The legacy of Tish Murtha

"You can learn a lot about the photographer by looking at their pictures, and I think that’s especially true with my mam. She knew how to compose an image, but she started to hone her skills long before she ever picked up a camera. There was always an undercurrent of danger in her world, she had to learn to read a situation and know when the mood was going to turn from being a tiny child. When she found an old camera in a derelict house as a teenager, it became her protection and a tool for change when she realised its power.

I grew up with her pictures as our wallpaper and was often in the darkroom with her when I was little. She would explain what she was doing, letting me help, and it felt so magical watching these black-and-white images appear in the tray that we had made together. She was in her element in the darkroom, listening to her favourite music - she really loved the whole process and I'm so happy that I got to share that with her. I know how important her work was to her and that is why I feel compelled to continue to share it."

Ella Murtha

tish's treasures

After losing my mam in 2013, I found myself going through the huge archive of negatives, prints, contact sheets, and notebooks she left behind - 'Tish’s Treasures'. Spending time with her photographs and writing became a real source of comfort and helped me deal with my grief. I started sharing my mam’s work online and was amazed by the response. Some people already knew and loved her work, while others were discovering it for the first time. Seeing how much her photographs meant to people gave me something positive to focus on, and I knew I wanted to do everything I could to protect and celebrate her legacy. Since then, I’ve worked with people I trust to make sure her work is shared in a way that stays true to who she was and what she stood for.

Since 2017, I’ve published the books Youth Unemployment, Elswick Kids, and Juvenile Jazz Bands. They’re all out of print now and won't be reissued, so after constantly being asked to bring back Youth Unemployment specifically (because people sell second hand copies online for ridiculous prices), I’ve created a brand new 2026 edition with British Culture Archive. Vandalism on a Grand Scale takes its title from a line in my mam’s powerful essay accompanying the series. It was important for me to keep the work accessible, while giving it a beautiful new design that allows the images, and her words, to be experienced in a fresh way.

I worked alongside director Paul Sng, producer Jen Corcoran and cinematographer Hollie Galloway on our documentary film TISH

which was released to critical acclaim in 2023.

Over the years, I’ve also arranged acquisitions with the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and the Museum of London, meaning my mam’s photographs are now part of their permanent collections.

The legacy of Tish Murtha

tish's treasures

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