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 his search through archives there is a black hole in the British Isles.  So far he has not found a single photograph of Douglass in British archives. This is strange as Douglass sat for his photograph whenever he could, and was beloved by the British during his stays in 1845-47, 1859-60, and during brief subsequent visits.  

He would welcome news of any images made by British studios. 

Contact: John Stauffer, Professor of English, History of American Civilization and African and African American Studies, Harvard University. Tel: +1 617-642-7108 (cell) or email: johnwstauffer@gmail.com

and post a comment here.

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 to be the first time a publicly funded photography gallery will have its archive cared for and made accessible by a national institution. It joins The Royal Photographic Society Collection and other notable collections housed and managed by the museum. 

Impressions Gallery, one of the oldest and most respected venues for contemporary photography in Europe, has accumulated an unrivalled collection of archival materials and photographic work since its inception in 1972. The aim of the partnership with National Media Museum is to make this rich period of British photographic exhibiting history available to curators, scholars, photographers and the wider public.

The National Media Museum is home to 3.5 million items of historical significance including one of the finest photographic collections in the world.  With an active programme of collections management, exhibitions, loans to peer institutions and an international reputation, the National Media Museum is the ideal partner to continue and develop the Impressions Gallery’s collection for the future, and make it available to the public.

Impressions Gallery is known for its directional role in the photography world, recognising and supporting photographers in the early stages of their careers such as Martin Parr, whose first show was staged at the gallery in 1972. Impressions has consistently set critical agendas by commissioning and showing work that addresses (sometimes controversial) issues of politics, race, gender and identity. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the gallery was the first in the UK to show photographic work responding to the AIDS crisis, and led the field in showing new work using then-emerging technologies of video and digital media.

Director of Impressions Gallery Anne McNeill said, ‘Impressions Gallery has played an incisive role in expanding people’s perceptions and understanding of photography. To coincide with achieving our milestone 40th anniversary, we are delighted to realise the next steps in the development and long term preservation of our archival materials’.

Jo Quinton-Tulloch, Head of National Media Museum said, ‘Naturally, the Museum is thrilled to be able to secure such an important archive and collection of photography – one which not only records and evidences the considerable contribution of Impressions Gallery over the past 40 years and counting, but which also further enhances the National Photography Collection’

This is the second major collaboration for the two Bradford-based photography venues, following the successful launch of the inaugural photography festival Ways of Looking in 2011. The Chairman of Impressions Gallery Board of Trustees Darryn Hedges said, ‘This exciting project demonstrates Impressions’ ongoing commitment to making Bradford known as the UK destination for photography’.

The museum has not yet commented upon whether opening hours at its Insight facility will be extended to support the likely interest in the Impressions archive or whether it will expand its curatorial staff to support access to the material and facilitate the 'highest standards' of collections management. The museum has lost curatorial staff in recent months and opening hours at Insight have been reduced in recent years limiting access to researchers. 

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 perspectives on photography’s place in contemporary culture. Commissioned essays, interviews, images and films are published on the website on a weekly basis, which serve as the catalyst for online public discussion. Material from the project will form the basis of a printed publication next year.

This Research Seminar has been scheduled to mark the half-way point in the tenure of Ph as Guest Editors of Either/And. It will provide an opportunity for Either/And contributors past, present and future to consider the conditions of photography today.

Charlotte Cotton is a curator and writer. Previously held positions include Creative Director of Media Space, Director of the Wallis Anneberg Department of Photographs, LACMA and Curator of Photographs at the Victorian and Albert Museum. She is the author of The Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004) and founder of Words Without Pictures (2009-9) and EitherAnd.org (2012-3).

Ph: The Photography Research Network was established in 2010 as an inter-disciplinary research forum for early career scholars working in the field of photography. Ph currently consists of more than thirty researchers drawn from twenty UK universities. It was initially funded by the AHRC as part of its Beyond Text scheme. See www.ph-research.co.uk.

Thursday 6 June 2013 

18.00, Research Forum South Room, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN

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 McLaughlin and Michael Gray will be on sale.

For more on Lockey see: http://www.brlsi.org/node/18262

Image: Weirs south of Argyle Bridge, Bath ca.1853-61.

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, although undated appears to be one of the earliest known. F J Claudet, his son, ran his own photographic studio in London. 

