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The Subverted Vintage Tea Towel Series
One evening during Lockdown, whilst browsing a well known auction site, I started to search for vintage tea towels. Like many artists, I found Lockdown to be devoid of creativity. I had made a few things, but nothing had come close to reigniting it until I started looking at these pieces of domestic gold. Here was a vast untapped wealth that featured so much more than just the odd souvenir map or castle that suddenly made my creative juices start to flow again. Here were little canvases that were ripe for me to subvert. And that's how it all began. Each one of them deals with an issue that is prevalent in society. I have subverted the initial meaning of the tea towel with an overlaid statement to create a different perspective. Please click on each tea towel image for a more in depth explanation behind its creation.The collection is growing with more to be added soon. There are prints available of each one, should you wish to own your favourite. If you have any comments or interest in exhibiting the collection, please contact me.
1. Stop Grooming Innocence
This cute Fran Mar image on a tea towel from the 1970’s features a boy moppet tying a bow onto his pet dog, with the caption Everybody needs a friend. Quite an innocent image, but the caption felt duplicitous to me. Whilst it’s asking you to invest in its Innocence, l just saw this image as a dangerous and manipulative one. So l stitched Stop Grooming Innocence over it. I wanted to make the voyeur re-evaluate this image in the same that l did and to question the way in which we are manipulated by illusions and for what purpose. l also wanted to say something about the vulnerability of children and how their innocence is so easily corrupted by capitalism and prayed on by the less morally salubrious amongst us.
2. A Grimm Fairytale - Hit Me Baby One More Time
This 1960's/70's vintage tea towel features the image of a beautiful girl at her spinning wheel. When I first saw this tea towel I fell in love with it instantly and its evocative Brothers Grimm iconography. When it arrived, I couldn't believe how vibrate and incredible the colours were. I didn't know what I was going to use it for, but then my friend sent me a link to a story about Britney Spears and her issues with the management of her finances by her father. It's such a sad story that it reminded me of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, but more importantly how women are still being manipulated by men. So I reimagined the pictorial image of the fairytale female character featured here as Britney and used the oversewn letters to describe her plight and that is how A Grimm Fairytale was born.
3. China Crisis (Non Panda Diplomacy)
1970's vintage Irish linen tea towel featuring a Panda and her cub. I was horrified by the reports of the ethic cleansing by the Chinese government of the Uighur People. It's unfathomable to try and comprehend that somewhere in the world, people are still being discriminated against for their differences. I had this playing on my mind when I saw this tea towel. Once I had secured it, I knew exactly what it was going to say even before it had arrived in the post. The background behind the conveyed message and the merging of the two, came about after I had read an article about China’s history of the gifting of Pandas to other nations as a good will gesture after the second world war. This was call Panda Diplomacy. The ill treatment of the Uighur People by The Chinese government is non diplomatic, and so the cub is asking its mother why they hate the Uighurs.
4. Mother And Daughter Time
1960's/70's Irish linen tea towel that features a kitsch cute mother and daughter pairing. This was too ripe not to subvert, so I decided to use an important feminist message from a mother to her daughter. From the onlookers perspective, they look soft, fluffy and adorable, but behind that façade, the next building block in the wall of feminist ideology is being laid.
5. Non Chlorinated Chicken
Vintage Irish Linen 1970's/80's tea towel featuring a hen with her chicks and eggs that are all branded with the Union Jack flag. As soon as I saw this, it screamed Brexit at me. Sometimes I over think the message, but in the end, after I had walked around a bit, thinking of what it should say, it came to me. Keep it simple and don't put all of your eggs in one basket. I played around with the original message and eventually, it was oven ready. Job done, unlike Brexit.
