The Photographic History Research Centre at De Montfort University, Leicester, has announced its seminar programme for Spring 2015. They are open to everyone, without charge, and take place on Tuesdays from 4–6pm   in the Hugh Aston Building. 

January 13  2015  (Hugh Aston 2.08)

Mirjam Brusius (University of Oxford)

Talbot’s Tools

William Henry Fox Talbot invented the calotype, yet he also had a wide interest in optics, mathematics, botany, archaeology, and classical studies. His manuscripts, now in the archives of the British Library and the Bodleian Library, reveal the connections and contrasts between his photographic innovations and his scholarly pursuits. Drawing on Talbot’s letters, research notebooks, botanical specimens, objects, and photographic prints, new research in these archives will broaden our understanding of Talbot as a Victorian intellectual and a man of science. Since the range of media and tools of his archive are almost as broad as his interests, the archive will also invite us to re-think the place of photography in Talbot studies. This paper will propose some possible avenues.

February 10  2015 (Hugh Aston 1.47)

Emily Hayes (University of Exeter/Royal Geographical Society)

Geographical projections: lantern slides, science and popular geography at the Royal Geographical Society 1886 – 1904

The period 1886-1904 was particularly significant in the professionalization and popularization of geography. This paper discusses the spatial, social and visual modalities of the lantern slide medium across the multiple lecture spaces, and before the changing audiences, of the London Royal Geographical Society (RGS) at this time. It explores the function of lantern slides as instruments of exposition and entertainment within the contexts of the RGS scientific afternoon lectures and popular evening meeting lectures. 

March 10 2015 (Hugh Aston 2.08)

Lenka Fehrenbach (University of Basel)

Being progressive. : Industrial photography in 19th century Russia

In the Russian Empire the development of photography took place during the same period in which industrialization started to take off. Contemporaries used the modern visual medium to depict the new buildings of factories, which changed the face of Russian cities. Entrepreneurs also started to appreciate the benefits of the new pictures, and used them inside their factories and to promote their businesses to a broader audience. The seminar will trace the interactions between these two fields.

Any queries, please contact the conveners: Damian Hughes and Duncan Shields, Photographic History Research Centre (damian.hughes@dmu.ac.uk). See also PHRC website or PHRC blog http://photographichistory.wordpress.com

Amsterdam's Fotorestauratie Atelier VOF is holding a course on the identification of photographic  processes led by Clara von Waldthausen, Hans Meesters or by a guest lecturer. The course covers the most common modern photograph processes and finishing techniques in theory and in practice. Participants will learn about and examine the differences between true black and white photographs, early color processes, chromogenic and silver dye bleach photography, inkjet prints and many other modern processes during a four-day workshop that is divided into theory and practical sessions. 

Identification of Modern Photograph Processes

Date:     6, 7, 8 & 9 July 2015
Costs:   595,00 euro

See: http://www.fotoconservering.nl/3173912/master-classes

Christopher Mahoney, senior Vice President of Photographs at Sotheby's New York, has announced that Denise Bethel will be stepping down as Chairman of Phtoographs, and with leave the company to work independently, advising private clients and institutions, lecturing, and writing. In a newsletter circulated to clients he notes: "Denise joined Sotheby’s in 1990.  Since then, the Photographs Department, under her leadership, has transformed the world auction market for photographs, setting every record there is to set: from a single classic photograph at auction ($2.93 million, a record that still stands today) to any photographs auction to date, our recent 175 Masterworks to Celebrate 175 Years of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, at $21.3 million.       

During Denise’s time at Sotheby’s, a number of museums have entrusted us with photographs from their collections, among them The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the George Eastman House, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of the City of New York.  Our record of outstanding single-owner sales and individual artists’ records are too long to include here, but suffice it to say that Denise has been at the podium for every single one of them."

She is very widely respected both personally and for her expertise and experience.

According to her profile on Sotheby's website: 

Denise Bethel joined the Sotheby’s Photographs department in 1990 and since 1995, has been its Director and primary Auctioneer. She has played a key role in the development of the market for fine art photographs in New York, the epicenter of the photographs collecting world. Her long experience in appraising and selling significant photographs has made her the senior expert and senior auctioneer in the world of photographs auctions in the United States. 
 
Ms Bethel hammered down the most expensive classic photograph ever sold at auction, The Pond—Moonlight by Edward Steichen, at $2,928,000.  Part of the February 2006 landmark Sotheby's sale,Important Photographs from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Including Works from the Gilman Paper Company Collection, this and other blue-chip images brought a total of $14,982,900, a record for a single-owner collection of photographs sold at auction. 
 
Trusted by collectors, curators and dealers the world over, Ms Bethel has garnered for Sotheby's the lion's share of photographs sold by American museums during the past several years, among them works from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the City of New York, the George Eastman House, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.
 