For more information see: http://www.specialauctionservices.com/large/me150513/page26.html

The portrait sold for 30,000 GBP (see¨: http://www.specialauctionservices.com/large/me150513/index.html)

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 ‘art historical’ approaches have marginalised the study of the economic base of the medium manifested through a developing photographic industry, its related trades and its mass consumers. 

Work is now emerging in this field, scattered across a number of disciplines: history, anthropology and history of science in particular. While there has been extensive research on both the politics and the affective qualities of popular photography, family albums, for instance, the missing component in the analysis is often a detailed and empirically informed understanding of the social and economic conditions of product development, labour forces, marketing and consumer demand.

This two-day conference aims to bring together a critical mass of research in this area, to explore the state of play in this overlooked but crucial aspect of history of photography, and to suggest new directions for research in the economic, business and industrial history of photography. The conference will explore the period 1860-1950: from the rise of a clearly defined photographic industry, which had a profound effect on the practices and thus social functions of photography, to the expansion of mass colour technologies.

Opening Keynote Speaker: 

Professor Steve Edwards (Open University) Working Lives in Photography

Draft Programme available at:  http://www.dmu.ac.uk/research/research-faculties-and-institutes/art-design-humanities/phrc/photographic-history-research-centre-phrc.aspx

Register On-line at http://store.dmu.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=74&modid=1&prodid=0&deptid=0&prodvarid=180

£55  (Full price 2 days)

£30  (Full price day ticket)

£25 (Students, Unwaged and Retired rate, 2 days )

£15 (Students, Unwaged and Retired rate – day ticket) Note: evidence of concession may be required.

£38 Conference Dinner, including wine  (Case Restaurant, Leicester, June 24^th)

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, have invited members of the Daguerreian Society (and interested friends) to witness the results of a six-year restoration project bringing Daguerre's last surviving Diorama painting back to life. The Diorama is a large-scale painting with illusionary effects that seem to magically transform the small church in Bry into a cathedral.

Other events include the first exhibition of photographs ever held in Daguerre's mansion in Bry. This exhibit features more than 70 American portrait daguerreotypes from the collection of Daguerreian Society member Wm. B. Becker, Director of the online American Museum of Photography. The exhibition in Daguerre's mansion continues at the Musée Gatien-Bonnet in the nearby city of Lagny-sur-Marne. Here, images from the daguerreotype period and later works through the year 1900 show the evolution of portrait photography in America.

All details are at: http://daguerre.org/symposia/symposium2013.php

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 and the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Greece. He considers how the immediate physical, political and social landscape has evolved during the intervening 150 years.

Some of Bedford's photographs are of widely known locations - the Pyramids at Giza, the Mount of Olives, the temples at Baalbek, the Acropolis - others are of remote hilltops and apparently random buildings, scenes without any obvious significance. Both however hold fascinating and unexpected tales and insight.

The series will reflect on the rise and fall of empires - the Ottoman, British and French all play their part in these stories. They are now all gone, but the world's powers still seek to influence the politics of the region.

This radio series coincides with a major exhibition of Bedford's photographs by the Royal Collection, currently showing at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Presenter: John McCarthy, the programme also features Dr Sophie Gordon, curator of photographs from the Royal Collection. 

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s8vwf The programme will be available on the BBC iPlayer after transmission. 

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: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/the-arts/art/moments-in-time-precious-archive-puts-world-of-our-forefathers-back-into-focus-1-5624872

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 cataloguer, Constantia Nicolaides.  

Image: Queen Alexandra by Alexander Bassano, 5 May 1881, NPG x137324

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 Victorian period. A History and Handbook of Photography was first published in 1876, and The Photographic Studios of Europe in1882.

John Thomson, editor of A History and Handbook of Photography, is renowned for his photobook Street Life in London, “a pioneering work of social documentation [and] one of the most significant photobooks in the medium’s history” (The Photobook: A History, Parr & Badger, Phaidon 2004). In a career which also included a series of outstanding photographic portfolios - shot in challenging conditions - documenting life, landscape and architecture in the Far East, followed by a successful studio portraiture business in London, Thomson also took time to translate from the French and edit this edition from the original of Gaston Tissandier.

The Photographic Studios of Europe by H Baden Pritchard (“a distinguished name in photography” - Mark Haworth-Booth) is the only detailed account available of working practices and conditions in the studios of the leading photographers of the Victorian period. Revealing, surprising, perceptive and authoritative, this first-hand report is based on seeing scores of photographers and their workshops in action. The result is fascinating and valuable both as a social historical record and as a classic of photographic literature.