14. Just Ask Syria
I was moved to tears by the Storyville documentary called Under The Wire. It tells the story of Sunday Times war correspondent, Marie Colvin and photographer Paul Conroy's arrival in Syria to report on the story of civilians trapped in Homs in 2012. It is a heartbreaking watch that ends with Colvin's death and Convoy's jaw dropping escape against all the odds. Watch it if you can. I then watched the BBC documentary A Dangerous Dynasty: House of Assad that tells the story of how the patriarchal dictatorship of the Assad Family has decimated Syria. It's appalling the evil that humanity can rain upon itself. I sometimes find the tea towels before I know what my intention will be for them. I had seen this one and loved the clear blocks of colour. It's subject matter is very emotive. It's issued by The Royal Hospital Chelsea and features a group of Chelsea pensioners in their recognisable red tunics. It reads that the hospital was created to take care of old soldiers. When I see old soldiers I always feel sad. I think of all that they have witnessed and think about how burdensome this must be for them. I know wars like the one in Syria happen, but what is the cost to humanity in the end or the lesson we learn? I don't think we learn anything apart from the fact that War is stupid as the death and destruction is irreversible. That was my message here.
6. For Those In Peril On The Sea
1970's/80's vintage Irish linen tea towel produced for the RNLI (The Royal National Lifeboat Institution) known for saving lives at sea, I used the concept behind that notion, to create a message of support for the press villainized migrants who risk their lives every day in small overcrowded boats to cross the channel so that they can reach the UK and live better lives.
7. Dirty Cash Will Haunt You
1970's/80's vintage Irish linen tea towel produced for the Save the Children Fund, featuring a boy and a girl on a donkey happily riding off into the sunset. I subverted the seemingly happy context of this image by overlying copy that introduces the voyeur to the dark and insidious world of sex trafficking. A vile and inhumane practice that exploits the vulnerable for monetary gain on a global scale. Sometimes what we choose to see, is not necessarily the truth.
8. A Woman's Reality
1980's/90's Irish linen vintage tea towel featuring the Gossard Wonderbra. An unusual and rare subject matter for a tea towel. In its day, the Wonderbra was an icon of women's lingerie, that pushed breasts inwards and upwards, creating the illusion of cleavage. This sexy illusion sold its necessity. For the 55,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year, looking sexy or how good your breasts look in a bra is not their main focus. I was diagnosed in 2018 and wanted to use this piece to draw attention to that fact and the cancer that is most prevalent in women.
9. Seal Of Disapproval
An animal welfare tea towel circa 1980/90s that features a baby seal that stares at the voyeur with the caption 'It's my world too!' I remember when there was an outcry about the bloody culling of baby seals and the impact of those images that were shown on the news that featured their blood on the snow. Humanity has been afforded many chances to amend its ways for the devastation and harm it has done to the planet, the animals and each other. But we never seem to learn however shocking the image or the outcome is. That's the message here. In the time of Extinction Rebellion, whether you agree with their actions or not, we all need to be aware of our own environmental misnomers and take responsibility for them.
10. Let The Games Begin
Silk and linen tea towel circa 1980’s featuring the gifts traditionally given for each wedding anniversary. I saw a Victoria Derbyshire Panorama report on domestic violence during the Covid pandemic. One victim of domestic abuse said when she interviewed, that when the PM Boris Johnson told us all to stay at home, her partner folder his arms, looked at her and said to ‘Let the games begin.' He then proceeded to rape her over a 100 times over during lockdown. Eventually she found sanctuary in a refuge, but not all victims of domestic abuse are so lucky with on average two women dying each week as a result of domestic violence. That's two too many.
11. Cat Call Out
Vintage circa 1970's linen tea towel featuring two kittens playing in an old boot, overlaid with the copy 'Ghislaine is no friend of yours mine or hers.' I have worked on pieces in the past that focused on the abuse carried out by Weinstein. But just when we all thought it couldn't get any worse, the abuse carried out by Epstein reared its ugly head again. But in the wake of his death, we are left with his head groomer and partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, who prospected girls for him and his associates. Is the fact that she was a woman doing this to other women and girls worse because she is also a woman? Or was she also a victim of this abuse? For those reasons I have purposely left the 'hers ' ambiguous.
12. The Wisdom Of Experience
Ulster linen tea towel cira 1980’s featuring owls in a tree with one upside down. The upside down owl reminded me that often those who behave or look different, do so for a reason. It reads ‘No one’s perfect.’ That made me think that just because we can’t always see what’s going on in someone’s mind, we shouldn’t just dismiss them as odd. There’s always a reason why someone acts unexpectedly. I like the way the other owls are keeping a watchful eye over the upside down owl. It demonstrates an aspect of care. I find that very tender. Having experienced my own mental health issues, l also know that you can look the same when your mind is unwell and l wanted to address that too with this one.
