This exhibition Ernest Cole: House of Bondage revisits the South African photographer's ground-breaking project House of Bondage, one of the most significant photobooks of the twentieth century.

In 1966 Cole fled South Africa and smuggled out his photographs, settling in New York. House of Bondage was published in 1967 and revealed the brutality and injustice of apartheid to the world, vividly documenting the everyday life of the Black population in South Africa. It became one of the most significant photobooks of the twentieth century.  

In more than 100 photographs, the exhibition covers all 15 thematic chapters into which Cole has divided House of Bondage and also includes works from the chapter Black Ingenuity, which was not published in the original edition of the book. 

Join John Wilson for a tour of selected photographs within the exhibition.

John Wilson is a freelance historian. He currently works as a BSL lecturer and guide for a number of high profile institutions including the National Gallery, Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Academy and Science Museum, London.

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