BBC antiques programme Put Your Money where Your Mouth Is discovered a Richard Ellis photograph from c1887 and, for the first time, travelled outside the UK to Malta to reunite the print with the original negative held in the Ellis archive in Valetta, Malta. The Richard Ellis archive contains over 40,000 glass plate negatives each meticulously recorded in the company day books and housed in wooden box cases. 

As Katherine Higgins - who made the discovery and a former Christie's colleague of mine notes:

on the programme you will see the discovery of the Ellis photograph and the astonishing reunification of the image with the original photographic plate from the Richard Ellis archive. What was remarkable was that of all the 40,000 plates that record an astonishing array of photographic subjects from Edward VII (as Prince of Wales with his dogs and an un-named companion to military groups etc) only a few plates have suffered with age. One of those is the glass plate of the photograph I found – so bringing the image back to the archive meant they now have a clear copy of what the plate would have looked like. There’s a moment where I appear astonished as the lovely Ian Ellis, great grandson of Richard asked me to turn around and at that point he shows me the wooden cased camera that was used to take the photograph I have brought to Malta. The programme has never been abroad before and this turned out to be an astonishing adventure in the cause of recognising a great photographer.

The programme airs on BBC2 at 5.15pm on 12 April 2012. There will be more on the BBC website closer to transmission: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01g9hls

Images: Katherine with Ian Ellis – custodian of the Richard Ellis archive and great grandson of the Victorian photographer. Below: Richard’s camera, which he used to take all his portrait photographs

The technological upheaval in photography has not only called into question the definition of photography, but also fundamentally altered the profession of photographer and the use of the medium. 

The complete digitalization of the medium, its production and distribution of images, has shaken - at least in the perception of the broad public - a fundamental understanding of photography as authentic. It has clearly transformed traditional documentary and photojournalism working methods and forced their “migration” into an artistic context. 

On the other hand, new actors are entering into play; activists and “citizens’ journalists”, who comment on events with their digital photos and videos on their blogs.

The Museum Folkwang and the Wüstenrot Stiftung are together organizing a symposium in order to discuss, for the first time, the future prospects of photography in a transnational perspective. The questions about the future of photography, which will be produced almost exclusively digitally, is therefore also directed at the curators of existing collections which value not only artistically motivated photographs. Which photos from the area of applied photography are left from the digital production process? What does it mean to collect photographic originals – the original file, the total of its publication, a large framed print? Is our cultural infrastructure prepared for this change, or will applied photographic practice – which, looking back to the 20th century, has always inspired artistic production – no longer help to define the collective pictorial memory?

For more information and to register see: http://www.museum-folkwang.de/en/exhibitions/future-exhibitions/der-mensch-und-seine-objekte/symposium.html

Speakers
- Rahaab Allana, Alkazi Collection, New Delhi
- Charlotte Cotton, National Media Museum, Bradford
- Heba Farid, Kairo/Cairo
- Katharina Garbers-von Boehm, CMS Hasche Sigle, Berlin
- Maryam Jafri, New York/Copenhagen
- Aglaia Konrad, Brüssel
- Adrian Sauer, Leipzig
- Clare Strand, London
- Guy Tillim, Johannesburg
- Artur Walther, The Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm/New York

Terms
April 27, 2012, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m
April 28, 2012, 10 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. 

Please find detailled information on the programme here.

Admission free. 
Registration required  before April 20th, 2012.
Please contact: photography@museum-folkwang.essen.de. 
The conference languages will be English and German.

Kindly supported by Wüstenrot Stiftung. 

Christie's is offering in an auction of Travel, Science and Natural History on 25 April 2012 a camera obscura 'associated with' Nevil Story-Maskelyne, an early photographer who was close to Henry Fox Talbot and his circle.  The catalogue text reads: 

A CAMERA OBSCURA ASSOCIATED WITH NEVIL STORY-MASKELYNE, 
Jones, mid 19th century 
reflex model, the mahogany body of dovetail construction, with hinged lid, lens in wooden mount and 'push-pull' focusing front section, signed JONES Artist LONDON ; BY HIS MAJESTY'S SPECIAL APPOINTMENT No. 4, Wells Street Oxford Street. 12½in. (32cm.) long 

Provenance:

Nevil Story Maskelyne (1823-1911).

Thence by descent. 

