James Furnival sheds some light on the significance of the Jewellery Quarter and the developments of the photographic industry as we know it.  Birmingham and the Jewelllery Quarter played a very important role in the development of something that we all take for granted now. Through the evening, James will tell us about the key involvements of the JQ…

Gary Stone will be talking about the photographer James A Brimble, author of London’s Epping Forest and owner of Brimble’s bookshop/newsagent in Chingford from the 1940s-70s. Brimble was a member of the Royal Photographic Society from 1941 and Associate from 1942. The talk takes place at Chingford Historical Society, on 19 September, in Chingford,…

The Trustees are seeking to appoint a new Chief Executive to lead the Royal Photographic Society (RPS). This prestigious Society, established in 1853, exists to educate members of the public by increasing their knowledge, understanding and appreciation of photography and in doing so to promote the highest standards of accomplishment in this art…

I must firstly apologise that this is not a British photographic enquiry, but I would be very grateful to know whether any members might have ready access either to hard copies or to an online resource of French local trade directories - les annuaires commerciaux.  The localities concerned are specifically Le Touquet and Nice, covering the period between 1920 and 1940.  During this time a firm of street photographers - Philo-Ciné - took pictures of passers by, including…

This is my third recent post that concerns Roger Fenton and his Crimean War connections. In the first, I showed…

Further to my last post to the blog, I would like to add that Roger Fenton sold the photographic van he took with him to the Crimea in 1855 for £35 just before he left Balaklava to return home. However, he commissioned another when he got back to England and in the summer of 1856 set off with it to photograph landscapes in Scotland.

This new van was…

I am organising a Vintage Photograph Fair, to be held at the Bristol headquarters of the Royal Photographic Society. It will showcase a wide range of fine vintage photographs for sale, from leading photograph dealers in the UK and Europe.

Bristol Vintage Photograph Fair …

Many of us will be familiar with Roger Fenton’s much reproduced photograph of his photographic van, which features Marcus Sparling, his chief assistant the Crimea, sitting on the box seat (see right). The left side of the van also appears in Fenton’s group portrait of cavalry personnel in the image entitled Cooking House,…