British Photographic History

Welcome...

Welcome to the British Photographic History blog (BPH). Launched at the start of 2009 there are now over 4400 subscribers. These range from museum and gallery curators, photography and history academics, students, collectors and dealers from around the world. The blog provides a place for details of lectures or events, exhibitions, jobs, reviews and general news affecting photography collections or individuals working in the field, focused on photographic history in the broadest sense. The emphasis is on Britain but BPH will include material that is of wider interest from Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

A summary of the previous week's posts is usually emailed to signed up readers each Monday.
Dr Michael Pritchard

PS. Thanks to George Eastman House (now George Eastman Museum) and History Today magazine blogs for recommending British Photographic History as one of their own favourite blogs. The Daily Telegraph made BPH one of its photography websites of the week.

Blog Posts

Historic England online image archive hit by tech supplier closure

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 10, 2026 at 18:58

Historic England’s website which displays images from its archive and its Aerial Photo Explorer service is partly offline as a third-party supplier has ceased trading and entered administration. Historic England (HE) has advised users that it will be displaying preview versions of its images but that ‘it may take several weeks to make available the full image set due to the volume of…

Bill Douglas Cinema Museum Collection achieves Designation

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 9, 2026 at 17:23

A record nine museums, libraries and archives across England have earned an award of Designation for their collections in the most recent Panel meeting. The University of Exeter's Bill Douglas Cinema Museum Collection, functioning as a ‘People’s History’ of cinema, is amongst the latest group to seure the coveted status. The collection spans 400 years – from shadow puppet shows right through to today’s blockbusters. This collections includes memorabilia, posters, fan mags, scripts and more –…

Funding call: Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Photo Historical Research

Posted by Rebekah Burgess on September 8, 2026 at 15:03

Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Historical Photographic Research is open for applications. Considered one of the most important photo historians of the 20th century, Peter E. Palmquist (1936 - 2003) had a keen interest in the photography of the American West, California, and Humboldt County before 1950, and the history of women in photography worldwide. He published over 60 books and 340 articles and was a strong proponent of the concept of the independent researcher-writer in…

Talk: Hallowed Earth - A Lifetime of Photography / Bideford, 26 September 2026

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 8, 2026 at 15:01

Chris Chapman has devoted over fifty years to photographing the landscape, people and culture of Dartmoor from the 1970s to the present day, with tantalising forays into Exmoor and further afield in south west England. This talk is based on his latest book Hallowed Earth, a celebration of a life's work, and will touch on Chapman's relationship with his good friend James Ravilious.

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Event: Photopoetry: An evening of words and images / London, 11 September 2026

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 8, 2026 at 14:56

Photographs and poems have appeared side-by-side in books since the mid-nineteenth century, but the designation ‘photopoetry’ is relatively recent. Today, photopoetry is flourishing, whether in publications by poet-photographers, collaborations between writers and visual artists, or in edited volumes.

This celebratory evening of words and images coincides with the Photopoetry display in the V&A Photography Centre. David Solo – a passionate collector,…

Conference: Castles, Salons, and Darkrooms / Hybrid, 20 October 2026

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 8, 2026 at 14:49

The programme and speakers for Castles, Salons, and Darkrooms: Mapping the nobility’s impact on early photographic history (1840s–1860s) has been published and the conference is now open for registration. It is hybrid and takes place in Prague and via Zoom.

Castles, Salons, and Darkrooms: Mapping the nobility’s impact on early…

Niépce heliograph in return to France for the first time since 1827

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 6, 2026 at 21:28

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas and the Musée Nicéphore Niépce have jointly announced that Niépce's heliograph View from the Window at Le Gras will be shown at the musuem in 2027 as part of France's commemoration of the 200th anniversary of photography. This will be the first time it has been shown in France since 1827 when Niépce left it in Britain, and only the second time it has been in Europe since Helmut…

In passing: Pierre Spake (1953-2026)

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 6, 2026 at 17:25

The art, book and photograph dealer Pierre Spake died on 4 September 2026 aged 72 years. Pierre had been dealing since 1979 and for many years was a regular exhibitor at the London Photograph Fair. He published regular catalogues of photographs, manuscripts and books available for sale. Pierre was a frequent buyer at auction and adept at spotting a lot that had been under catalogued…

Quick Resources

UK Collections and Museums

Historic England archive
Centre for British Photography
Victoria and Albert Museum's photography collection
National Science and Media Museum
Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock.
National Portrait Gallery, London
Scottish National Photography Collection
National Library of Scotland

Resources

Photography Database 1840-ongoing
RPS Journal 1853-2012 online and searchable
The correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot
Birkbeck History and Theory of Photography Research Centre
William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné
The Press Photo History Project Mapping agencies and their photographers
www.londonstereo.com London Stereoscopic Company / T. R. Williams
www.earlyphotography.co.uk British camera makers and companies
Alfred Seaman and the Photographic Convention
Frederick Scott Archer

Learning

Photographic History Research Centre, Leicester
Martin Parr Foundation
Birkbeck History and Theory of Photography Research Centre
Royal Photographic Society's Historical Group

Photos

Information and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history ranging from news, events, exhibitions, museums, and people, to publications and jobs. BPH is intended to be collaborative so do add your own posts.