Notes:

Nevil Story-Maskelyne (1823-1911) left law for the Natural Sciences in 1847, and was soon lecturing on mineralogy, a field he would come to lead. His research ran from the petrology of Stonehenge to developing the collection of minerals and meteorites at the British Museum into the 'largest and best arranged series ... in existence' (ODNB online). He and his wife Thereza May Llewelyn were both involved in the pioneering of photography. He was close friends of William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77) -- whose own camera obscura is held at the Science Museum London. 

There is more on Story-Maskelyne here: Lassam, Robert E, 1980, ‘Nevil Story-Maskelyne, 1823-1911‘, History of Photography, vol.4, no.2, pp.85-93. As Luminous-Lint notes: He was a part of the social circle surrounding Henry Fox Talbot who gave him permission to learn the calotype process and he was taught by Talbot's operator Nicolaas Henneman. 

Click here for more information: http://tinyurl.com/cszlhxq

Amateur Photographer magazine reports that more than half of the £4 million needed for the Media Space gallery at London's Science Museum will have to come from private sources. More importantly the project has been underwritten to full cost of £4 million by the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) suggesting that if private funding is not forthcoming NMSI will pay for it anyway. 

Responding to a freedom of information request, the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI) told AP: 'It is anticipated that over 50% of the project cost will come from private sources, such as corporate sponsorship and donations from individuals.  However, fundraising will continue through the life of the project and beyond to cover the associated costs.' 

'The project team are working with the full £4m budget,' stated the NMSI, adding that it has so far spent '£620,000' on the development. 

Media Space is due to open in Spring 2013. 

For the full report see: http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Most_of_Science_Museum_gallery_requires_private_funding_news_312057.html

The Guardian newspaper reports... When Aaron Guy peered into a forgotten box in an ancient Newcastlebuilding, he could not have guessed the treasures contained inside. The curious photo archivist had stumbled upon a remarkable set of original early glass negatives, detailing everyday street scenes of 19th-century Newcastle.

Meat markets, fairs, rag sellers, small corner shops and larger than life street characters are among the subjects which feature in the high-quality, 300-image collection.

Guy, who works at the city's Mining Institute, was helping to shift old furniture for the Society of Antiquaries when his attention was diverted to the box.

"The society were moving to a smaller building and were passing some of their belongings to other organisations," he said. "I was just being nosy really, peering into boxes, when I happened to spot that one contained some really old glass negatives. I thought they seemed interesting so we asked for permission to bring the plate boxes back to our office to have a proper look."

The work seems to date back at least to 1880 and the cohesion of the images suggests at least a third of them may have been created by a single photographer. His deliberate documentation of working-class life was unusual for the period, perhaps more in tune with the celebrated street photographers who followed in his footsteps almost a century later, in the 1960s and 70s.

The most arresting images are from the Newcastle streets, but the collection also contains work from other parts of the north-east, most recognisably Tynemouth and Lindisfarne.

For more see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/29/19th-century-newcastle-photographic-plates

and http://www.mininginstitute.org.uk/

A PhD research studentship covering stipend and tuition fee costs is offered within the Photographic History Research Centre (PHRC) in the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities. Under the interdisciplinary research strand “Practising Photography in the Sciences”, PhD proposals are sought that explore the reciprocal relationship between photography, science, and the arts and humanities.

PHRC undertakes innovative research on photography and its practices from the early nineteenth century to the present day, and over a wide range of social and cultural manifestations. Applications that explore aspects of the interconnected sets of social and cultural processes, networks of photographic knowledge, science and technology, aesthetic, evidential and informational values and institutional practices are particularly welcome. Proposals might consider, for instance, the role of photographers in science, the development of specialized photographic methods, or photographic materials for particular scientific activity. They might consider the emerging methodological research questions in this area, they might address the epistemologies surrounding photography in sciences and in the humanities, or they might consider photography in popular science.   “Practising Photography in the Sciences” is a key research cluster in PHRC and the studentship reflects its international reputation in this field.

Supervision will be available from Professor Elizabeth Edwards and Dr Kelley Wilder who have active research interests in the history of visualization in both the physical and biological sciences. PHRC is a dynamic and growing research community. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the development of this community.

Candidates might come from a range of possible disciplines:  history of science, science, art history, science and technology studies, visual anthropology, and visual culture studies.

For a more detailed description of the PHRC please visit our web site or contact Professor Edwards (eedwards@dmu.ac.uk) or Dr Wilder (kwilder@dmu.ac.uk) who will be happy to discuss the studentship further.