A frequent lecturer on the history of photography, the photographs market and collecting, Ms Bethel has spoken at a range of major institutions, including Harvard University, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington and in London, the International Center of Photography, and the George Eastman House, amongst many others. A noted scholar and writer, she has published numerous articles on various aspects of photography. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Ms Bethel served ten years as Director of the Photographs department and Auctioneer at Swann Galleries, a rare books auction house in New York.
 
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hollins College, Virginia, and a Master of Arts degree with Distinction from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. 

Opened in 2013, Media Space is an exciting collaboration between the Science Museum and the National Media Museum in Bradford, home of the National Photography Collection. A new London venue for world quality photography exhibitions and events, Media Space includes a 525m² major exhibition gallery and the flexible 300m²  Virgin Media Studio. 

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone with a passion for art or photography wishing to develop a career in art galleries or museums. 

As our Media Space Assistant, you will be immersed in the day-to-day running of Media Space, responsible for provision of full administrative support to the team.

Your role will be highly varied, including such duties as updating the gallery schedule, financial administration, arranging and supporting meetings, maintaining mailing lists, and handling public enquiries. In addition to this, you will have a unique opportunity to see first-hand how world-class photography exhibitions are developed and delivered.

You will also support event and project organisation, and promote effective communication about the work of your team across the Museum. 

See: https://vacancies.nmsi.ac.uk/VacancyDetails.aspx?FromSearch=True&MenuID=6Dqy3cKIDOg=&VacancyID=841

Equal Opportunities

To help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment campaigns please can you update your details on the “My Details” section. This information will be used for monitoring purposes only and will be treated as strictly confidential.

How to apply

Please take time to read all the following instructions carefully, together with the full job description below.

When you apply you will be asked to upload a covering statement in Microsoft Word format (the document must be in .doc .docx .txt or .pdf format and the maximum file size is 2 MB). You are advised to prepare this document in advance of making your application online.  Please also ensure that you have uploaded your CV as a separate document which you can do when you create an account or log in.  

In your covering statement you are asked to respond to the following questions. Please number your responses individually. Your covering statement should be no longer than two pages in total.

If you don't respond to these questions, we will not be able to consider your application. 

1. Please tell us what attracts you to this role, and what you feel you can bring to it.
2. Please outline your office experience to date, giving us some examples that demonstrate the range of your organisational and administrative skills.
3. Please describe a work situation where you have had to manage competing deadlines and yet work fast and accurately.
4. Please tell us about an exhibition you have visited recently and what you admired or disliked about it. 
5. Please state: i) your current or most recent salary and benefits package; ii) your notice period or the earliest date you could start; and iii) where you saw this advertisement.

If you are applying for more than one role please upload your CV and then prepare your covering statement for each role as separate documents.

SMG Job Description

Job Details

Job Title:          Media Space Assistant

Department:     Media Space

Location:          Science Museum

Reports to:       Head of Photography

Date:                December 2014

Purpose of the Job

To provide administrative support to the Media Space team who originate and produce an annual programme of world-class photography exhibitions, commissions, publications and events.

Key Deliverables/Accountabilities

1. Provides full administrative support to the Head of Photography
2. Organises team meetings, cross-museum meetings, strategy meetings. Produces and distributes minutes as requested
3. Responsible for office administration including stationery, filing, archiving.
4. Maintains gallery schedules, and ensures up-to-date communication of Media Space schedule to Science Museum and National Media Museum colleagues
5. Assists team with financial administration on Focal Point
6. Organises and updates Media Space contacts list
7. Is the first point of contact for Media Space, answering general public enquiries and Science Museum Group enquiries
8. Ensures unsolicited applications for exhibitions are responded to appropriately, in liaison with curators
9. Organises Collectors’ Group meetings
10. Assists with event organising and Private View organising as requested
11. Provides administrative support for the Krasna Krausz Book Awards, prize, exhibition display and Award evening
12. Recruits and manages volunteers/interns
13. Take care of your personal health and safety and that of others and report any health and safety concerns.  Ensure proactive compliance with Science Museum Group H&S Policies, including risk assessments and implementing safe systems of work

Working Relationships and Contacts

Head of Photography

Media Space team

Colleagues across Science Museum Group

External stakeholder and VIPs

Line Management and Budget Responsibility

No direct line management

Supervision of volunteers and interns as required

Budget Holder of £0

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Previous experience in an administrative role, preferably within the galleries and museums sector
• Experience of dealing with senior managers and significant external stakeholders with confidence and professionalism

Skills, Knowledge and Relevant Qualifications

• Demonstrable enthusiasm for the arts and photography in particular
• Excellent IT skills and a thorough knowledge of MS Office packages
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication and numerical skills
• Ability to work to tight, competing deadlines, managing time and resources accordingly
• Ability to prioritise work and problem solve using own initiative
• Degree level education in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience is desirable