Read more here: http://museumsetc.com/products/studios and http://museumsetc.com/products/thomson

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 Pan Macmillan the book is eminently readable and comes highly recommended. 

Images: right: Roger Watson holds a copy of his book; below: Helen Rappaport and Roger Watson. © Michael Pritchard 

See: 

http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/capturing-the-light-in-2013

http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/publication-capturing-the-light-fiction

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 Taylor's Impressed by Light.

Lady Charlotte wrote almost daily in her journals and often doing so shortly before going to bed.Charlotte Anne Bridgeman was born on November 11th 1827, being the 4th child of George Augustus Frederick Henry Bridgeman (1789-1865), 2nd Earl of Bradford and of Georgina Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, 5th Bt. Charlotte had two older brothers, Orlando and George, and two older sisters, Georgiana Elizabeth and Lucy. Sadly Georgiana Elizabeth died in 1843 in Brighton, aged 18. After Charlotte her parents had another daugther, Mary, and another son, John.

See: http://ladycharlottesdiaries.co.uk

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 project-based collecting and the development of new interfaces in the museum environment.

He will also speak about his contributions to two recent publications: the critical history of photography in the Netherlands, ‘Dutch Eyes’ (2007) and ‘The Dutch Photobook’ (2012). This lecture forms part of a series accompanying a project by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales to work on its rich and diverse historic photographic collections – a project made possible through a major gift from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

In partnership with the eCPR, at University of Wales Newport, the lecture series reflects the exciting work that the Museum is undertaking from 2012 to 2015.

For further partner details visit: www.newport.ac.uk/research/ResearchGroups/ecpr/Pages/eCPR.aspx and www.museumwales.ac.uk

European Centre for Photographic Research
University of South Wales & National Museum Wales
Photography Lecture Series

2 May 2013 at 5.45pm, doors open at 5.15pm - Reardon Smith Lecture Theatre, National Museum Wales

The event is FREE but booking is essential as places are limited. To reserve your place, please email: Historic.Photography@museumwales.ac.uk with your name and contact telephone number.

“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 course, much more complex. Two highly contrasting worlds met with mixed results, despite the fact that both US and British authorities made great strides to maintain good relations between American servicemen and women and their hosts. 

The Yanks arrived at Duxford in rural Cambridgeshire in late 1942, and the 78th Fighter Group made their first combat mission from RAF Duxford on April 13 1943.  Commemorating the 70th anniversary of this first sortie of thousands, the museum has selected a series of photos from its Roger Freeman collection of more than 15,000 images of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in Great Britain during the Second World War. The collection, which has recently been acquired by IWM, was compiled by the son of an Essex farmer who lived close to Boxted airfield.

Entranced by the Americans as a young teenager, Freeman (1928-2005) amassed the photographs during a life-long interest during which he publish several highly-respected books on the subject. “As an aeroplane-mad youth, I was soon to relish the American presence in the East Anglian sky...” he later remembered. “They were to leave a considerable impression on those who knew them, which did not fade easily when they departed.”

The Duxford exhibition offers a tantalising glimpse into this world. It also reveals the diversity of the roles undertaken by the men of the United States Army Air Forces and the women of the Women’s Army Corps and the Red Cross. 

Among the black and white images are a journalist, public relations officer, barber, weather officer, adjutant, armourer, chaplain, parachute packer, intelligence officer, runway control officer, medical corpsman, ground crew and members of the air crew - all going about their daily activities.

The individual stories of these men and women accompany the images, illustrating their wartime experiences in Great Britain and how their own personal war ended.
 

Somewhere in England: Portraits of the Americans in Britain 1942 to 1945, Imperial War Museum, Duxford, April 14 - December 31 2013

Open 10am-6pm (4pm from October 27). Admission £12.25-£17.50 (free for under-16s). Book online.

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 the best fifteen unrepresented photographers from the UK and beyond, The Other Art Fair’s PHOTO 15 section suits visitors particularly interested in the genre and highlights the importance of photography as a medium within the fair.

Photographers include:

Megan Revel - A largely self-taught photographer, Revel’s photography explores the hidden beauty within London and beyond. Experimenting with many photographs of the same scene, each image is exposed at a different level and then collated.