This research opportunity builds on our excellent past achievements and looking forward to REF2014 and beyond. It will develop the university’s research capacity into new and evolving areas of study, enhancing DMU’s national and international research partnerships.

Applications are invited from UK or EU students with a good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject.  Doctoral scholarships are available for up to three years full-time study starting October 2012 and provide a bursary of £13,770pa in addition to university tuition fees.

To receive an application pack, please contact the Graduate School Office via email at researchstudents@dmu.ac.uk.  Completed applications should be returned together with a full CV and two supporting references.

Please quote ref:  DMU Research Scholarships 2012

STARTING OCTOBER 2012

CLOSING DATE:  April 27^th 2012

Drawn from the extensive private collection of the architectural photographer Steven Evans, Seeking Solace: Francis Bedford’s Framing of Victorian Ideals celebrates the work of English photographer Francis Bedford (1816–1894).  

A master draughtsman and lithographer in the 1840s and 1850s, Bedford took up photography and positioned himself as one of the premier landscape and architectural photographers of his time. He successfully marketed his photographs in the form of albums, stereo cards, cartes de visite, and prints and was included in all but two exhibitions held at the Photographic Society of London during the 1860s. His work comprised picturesque landscapes and ecclesiastical ruins found in the British countryside, as well as impressive cathedral architecture. These subjects suited the tastes of Victorian society, which sought solace within the countryside, away from over-crowded and unhealthy urban centres. Seeking Solace presents this theme in the first solo exhibition of Bedford’s work since the 1860s, introducing this photographer to a North American audience.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated publication. Both the exhibition and the publication were researched and produced by second-year, graduate students in the Photographic Preservation and Collections Management, Master of Arts programme, Ryerson University, under the direction of Professor David Harris. Over the course of a twelve-week term, the students learn about the researching and curating exhibitions and producing an accompanying publication, from inception to realization. The Howard and Carole Tanenbaum Family Charitable Foundation and the Ryerson Image Centre have generously supported the project. The exhibition will be on view at the I.M.A Gallery, located at 80 Spadina Avenue, from April 4th–28th. An opening reception will be held on April 5th from 6–9 pm.

I.M.A Gallery, 80 Spadina Avenue Suite 305, Toronto ON, Canada

www.imagallery.ca

April 4^th-28^th, 2012, W-S: 12-5 pm.

Opening Reception: April 5^th, 6-9 pm. 

Image: Francis Bedford

Miner’s Bridge at Betws-y-Coed, North Wales

1859 (negative exposed)

Mounted albumen silver print

Image: Francis Bedford

Swallow Falls at Betws-y-Coed, North Wales

1859–1864 (negative exposed)

Unmounted albumen silver print

Image: Francis Bedford

Choir Arcade at Tintern Abbey, South Wales

1858 (negative exposed)

Mounted albumen silver print

Image: Francis Bedford

The Sphinx and The Great Pyramid, Gizeh [now Giza]

March 4-5, 1862 (negative exposed)

Mounted albumen silver print

Redeye is proud to present its fourth National Photography Symposium on 27 to 29 April 2012. It takes place in London as part of what promises to be a highly stimulating hotbed of photographic events at World Photo London.

The National Photography Symposium explores the most critical and talked-about subjects for photography and photographers. It's strongly recommended for anyone interested in the development of photography in the UK, who might want to understand or influence how the big decisions get made. It takes place in and around Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Speakers this year include Simon Norfolk, Jem Southam, Anne McNeill, Peter Kennard and many more.

For more information and the full programme see: http://www.redeye.org.uk/programme/national-photography-symposium-2012

The first programme in the short series Britain's First Photo Album airs tonight on BBC2. Full information can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nh3h3 

Robert Elwall, Assistant director of the RIBA’s British Architectural Library, and the founder and curator of the RIBA Library Photographs Collection and RIBApix collapsed and died suddenly after a short illness. Robert had been continuing to work on various projects at RIBA.

Robert was a great writer of books and papers on photography and architecture in its broadest sense. A number of his articles are collected here: http://www.culture24.org.uk/am69854  He will be sorely missed. 

Minnie Weisz's first London collodion wet-plate photography workshops were taught by France Scully Osterman and Mark Osterman in 2009/2010. Following in the footsteps of Frederick Scott Archer, the inventor of the collodion process in 1851, our 2012 weekend workshops are led by Jo Gane and John Brewer, experts in the field of 19th Century Photographic processes in the UK.

