Playground with three girls
- Artist: Chris Killip
- Date: 1974, printed 2010
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 399 x 508 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is “Playground with three girls” by Chris Killip. It’s a black‑and‑white gelatin silver print from 1974, a snapshot of three children caught mid‑play on a Huddersfield playground. The image comes from Killip’s Huddersfield series (1973‑74), created after an Arts Council commission to photograph the town for the “Two Views – Two Cities” exhibition.
What makes the photograph compelling is Killip’s quiet intimacy with the community. He spent months living in Huddersfield, building trust with locals, and his images show that respect. In this picture the girls’ bare feet and carefree movements contrast sharply with the surrounding industrial backdrop – a chimney and cooling tower hint at the town’s working‑class roots. The composition is simple, yet it captures a moment of pure leisure, reminding us that everyday life in a factory town still had its playgrounds.
The series also includes dignified portraits like “Whippet Fancier” and “Brass Band Member,” and careful shots of derelict shops and tenement buildings. Killip’s work is celebrated for its documentary quality and emotional depth.
This photograph, acquired by the collection in 2014, continues to speak about the resilience and simple joys of children amid the backdrop of industrial Britain.
See it in person
Playground with three girls is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
