Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history

September 2009 Blog Posts (8)

Lectures on early British photography at the Royal Society

The Royal Society is holding two lectures that will be of interest to blog readers:

'Photographing ancient Mesopotamia: Talbot, Fenton and the British Museum'

Friday 23 October, 1-2pm

Mirjam Brusius

Around 1850 A.H. Layard excavated several ancient Mesopotamian sites, the artefacts of which were brought to the British Museum. Here the trustees discussed the use of photography in the field and in the museum. W. H. Fox Talbot, inventor of the Calotype… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 23:40 — No Comments

Exhibition: Where Three Dreams Cross from 21 January 2010

A landmark exhibition of photography from 1840 to the present day from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is an unprecedented survey of South Asian photographers and their presentation of culture and modernity. Historic early photographs from the important Drik Collection in Bangladesh and the Alkazi Collection in Delhi are given a rare platform on the world stage, while images from private, familial records will be seen for the very first time. The exhibition includes over 300 works by more than… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 23:25 — No Comments

BL Points of View - Events

The British Library has announced a series of events around its major autumn exhibition Points of View which takes place from 30 October 2009 to 7 March 2010. These include a whole day of lectures and workshops on 7 November as well as one-off events including Brian May talking about the photographer T. R. Williams and Larry Schaaf on William Henry Fox Talbot. Below is a exclusive, handy print-out and keep guide to these. Most of the events are free but have limited availability so… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 23:00 — No Comments

Practical Ambrotype Class in London

Scully & Osterman will offer an Ambrotype Class in London at Minnie Weisz Studio under the Victorian Arches, King's Cross, 123 Pancras Rd London NW1 1UN between 7-8 October 2009.

The class will provide an introduction to the wet-plate collodion process and participants will make ambrotype portraits and still-lifes. The class size is limited to six students with two instructors: Mark Osterman and France Scully Osterman

For more information visit:… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 18, 2009 at 21:59 — 1 Comment

Crown and Camera exhibition online

The Royal Collection has put it's first photograph exhibition online. The 1987 exhibition, Crown and Camera, curated by Roger Taylor and Frances Dimond, and shown at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, is now available online on the Royal Collection’s website. The exhibition presents a survey of the 19th century photographic material in the Royal Collection, from 1842 to 1910. It includes the earliest photograph in the collection – a… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 16, 2009 at 6:48 — No Comments

Martin Parr to pass his collection to a British institution?

The Art Newspaper reports that British photographer Martin Parr is in talks with Nicholas Serota of the Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum to leave his collection of historic and contemporary British photographs to the nation. Neither institution would confirm the story. Parr claims he is not looking to make a profit on any deal.

Over the over the last twenty years Parr has assembled an important survey of 700 British documentary photos and book dummies. This… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 9, 2009 at 21:00 — No Comments

Research Studentship: Images of China in the West

In conjunction with the National Media Museum, the University of Bolton wishes to offer a postgraduate research studentship for a suitable candidate to undertake research on relevant collections within the National Media Museum in the following areas:

Interpretations of China by nineteenth century European - chiefly British - photographers

Images of China prior to the Cultural Revolution

A comparative study of images of China from European and Chinese… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 8, 2009 at 6:26 — No Comments

Pete James gains RPS award

Peter James, Head of Photography at Birmingham Central Library has been given the 2009 Colin Ford Award by the Royal Photographic Society.

The award, instituted in 2003, bears the name of Colin Ford CBE, the first Director of the National Museum of Photography Film and Television in Bradford (now the National Media Museum). It is normally given each year to honour an individual who has contributed in a major way to curatorship. It has… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 7, 2009 at 7:30 — No Comments