Learn to make unique images direct onto glass, aluminium and acrylic. Create portrait and still life images in the studio. Join our Collodion circle in King’s Cross.

There are just two places left for each weekend : 17th/18th - 24th/25th - 31st/1st April  - with each taking 6 people. The studio is offering a 10% discount for students. Weekend workshops are £320 for 2 days tuition, hands-on approach, making at least 7 plates each per workshop weekend.

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES - MARCH 2012. 

MINNIE WEISZ STUDIO,  123 PANCRAS ROAD KING’S CROSS NW1 1UN

Click here to learn more:  Historic%20Photographic%20Processes_workshop_preview2.pdf.

The National Media Museum's In the Blink of an Eye Media & Movement exhibition opens from 9 March. Featuring classic images and new commission work the show is part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. One of the new works can be seen here: 

The exhibition has been curated by Colin Harding and runs until 2 September 2012. For more information: http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/PlanAVisit/Exhibitions/Future.aspx

Purpose of the Job: Delivers the work for the NMSI Collections Information team at the National Media Museum and National Railway Museum in accordance with policies, procedures, data standards and best practice

• creates and enhances the primary and authoritative collections record

• undertakes collections projects

Key Deliverables/Accountabilities

1. Takes care of personal health and safety and that of others, reports and takes action to resolve any health and safety concerns

2. Undertakes Collections Management administration tasks adhering to procedures and data standards for Acquisition, Damage, Disposals, Inventory, Loans (including loans in, loans out, indemnities, insurance, security checks and historic loans), Location Audit, Location & Movement Control, Loss and Object Catalogue upgrade.

3. Creates and enhances an authoritative collections record to ensure that NMSI is accountable for its collections and collections information. Follows procedures to ensure NMSI fulfils legal responsibilities for Due Diligence and Immunity from Seizure. Assists with a programme of data cleaning and building up of authority files to optimise the usefulness of the MIMSY XG object database and iBase image database.

4. Supports and delivers creative offerings, such as web and exhibition projects, to increase access to the collections to achieve the aims of the Science, Media and Railway brands. Contributes to the delivery of NMSI business objectives in line with collections management best practice as outlined in the MLA Accreditation standard.

5. Works with objects to record object and condition data, particularly for projects that involve object movement such as exhibitions, loans (including couriering) and gallery decants. Ensures that information and object movements are properly documented and recorded in accordance with policy. Undertakes record photography. Facilitates object assessment so that the collections can be rationalised and utilised effectively.

6. Documents hazardous materials and objects to ensure that the museum manages them, operates safely and complies with Health & Safety legislation.

7. Provides help, advice and training for all database users that conforms to best practice and follows established procedures. Assists with the revision of procedures, policies and protocols and development of the database. Assists with object and documentation enquiries (internal and external) and the provision of statistical data.

8. Assists with the scoping of Volunteer projects. Supervises volunteers working on Documentation projects and monitors their work and outputs.

Working Relationships and Contacts

• NMSI Collections Information Manager for direction, guidance and support

• Head of Corporate & Collections Information (senior line manager) for direction, guidance and support

• NMSI Collections Information Officers in Corporate & Collections Information team (co-workers)

• NMSI Corporate Information & Enquiries Officer (files)

• Conservation and Collections Care, including Collections Hazards Officer (object handling, preventative care, hazards), Storage and Movement (Logistics) teams (object and manual handling)

• Science Museum Photo Studio & Imaging team (photographs; copyright and IPR)

• Curators/Curatorial Services (stakeholders)

• Exhibitions and Development teams (exhibitions/temporary exhibitions at all sites)

• Workshops (specialist assistance with objects at NRM and ScM)

• Donors, vendors, lenders and borrowers

• Arts Council England - Indemnity Manager and Security Officer

• Shipping Agents

• Volunteer Co-ordinator (recruitment of volunteers)

• Volunteers and interns (supervision whilst working on Documentation projects)

• Other Project Directors and Managers, as appropriate

Line Management and Budget Responsibility

Directly line manages: 0

Indirectly line manages: 0

Contractors/freelancers: 0

Budget Holder of £ 0

Candidate Profile

Experience

• Experience in documenting collections including collections registration and object cataloguing

• Experience of handling museum objects

• Experience of using collections management procedures

• Experience of using a collections database, e.g. MIMSY XG

• Experience of using Authority files and thesauri

Skills, Knowledge and Relevant Qualifications

• Knowledge of the procedures for documenting museum collections including application of data standards

