I photographed Paige Taylor as part of a large project for Lancing College School in West Sussex. The school was celebrating their 175th anniversary and they decided to ask me to make portraits of 28 of their alumni, staff and students. The community were asked to nominate people who they felt were really making a difference either now or in the past. 28 sitters were chosen from over 300 submissions. Paige was one of those selected.
We agreed to meet at Middle Temple where she was based at the time. Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court in London, where barristers are trained. As Paige walked me to the room where we would make the photographs, the Parliament Chamber, I noticed several relatively new painted portraits of female barristers. I was pleased to see that Middle Temple was making an effort in this area. However, when we entered the Parliament Chamber, there were only portraits of men and a large depiction of the Judgement of Solomon. In this particular image, both of the women had their breasts exposed for no obvious reason, other than the whim of the artist or his patron. So, the only images of women in the room were topless. It’s incredible to me that we still feel this is acceptable in 2023.
Paige told me her amazing life story. She used to live in South East London and was her mother’s primary carer for 12 years. When she was 16, and on a visit to her grandparents in Shoreham, she asked them about a big chapel that she could see on the hill near their house. The chapel is part of Lancing College and her grandparents said that they could visit as members of the public. Paige was blown away that people could go to school there. However, there was no way her family could afford it. In addition, at the time, no sixth form was willing to offer her a place, not even her own. She was failing quite badly under the pressure of her caring responsibilities. Remarkably, given the circumstances, she had the courage to send off for a prospectus from the school and submitted an application. The school interviewed her, but although they wanted to offer her a place, there were no bursaries available. Paige did not hold out much hope and so was astonished when the school got back in touch a couple of weeks later and said they had found some former parents who would fund her through sixth form. Paige says that she could not believe her luck and this was the making of her. Finally she was able to have some respite from caring and focus on her academic work. She said when she first went to the school she was careful not to let people know what her background was, as she didn’t now how people would react. She still keeps in touch with her old friends from South East London though. Her mother has passed away, but Paige is now lodging with a former pupil of Lancing College and she feels like there are lots of people from the school looking out for her. Paige says that her aim in life is to be able to give someone else, the kind of educational opportunity she was given at Lancing.
Finally, she asked me what I am trying to achieve with my work. I invited her to look at the walls around us, the portraits of men, the women with their breasts exposed. My mission is to change that by putting images of strong women like her on the walls instead, and telling their stories too.