Gauntlet Gallery — Jamie Reid Print Index
Dirty Fake Old Queen
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Jamie Reid's 2015 Dirty Fake Old Queen revisits his most infamous target — the monarch — with the same defacing impulse that fueled his Sex Pistols work. Issued as an original poster in an edition of 231 plus 13 APs, each sheet arrives folded and individually distressed by the artist. Measuring 52 x 71 cm, it is signed and numbered.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Edition of 231 and 13 APs Signed and numbered by the artist. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The individual distressing is the point: no two copies are identical, so each poster is effectively a unique object rather than a uniform reproduction. Reid weaponizes the crease and tear as a gesture of contempt, extending his career-long collision with British royal iconography into a late-period statement.
Collector Perspective
At 231 copies plus 13 APs, this sits in the middle of Reid's edition sizes — accessible but not abundant. Collectors should note the artist's disclaimer that tears and creases vary from the pictured example; condition here is a deliberate feature, not a defect. Verify the pencil signature and number before treating any single sheet as pristine.
Historical Context
Reid built his reputation on the ransom-note aesthetic and the safety-pinned Queen of the 1977 Sex Pistols campaign. Dirty Fake Old Queen, produced nearly four decades later, shows him still mining that vein of anti-royalist provocation, now framed as a deliberate limited edition for the collector market rather than a street artifact.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2015
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- catalog dimensions 52 x 71 cm.
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: Edition of 231 and 13 APs Signed and numbered by the artist.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Jamie Reid's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Reid built his reputation on the ransom-note aesthetic and the safety-pinned Queen of the 1977 Sex Pistols campaign. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2015 and attributes the edition to L-13 Light Industrial Workshop. The saved description also notes: Published by John Marchant Gallery in association with L-13 on the occasion of 'Multiplied Contemporary Editions Fair', 2015.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to L-13 Light Industrial Workshop. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- Jamie Reid — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Jamie Reid (Q2138987) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
Why does each poster look different?
Reid folded and individually distressed every sheet by hand, so tears and creases vary from copy to copy and from the pictured example. The variation is intentional.
How large is the edition?
231 numbered copies plus 13 artist's proofs, each signed and numbered by the artist.
Is this a print or a poster?
It is described as an original poster, distressed by hand, rather than a fine-art screenprint.
What are the dimensions?
52 x 71 cm.
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