1970s Handsworth Self-Portraits Documented in Guardian Photo Gallery

A Guardian gallery published on 15 October 2026 presents a series of dated self-portraits made in Handsworth during 1979. The images are individually captioned with names and dates: Morris on 18 August 1979; an unknown person on 8 September 1979; Audrey Parkes with Blossom and Afrikan Star on 7 October 1979; two unknown subjects on 6 October 1979; Sohan Lal on 22 September 1979; Esther and friends on 7 October 1979; Raj and friend on 7 October 1979; Steppers on 18 August 1979; another unknown on 6 October 1979; another unknown on 8 September 1979; another unknown on 7 October 1979; Tony on 1 September 1979; an unknown on 25 August 1979; David on 7 October 1979; George on 18 August 1979; Rajeesh on 22 September 1979; and Kanta Korotania with her sister Amerjit on 18 August 1979. The gallery is framed around the acts of cabling and camera use, positioning these photographs as early examples of self-portraiture in the Handsworth area. The presentation groups the images by their original dates, ranging from 18 August to 7 October 1979, and identifies sitters by first names or as unknown. No further contextual text, exhibition venue, or commissioning institution is provided in the source material.