92 modern silver gelatin prints from Chris Killip’s first major body of work, Isle of Man.

In 1970, after a short spell living in London where he worked as an assistant to the commercial photographer Adrian Flowers, Chris Killip returned to the Isle of Man to begin a documentation of his homeland.

He began to photograph in and around the Island whilst working nights in his Father’s pub. During this time, the Isle of Man had been establishing itself as a tax-haven, the ramifications being the undermining of certain rooted and traditional forms of life, work, and culture. Killip immersed himself in the daily life of people on the island, whilst also photographing the landscapes, places of rest, and the sites of agricultural work the island was known for. Together the images culminate to form an intimate portrait of the Isle of Man between the years 1970-1973 chronicling his homeland, whilst bearing witness to changes that were beginning to take hold.

The work was first made available as a portfolio of twelve mounted prints produced by Witken-Berley, New York in 1973. Later in 1980 the photographs were published as a book by the Arts Council of Great Britain featuring a foreword by John Berger and with design by Roland Schenk. In 2017, Steidl and Killip returned to the work and published Isle of Man revisited which included an expanded selection of images.

MEDIUM
Modern silver gelatin prints

DIMENSIONS
40.6 x 50.8cm
50.8 x 60.9cm

PRINTS
92

DATES
1970-73

Prints housed on behalf of Chris Killip Photography Trust.