13. Algorithms Are Mind Managing You
When l was a child the Post Office Tower represented all things futuristic to me. It was a strange building that looked like something out of a science fiction film or an episode of Star Trek. Later as the GPO morphed into the innovative and newly named BT, it all seemed so modern and tech savvy. Then landlines became the dinosaurs of the analog age as mobile technology was rapidly established and sat on the throne of all communication. And now your mobile phone is listening to you. It knows who you talk to. It knows what you search for. It knows what it thinks you want, as algorithms are mind mapping your actions. Scary stuff. I used think that the handheld gadgets on Star Trek were amazing. Something you could use to communicate with as well as a weapon. It’s funny how fiction and reality have merged into the same thing. With that in mind, this tea towel featuring the Post Office Tower, now seems like it represents a bygone age of technological innocence.
15. I Hear You Knocking But You Can't Come In
Vintage linen tea towel featuring a boy looking on at a plate he has just broken. A right wing party headed by Tommy Robinson were causing unnecessary hatred and violence. I wanted to say something about that. Humanity over nastiness was my intention here.
16. Food For Thought (Soup Du Jour)
80’s/90’s Vintage Heinz soup tea towel created to underline the diabolical Trump speech were he made fun and mimicked the disabled. He then was interviewed and began a bizarre rant regarding protesters who had carried cans of soup, which they utilised as weapon to throw at people. He made claims that they had used the excuse that they were just cans and not weapons as their defence. However, there was no, or has never been any recourse regarding his earlier mockery of the disabled. Typical Trump rhetoric at play there to deflect his actions onto others by citing nonsense. I wanted to convey that l would rather have supposed cans thrown than insults.
17. I Know Why A Caged Feminist Sings (For Olive)
When l first saw this 1970’s Gordon Fraser OXO Brook Bond linen tea towel l just had to have it.The colours are incredible. Unfortunately l failed to secure a sale for the first one l saw, but then (and l do believe that everything happens for a reason) the next one that appeared (this one) was the one that eventually became mine. When it arrived there was a hand written letter enclosed. The letter was from the daughter of the lady who had owned the tea towel. She had sadly passed away earlier in the year and her daughter explained that her mum had saved up tokens to get this tea towel and had kept this little beauty for best ever since. I was really touched by the letter and emailed the daughter, Sandra, to thank her and explain my intentions for her mum’s tea towel. She was delighted and said that her mum would have loved it. The second part to the story was that l had always intended to use the lyrics from the 70’s hit I Am Woman by Helen Reddy as the caption. It’s one of my favourites and a true feminist anthem. The meaning of the lyrics have meant different things to me at different times in my life. I also wanted to acknowledge Maya Angelou who is one of my all time heroines. This was such an important piece for me as a feminist as l wanted to harness the power of all femininity both repressed and free. The image of a girl with the opening lyrics to I Am Woman Stitched across her and then crowned with a nod to Maya Angelou in its title, encompasses all of that. I truly feel that Sandra’s mum Olive had a hand in all of this as well. Sandra and l became friends and she shared with me that her female friends had kept her sane throughout lockdown. I therefore feel like a lot of love made I Know Why A Caged Feminist Sings. And on the day l finished it, l woke up to the news that Helen Reddy had died. This piece truly embodies a lot of women, their memories and our love for them. The older l get, the more important my female relationships become to me. As a postscript, l added (For Olive) into the title of the piece, because if Olive had never kept this beautiful bold colourful girl for best for all these years, l wouldn’t be writing this now. It all seems like in the end, it was meant to be. Thank you Olive.