Behaviours

• Team Working: actively participates sensitively and flexibly as a team member
• Achieving Results: takes initiative and ownership to deliver results within time, quality and cost expectations
• Problem Solving & Creativity: discusses problems appropriately, exploring viable options to resolve issues
• Customer Service: proactively responds to customer’s needs

Scope for Impact

As first point of contact for the Media Space team, the post holder will be an ambassador for the department, giving a strong and professional first impression

Plays a key role in keeping the team running smoothly

Please note:

• This job description is not exhaustive and amendments and additions may be required in line with future changes in policy, regulation or organisational requirements, it will be reviewed on a regular basis.
• This role is subject to a Disclosure Scotland basic criminal record check

Opened in 2013, Media Space is an exciting collaboration between the Science Museum and the National Media Museum in Bradford, home of the National Photography Collection. A new London venue for world quality photography exhibitions and events, Media Space includes a 525m² major exhibition gallery and the flexible 300m²  Virgin Media Studio. 

The Associate Curator plays a key role in the creation and delivery of an annual programme of world-class exhibitions, events and publications. Exhibitions will range from collection displays to loan-based exhibitions, international museum collaborations, and commissions with living artists and photographers. 

You will work alongside Curators and the Head of Photography to increase access to the National Photography Collection, and to build and develop the collection through acquisition and donation. You will also generate exciting ideas for learning programmes and events, web and digital content.

We expect you to have a curatorial interest in photography which might include special interest in 19^th century, 20^th century and/or 21^st century.  

Equal Opportunities

To help us monitor the effectiveness of our recruitment campaigns please can you update your details on the “My Details” section. This information will be used for monitoring purposes only and will be treated as strictly confidential.

How to apply

Please take time to read all the following instructions carefully, together with the full job description below.

When you apply you will be asked to upload a covering statement in Microsoft Word format (the document must be in .doc .docx .txt or .pdf format and the maximum file size is 2 MB). You are advised to prepare this document in advance of making your application online.  Please also ensure that you have uploaded your CV as a separate document which you can do when you create an account or log in.  

In your covering statement you are asked to respond to the following questions. Please number your responses individually. Your covering statement should be no longer than two pages in total.

If you don't respond to these questions, we will not be able to consider your application. 

1. Please tell us what attracts you to this role, and what you feel you can bring to it.
2. Outline for us an exhibition and/or publication that you have successfully organised or curated. Please describe: i) the steps you took to organise it, ii) the challenges you faced and iii) how you went about resolving those challenges.
3. Please analyse a photography exhibition, historical or contemporary, that you have visited and give us your view on its strengths and weaknesses, from: i) a curatorial perspective and ii) an audience perspective. 
4. Please state: i) your current or most recent salary and benefits package; ii) your notice period or the earliest date you could start; and iii) where you saw this advertisement.

If you are applying for more than one role please upload your CV and then prepare your covering statement for each role as separate documents.

See: https://vacancies.nmsi.ac.uk/VacancyDetails.aspx?FromSearch=True&MenuID=6Dqy3cKIDOg=&VacancyID=842

SMG JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Details

Job Title:           Associate Curator, Media Space

Department:      Media Space

Location:           Science Museum

Reports to:        Exhibition Curator

Date:                 December 2014

Purpose of the Job

To play a key role in the team working to establish Media Space as a leading international venue for photography exhibitions and a centre for the study and understanding of photography

To contribute to the development and delivery of a programme of world-class exhibitions, publications and events at Media Space in both the Main Gallery (550 sq metres) and the Studio Gallery (350 sq m)

To work with Exhibition Curators and Head of Photography to increase access to the National Photography Collection, and to build and develop the collection through acquisition and donation

Key Deliverables/Accountabilities

1. Proposes exhibition ideas in the context of programming discussions with Curators and Head of Photography
2. Proposes ideas for accompanying programmes of talks and events and occasional external projects
3. Researches and proposes acquisitions to develop the National Photography Collection
4. Assists in the successful delivery of individual exhibitions to schedule, to budget and in line with audience targets
5. Assists with updating and monitoring budgets, working to achieve best value for money; evaluating and communicating areas of risk in the development of the project, and ensuring that all necessary contracts are in place, and procurement is effected in line with Science Museum Group policy
6. Assists Curator and liaises with Registrar CCI to ensure all loan requests are requested and administered to the highest standard.  Liaises with Registrar CCI to ensure Immunity from Seizure, insurance and transport is organised in a timely fashion. Liaises with Conservation to ensure that condition reports for incoming and outgoing works are in place
7. Liaises with Gallery Manager, Conservation, registrar (CCI), and Visitor Experience to ensure the exhibition is organised, maintained and experienced to the highest standards
8. Collaborates with communications, marketing and development to achieve highest impact campaigns ensuing that copyright clearances and permissions are in place as necessary
9. Supports the development of Media Space income streams by contributing ideas, commissioning and editing content for publishing, web and limited editions and merchandise, and working with the Touring team in collaboration with Commercial
10. Builds a national and international network of artists, dealers, collectors, international museums, freelance curators, and other potential supporters
11. Writes grant and funding requests from Foundation and Trusts as requested
12. Take care of your personal health and safety and that of others and report any health and safety concerns.  Ensure proactive compliance with Science Museum Group H&S Policies, including risk assessments and implementing safe systems of work

