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East End Women In Colour

March 9, 2018
by the gentle author

These portraits were all taken by Contributing Photographer Sarah Ainslie for Spitalfields Life over the past eight years. You can see them in Sarah’s exhibition WOMEN OF THE EAST END AT WORK which runs at the Brady Centre in Hanbury St until 30th March as part of Women’s History Month.

Sue Venning, Proprietor, G Kelly Pie & Mash, Roman Rd

Elfet, Garage Mechanic, Three Colts Lane

Anjum Ishtaq, Heba Women’s Project, Brick Lane

Mrs Mustapha, Nazal Dry Cleaners, Hackney Rd

Sandra Esqulant, Publican at The Golden Heart, Spitalfields, and Molly

Shakala, Customer Assistant at Favorite Fried Chicken

Fatima Chowdury, Jumara Noor Eli and Sumsun Nahar Shirna at Mahir Sarees in Bethnal Green

Arful Nessa, Home Machinist, Spitalfields

Laura Porter, Powerlifter, Bethnal Green

Carol Burns, Manager, C.E. Burns Waste Paper Merchants, Spitalfields

Chloe Robertson, Electroplater at Margolis Silver, London Fields

Photographs copyright © Sarah Ainslie

You may also like to take a look at

East End Women in Black & White

7 Responses leave one →
  1. March 9, 2018

    Good to see so many different women doing their work. Valerie

  2. Patricia permalink
    March 9, 2018

    There’s a dignity between each one of the women and the photographer which powerfully comes across. Love that each picture tells a story about the individuals and records the variety of work the women are doing. Another great post.

  3. March 9, 2018

    Thank you, Sarah, for showing all of these amazing women full-frontal, looking us right in the eye. There isn’t a profile, or a 3/4s view in the bunch. I love it.
    Pride, capability, strength, and beauty.
    Onward and upward!

  4. March 9, 2018

    Would like to send this to my husband’s actor cousin Steven Berkoff who has published his own photographic albums of the East End.

  5. Mike permalink
    March 9, 2018

    A great post, showing the role of women in many different walks of life in the East End; such diversity in every image. Many thanks

  6. March 9, 2018

    Great women. Great photo’s!

  7. Marcia Howard permalink
    March 10, 2018

    Wonderfully dignified images. I especially love the outdoor location of Home Machinist.

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