18. A Posthumous Message Via David Attenborough
As a child l was given How and Why Books. In a pre Google age, l loved reading them and all about the subjects they featured. So when l saw this beautiful linen tea towel featuring wild animals, it really reminded me of the illustrations in those books. I didn’t know what l was going to use this one for so l put it to one side. During lockdown we had driven past a billboard on a number of occasions that said “Tell Them We Survived.” I wrote it down in my notebook. I thought it was very prophetic (given the Covid pandemic) and l imagined that l was reading it from the future. It’s gone now and I never did find out what it was for. Then l watched the David Attenborough film on Netflix called A Life on Our Planet about all of the climate change that has taken place on Earth during his lifetime. It made me cry as all of it is so shockingly devastating. It’s an ever decreasing circle unless we make some fast changes for us and all of the other life forms that inhabit the planet. I thought about that. It affected me profoundly and l wanted to say something about it. So l use this beautiful tea towel and added the word “Tried” to the prophetic billboard words and the end result was a powerful message about now and what we need to do to save the Earth before future generations ask why.
19. Bewitched
Vintage 70’s tea towel featuring an illustration by artist Fran Mar. Mar was well known in the 70’s for creating what would now be deemed kitsch jewellery, which would feature images of her cutesy boy and girl Moppets. This tea towel features a classic example of her cutesy girl Moppet. I love her work and wanted to use its innocence to create a powerful statement about women and women who had been historical victims of witch hunts. Women like Agnes Sampson, who had been a local ‘wise woman’ and midwife in a Scottish village. She was the first woman accused of witchcraft and was brutally tortured and murdered. The records of her trial, contain tropes we now associate with the characteristics of a Witch. I juxtapositioned the cute girl Moppet with the words to indicate that women are now (relatively) more in control of their own destinies.
20. Starving For Affection
Vintage 1980’s tea towel advocating eating and slimming. I wanted to say something about dieting and self image. When l was a kid a family member made a statement to my mother within my ear shot. She said ‘Holly’s very fat isn’t she.’ I was 8 years old. I thought being fat meant l wasn’t loveable. As l grew up, l was constantly dieting to ensure that l wasn’t too fat. It got very bad and unhealthily out of hand. But even when my bones were noticeable through my skin, l still thought l was too fat. The lesson to learn from this is to be mindful as to what we say in front of those who are of an impressionable age.
21. Please find your person
Fran Mar moppets once again featured here on a 1970’s cotton tea towel along with the words ‘There’s nothing we can’t solve together.’ It’s a well-known fact that loneliness can be as detrimental to your health as smoking. It’s been proven that being solitary is also very bad for your mental health. The aim of this tea towel was to promote the positive effects of finding your soulmate and to avoid all of the ill effects that loneliness might bring.
22. Laurence Of Dystopia
Vintage linen 1960s or 70s tea towel featuring a fox parading as a magician pulling a rabbit out of a top hat. The actor Laurence Fox decided to change careers by entering politics. Unfortunately, his right-wing views have proven extremely unpopular with the majority and his career as a political candidate has become questionable. He has often criticised the ‘woke’ community and has often made challenging and provocative comments.
23. The Best Is Yet To Come
Vintage 1970s tea towel, featuring a rabbit in a hat. The menopause, a subject that was once spoken about in hushed tones as if it were a curse. Like most things female; periods, childbirth, breastfeeding and then the menopause, these experiences were often dismissed, when they should have been celebrated. Thankfully we are now embracing them all by openly sharing our experiences of them. The menopause is the last female taboo to be embraced. With the end your fertility and as your hormones raged and reconfigure, awarding you your boarding pass to an age of a new found freedom, l wanted to pay homage to this transition. This rabbit in her hat is the embodiment of that celebration. It’s a joyful image for a taxing, but ultimately rewarding experience as we embrace our second spring. The best is yet to come.
24. A Smoking Gun
Vintage Blackstaff linen tea towel featuring fire engines. On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington. It was later revealed that the cladding that had been used in the refurbishments on the outside of the blocks was to blame. As of 2023 no one has been held accountable for the deaths of the 72 people who lost their lives in the fire. A smoking gun is a piece of evidence that proves that something is true or that someone is responsible for a crime.
25. The R Number In Your Area Stands For Rashford
Contemporary cotton Charles Dickens tea towel featuring Oliver Twist asking for more. During the pandemic footballer Marcus Rashford took the government to task by raising awareness of children living in poverty without enough food to eat. He changed the climate of this by using his profile and was able to to instigate change for them. The R number was way of rating the coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread. The R number here signified the capability of Rashford’s intervention to spread and distribute food for hungry children. We do not live in the Dickensian era, but sometimes it feels as though we do.
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