About this artwork
One of the first black photojournalists in South Africa, Ernest Cole sought to demonstrate apartheid’s corrosive effects by exposing the political injustice inherent in every aspect of daily life. Here, he turned his lens to the country’s perennially overcrowded and chaotic railway stations and trains, with separate waiting areas and cars for blacks who were forced to relocate to townships far from their jobs. During his short career as a photographer in South Africa, Cole often took dangerous or illegal measures to make his pictures. In 1966, he escaped the country and eventually made it to New York, where his illusions about finding a place that had resolved its racial problems were quickly stripped away. He died with little to his name, having published only one book.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Photography and Media
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Artist
- Ernest Cole
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Title
- Hats and Men Cram onto Train No. 3
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Place
- South Africa (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1963–1967
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Medium
- Gelatin silver print
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Inscriptions
- Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, upper left, in blue ink: "illegible/crossed ou]"; typed verso, on partially adhered label, center, in black ink: "They Profit The Railways But / IT'S CATTLE TRUCK CONDITIONS FOR AFRICAN TRAVELLERS [underlined] / Men and women fight and stuggle to get into the train. / The official comment on the plight of the African commuters / is: "Strenuous efforts are being made to meet the situation". / Photograph by ERNEST COLE; / please acknowledge. / CAMERA PRESS LONDON 7416-3"; inscribed verso, center, in black ink: "24 [encircled]"; verso, right center, in graphite: "78 388 [?] [illegible]"; verso, along bottom edge, in black ink: "K [line] 20" [arrow pointing right]"; stamped verso, lower right, in purple ink: "COPYRIGHT / CAMERA PRESS / LTD. / RUSSELL COURT, / CORAM STREET, / LONDON, W.C.1 / TERMINUS 4488 & 9393";
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Dimensions
- Image/paper: 25.3 × 20.7 cm (10 × 8 3/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Purchased with funds provided by Robin and Sandy Stuart
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Reference Number
- 2015.194
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
