A layered, abstract screenprint with a cream-y yellow background. A cresent shaped newspaper cutting and a blue and white patern forma circle in the centre encompasing overlaping shapes of grey, reds, cream and blue. In the lower centre of the design is a simple figure, sat and looking out at the viewer.

Cecile Elstein, A letter from Mrs Gould, 1981, print. Courtesy the artist. Photography by Museums Photography North West.

Cecile Elstein, A Letter from Mrs Gould, 1981

Artist: Cecile Elstein (1938-)

Title: A Letter from Mrs Gould

Year: 1981

Medium: Screenprint

Dimensions: H: 97cm W: 77cm

Accession Number: 286

Acquisition info:

Cecile Elstein was a member of the Manchester Print Workshop, which opperated out of the University of Salford from the late 1970s until the mid 1980s.

A Letter from Mrs Gould was produced in response to challenging socioeconomic conditions in Manchester and across the UK in the early 1980s. In 1981, Elstein received an unsolicited note signed by an S.Gould, reading:

“Woman needs work urgently – cleaning & domestic work – housekeeping – gardening – handywoman – will do work of any description – hours to suit you – at a rate you can afford….”

Using found papers and materials, Elstein attempted to piece together the circumstances of Gould’s precarious situation: The twenty screen-printed layers include newspaper clippings from the time, netting from a bag of oranges (with a price tag of 50p – showing rising food prices) as well as the envelope in which the letter was received. Elstein intended the final image as a reminder of the dignity, grace and tenacity of “all women involved in real communication”. Both the letter and print make up the collection object.