The Partisan Coffee House

Founded in 1958 by radical historian Raphael Samuel, cultural theorist Stuart Hall and others, The Partisan was located at the centre of Soho’s coffee bar scene. Promoting itself as an ‘anti-espresso bar’, the Partisan was an earnest departure from the tawdry commercialism of the coffee bars, amidst the burgeoning youth culture of Soho’s streets.

This small publication was the catalogue for an exhibition at Four Corners Gallery in Bethnal Green in 2017.

As Michael Berlin, the exhibition curator states:

"This largely forgotten moment in British cultural history deserves to be celebrated. The Partisan embodied a radical tradition that had a profound influence on the political counter cultures of the 1960s and 70s."

Roger Mayne had been commissioned by the partisan collective to take photographs, which are reproduced in the catalogue, as well as posters and pamphlets designed by letterpress printer Desmond Jeffery, and graphic artist Germano Facetti.

Title: The Partisan Coffee House
Publisher: Four Corners, 2017
Author: Michael Berlin
Photographer: Roger Mayne
Graphic Design: Dave McTaggart
Format: Brochure
Size: 15 x 21 cm, 28 pages
ISBN: 9781527209039