I watched a conversation (on a video sponsored by the Dulwich Picture Gallery) between the artist Tom Hunter and Filipa Pereira-Stubbs, the model for the image taken 25 years ago.
Hunter spent the day with Filipa recreating the famous Vermeer painting ‘Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window’. Vemeer’s attraction to Hunter was that he sought to portray ordinary people with great dignity. Hunter’s image shows a young lady with a tiny baby reading a possession order issued to squatters by the local council.
Hunter talks about this picture, giving space to contemplate how we see other people’s lives and the consequences when, as a society, we fail to provide adequate social housing.
Bibliography
Hunter, T. (2022) “Tom Hunter, A Woman Reading a Possession Order,” Dulwich Picture Gallery. Dulwich Picture Gallery. Available at: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/about/news-blog/2022/june/tom-hunters-a-woman-reading-a-possession-order/ (Accessed: March 1, 2023).
