Dafydd Jones's photographs of upper class parties in the 1980s are some of the seminal photographs of the era. As well as showing the high-jinks, he also addressed the aftermath. One of the remarkable aspects is the willingness of the subjects to be photographed and the populairty of these images, however debauched, in the pages of The Tatler.
The Hyman Collection includes vintage prints of all 8 pictures in the photo story entitled The Sleeping Pills.
The text reads:
THE SLEEPING PILLS
"Long, long ago, towards the end of the nineteen seventies, the words ' Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?` could still be heard on the lips of partygoers in the more avant-garde areas of London life. Nowadays, the post-sex generation are unanimous in their pleas of 'Je préfére dormir seul ce soir'and the solitary sleeping is scheduled to start soon after the end of the last course or the beginning of the first song. Carpets, tables, chairs, cushions and bare floorboards are easily converted into surprisingly comfortable makeshift beds, and sleep is immediate. Experts suggest that the marked drop in the sales of sleeping pills and barbiturates amongst the higher echelons is attributable to the new awareness that charity balls, hunt 'discos' and regimental that charity dinners are able to provide fitting substitutes."
