About a boy

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Matthew Denne collects memorabiliaThe Magazine recently told how the iconic 1980's poster Man and Baby was sold at auction for thousands of pounds. In our Reader's Column Matthew Denne explains why he bought it.

When I think of my somewhat extensive collection of signed sporting memorabilia housed in my parents' home, it expresses the person I am and the passion I have.

From cricket to football, it epitomises my love of all things from bat to ball. It also reinforces something that was once said to me: "A man will be forever faithful to his sporting loves, however he may struggle with other such pledges in his life."

I never envisaged becoming the first owner of "that" poster - which I obtained for £2,400 via an online bid - but perhaps it shows we can all change.

I love acquiring beautiful things in beautiful frames, but to date this only extended to the sporting arena. However, when I read about the forthcoming Bonhams auction of Man and Baby, I was captivated again by an image that had imprinted itself on my mind many years ago.

Here was my fellow man showing that perhaps you can seemingly have it all. Is it an unachievable moment to aspire to; an aesthetically appealing physique with an incredibly protective and caring nature thrown in?

Powerful

Man and Baby will mean something totally different to every human being, and it is this remarkable quality that makes it so iconic and - although they will not admit it - longed for by men.

Personally, I see a man who despite all his worries or shortcomings is performing a powerful act that money and fame can never come close to. For that brief moment in time, the vulnerability of that baby is literally in the safest hands on earth.

Strangely enough this is the first time I have actually owned the image.

<a class="" href="/1/hi/magazine/6275997.stm">Poster boy</a>

I have never been one for buying posters and have always loved saving for the signature. To me the autograph, in this case photographer Spencer Rowell, is much more than just that - it is his link between the image and himself and not just as a photographer but as a fellow human being.

As cheesy or naff as this may all sound - and perhaps some would say is representative of the cheesy and naff nature of the image itself - it is purely my perception of how the image presents itself. It may be wrong in the eyes and minds of others, but it is my interpretation of a moment that I think we men long to arrive at.

Perhaps what makes my acquiring of this image even more ironic is that I am an antipodean and there are arguably few men from this part of the world who would make such a purchase given the "rough around the edges" stereotype we have.

For this reason, I am not too sure where I am going to put it. At this stage I am a tenant and am loathed to damage the perfect walls of my abode with the perfect image.

One thing is for sure, I want to keep the poster for the rest of my life and pass it down to my children. While their father may never have the body or composure that Adam Perry exhibited in 1986, perhaps they may just for a moment convince themselves that is me and them.