• Excellent written and oral communication and information sharing skills

• Ability to plan and schedule programmes of work and activities to ensure a timely delivery of the team’s work programme

• Ability to meet tight deadlines whilst maintaining agreed standards

• Ability to work to an excellent standard of accuracy, particularly when creating database records

• Good problem-solving skills

Behaviours

• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills

• Pays meticulous attention to detail

• Ability to use judgement and make decisions within policy and precedent

• Supportive and collaborative team working style

• Ability to follow procedures and protocols consistently

• Actively explores ideas for improvement

• Takes pride in delivering work to a high standard

• Uses initiative

Scope for Impact

The National Museum of Science & Industry Collections Information team ensures and delivers best practice collections documentation and management activities, policies and procedures which support our ownership of the collections and underpin our status as a national museum; thereby enabling the Science Museum, The National Railway Museum and The National Media Museum to deliver the public offer. It ensures that each museum meets the MLA Accreditation Scheme requirements.

As a member of the NMSI Collections Information team the jobholder contributes to the delivery of core functions which underpin the programme of, acquisitions, loans in and out, exhibitions (real and virtual), gallery clearances, audits and efficient management of the collections. Failures in this area could jeopardise the achievement of major projects (including the Corporate Plan and Business Plan) and objectives and lead to regulatory lapses and potential legal and/or financial liability.

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

Required Skills:

National Media Museum, Bradford

Collections Information Officer

21 hours per week Salary £16,605 pro rata

23 months fixed term contract

The Corporate & Collections Information team is seeking a committed and experienced individual to work with our collections while delivering the highest standards in collections registration and documentation practice.

You will be based at the National Media Museum and play a key role in developing and maintaining the primary record of the collections across NMSI’s family of museums.

You will have previous experience of working on a collections registration, documentation or inventory project, and object handling in a museum or gallery setting. You will have demonstrable knowledge of relevant standards and procedures.

You will work with objects to record object and ensure information, hazardous materials and object movements are properly documented and recorded.

You will be self-motivated, very organised and able to work under pressure while maintaining a thorough attention to detail. You will be an excellent team player and an effective communicator. You will have a high level of computer literacy and experience of using a collections management database, such as MIMSY XG, and Microsoft Office applications.

For further information about NMSI, details on how to apply and a full job description, please visit https://vacancies.nmsi.ac.uk

Job Description:

NMSI Job Description

Salary: £16,605 p.a.

Reference CIO/12

Closing date: 19 March 2012

Interview date: 29 March 2012

Application Instructions:

To apply, please visit our recruitment websire https://vacancies.nmsi.ac.uk

Closing date is 19th March 2012 with interviews only being held on 29th March 2012.

Contact Name:                   Mrs Elizabeth Sloan van Wyk

Contact Tel:         01904686249

Contact Fax:        

Contact Email:    recruitment@nmsi.ac.uk

Website:                https://vacancies.nmsi.ac.uk

Address:                National Media Museum, Pictureville, Bradford, BD1 1NQ.

Source magazine reports that Charlotte Cotton is resigning from her position as Creative Director for London Galleries at the National Media Museum, a position she took up in October 2009 (see:http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/uk-exclusive-cha...). The Galleries called MediaSpace have been beset with delays and difficulties with raising funds and are currently due to open at London’s Science Museum in March 2013. In a conversation this evening a source close to the museum has explained to BPH that Cotton had stepped down as she feels that the work she was asked to do in terms of establishing the vision for MediaSpace had been completed and she felt it was time to move on. There is further substantive and exciting news which BPH will be in a position to report on early next week.  

There have been tensions between Cotton's view as articulated in various seminars and the National Media Museum's broader view. Cotton developed the MediaSpace concept as a venue which represented, and employed, a wide range of media which was a change from the previous plan for a temporary exhibition gallery, mainly used to show photography. The current plans are to showcase material from the Bradford-based museum's collections in London and to use the temporary exhibition area to show exhibitions which would then move to Bradford, as well as showing Bradford exhibitions in London.  Cotton also specified that the proposal was for a space which operated for ten years and embraced the situation of the gallery in the Science Museum rather than in an art institution. Work has recently started on adapting the space although significant fundraising is still required to complete the project. 

However, after delivering her blueprint for the Media Space in December 2009 the project increasingly ran into difficulties. In April 2010 Board members expressed their ‘strong concerns about the budget of the overall project and its feasibility’.