Working Relationships and Contacts

Media Space team

Colleagues across SMG and the galleries and museums sector

Living artists, major donors and funders

Line Management and Budget Responsibility

Management of contractors and freelancers from time to time

Supervision of volunteers and interns as required           

Budget Holder of c.£40,000 for individual projects

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Previous experience organising art or photography exhibitions in public or private galleries
• Some experience working on major loan exhibitions and publications
• A curatorial interest in photography, which might include subject interests in one or all of: 19th century British and international; 20th century international, 21st century international, including film, video and digital.
• Experience working with living artists and photographers in the commissioning and display of new work
• Experience working as part of a project team working to deliver an exhibition programme in a fast paced environment

Skills, Knowledge and Relevant Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work on complex projects and manage multiple priorities
• A results-oriented, fast, accurate and effective working style
• A passion for photography and art
• Knowledge of another language desirable

Behaviours

• Team Working: actively participates sensitively and flexibly as a team member
• Achieving Results: takes initiative and ownership to deliver results within time, quality and cost expectations
• Problem Solving & Creativity: discusses problems appropriately, exploring viable options to resolve issues
• Customer Service: proactively responds to customer’s needs
• Thinking: makes sound decisions based on effective analysis and exploration of options

Scope for Impact

Create and maintain a database of supporters and contacts, and nurture relationships in order to build a Collector’s Circle of supporters and donors to support acquisitions.

Major scope to contribute to the development of Media Space as a major art space with an international reputation

Please note:

• This job description is not exhaustive and amendments and additions may be required in line with future changes in policy, regulation or organisational requirements, it will be reviewed on a regular basis.
• This role is subject to a Disclosure Scotland basic criminal record check

This spring the V&A will present a display of over 50 recently acquired photographs that explore the experiences of black people in Britain in the latter half of the 20th century, enhanced by excerpts from oral histories gathered by Black Cultural Archives.

Over the last seven years the V&A has been working with Black Cultural Archives to acquire photographs either by black photographers or which document the lives of black people in Britain, a previously under-represented area in the V&A’s photographs collection. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Museum has been able to collect 118 works by 17 artists ranging from Yinka Shonibare’s large-scale series Diary of a Victorian Dandy (1998), to studies of elaborate headties worn by Nigerian women, by J.D. Okhai Ojeikere, to black and white street photography of 1970s London by Al Vandenberg.

Staying Power will showcase a variety of photographic responses to black British experience. On display will be intimate portrayals of British-Caribbean life in London in the 1960s-70s by Neil Kenlock, Armet Francis, Dennis Morris and Charlie Phillips. Music, style and fashion are documented in Raphael Albert’s depictions of the black beauty pageants he organised from the 1960s to the 1980s to help celebrate the growing black community in Britain and Norman ‘Normski’ Anderson’s colourful depictions of vibrant youth culture of the 1980s and 90s.

The display also features more conceptual explorations of race and identity. Yinka Shonibare’s series, Diary of a Victorian Dandy, depicts the artist playing the role of a dandy. The work demonstrates Shonibare’s identification with the dandy as an outsider or foreigner who uses his flamboyance, wit and style to penetrate the highest levels of society, which would otherwise be closed to him. Maxine Walker also draws attention to racial stereotypes by photographing herself in a variety of guises. In her Untitled series (1995) she presents herself with different skin tones and hairstyles as though they were instantaneous transformations made in a photo booth.

To complement the photographs, Black Cultural Archives have collected oral histories from a range of subjects including the photographers themselves, their relatives, and the people depicted in the images. To coincide with the display at the V&A, Black Cultural Archives will also present an exhibition drawn from the V&A’s Staying Power collection (15 January - 30 June 2015) at their heritage centre in Brixton.

Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s 16 February – 24 May 2015 
V&A, London

Image: Francis Armet, Self-Portrait in Mirror, London, 1964 / Victoria and Albert, London

A major new study of two of Scotland's most influential Victorian amateur photographers, the surgeon Dr Thomas Keith and his future brother-in-law, miller and art collector, John Forbes White will be published in April 2015 and limited to an edition of 500 copies. 

Written and researched by John Hannavy The Victorian Photographs of Dr Thomas Keith and John Forbes White explores the life and work of two of Scotland's most important early photographers. Interest in the early Waxed Paper photography of Thomas Keith and John Forbes White has increased considerably over the years and this book involves a major reappraisal of the work of these two eminent amateurs. 

