HISTORY OF ONE PHOTO
If one picture could visually convey the spirit of sexual emancipation in England of the 1970s, it would be a photograph of “Tennis Player” by Martin Elliott.
The photo was taken in early September 1976. In the frame, Fiona Butler is Elliott’s eighteen-year-old girlfriend. The picture itself was not made by chance, Martin Elliott asked his girlfriend, who had not played tennis before, to change into a uniform and pose for him on the court. During filming, the model lifted her skirt so that it was obvious that she was wearing no underwear. The picture, quite ordinary by today's standards, caused a storm of emotions when the art retailer Athena released it as part of the calendar timed to coincide with the silver jubilee of Elizabeth II. As a result, the calendar has sold more than two million copies.
Photo brought wealth to Martin Elliott. Fiona Butler, who did not receive any deductions from the sales calendar, eventually married a millionaire, and said that she was not at all ashamed of that photo shoot and did not regret that she did not receive money. The plot of the photo went down in history and was repeatedly used and played up by different authors.
ph: Martin Elliott
