Nivea – figure among ferns, unique cyanotype from a photo by Michael Joseph

NIVEA – FIGURE AMONG FERNS

UNIQUE BOTANICAL CYANOTYPE FROM AN ORIGINAL NEGATIVE BY MICHAEL JOSEPH

Original photograph: London, 1980s
Hand-printed in the Dordogne by Justine Joseph, 2026

Mount size: 40 × 30 cm
Presented in an elegant black conservation mount.

Created from one of Michael Joseph’s original negatives from the celebrated Nivea – Now in Tubs advertising campaign, this unique cyanotype transforms the original studio photograph into an ethereal botanical composition.

The model stands in a quiet, sculptural pose, his gaze lowered and a simple length of fabric loosely knotted around his hips. In this reinterpretation, delicate impressions of ferns and honesty leaves emerge around the figure, creating the impression that the body is gradually being enveloped by vegetation.

The softness of the botanical forms contrasts with the clarity of Michael Joseph’s original portrait. Shades of Prussian blue move from deep shadow to the palest blue-grey, while the natural variations of the cyanotype process give the surface an almost dreamlike quality.

The plants were placed directly onto the sensitised paper during the creation of the print. Their silhouettes therefore become part of the photographic process itself — a second drawing made by light, surrounding and interacting with the image from the original negative.

The result lies somewhere between photography, botanical photogram and unique work on paper: an advertising image from the 1980s transformed into something quieter, more intimate and timeless.

As with every cyanotype in this collection, this print cannot be reproduced identically. Variations in sunlight, chemistry, botanical placement and hand application ensure that each work remains entirely unique.

This piece 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 through one of photography’s oldest processes, incorporating natural materials gathered in the Dordogne.

An original work for collectors of photography, alternative photographic processes, botanical art and unique works on paper.

Discover more works from the Michael Joseph Revisitations – Cyanotypes collection.

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