A great deal of significant work has been undertaken by numerous researchers on mid-19th century Scottish photography in the past thirty years, making it possible now to place the work of these talented amateurs within the much more clearly understood context of early photography in Scotland.

Examples of the superb work of both men will be drawn from collections in Europe, Canada and America, including many images rarely if ever seen before. It will be illustrated throughout in colour to capture the unique character of mid 19th century salted paper prints.

The book is 144 pages, 265 x 210mm landscape format, casebound, and with full colour illustrations of nearly two hundred images by Keith and White and their immediate circle, as well as examples of the work of the earliest pioneers of Scottish photography. It is available at a cost of £20 plus post and packing. 

To order contact John Hannavy Publishing, 8 High Street, Great Cheverell, Wiltshire, SN10 5TH. www.johnhannavy.co.uk or e: john@johnhannavy.co.uk.

The exhibition of Modern Photographs from the Thomas Walther Collection, 1909–1949 which is on show at New York's Museum of Modern Art until 19 April 2015 is supported by a website Object:Photo. Modern Photographs 1909–1949: The Thomas Walther Collection dedicated to the research and conservation of the 341 photographs in the Collection. 

The Museum acquired Thomas Walther’s private collection in 2001. Featuring iconic works by such towering figures as Berenice Abbott, Karl Blossfeldt, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Claude Cahun, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Florence Henri, André Kertész, Germaine Krull, El Lissitzky, Lucia Moholy, László Moholy-Nagy, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Maurice Tabard Umbo, and Edward Weston, along with lesser-known treasures by more than 100 other practitioners. 

The website 

Object:Photo. Modern Photographs 1909–1949:The Thomas Walther Collection is a model for how such a collection or group of photographs can be examined and interpreted and made available to both scholars and the wider public. Other institutions should take note. Highly recommended.

Christina Broom is widely considered to be the UK’s first female press photographer, beginning her photographic career at the age of 40, in 1903, when she published her first news photographs as postcards.

This major exhibition, the first entirely dedicated to her, will feature a cross-section of her impressive work including many photographs that have previously been in private collections and never-before-seen on public display. These will be joined by original glass plate negatives, postcards, and objects which build a fuller picture of Broom’s character and her career, including personal possessions, letters, event passes, autograph books, notebooks and cuttings books.

Read more about Broom by curator Anna Sparham here: http://blog.museumoflondon.org.uk/christina-broom-pioneering-photographer/?_ga=1.225646426.159301319.1418551248

There is more about the history of the Broom photographs here: http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/exhibition-christina-broom-britain-s-first-female-press-photograp

The exhibition takes place at the Museum of London Docklands from 19 June-1 November 2015, admission is free. Details here: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/christina-broom/

On Wednesday, 17 December 2014 Cathrin Hauswald will present a paper ‘A. L. Coburn's photographic autobiography as an instrument of “ennoblement”’ The paper is part of a larger project tracing the development from pictorialism to abstraction in photography at the beginning of 20th century. It focuses on Coburn’s self-portraits and in his autobiography, to show how these strategies of self-expression function as means to inscribe himself in the history of photography. 

The seminar on Wednesday, 17 December 2014, 18:00-19:30, is hosted by the History and Theory of Photography Research Centre, Birkbeck, and is free and open to all, at 43 Gordon Sq, London WC1H 0PD, Room 112.

Cathrin Hauswald is from the Universität Konstanz. 

See: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/arts/research/photography

The State of Photography symposium will take place at the Library of Birmingham on 23 January 2015. It will explore, debate and review how photographers and photography practice develops, responds and thrives in the current challenging times. During the Symposium we will hear from the perspective of the photographer,  Artist, curator, festival director, agent and publisher. With a focus on innovation and sustainability speakers will convey what it takes to not only survive but to expand and thrive. The day will explore and celebrate self-initiated projects and entrepreneurialism by hearing from a range of photographic projects that are current and at the cutting edge of photography now.

The State of Photography Symposium will form the culmination of 2 years of the GRAIN project and will bring together practitioners and professionals from the sector to talk about the artform and current climate, to present questions and challenging new ideas, as well as offering advice and talking about positive approaches to influence change, encourage leadership and growth.     

Speakers include:
- Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin
- David Birkett
- Tim Clark
- Ángel Luis González
- Louise Clements
- Uncertain States Magazine
- Lara Ratnaraja 
- Karen Newman
- Paul Herrmann
- Faye Claridge
- Peta Murphy-Burke  

Prices
Early Bird Concession (until 31 December): £15 / Early Bird Standard: £18
Concession: £18 / Standard: £22

Tickets are available through eventbrite for more details click here. 

