Old lady in a Pimlico air-raid shelter, her silver-handled umbrella safely tucked away behind her

c. 1942

Bill Brandt

Associated Names
Bill Brandt

Artist, British, born Germany, 1904 - 1983

This is a photograph of a sandbag-lined dugout containing military items. The image depicts a setting resembling a trench or bunker, with thick walls constructed from stacked sandbags. Among the objects within the dugout are a military helmet and jacket. The figure-shaped bundle is heavily covered with a quilted blanket. On the left, partially visible in the shadows, is a paper with text on it. The scene is atmospheric and embodies a sense of wartime conditions, emphasized by the stark contrast and shadows present in the black and white photograph.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Simon and Bonnie Levin

  • Dimensions

    overall: 25.7 x 20.2 cm (10 1/8 x 7 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2003.147.2


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Simon and Bonnie Levin, Interlaken, NJ; Gift to NGA, 2003.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

All on verso: center stamped in black ink: BILL BRANDT; by later hand, center in black ink: Black out/ 54[crossed out] 53/ Pimlico; by different later hand, lower left in graphite: E22; lower right in graphite: 2456

Wikidata ID

Q64145381

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