Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history

Michael Pritchard's Blog (99)

Facing Asia conference 2010: call for papers

This is an international two day conference on early photographers and their studio practices in Asia, and cross-cultural exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to explore the photographic portrait in the first hundred years of the medium in Asia. It intends to promote inter-regional comparative analyses between scholars working in diverse cultural and national contexts. The symposium will not only analyse photographic representations of Asian peoples for the global market, but also consi… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on December 2, 2009 at 8:15am — No Comments

Job: National Media Museum Development Manager

The National Media Museum in Bradford is committed to raising the national profile and enhancing public perceptions of West Yorkshire as a cultural destination and is seeking a Development Manager to support this, The National Media Museum, part of the NMSI Museums Group, exists to promote an understanding and appreciation of photography, film, television, radio and the web. The Museum is looking for a skilled Development Manager to lead its fundraising function. The successful candidate will b… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 12, 2009 at 6:52am — No Comments

Unique local photographic archive preserved

Campden & District Historical and Archæological Society has been award an Awards for All grant to bring to life the photographs of Jesse Taylor, the photographer in Chipping Campden from 1896 to 1938. Working in partnership with Gloucestershire Archives, CADHAS is conserving and scanning 1500, mainly half-plate, glass plates depicting of all aspects of life in the town and surrounding villages. Jesse Taylor was a typical high street photographer taking photographs of everything, from… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 9, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

RPS Historical Group brochure

A resurgent RPS Historical Group has launched a new brochure outlining the remit of the Group and highlighting its activities and aims, as well as emphasising its close links with the RPS Collection now located at the National Media Museum in Bradford. A pdf version of the brochure can be downloaded by… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 9, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

New Book: J W G Gutch

Ian Sumner has authored a book on the early British photographer J. W. G. Gutch based on five albums produced between 1856 and 1859. In search of the Picturesque. The English photographs of J. W. G. Gutch 1856/59 is published in December 2009. A contemporary of Talbot, Gutch was experimenting with photography as early as 1841. Partially paralysed and using the wet-collodion process he travelled many miles of rural tracks taking photographs. His work, which influenced the poets and painter… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 9, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Points of View - Reviewed

Francis Hodgson in the Financial Times provides an insightful review of the British Library's Points of View exhibition: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/304a037c-c89e-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.html Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 3, 2009 at 8:46pm — No Comments

William Henry Fox Talbot: Beyond Photography: Workshop 2010

William Henry Fox Talbot is usually remembered as a photographic inventor and influential early voice on photographic aesthetics, but like many of his contemporaries Talbot’s interests covered a wide range of intellectual endeavours. This two-day interdisciplinary workshop will bring together historians of science, art historians, and practitioners of the many scholarly fields to which Talbot contributed. Featuring new research based on Talbot's manuscript collection, recently made available at… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on November 2, 2009 at 4:35pm — No Comments

National Media Museum - new signage

London design consultancy Carter Wong has been appointed to design an integrated signage system for the National Media Museum in Bradford, having come through a two-month tender process, put out by museum group NMSI. The NMSI invited the group to tender in August following work it carried out for an orientation map at the Science Museum. Ten groups applied to the tender and five were shortlisted, according to Carter Wong creative director Phil Carter, who said, ‘A new signage system is neede… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 30, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Points of View - Opens

The British Library formally opened it's landmark photography exhibition Points of View last night at a well-attended private view. The exhibiton marks the librarys first ever photographic exhibition. It opens to the public from 9.30am this morning. At a risk of running out of superlatives Points o… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 30, 2009 at 8:00am — 2 Comments

Lecture series: Pepper's Ghost II

Further to an earlier posting reporting a series of lectures on early projection and the magic lantern (click here) full details of the programme have been published. The programme can be downloaded by clicking here: Pepper'sGhost_II_.pdf Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 23, 2009 at 7:25am — No Comments

Book launched: A Village Lost and Found

Brian May and Elena Vidal / A Village Lost and Found

At the international launch yesterday, Brian May and Elena Vidal presented their book A Village Lost and Found, which brings together the complete annotated collection of the original 1850s stereoscopic photograph series Scenes in Our Village by T. R. Williams. A full report and review of the book will appear here… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 21, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Workshop series: Wedgwood to Bromoil

Terry King writes...As people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the ability of digital photography to meet their creative needs, there is a corresponding revival of interest in the craftsmanship and the aesthetic of the hands-on or alternative photography included my Wedgwood to Bromoil course of workshops. Examples of processes included in the workshop can be found on www.hands-on-pictures.com.The course gives everyone hands-on practical experience. The excitement of the workshops is… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 20, 2009 at 2:04am — No Comments

The magic lantern, optical projection and early film - lecture series

The Magic Lantern Society & The University of Westminster will present a second series of six evenings of optical magic at the old Polytechnic, fortnightly from Thursday 12 November – Thursday 10 December 2009, and from Thursday 28 January – Thursday 25th February 2010, at The Old Cinema, University of Westminster 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW. The Programme Thursday 12 November @ 7pm Phantasmagoria-mania ‘Professor’ Mervyn Heard An exploration through the playbills and other ep… Continue

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

The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography

Frank Hurley, The Endurance in the garb of winter, 1915. © Royal Collection

2 October 2009 – 11 April 2010, The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh This exhibition of remarkable Antarctic photography by Herbert George Ponting and Frank Hurley marks the 100th anniversary of Captain Scott’s ill-fated journe… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 5, 2009 at 7:37pm — No Comments

2010 And/or Book Awards: Call for Entries

The And/or Book Awards, the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image (including film, television and new media), are inviting publishers to submit titles for the 2010 awards. With prize money of £10,000 divided between the Best Photography Book Award and the Best… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 5, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Midley history of early photography due to close early 2010

R. Derek Wood published a series of important and carefully researched papers between 1970 and 2008 on early photographic history. His interests lay mainly in the early pioneers of photography, with a focus on dioramas and early experiments between 1830 and 1850 including William Henry Fox Talbot and Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre and topics such as patents. His website http://www.midley.co.uk/ collated these papers and made them available, al… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on October 4, 2009 at 8:30pm — No Comments

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 photographic process and a fellow of… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 10:40pm — 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 50… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 10:25pm — 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 bookin… Continue

Added by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 10:00pm — 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 8:59pm — 1 Comment