Michel Auer, one for the most significant collectors and dealers of cameras and photography and a historian and supporter of photography, has died aged 91 years. Auer will be best known by some for his books on cameras and, latterly, for his Foundation based in Hermance, Switzerland which exhibited photographs and cameras from his collection as well as having a public presence through exhibitions and public events.

Michel was born in Zurich in 1933. After school he completed an apprenticeship as an advertising photographer in Zurich. After returning from Swiss military service he created an advertising photography studio in Geneva in 1955. In 1958, he obtained a federal master's degree in photography.

In 1960, he created the Big laboratory in Geneva, specializing in large-size photo enlargements in black and white and colour which he ran until 1975. He gave up advertising photography in 1961 and devoted himself to collecting cameras and writing books on the subject where his own photography presented the cameras as beautiful objects in their own right. In the 1970s the market for photography was still evolving and Auer was able to acquire important cameras through auctions and especially through markets where rarities were unrecognised. He was also able to secure cameras directly from their manufacturers and he acquired all the spare parts and incomplete Compass cameras from Le Coultre in Switzerland.

 In 1976, he created a stand at the Pucres de Clignancourt, Paris, flea market with Michèle Ory specializing in cameras and photographs. He married Michèle in 1980 and the two formed a strong partnership united in their photography interests and activities.

Michel created three, possibly more, significant collections of cameras which formed the basis of other museums. In 1973 Auer sold his first collection to the Provinciaal Museum voor Fotografie in Antwerp museum, now known as FoMU. The collection focused on the development of cameras and the technical history of photography and included landmark cameras alongside rarities and key display pieces. Since then the FoMu collection has been supplemented by other collections, not least that of Agfa-Gevaert.

The second sale was in the early 1990s to the JCII Camera Museum in Tokyo, Japan. The museum had a significant collection of Japanese products acquired as part of its own activities but was weak in Western cameras. Auer’s collection added significant cameras from the history of photography as well as expanded its breadth with cameras from the UK, US and Europe.

His third collection was his final personal collection and includes significant cameras as well as rarities. This now sits with his Foundation.

Michel’s first books were essentially catalogues of his collection(s) and most likely acted as a catalogue to raise awareness to support a sale.  The first were produced at a time when there were very few other books on the history of the camera for collectors. His first Collection Michel Auer appeared in 1972 and eventually ended up as three volumes. It formed a go-to catalogue for collectors and auction houses assisting with identification and dating at a time when there was limited reference material.

His 1975  Illustrated History of the Camera was the first coffee-table book of cameras, beautifully illustrated with Auer’s own photographs of cameras, and it set out a useful camera history describing many rarities from his collection. Michel also collaborated with another collector Eaton S Lothrop to produce a book on disguised cameras that was well illustrated and had a depth of research from Lothrop.  With Michèle he produced an important history of amateur cine cameras. Not all his books appeared in English but they all remained key references, although often not as well-known as they should have been, pre-internet.  

Later, as Auer focused on photography he and Ory produced in 1997 a CD-Rom based resource of biographical information of photographers based on the printed Encyclopaedia which had received a special commendation at the 1986 Kraszna-Krausz Awards. The which resource is now available online.

In 1984 the Auers opened a photography centre at the Grütli in Geneva and started holding exhibitions of photography. It later moved to the BAC contemporary art building and finally in March 2009 along with Michèle, Michel created a Foundation which allowed him to exhibit his collection of photographs as well as objects related to photography. It held regular exhibitions of photography, talks and had its own publication programme. A partnership with the city of Montpelier which might have provided a long-term home for the collection and foundation came to nothing.  The Auers’ collection now consists of a large collection of cameras, some 21,000 books and 50,000 images. As Etienne Dumont noted in his appreciation of Auer the future of the collection remains uncertain.  

Michel Auer was married to Françoise Guerin, whom he divorced in 1968, and then to Michèle Auer-Ory in 1980 until his death. He had three children with his first wife, Martine, Laurence and Georges Nicéphore.  

Michel died on 22 October 2024.

