Jo Spence began collecting prostitutes’ calling cards in response to an interest in the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), founded in 1975, which campaigned for the decriminalization of prostitution and for sex workers’ rights. The first spokeswoman for the ECP was Selma James (b.1930), co-founder of the International Wages for Housework Campaign.

These images are reproduced with kind permission of Terry Dennett who photographed the collection prior to it being donated to the Ryerson Image Centre, Ryerson University, Canada.

Published on the occasion of Jo Spence Work (Part III) at White Columns, November 16 – December 21, 2013, curated by Christabel Stewart in collaboration with Studio Voltaire, London and SPACE, London.

90 pages