False start – pool ladies with fern surround, cyanotype from a photo by Michael Joseph

FALSE START — BOTANICAL FERN CYANOTYPE, 25.5 × 20 CM

After an original photograph by Michael Joseph

Original photograph: London, 1987
Pool Ladies series, photographed for Playboy
Unique cyanotype handmade in the Dordogne, summer 2026
Size: 25.5 × 20 cm

False Start belongs to Michael Joseph’s celebrated Pool Ladies series, photographed in London in 1987 for Playboy.

This unique cyanotype was created from the original negative and exposed with real fern leaves arranged directly around the image, creating a one-of-a-kind botanical border. Soft blues and faded areas give the work a dreamlike quality, as though the original photograph were re-emerging through vegetation.

Michael Joseph later discussed the Pool Ladies series in an interview for Playboy TV, sharing the story behind the shoot.

Presented on a rigid blue-edged support, with handwritten details and a Michael Joseph Revisitations label on the reverse.

A unique piece combining photographic archive, cyanotype and botanical elements.

Before checkout, discover the other works in the Clearance Collection.

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