Principal publications

Collection Michel Auer (Editions Camera Obscura, 1972)
Catalogue Michel Auer, (Editions Camera Obscura, 1977)
The above were released together with a third volume as Le livre guide to des appareils photo anciens / The collectors guide to antique cameras (Editions Camera Obscura, 1990)
Histoire illustrée des appareils photographiques / The Illustrated History of the Camera (UK edition, Fountain Press,1975)
Kameras gestern und heute (1975)
L'Œil invisible: Les appareils photographiques d'espionnage also Die Geheimkameras (with Eaton S Lothrop, Editions EPA, 1978)
Histoire de la caméra ciné amateur (1979, with Michèle Ory (Les Editions de l'Amateur, Paris / Editions Big S.A, Geneva, 1979)
Encyclopédie internationale des photographes de 1839 à nos / Photographers Encyclopaedia International 1839 to the present (with Michèle Ory, Editions Camera Obscura, 1985)
150 ans d’appareils photographiques à travers la collection Michel Auer / 150 Years of Cameras through the Michel Auer Collection (Editions Camera Obscura, 1989)
Collection M+M Auer une histoire de la photographie (Editions M+M, 2003)
802 photobooks from the M+M Auer collection ((Editions M+M, 2007)
Weegee the Famous. Collection Michèle et Michel Auer (with Michèle Ory, Editions M+M, 2008)

See: http://www.auerphoto.com/ and https://www.bilan.ch/story/ed-michelauer-868874801675

Image: Michel Auer, self-portrait, 1985. Under a Creative Commons licence

Bonhams auction of Books, Manuscripts and Historical Photographs includes several lots of photography interest including Peter Henry Emerson's Pictures of East Anglian Life (1888), estimated at £3000-4000, a presentation copy to the amateur photographer, historian and founder of the photographic record W.J. Harrison; a copy of Fred Judge's Camera Pictures of London at Night (1924), estimated at £600-800;and of special note is a lot of six albums from the Farquhar family. The albums include some 180 carte-de-visites of the 1860s (photographers including Camille Silvy), several portraits of houses associated with the family or that of the Nugents in the 60s, and 2 images of Crystal Palace by P.H. Delamotte. The later albums include a charming record in photography and watercolour of the childhood of two brothers, Harold and Rupert, usually attired in fancy dress (or in very early childhood in dresses).

The British Film Institute is seeking an Archives Assistant to join the BFI’s Special Collections team on a fixed term basis, undertaking general collections duties including retrieval, accessioning, basic cataloguing, preservation and digitisation, and to support colleagues in the provision of a vibrant research service. The Archives Assistant will also be responsible for responding to enquiries, and assisting researchers and visitors to the Archive. 

Key responsibilities include: 

• Support colleagues in care of the collection, carrying out basic preservation, appraisal and rehousing work. Training will be provided in key preservation skills
• Support colleagues in the acquisition and processing of new offers to the collection 
• Co-ordinate the movement and location of materials in store and between sites 
• Carry out general archive-based duties to support access to the archives, including provenance research, listings, and potentially basic cataloguing and written interpretation, if required 

We are looking for candidates who have: 

• Commitment to working in an archive, library or museum environment, with experience in either archival services or a customer-facing role  
• Computer literate with good knowledge of Microsoft Office 
• Attention to detail and the patience to carry out repetitive work to a consistently high standard 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work well both individually and as part of a team 

A full list of responsibilities and minimum requirements can be found in the job description. 

Leon Jacobson, a long-time collector and dealer in nineteenth-century cameras and photographs has died at the age of 101. He was among a number of dealers who turned an interest into a business, become one of a pioneering group of dealers in photographs and photographic equipment in the early 1970s. 

The son of Russian non-practicing Jewish immigrants, Leon was born in New York City in 1923. He attended Union College studying engineering. After World War II interrupted his degree course, he returned from the army and, thanks to the GI bill, was able to complete his degree at Princeton University where the army had earlier sent him on courses. Leon became an electrical engineer, working most of his career with General Electric in Syracuse, New York, He worked on radio-controlled missile guidance systems including for some of the early space launches by NASA and developed new methods for making printed circuits. He also taught a course in creativity for engineers which lead to important innovations. As a teenager he used to hang out at a local photographer’s premises in his home town of Gloversville, New York, sometimes helping out.

His first proper camera was a Foth Derby and he became a keen amateur photographer. In the late 1960s, he developed an interest in early cameras and photographs. When his son Ken came to London to study biophysics – initially lacking a scholarship from either UK or US governments – Leon handed him a copy of Sotheby’s seminal New York 1970 Strober photography catalogue with the admonition to look for old cameras and see if you can find anything ‘by some guy named Talbot.’

