Nivea – draped in blue, cyanotype from original negative, photo by Michael Joseph

Unique cyanotype from an original negative by Michael Joseph
Original photograph: London, 1974
Hand-printed in the Dordogne by Justine Joseph, June 2026

Image: 17.5 × 10.5 cm
Presented in an elegant off-white conservation mount.

Created from one of Michael Joseph’s original negatives, this unique cyanotype revisits one of his most distinctive advertising compositions: a nude woman appearing amidst a multitude of sheep, in a setting that is at once graphic, unusual and almost surreal.

The cyanotype process profoundly transforms the original image. Bodies and fleeces merge into a profusion of Prussian blue and white forms, while the female figure emerges at the centre of the composition. The repetition of the sheep creates an almost abstract texture, heightened by the distinctive contrasts of this historic photographic process.

The blue border has deliberately been left visible, retaining the marks of the hand-applied emulsion and emphasising the handcrafted nature of the print.

As with every cyanotype in this collection, no two prints can ever be exactly alike. Variations in tone and texture, together with the brushstrokes and subtle irregularities created by sunlight, chemistry and the hand-printing process, make each print entirely unique.

This work brings together the photographic vision of Michael Joseph and the contemporary hand-printing work of Justine Joseph, who revisits the original negatives from the family archive using one of photography’s oldest processes.

An original piece for collectors of photography, alternative photographic processes and unique works of art.

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