The Hackney Flashers were a collective of nine women photographers, authors, illustrators and graphic designers. The group, which was active from 1974 to 1980, produced three series: Women and Work (1975), Who’s Holding the Baby? (1978) and Domestic Labour and Visual Representation (1980). Their work combined a variety of techniques and took the form of panels and a booklet accompanied by slides.
The aim of these works was to produce and disseminate images of working-class women in London, raising awareness of their working conditions and their domestic workload. Above all, the members of the collective wanted their work to be seen by the general public, so they organised exhibitions in town halls, hospitals, schools and, in 1979, at the Hayward Gallery in London. The group ceased its collective activities in 1980. Their work is held at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Tate Archive, the Bishopsgate Institute and the Jo Spence Memorial Library Archive in London, and The Image Centre in Toronto.
The members of the Hackney Flashers were: An Dekker (†), Sally Greenhill, Liz Heron, Gerda Jäger (†), Michael Ann Mullen, Maggie Murray, Christine Roche, Jo Spence (†), Julia Vellacott (†)