As a result of this collaboration and his own efforts, his wife Hilde and he became one of the first to publish a regular catalogue (a simple mimeograph) selling early cameras and photographs alongside people like Tom & Elinor Burrnside and George Rinhart. As Syracuse is not too far from Rochester, home of George Eastman House and photography museum, many of the young interns (later to become well-known names in the field like Grant Romer and Keith Davis) would often arrive for coffee and cookies at the Jacobsons’ house and also discover one of the few places where their meagre interns' salaries still allowed them to come home with an good early photograph as a souvenir.

Leon became quite adept at restoring old cameras needing conservation and gave a talk on this subject at the 1972 annual symposium held by the Photographic Historical Society of New York. In 1974, with the assistance of an electron microscopist at General Electric, he published a paper solving the problem of what caused ‘measles’ on daguerreotype plates that had been 'cleaned.'

In 1972 He published several arrticles in Eaton Lothrop's The Photographic Collectors' Newsletter which ran from 1968-1975 - the first publication of its type that predated any collecting or historical societies.   IHe was elected to the board of the Photographic Historical Society of America in 1975.

With thanks to Ken Jacobson

The organisers have announced that Photo|Frome will return in April 2025 with the theme ‘inEquality’. Through photography from internationally acclaimed, national and regional artists, we reflect on stories of global and local justice and equality. The festival runs from 5 April – 27 April 2025. with free exhibitions (indoor and outdoor), talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, pop-up portrait studio (Faces of Frome), curator tours and more.

One of Photo|Frome’s principal installations features stills photography by Joss Barratt around the films of acclaimed director Ken Loach, known for his focus on marginalized communities. This includes ‘Carla’s Song’, which it is pairing with Susan Meiselas' renowned documentary on Nicaragua. By combining fiction and reality it explores the same issues but from totally different angles, giving new perspectives. The work of Tish Murtha, Paul Seawright, Nick Hedges and Fast Forward, Women in Photography is also featured alongside other Ken Loach films.

Other exhibitions take different creative approaches to the theme. This includes Joanne Coates whose work explores rurality, hidden histories, and income-based inequalities, Sujata Setia’s ‘A Thousand Cuts’, Sarah Palmer’s ‘Wish You Were Here’, and Evgeniya Strygina’s ‘Home from Home’.

Photo|Frome will again offer an international Open Photobook Award and the MPB Student Awards. In 2025, it will also have a new Open Call on the inEquality theme. Details of all three will be separately announced.

The photographer Paul Lowe has died, aged 61 years. Professor Paul Lowe was an award-winning photographer and a Professor of Conflict, Peace, and the Image at London College of Communication. He was also an author, critic and educator. His work was widely published and his work is represented by Panos Pictures. Paul has covered breaking news across the world – including the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela’s release, famine in Africa, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and the destruction of Grozny.

He was a consultant to the World Press Photo foundation in Amsterdam, advising online education of professional photojournalists in the majority world. Paul's book Bosnians, documenting 10 years of the war and post-war situation in Bosnia, was published in April 2005 by Saqi books. 

See a tribute from Max Houghton here: https://www.1854.photography/2024/10/tribute-paul-lowe/
and https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2024/oct/24/photographer-paul-lowes-life-in-pictures

Grace Lau's Chinese portrait studio has been on a memorable journey through Hastings, Southampton, London, Eastbourne, finishing this year at St Leonards on Sea. This exhibition shows a selection of the portraits captured on route. The portrait studio was made of ‘mock’ traditional Chinese furniture, with a decorative backdrop and accessories. Grace Lau acted as Creative Director, alongside photographer Richard Chung. People were asked to pose in a similar manner to Victorian studio portraits. However, in contrast to the historical setting, those having their portraits taken were encouraged to keep their modern-day accessories, such as mobile phones, shopping bags, and clothing.

“Through this project I am making an oblique comment on Imperialist visions of the ‘exotic’ Chinese and, by reversing roles, I have become the Imperialist photographer documenting my exotic subjects in the south of England.” (Grace Lau 2006)

"21st Century Types demonstrated, in a powerful visual way, the diversity of British in the 21st century. These rich many layered opulent portraits made by a Chinese born feminist photographer are a monument to place, race, people and the passing of time, and a direct political comment of the uses of photography as propaganda. Grace’s positioning of herself as an outsider photographer, drawn to photograph the procession of ‘types’ that pass in front of her camera, was essentially performative - acting the part of the stern Chinese studio portraitist who would not allow her subjects to smile, she creates a theatre of photography in which the émigrè’s drama is played out." (Prof. Val Williams 2019)

This project was funded by Art Council England and supported by John Hansard Gallery.