Jaykoe - The foundation of Jaykoe's practice is drawing and tracing movements in a city space. The work stems from a fascination with the centres we construct, the forms they take and what they reveal about us, at a time when more than half of the world's population live in cities, a proportion that is expected to rise to three quarters by 2050

Urbantag – Acting as a pho­tog­ra­pher and an icon­o­clast, Urbantag creates urban tales that are full of urgency and immediate impact. In particular, the focus is on subjects that are con­tra­dic­tory and dis­torted. Enclosing photographs in a rect­angle, a fleeting moment is frozen in an instant.

Cyrus Mahboubisn – Inspired by his daily journeys, chance encounters and the natural world, Mahboubisn’s photography aims to record significant memories. Preferring analogue film to digital photography due to its tangible nature, Mahboubisn often uses polaroid as his medium of choice because he sees it as the immediate manifestation of a memory. Once shot, the instant polaroid print is a physical object that becomes part of the experience.

Seungmi Lee - Seungmi Lee is a South Korean artist currently living in London. Her works focus on the postures and gestures of human behaviour and the hilarious characters that spring out of this process of thought.  More generally, her works consider the delicate and ever evolving artistic world, which is in constant evolution, as well as her own self-examination.

See: http://www.theotherartfair.com/

The Other Art Fair
Thursday, 25^th–Sunday 28th April, 2013
Ambika P3 gallery, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road , London , NW1 5LS

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 international panel of experts includes Susie Babchick (Photography consultant and trustee of the Corinne Day Estate), Gert Elfering (Internationally renowned collector and gallery-owner), Simon Bainbridge (Editor of the British Journal of Photography), Andrew Page (CEO of Positive View Foundation) and Steve Macleod (International photography curator and consultant).

Photo Art Fair’s central manifesto of ‘intelligent collecting’ will connect photographers with established and potential collectors. The project has been an open call to exceptional collectible photographic art, spanning decades, territories and disciplines. 

Hundreds of photographic artworks will be available at the exhibition with an online gallery to cater to international buyers and enthusiasts who are unable to make it to the show. In addition to the new and established talents on display, Gert Elfering will unveil his personal collection of previously unseen works of Will McBride, which will include reportage and portrait images.

The event will also feature panel discussions, talks, Q & A’s and workshops from some of the most established and talented practitioners in their field. Panel discussions will focus on some of the current debates surrounding contemporary photography. Workshops on how to collect intelligently will be chaired by the selection committee and tastemakers in the photography world.

Meanwhile, the schedule will include talks by photographers who will reveal the stories and inspiration behind their work. Susie Babchick commented: ‘Photo Art Fair Talks is an exciting chance to listen to, debate with and learn from some of the most interesting photographers creating today. We are thrilled to be able to welcome such a fascinating cross-section of speakers to the fair this May.’

Photo Art Fair will allow visitors the unique opportunity to purchase affordable and collectable photographs direct from undiscovered and well-known artists. Visitors will be able to see and buy pieces from established names alongside the up-and-comers. Prices range from between £250 and £10,000 and visitors will be able to buy works from recognisable names in the photography world as well as those fresh on the art radar, such as Jane Hilton, Joey L and Marlene Marino.

Opening Times and Dates:  2-6 May 2013; Thursday 2^nd Collector’s Preview;  Friday 3rd, Saturday 4^th 12pm-7pm; Sunday 5th, Monday 6^th 12pm-6pm

Address: Victoria House,  London WC1B

Tickets: Advance Tickets available from SEE Tickets Adults: £11 Students: £8. Tickets at the door: £15, Tel:  +44 (0) 871 231 0847.

Website: www.photoartfair.co.uk

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 Hoppen Gallery in Jubilee Place, the event will offer a wide range of 19th, 20th and 21st century photography with many pieces priced at a few hundred pounds and all under £1,000, it’s the perfect environment for new and experienced collectors to browse through hundreds of photographs to add or start a collection, or simply find the perfect present.

MACK, publishers of some of the most respected contemporary photography books today will also take part as will the Royal College of Art students.

info@michaelhoppengallery.com | +44 (0)20 7352 3649 | www.michaelhoppengallery.com

Saturday 27th April (10am – 5pm) and Sunday 28th April (11am – 5pm) 2013.

At: 3 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TD

Entry Fee: £2

Participating Dealers:

Jenny Allsworth, Daniella Dangoor, Brad Feuerhelm, Sean Sexton, Pierre Spake, MACK & RCA

Image:  Inselele, from the series The Afronauts, 2012, Cristina de Middel - Exhibited by Brad Feuerhelm

Today, 21 April, would have been photographer Norman Parkinson's birthday. He is commemorated with a google doodle. See more about Parks by clicking here