Image: Martin Parr at DMB, Magnum

Media Space is set to host the Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards 2015, a celebration of the very best in photography and moving image publishing from the last year.

At an awards ceremony on 18 May 2015, a £10,000 prize will be split between the winners in the Best Photography Book and Best Moving Image Book categories. The judging panel for the Best Photography Book Award comprises photographer Hannah Starkey, author Geoff Dyer and Chair Mark Sealy MBE, Director, Autograph ABP. Meanwhile, Francine Stock, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme will chair the Best Moving Image Book Award judging panel, joined by Janet Harbord, Professor of Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London and Elisabetta Fabrizi, Curator of Screen Media, Tyneside Cinema.

The First Book Award is a photography publishing prize open to photographers who have not previously had a book published by a third party publishing house. It was established in 2012 to support emerging photographers. The panel of judges – Michael Mack, Polly Fleury from the Wilson Centre for Photography and Greg Hobson of the National Media Museum along with guest judges Simon Baker of Tate and Lucy Moore of Claire de Rouen Books – will assess submitted dummies, shortlisting 10 works. From this shortlist, one project will be chosen as the winner to be published by MACK.

The fourth winner of the First Book Award will be announced alongside the Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards at a ceremony on 18 May 2015.

The shortlists for the awards will be announced in February 2015. Details of how to submit work for consideration can be found at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk and www.kraszna-krausz.org.uk.

A display will accompany the awards in the Virgin Media Studio.

THE KRASZNA-KRAUSZ BOOK AWARDS AND THE FIRST BOOK AWARD 2015

Display: 20 April – 28 June 2015
Virgin Media Studio
Award winners announced: 18 May 2015

Originally planned to be Media Space's opening show in June 2013 Revelations will finally open on 20 March 2015 after the its exhibition programme was reviewed and revised. The ambitious exhibition will show the influence of early scientific photography on modern and contemporary art - the first time a British exhibition has done so.

Showcasing some of the first and rarest examples of scientific photography, Revelations explores how the incidental aesthetics of ground-breaking techniques pioneered by figures like William Henry Fox Talbot, Eadweard Muybridge and Harold Edgerton have inspired diverse artistic responses.

From the 1840s, scientists were using photography to record phenomena too large, too small or too fast for the human eye to see. William Henry Fox Talbot’s experiments with microphotography, some of the earliest scientific photographs ever made, will be on show alongside striking works by contemporary artists including Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Co-curated by Greg Hobson, Curator of Photographs at the National Media Museum, and Dr Benedict Burbridge of the University of Sussex, the exhibition will explore how art and science have been used to show phenomena which, thanks to the limits of human physiology, were previously invisible.

REVELATIONS: EXPERIMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

20 March – 13 September 2015 

and then at National Media Museum, Bradford. from 19 November 2015–7 February 2016. 

Image: Calotype negative of Insect wings, as seen in a solar microscope, c.1840 by William Henry Fox Talbot. National Media Museum Collection

The Library of Birmingham Europe's largest public library and widely acclaimed for its building and public programmes is threatened as the city council looks to save money as government cuts bite. The library is planning to slash opening hours from 73 to 40 per week, cut staff numbers by 100 and will spend less on books and its activities. The Library will no longer produce exhibitions unless they are externally funded. 

This matters to photographic historians and those interested in photography as the Library houses one of the UK's national collections of photography and has produced a series of widely acclaimed historical exhibitions and worked with contemporary photographers under the leadership of Pete James. 

BPH will follow this as matters unfold. 

BPH member Pam Roberts has curated a ground-breaking exhibition on A L Coburn. Despite the key role that he occupies in the history of avant-garde photography, Alvin Langdon Coburn (Boston, 1882 - Wales, 1966) remains one of the least known artists of his time. This is principally due to the fact that from 1920 onwards, after he was obliged to leave London during World War I, Coburn embarked on a new life and increasingly focused on mysticism. Deliberately moving away from the world of photography, he made art, music and religion his only interests, although never totally abandoned the practice of photography.

A Pictorialist, a Symbolist and an innovator, Coburn was one of the leading photographers of the first half of the 20th century. Notably influenced by Alfred Stieglitz and Fred Holland Day, two of the most important names in photography of his generation, Coburn can be located at the intersection between late 19th-century Symbolism and a photographic aesthetic associated with the early 20th-century avant-garde movements.

The present exhibition comprises a selection of 180 photographs – most of them vintage prints – which reveal the tenacity and coherence of Coburn’s artistic evolution. Particularly important among the institutions that have collaborated with this event are the George Eastman House in Rochester (USA) and the National Media Museum in Bradford (UK), which possess the most important holdings of the artist’s work. In addition, the exhibition includes images loaned from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, both in New York, and from 31 Studio, London, as well as from an important private collection in New York. As a result, this is the first occasion on which Coburn’s most important photographs from a range of different collections have been brought together.