Portraits in a Chinese Studio. An exhibition of portraits by Grace Lau
Solaris Print, 76 Norman Rd, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0EJ
9 November -21 December, 2024
See: https://www.solarisprint.co.uk/

Quickshaws Tours is offering an twelve night tour in Sri Lanka to discover the places photographed by and associated with Julia Margaret Cameron, who died and was buried in the country in 1879. The tour will take in the first Cameron plantatio described in her letters, their coffee estates including Dimbulla, places she photographed, and her burial place at St Mary's Church, Bogawantalawa. In addition the tour will take in other historic places, sights and landscapes as well as the food and culture of the country.  

The tour has been produced by, and will have the services of, Cameron scholar Aneela de Soysa. Discover where she lived and made her last photographs, and explore her life in British Ceylon on a tour of Sri Lanka. The tour is for art historians and photographers interested in the work of Cameron to experience the sights and sounds of Sri Lanka then and now and includes seven World Heritage Sites.

Discover Julia Margaret Cameron in Ceylon 1875-1879
Tour led by Aneela de Soysa
9-21 February 2025
For full details of the itinerary and cost see: https://www.aneeladesoysa.com/

UPDATED: The organisers have jus tannounced a shorter 8-night tour that covers the principal Cameron sites, and omits some of the other Sri Lanka sites. 

See Aneela de Soysa speak about Cameron here

Image: Julia Margaret Cameron, Two Young Women, Ceylon, 1875-79, Albumen Print, AIC

The Prix Pictet photography prize which hatnesses the power of photographyto draw global attention to issues of sustainability, has announced a five-year partnership with the V&A Museum, London. The Museum, which has hosted recent awards ceremonies, will host the awards ceremony and shortlist exhibition for the next five cycles of the Prix Pictet. The first exhibition in this series will take place from 26 September-19 October 2025 in the Museum’s Photography Centre. Additionally, one of the galleries in the Centre will be renamed ‘The Pictet Gallery’ in January 2025, in recognition of the Pictet Group's support for photography.

The Prix Pictet has staged over 150 shortlist exhibitions in many major cities of the world with visitor numbers of over one million. The ten Prix Pictet winners to date are Benoit Aquin, Nadav Kander, Mitch Epstein, Luc Delahaye, Michael Schmidt, Valérie Belin, Richard Mosse, Joana Choumali, Sally Mann and most recently Gauri Gill.

Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography at the V&A, said, "The Photography Centre at V&A is the largest space in the UK dedicated to a permanent photography collection, and we’re delighted that with the support of Prix Pictet the Museum will continue to celebrate photography’s many histories and explore its extensive impact on our lives.”

Separately, the Prize has announced that V&A Trustee Zewditu Gebreyohanes will join judging panel for Storm. Gebreyohanes was appointed a trustee of the V&A in 2022. She is a Senior Researcher at the right-leaning think tank The Legatum Institute. Prior to this she was Director of the pressure group Restore Trust which attempted to influence the direction of the National Trust. Between 2021 and 2022 she worked at the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange, where she was Head of the History Matters Project: a policy unit focussing on the preservation of British history and heritage.

See: https://prix.pictet.com/ and  https://prix.pictet.com/in-focus/zewditu-gebreyohanes-to-join-the-prix-pictet-judging-panel-for-s

The PhotoLondon resource - PhotoLondon.org.uk - which has been active for many years and hosted by the Museum of London is currently offline. The Museum has recently upgraded its website and may have impacted PhotoLondon. This has been raised with the Museum and is currently under investigation. Sadly, because of the way the site is constructed the underlying data is not visible through archive.org.   

Hopefully, the site will be online before too long.

BBC Radio 4's programme Toast will be looking at the story behind Kodak's business failure. Kodak made photography mainstream so why did it falter in a digital age? The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, discovers how Kodak rose to become a massive global enterprise best known for its cameras and film. Alongside him is the serial entrepreneur, Sam White, ready to offer her opinions on the business's fortunes.