The Museum is currently recruiting for a new Head to replace Colin Philpott who leaves in April. The post is being downgraded from Director and will report directly to the Deputy Director of the Science Museum. The Science Museum is keen to establish closer operational ties to the National Media Museum as the MediaSpace project develops - a project that the Science Museum had initial reservations about - and to ensure it comes to fruition.  

Cotton has declined to comment to Source. The Science Museum and National Media Museum would not confirm the news and were referring all enquiries to Brunswick the PR agency for MediaSpace which has been unavailable for comment to BPH.

See: http://source.ie/sourcephoto/?p=737 for the full report. '

Amateur Photographer magazine carries a further report on Cotton's departure: http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Media_Space_director_did_not_quit_over_funds_claim_museum_chiefs_news_311739.html

The National Museum of Science and Industry today confirms that its media galleries will open in spring 2013. The Media Space will be sited on 2nd floor of the Science Museum and it will consist of a breathtaking gallery for the exhibition of visual media surrounded by cultural spaces for exploring, discussing, testing and exhibiting creative technologies. The project will cost £4 million and is the fruit of the partnership between the Science Museum and the National Media Museum.

Commenting on the announcement, Ian Blatchford Director, National Museum of Science and Industry said “Establishing a home for creative practice and the creative industries in one of London’s most vibrant and innovative spaces has long been our ambition and I am pleased to see it realised. The National Media Museum’s world class exhibitions and collections will be a fantastic new offer for our visitors.”

Charlotte Cotton will step down as the Creative Director of the space from March 2012 having developed the curatorial vision for the space.

Heather Mayfield said, “Working with Charlotte has been an enlightening and inspirational experience. We are privileged to have worked with one of the finest curatorial minds in the fields of photography & the wider media.”

Charlotte Cotton said, “Bringing this vision into reality alongside the Science and National Media Museum teams has been a pleasure. I look forward to its opening in 2013.” 

A collection of 84 glass lantern slides dating from the early part of the twentieth century has been donated to Bath & North East Somerset Council. The photographs depict various scenes in and around Bath including Prior Park, Bath Abbey, the Guildhall and the Botanical Gardens. They are thought to have been taken around 1905, possibly by a surveyor with an interest in Bath's architecture who was engaged in work at Prior Park, the Assembly Rooms and the Guildhall.

They were donated to the Council’s Library Service by a local family who were keen to see them preserved for the future, and to give more people the opportunity to see these fragile images. The slides are now part of the Bath Local Studies Collection housed at Bath Library. The images from each slide can be seen on the Bath In Time Website at www.bathintime.co.uk.

Councillor David Dixon (Lib-Dem, Oldfield), Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We are delighted that this fantastic collection now forms part of the Local Studies collection and that the images can be appreciated by everyone via the Bath in Time website. Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Library Service continues to play a vital role in ensuring that the story of our local area is preserved, made accessible and understood by everyone.”   

The Council is always pleased to receive donations of material connected with the history of Bath and North East Somerset. Please contact Libraries@bathnes.gov.uk or call Council Connect on 01225 394041.

The Whitehouse Collection held by the Ruskin Foundation at the Ruskin Library contains 125 Daguerreotypes – one-off plates using the first popular process of permanent photography.  The third display in a series of four, this focuses on the Swiss scenes.  John Ruskin travelled to the French and Swiss Alps more often than any other place in Europe, from a childhood visit in 1833, when he was just fourteen, to a few days on the return from his last continental trip in 1888.

His favourite places were Chamonix, where he found perfect mountain scenery, and the towns of Lucerne on its lake, hilly Fribourg, and Rheinfelden with its bridge over the river Rhine.   An early devotee of the Daguerreotype, Ruskin had acquired his own camera by 1849 and made some 40 Swiss subjects before 1858, of which 23 are now in the Ruskin Library.  These are being shown alongside drawings, watercolours, letters and diaries complementing each subject – sometimes exactly, as in the watercolour of the Mer de Glace at Chamonix and drawings of Fribourg.

On show: 16 January-15 April 2012 at the Ruskin Library, University of Lancaster

See: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/ruskinlib/Pages/beautiful.html

Opening times: Gallery: Monday-Friday 10am-4pm - during Exhibitions (closed weekends and Bank Holidays)

Of unconnected - but related interest - is the collection of daguerreotypes purchased in 2006 be Ken Jacobson which are the subject of a forthcoming book see: http://www.jacobsonphoto.com/news/viewnews.html?id=20 and the original news report of the £75,000 sale: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1514218/Mystery-photographs-part-of-Ruskin-collection.html

I've read with interest the Guardian article of last Thursday on the incredible story of the photographic collections of Tate and V&A, and also your comment on British Photographic History (http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/tate-s-scandalous-rubbish).

