Life and Stories in East London Cafés
I took this photograph of Joan Lauder, known locally as the “Cat Lady of Spitalfields”, in a modest café on Cheshire Street. At the time, a cup of tea cost just 20p. Sadly, the café has long since disappeared.
Joan was a familiar figure around Spitalfields, pushing a trolley bag filled with tins of cat food, which she distributed to the area’s many stray cats. She was well known and instantly recognisable, an enduring presence in the neighbourhood.
Although three people share the same room, each appears enclosed within their own world. Joan is the anchor of the image, her thoughtful and expressive gaze directed into the distance. She brings life and humanity to a social environment that has now largely vanished. Her expression is difficult to define: thoughtful, wary, resigned, perhaps even quietly determined.
For me, the photograph presents an emotional mystery. What is Joan thinking? Are these regular customers? Is this a moment of waiting, resting, or reflection? What stories lie behind these faces?
During the 1980s, I photographed many people in this café. Some sat alone in moments of quiet contemplation; others were deep in conversation. I was always intrigued to see who might be there, and I was never disappointed. The café offered a small stage on which the everyday dramas of East End life quietly unfolded.