Kodak is still trading profitably but is now a much smaller business than it once was. Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including:

• Kamal Munir - Professor of Strategy & Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School which is part of the University of Cambridge
• Don Strickland - Kodak's former Vice President of Digital Imaging
• Paul O'Sullivan - who runs a film processing business in London
• Andrew Long - who worked in Kodak's consumer products division in the UK.

The programme will be broadcast and available to listen live on BBC Radio 4 on 7 November at 1232 and will then be available on BBC Sounds.

See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024sy5

Recent sightings of the Northern Lights in southern Britain have flooded our timelines in recent weeks as people try to capture its wonderful colours on their smartphones. Now The Polar Museum is inviting visitors to see stunning early attempts to capture the natural phenomenon in a new free exhibition, showcasing the work of Danish-born school teacher and self-taught scientist, Sophus Peter Tromholt (1851–1896).

In 1875 Tromholt moved from Denmark to Norway. There he taught at a school, lectured in astronomy, wrote many articles and several schoolbooks, and even composed two pieces of music. However, the northern lights were always his main interest. He wanted to capture them using photography and determine their height in the atmosphere. In 1885 he published his results in the book, Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis.

During 1882-83 in the first International Polar Year, Tromholt spent a year living with the Sámi of Kautokeino in northern Norway. He didn’t succeed in taking photographs of the northern lights as photographic plates were not sensitive enough at that time. Instead, he chose to photograph the Sámi people living there, and became famous for his respectful portraits of named Sámi individuals – pioneering at that time. It was in Tromholt’s prints of Sámi people and landscapes at the University of Bergen Library, guest curator and artist Dr Christine Finn encountered Tromholt's sketches of the heavens over Kautokeino, originally made to accompany his newspaper articles and provide illustrations for his book.

Guest curator and artist, Dr Christine Finn, said: “These pictures were created from original glass negatives archived in Bergen. The wooden surface against which Tromholt photographed the drawings is visible, knots and all. Also left for context are the numbers which represent duration or time, almost certainly in his own hand. These traces are part of the ‘archaeology’ of the Aurora as it progresses from Tromholt's eye to brush and pen marks, glass plate negative, then digital file, and now, a print on fine art photographic paper. We do not know if he began with sketch books, or even coloured the works. It is to be hoped more evidence will emerge over time.” 

These awe-inspiring, large scale prints will go on display at the Polar Museum, including Tromholt's self-portrait in his open-air photography studio. He is posed amongst scientific equipment and fresh wooden construction, dressed in Sámi clothing and gazing at the camera, possibly being gazed at himself by some of those who called him the ‘Star Man’.

The Sámi people live in modern-day Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Historically they supported themselves through fishing, reindeer farming and hunting. Today, some Sámi people live outside the traditional Sámi homeland known as Sápmi. The Polar Museum holds many examples of Sámi objects, art and clothing, some of which can be seen in the upcoming exhibition.

The leading British stage and screen actor, Michael Maloney (currently on UK tour as Hercule Poirot in Lucy’ Bailey and Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express) has recorded an extract from Sophus Tromholt's descriptions of auroras from Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis. Visitors will be able to access this via headphones in the gallery. 

Prof. Richard Powell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute said: “The Aurora Borealis, and their representation, have a fascinating history. We are delighted to host this innovative and timely exhibition here at the Institute.”

Dr David Waterhouse, Curator of the Polar Museum said: “This exhibition combines the history of science and photography with Dr Finn’s artistic processes in order to bring this fascinating story to life some 140 years later. As the recent increase in solar activity makes the northern lights visible throughout the UK, many of us can relate to the frustrations of Aurora photography. Tromholt was a pioneer in the subject – moving to the Arctic Circle in order to study and capture their image. What better timing for an exhibition focused on the Aurora?”

Under the Rays of the Aurora Borealis
15 November 2024-22 February 2025
Curated by Dr Christine Finn
The Polar Museum, Cambridge
Free to visit, Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-4pm.
https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/

Image credit: Sophus Tromholt, Picture Collection, University of Bergen Library, Norway

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery will take to the skies and see the world from above the clouds through the remarkable work of Alfred Buckham: Daredevil Photographer. A trailblazer in his field, Buckham (1879-1956), a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, soared above the realms of what was thought to be possible in twentieth century photography and aviation. He moved aerial photography from straight documentary bringing to it an artistic and pictorial aesthetic. From 18 October 2025– 9 April 2026, meet the man behind some of the most iconic aerial photographs, marvel at the death-defying lengths he took to capture the perfect image and explore how his innovative techniques paved the way for modern technologies such as Photoshop and AI.