As director of the Photo Library of an art historical research institute (a German institution with seat in Florence) working also theoretically on photo archives, I would like to draw your attention to the "Florence Declaration - Recommendations for the Preservation of Analogue Photo Archives" (see link below).

To the many reasons that were mentioned in the article and in the blog, why throwing away such photographic holdings is an unforgivable crime against the scientific community and the entire society, I would like to add some new research perspectives on photographs and photo archives as material objects that cannot be substituted by digital surrogates. These new studies go beyond the disciplinary borders of art history and see photographs and archives as research objects on their own.

The "Florence Declaration" aims at an integration between the analogue format and the digital format, which only can guarantee the correct conservation of the photographic heritage for future studies and at the same time the implementation of digital instruments.

Here you can find the text of the Florence Declaration (in 5 languages) and the list of subscribers:
http://www.khi.fi.it/en/photothek/florencedeclaration/index.html

It would be very supportive if you and other members of British Photographic History would sign the "Florence Declaration" and help us to spread it! As facts are showing, a greater and more widespread understanding of the inescapable value of analogue photographs and archives for the future of research is a primary need!

With best regards,
Costanza Caraffa

On the Florentine Photo Library, its projects and publications:
http://www.khi.fi.it/en/photothek/index.html
http://www.khi.fi.it/en/photothek/projekte/index.html
http://www.khi.fi.it/en/publikationen/imandorli/mandorli_Photo_Archives/index.html

Applications are invited for a three year full time PhD, working within the Irish Photobook research project in the School of Art and Design. The project focus is the representation of Ireland through photographic publishing. The project team; Paul Seawright, Donovan Wylie and Martin Parr will supervise the research. The Irish PhotoBook project develops Parr and Badger's internationally acclaimed work on the history of the Photobook, using their methodology to evaluate the development of Irish Photography. Seawright and Wylie are key figures in Irish photography and have long standing research interests in both the representation of Ireland and the photographic book. Plans are in place for a major exhibition and publication in partnership with the Photo Ireland Photography Festival and the Gallery of Photography, Dublin and the creation of a special book collection at Ulster. The successful candidate will play a key role in the project and we welcome research proposals that develop a body of research within this framework.

Project Title /Subtitle         

The Photo Book in Ireland

Supervisor 1     Professor Paul Seawright

School of Art and Design, Faculty of Art Design and the Built Environment.

Research Institute Art and Design.

Supervisor 2      Donovan Wylie

School of Art and Design, Faculty of Art Design and the Built Environment.

Research Institute Art and Design.

Adviser

Professor Martin Parr

PRIORITY RESEARCH DEGREE TOPICS

The Research Institute Art and Design and the Faculty of Art and Design and the Built Environment Research Graduate School advertises priority topics on which applications for research degrees are particularly invited. Applications may be for full time or part time study.

The recruitment process often co-coincides with recruitment to research degree studentships managed by the University. These are normally full time.
Applications are also welcomed from students who are self funding or who are applying for other external studentships, grants, bursaries and awards.

While priority topics are advertised, applications on topics proposed by the applicant are also considered where there is supervisory capacity and relevant resources. Applicants are advised to discuss this with the head of the Faculty of Art Design and Built Environment Research Graduate School.

Undertaking a research degree is significant commitment.  Applicants may contact the potential supervisor of the priority topic for clarification during the development of their application. There is no requirement to do so and applicants who do not do so are not penalised.


APPLICATION

Applications are normally submitted online.

https://srssb.ulster.ac.uk/PROD/bwskalog.P_DispChoices <https://srssb.ulster.ac.uk/PROD/bwskalog.P_DispChoices>

Information for prospective research degree students, including application forms, can also be found on the university Web pages
http://research.ulster.ac.uk/info/status/prospective.html <http://research.ulster.ac.uk/info/status/prospective.html>

Professor Neil Hewitt heads the Research Graduate School (RGS) of the Faculty of Art Design and Built Environment.
http://www.adbe.ulster.ac.uk/schools/graduate_school/ <http://www.adbe.ulster.ac.uk/schools/graduate_school/>;

The Research Institute Art and Design (RIAD) Director is Professor Karen Fleming. There are 3 research centres within RIAD  - the Centre for Applied Art Research, the Design and Architecture Research Centre and the Centre for Fine art Research. Research students are members of RIAD.
http://www.riad.ulster.ac.uk/index.php <http://www.riad.ulster.ac.uk/index.php>

Art versus Industry? Is An international conference at Leeds City Museum, being held 23-24 March 2012. Of particular interest are two papers Nicole Bush (Northumbria University) Mechanical Patterns: The Role of Brewster’s Kaleidoscope in the Age of Morris and the Machine and Patrizia Di Bello (Birkbeck) ‘Camera-Medusa’: Stereoscopic Photographs of Statuettes. The full programme and further information is below.