Read more here: http://www.exposicionesmapfrearte.com/coburn/en/

Sala BÁRBARA DE BRAGANZA

Barbara de Braganza, 13   

28004 Madrid 
Teléfono: (+34) 91 581 46 09

See: http://www.fundacionmapfre.org/fundacion/es_es/cultura-historia/exposiciones/prepara-la-visita/

Image: MOMA, New York

West Dean College is running two workshops in 2015 dealing with photograph identification and conservation. Both are led by respected conservator Susie Clark.

Preserving historic photographs will take place on Wednesday, 4 March 2015 at the British Library. Photographic collections are found in libraries, archives and museums all over the world. Their sensitivity to environmental conditions, and the speed with which images can deteriorate present special challenges. This one day training session is led by Susie Clark, accredited photographic conservator. It is aimed at those with responsibility for the care of photographic collections regardless of institutional context.

The day provides an introduction to understanding and identifying photographic processes and their vulnerability, information on common conservation problems and solutions, and the preservation measures that can be taken to prolong the life and accessibility of photographic collections.  See more here: http://www.westdean.org.uk/BL

Professional Conservators in Practice / Conservation of Photographs. 9-12 November 2015. A wide choice of primary training is available in this country in aspects of object care.  However, there are relatively few opportunities for conservation professionals to find specialist training in traditional skills and enhance their knowledge of materials and techniques. West Dean College has developed a series of short courses aimed at meeting this training need.

Photographs are found in large numbers in many institutions. These include museums, art galleries, libraries, universities, businesses and newspapers. They are also found in the collections of private individuals. They are a valuable historic, artistic and scientific resource made from many diverse materials and it is easy to damage them by inappropriate conservation and care.

This course will describe the processes and photographic materials which have been commonly used and how to recognise them. It will also examine the problems caused by different processes and the appropriate methods and materials for their conservation and care. The course will include the opportunity to look at practical examples of processes and deterioration. The roles of the environment, biological deterioration, health and safety, storage and handling will also be covered. Download the course programme and a booking form. 

The National Media Museum's new exhibition Drawn by Light: The Royal Photographic Society Collection opened at Media Space last night to great acclaim from the press and those attending the opening reception.

The exhibition of some 200 photographs plus cameras and manuscript material includes photographs and images from 1826 to 2014.

See more images from the show here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/edit/a.10153466791704465.1073741827.579159464/

Read more here: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/drawn_by_light

The Royal Photographic Society has copies of the exhibition catalogue available at a reduced rate here: http://www.rps.org/shop/publications/drawn-by-light-book 

Reflecting the World: Museums and collections of visual and sound documentation around 1900 is an international conference organized by the Elysée Museum, the University of Lausanne and the University of Geneva, Switzerland, 5-6 November, 2015. A paper copy of the call can be Appel_com_colloque_2015.pdf. 

On the occasion of the exhibition “The Vaud Iconographic Collection,” the Elysée Museum, the University of Lausanne and the University of Geneva are organizing a conference to take place in Lausanne and Geneva from the 5-6 November, 2015 on the history of the museums and collections of iconographic and auditory materials established around 1900 with local, national or global aspirations.

The spread of photography, the invention of cinema, and the development of sound recording devices around the end of the 19th century engendered the creation of a large volume of still and moving images, as well as sounds registered from across the world. At the time, various institutions were established in order to collect, archive, and highlight these materials, so as to preserve visual and auditory traces of history, geography, and all the social phenomena stemming from particular regions or states, or even the entire world. It concerns, for example, documentary photography museums which arose from local projects in France, Swiss and Belgium; the Archives de la Planète, created by the banker Albert Kahn; the project of Boleslas Matuszewski for a repository of historical cinematography; or the earliest, globally-directed sound archives, set up in Vienna and Berlin.

This colloquium has as its aim to better understand the history of these collections from a comparative perspective at an international level, following three lines of reflection:

I—History of the museums and collections, and their actors
- What networks were involved in the establishment and conception of these institutions? What were the culture, backgrounds and ambitions of those who imagined and realized these projects?
- What protocols were established for collecting the documents? What were the methods for classifying, storing and conserving the materials?
- How did these institutions reflect new ways of conceiving the archive, collections, and museums? What relations did these institutions maintain with earlier forms of archives and museums?
- What conceptions undelay the diffusion and display of the documents?
- How were the relations between these diverse projects imagined? Did they seek to stand alone regionally, or rather to be associated with one another?

II—Objectives, philosophies, and geographical or historical imaginaries underlying the projects
- What were the scientific, educational, heritage, as well as political and social goals of the project initiators?
- What gazes did the promoters of the projects bear regarding humankind, society, geography, history, and heritage? What relationships did the projects hold with emerging knowledge and science?
- What conceptions of the nation and the universal did they project? How did they articulate the local, the national, and the international?
- To what notion of social peace, or peace between states, were these projects associated?
- What were their conceptions of images and sound, and the place that these were given in relationship to texts?
- What practical, social, political or scientific utility was attributed to the new media?
- Who was the envisioned public?

