watt Tyler / Peasants revolt 1381.'
Those wishing to help in any way be it with their time, labour, skills, or contacts please get in touch.
All donations / sponsorships for the project please contact.

Jane Shallace and Mike Kustow / Supporters and Fundraisers for the 'Hidden' project
email > janeshal@globalnet.co.uk

Oct/08