Organised by:

Dr Kate Nichols (University of Bristol)

Gabriel Williams (University of York)

Rebecca Wade (University of Leeds)

Full details at http://artvindustry.blogspot.com/

Registration deadline: 9 March 2012. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Friday 23 March 2012

9.00-9.30

Registration and coffee

9.30-9.45

Welcome and introductions

9.45-10.45

Lara Kriegel (Indiana University)

Filaments of History: Ladies, Lace, Labour and Nation at the Fin de Siecle

10.45-12.45 Panel One: De-Centering the Narrative

Chaired by Sarah Turner (University of York)

Lara Eggleton (University of Leeds)

Surface Deceits: Owen Jones and John Ruskin on the Ornament of the Alhambra

Sally Tuckett (University of Edinburgh)

Colouring the Nation: Scottish Turkey-Red Design and Manufacture

Natasha Eaton (University College London)

Subaltern Colour? Art, Industry and Colonialism in Britain and India

Renate Dohmen (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

The Calcutta International Exhibition of 1883-4: A Differenced Vision of the Great Exhibition?

12.45-1.45 Lunch (provided)

1.45-3.45 Panel Two: The Aesthetics of Technology

Chaired by Mark Westgarth (University of Leeds)

Alistair Grant (University of Sussex, Victoria and Albert Museum)

Galvanic Engraving in Relief: The Origins of the Art of Electro-Metallurgy

Angus Patterson (Victoria and Albert Museum)

For the Promotion of Art: The Formation and Influence of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Electrotype Co&ection

Graeme Gooday and Abigail Harrison Moore (University of Leeds)

Decorative Electricity: The Gendered Aesthetics and Ethics of Domestic Electric Lighting

Anne-Marie Millim (University of Luxembourg)

“A substitute for moonlight”: The Cultural Value of Mining in The Graphic (1870s)

3.45-4.00 Coffee

4.00-5.00

Tom Gretton (University College London)

Industrialised Graphic Technologies Feature the World of Art: The Illustrated London News and The Graphic

c. 1870 - 1890

5.00 Please join us at the Victoria (behind the Town Hall) to continue our conversations!

8.00 Conference Dinner (not included, but we hope you will still join us).

Saturday 24 March 2012

9.30-10.00

Registration and coffee

10.00-11.00

Colin Trodd (University of Manchester)

Affinity and Alienation: Civility, Barbarism and Discourses of Design Culture, 1862-1894

11.00-1.00 Panel Three: Making and Mechanical Perception

Chaired by Danielle Child (University of Leeds)

Ann Compton (University of Glasgow)

Building a Better Class of Craftsman? Re-examining Issues of Education, Craftsmanship and Professional Practice

in Sculpture and Related Trades, c. 1880-1925

Gabriel Williams (University of York)

‘Mechanical Dexterity’ and Sculpture Machines at the Great Exhibition

Nicole Bush (Northumbria University)

Mechanical Patterns: The Role of Brewster’s Kaleidoscope in the Age of Morris and the Machine

Patrizia Di Bello (Birkbeck)

‘Camera-Medusa’: Stereoscopic Photographs of Statuettes

1.00-1.45 Lunch (provided)

1.45-3.15 Panel four: Labour, Class and Invention

Chaired by Kate Hi& (University of Lincoln)

Jasmine Allen (University of York)

The Status of Stained Glass at the International Exhibitions

Frances Robertson (Glasgow School of Art)

Crank-Pin Tracks and Corinthian Columns: Engineers and Draughtsmen as Visual Technicians

Ben Russell (Science Museum)

James Watt’s s Workshop: A Nexus Between Art and Industry

3.15-3.30 Coffee

3.30-4.30

Steve Edwards (Open University)

Picture Capitalism

4.30-5.00 Roundtable discussion and closing remarks