The Hyman Collection is delighted to have acquired a series of rare laminated exhibition panels by Jo Spence as well as the original copy of her thesis "Fairy Tales and Photography... or, another look at Cinderella".
Spence's original thesis, submitted in June 1982, is an important addition to the archive. In it Spence looks back to the evolution of the Cinderella story, its present incarnations in advertising and in the press - focused on the imagery of the Royal Wedding - and forward to her future practise as an artist. A pivotal document, at one of the crucial moments in Spence's career, this thesis at over 240 pages, is a feast of images and ideas that stand at the heart of Spence's work. The laminated panels, from 1984, build from this engagement with Cinderella and also look forward to the centrality of health issues in her later work.