III—Uses and fate of these collections
- What values did users and public authorities attribute to these documents? How were the documents ultimately used, in relation to the original objectives?
- What was the fate of these collections and these notions through the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries?
- What is the current status of these collections? What potential do they hold for research and further development?
Calendar

Calendar
- Paper proposals (including CV, title, and abstract of approximately 500 words) in either French or English should be submitted by January 15, 2014 to: anne.lacoste@vd.ch; olivier.lugon@unil.ch; estelle.sohier@unige.ch
- Speakers will be informed of their acceptance shortly after.
- The conference will be held on 5-6 November, 2015

Organizing committee
Anne Lacoste, Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne
Olivier Lugon, Université de Lausanne
Estelle Sohier, Université de Genève

Scientific Committee
François Brunet, Université Paris-Diderot
Elizabeth Edwards, De Montfort University
Anne Lacoste, Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne
Olivier Lugon, Université de Lausanne
Estelle Sohier, Université de Genève
Jean-François Staszak, Université de Genève

The Real Tom Thumb: History’s Smallest Superstar, a documentary on the life of Charles Stratton, will be broadcast on BBC4 on Tuesday 25 November, at 9pm. The programme features contributions from David Burder FRPS discussing early photography (shown, below) and the demonstration of the collodion process and Dr Michael Pritchard (shown, right) on photography and celebrity. It will be available on the BBC iPlayer. 

According to the BBC: Michael Grade reveals the extraordinary and utterly unique story of General Tom Thumb, the world's first global show business celebrity. Just 31 inches tall, he went from humble beginnings in America tointernational superstardom, eventually performing on stage before over 50 million people, including President Lincoln and a devoted Queen Victoria. Yet Tom Thumb didn't choose his own career and his selling point was his disability. Is this story one of success or exploitation? And why do we remain just as fascinated by performers with unusual bodies?

As an impresario and lifelong entertainment devotee Michael sets out to follow the remarkable life of Tom Thumb (real name Charles Stratton) from his discovery aged four by the legendary showman PT Barnum to his setting out on the first ever showbusiness world tour. The journey takes him to New York and across snowy New England, then back to the UK to discover how adored Stratton was by the British public. It features exquisite hand-made suits, tiny bespoke carriages and the first ever visit by a film crew to Stratton's specially designed home, complete with miniature staircase.

Looking to our own times, Michael meets contemporary entertainers to find out what it's like to be a little person or disabled actor today, and asks whether it's ever right for us to be entertained by people with unusual bodies. Expecting a tale of exploitation, in Stratton Michael eventually discovers the story of man who made the very most of his situation and had a truly unforgettable life. And in the process there is a discovery that rewrites the history of Charles Stratton, suggesting he may have had a long-forgotten baby.

Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04sms8d

Following a lively panel discussion about the role of Women Photographers, both historical and current, held at the TATE Modern in April 2014, we are now inviting papers and visual presentations for a conference to be held at the Tate Modern, London in the autumn of 2015.

The original panel brought together women from across the globe to explore and identify key themes and issues pertinent to women’s work in photography in the 21st century. The energetic debates and presentations were inspirational. Through these discussions key issues were identified, informing the development of work for women in photography, highlighting the need to ensure a place for women in the burgeoning histories of the medium.  

The TATE Modern, The University for the Creative Arts, and UAL Photography and the Archive Research Centre (PARC) (at London College of Communication, UAL) are now organising a two-day conference, Fast Forward: Women in Photography – Then and Now,to be held at the TATE Modern on 6th & 7th November 2015.

This call for papers and artist's presentations is looking for  for submissions that explore the significance of women's photographic practices both historical and contemporary, addressing key themes pertinent to  current photography research and to  celebrate the best work produced by women in photography. Themes might include:  new technologies, re-interpretation of archives and histories, vernacular and amateur photography, social and political impact of photography today,identity and sexuality, activist photography , collaborative practices,staging the real, culture of confession, histories of working concerning  production and dissemination ie: collectives/co-ops, web dialogues, networking and social media. In the critical discourses emerging from practice and theory, related to these themes, it is vital today to consider the historical and contemporary place that the work of women in photography occupies.

Submission of papers as follows:

19^th January 2015 submit 500 word abstracts for anonymous peer-review

16^th March 2015 Successful applicants will be notified after this date.

30^th September 2015 Full Paper/presentation required.

Please email submissions to: FASTFORWARD@ucreatve.ac.uk

For any enquiries please email: FASTFORWARD@ucreatve.ac.uk

Image Credit: Descendants of the Unfamiliar by Faye Claridge