Campden Hill, London

Phyllis Seltzer, 1949

MEDIUMGelatin silver print
DIMENSIONSImage: 22.9 × 19.9 cm (9 1/16 × 7 7/8 in.); Paper: 25.2 × 20.4 cm (9 15/16 × 8 1/16 in.)
LOCATIONArt Institute of Chicago

This early photograph by Phyllis Seltzer offers a poignant glimpse into post-war London, capturing a quiet, everyday moment with a profound sense of atmosphere and human presence.

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ABOUT THIS WORK

This quiet photograph captures a moment of everyday life on Campden Hill in London, likely in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Phyllis Seltzer, then just 21 years old, frames a scene that feels both observed and deeply personal. We see a woman, perhaps a mother, pushing a pram with a child bundled inside, their backs to us as they ascend a slight incline. The street is wet, reflecting the muted light of what appears to be a cloudy day, adding a somber yet reflective mood to the image. The architecture of the terraced houses, with their distinctive chimneys and bay windows, firmly places us in a specific time and place. This gelatin silver print, with its rich tonal range, invites a contemplative pause, drawing attention to the subtle beauty in an ordinary urban landscape.

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What to Notice

1

The reflections on the wet street surface.

2

The distinctive chimneys and bay windows of the London houses.

3

The bundled child visible in the pram.

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This early photograph by Phyllis Seltzer offers a poignant glimpse into post-war London, capturing a quiet, everyday moment with a profound sense of atmosphere…

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THE ARTIST
Phyllis Seltzer 1928 · United States

Phyllis Seltzer turned city skylines and fire into bold prints, working across woodcut, lithography, and heat transfer well into her 70s.

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