Michael Pritchard's Blog (630)

In France, around 1860, from the loins of a traditional national fascination with all things diabolical, was born a new sensation – a series of visionary dioramas depicting life in a strange parallel universe called ENFER – Hell – communicated to an eager audience by means of stereoscopic cards, to be viewed in…

John Stauffer is co-editing a book, Picturing Frederick Douglass:  The Most Photographed American in the Nineteenth Century. He has discovered that there are more separate poses of Douglass than of Lincoln and of other contemporaries (not counting, for example Twain, who was a generation younger).…

In a landmark partnership, Impressions Gallery is depositing its archive with the National Media Museum. It will become part of the National Photography Collection, where it will be titled as  'Impressions Gallery Archive' and receive the highest standards of collections management. It is believed…

Charlotte Cotton and members of Ph: The Photography Research Network will discuss ideas emerging out of Either/And (www.eitherand.org) , a collaboration between the National Media Museum and Ph.

Either/And has been devised as an online framework in which to debate and share…

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is exhibiting prints of some of the Reverend Francis Lockey’s photographs, taken between 1849 and 1861, at the Central Library, Bath, between the 20-25 May.

Copies of Shadows and Light. Bath in Camera 1849-1861. Early Rare Photographs, compiled by David…

Two important daguerreotypes showing Antoine Claudet and his son F J Claudet are being offered by Special Auction Services on Thursday, 16 May on behalf of a descendent of the family.

Antoine Claudet was an important daguerreotypist and photographic scientist from 1839 until his death in 1867 his portrait,…

The draft programme for De Montfort University's Workers and Consumers: The photographic industry 1860-1950 conference which takes place from 24-25 June 2013 has been announced. The history of photography has largely been dominated by concerns about aesthetic production and its political framings. Such…

The Daguerreian Society will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in Bry-sur-Marne and Paris between 9-14 October 2013. Speakers include: Dr Dusan Stulik, Professor François Brunet, Dominique de Font-Réaulx, D.E.A., and Herman Maes, Daguerreobase Project.

The City of Bry, and its Mayor Jean-Pierre Spilbauer,…

In 1862 Albert, Prince of Wales, toured the Middle East. At the time it was still predominantly controlled by the Ottoman Empire. As he travelled, his photographer Francis Bedford kept a detailed photographic record of the trip. In this series John McCarthy revisits the scenes of Bedford's photographs - Egypt, Israel…

The Yorkshire Post has interviewed Greg Hobson, curator of photographs, at the National Media Museum, Bardford about the collections housed there. The film also shows Brian Liddey, curator of collections access .

See: …

The National Portrait Gallery in London has launched a series of weekly blogs from members of staff. One of the first deals with the Bassano studio. See: http://www.npg.org.uk/blog/bassano-the-man-himself.php It is written by photographs…

Edinburgh and Boston-based publisher MuseumsEtc has launched new editions of two classic books on photography, newly-designed and typeset to be accessible for a contemporary audience. Both highly readable, they provide fresh and fascinating insights into the complex photographic practices - and society - of the…

A reception was held at Daunt Books, Marylebone High Street, London, last night for Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport's book Capturing the Light. The well-researched and written book tells the story of Daguerre and Talbot as they developed and launched their distinctive photographic processes in 1839. Published by…

This new website hosts the diaries of Lady Charlotte Bridgeman (1827-1858) covering the period of 1847 until 1857.  The diaries containing many references to early photography including visits from Mr Cheney, possibly a member of the Photographic Society in the mid/late 1850s and mentioned in Roger…

In 2003 the Nederlands Fotomuseum became the most recent addition to this museum dense country. In this talk, Professor Frits Gierstberg, Head of Exhibitions at the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, will talk about the challenges that have faced the Museum since its inception, including issues relating to…

“Overpaid, Oversexed and Over Here”. The famously succinct wartime interpretation of the Americans in Britain in World War II might give some insight into the culture clash that ensued when thousands of American servicemen arrived in wartime austerity Britain. 



But the reality was, of…

The Other Art Fair is London’s leading ‘artist-led’ fair and this year’s contributing artists have been handpicked by Turner Prize nominee Yinka Shonibare (as the head of this year’s selection committee) ensuring that 100 of the best unrepresented artists from across the globe will be at the fair.

Celebrating…

This May, a new and exciting international photography art fair will take place for the first time in London. The Photo Art Fair is a four-day exhibition that will showcase the work of 50 established and up-and-coming photographers from around the world.

Curated in London, the…

The photograph is the new work of art – and a Chelsea gallery has plans to make great pics available at affordable prices in a special two-day event at the end of this month.

The most expensive snap ever cost a New York buyer a cool £2.8millon two years ago. But thanks to Splinter, a concept from the Michael…