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland said 'We're really excited to announce our 2025 public programme, which is packed full of fantastic exhibitions. Breathtaking installations at the Royal Scottish Academy, soaring above the clouds at the Portrait gallery, and modern and contemporary highlights from your national collection at the Moderns. Whether you want to be inspired, find a moment of calm or share a joyful experience with friends - there's so much to discover at the National Galleries of Scotland.'

Image: Alfred G. Buckham, Aerial View over Edinburgh, c.1920. Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection.

This October the National Galleries of Scotland is partying like it’s 1984 with Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection, at the Portrait gallery from 26 October 2024 – 16 March 2025. Step back in time to the 1980s when the National Galleries of Scotland officially began its world-class photography collection. Explore over 100 art works from Scotland’s national photography collection, of some 55,000 photographs, dating from the 1840s to the present day in this free-to-visit exhibition. Marvel at historic photographs, visit some famous faces and discover an exciting range of what makes a photograph in this eclectic celebration of the nation’s photography collection.

Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection marks this magnificent milestone, reflecting on all that has been accomplished in the last four decades and looking to the future. In the 1980s recognition of photography as an artform was growing rapidly as museums and galleries around the world were looking to establish and grow their collections. National Galleries of Scotland were no different. Having begun collecting photography in the late 19th century, it was in 1984 that the National Galleries of Scotland

collection was formally established. A world-renowned photography collection it is regarded as one of the best in the UK, its breadth and quality matches those of London institutions such as the V&A and National Portrait Gallery, London. Due to its original remit to collect the very best of Scottish and international photography, the collection has developed over the last 40 years to have global reach.

Now over 55,000 artworks strong the ever-growing collection is showcased in this lively exhibition which explores the major themes, subjects and processes from throughout the history of photography. Including works by major photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Robert Mapplethorpe and Annie Leibovitz. Highlighting the enticing and universal nature of photography, the exhibition will include six themes; portraiture, landscape, documentary photography, archives, inclusion and experimentation.

Find portraits of famous Scots such as, Andy Murray, The Proclaimers, Jackie Kay and David Tennant as well as fun and vibrant portraits such as Viviane Sassen’s In Bloom. A newly acquired work consisting of photographs, film and performance by Glasgow-based artists Beagles & Ramsay will be on display for the first time. The Sanguis Gratia Artis (Black Pudding Self-Portrait), is a performance piece alongside photographs where the artists make black pudding out of their own blood to explore the boundaries of the self-portrait.

Celebrating the connectivity and nostalgia that photographs bring to people worldwide, the exhibition looks at how this incredible artform can be traced through generations of Scottish photographers and schools of photography. Embracing the eclectic nature of photography, vibrant displays will create interesting contrasts and connections between historic and contemporary images. Discover how the ideas and subject matters that started with David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson in the 1840s continues to be photographed centuries apart with different and modern cameras. Take pride in the influential alumni of Scottish photography schools whose connections extend around the world, making Scotland a significant home to photography. Explore the idea of what makes a photograph, reflecting on changing technology and taking a look at artists who are pushing the boundaries of what we might have traditionally thought of as a photograph.

Get a deeper understanding of how photographers have explored the themes of landscape and environment change including a new acquisition by American, Sant Khalsa combining photography and sculpture. Displayed alongside early Scottish photographs by John Muir Wood, showcasing the beautiful shapes created by trees. This offers a fascinating look at how these two artists explore the same subject matter in completely different ways.

Discover works by revered international photographers, with exceptional photographs from the ARTIST ROOMS collection, jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. The exhibition draws a selection of works by globally renowned artists, such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Diane Arbus. This will also be the first time the National Galleries of Scotland has shown work from the ARTIST ROOMS collection by Don McCullin, one of the world’s greatest photojournalists.

Scotland is known as a centre for documentary photography and the exhibition will celebrate this with a medley of the best documentary photographers who have made work in Scotland. Weaving in some old favourites and new acquisitions this will highlight photographers such as Alfred Eisenstaedt, Eve Arnold, David Hurn, Joseph Mackenzie and Bert Hardy. A wall of Hill & Adamson’s fisherwomen will mark an important moment in the development of documentary photography not just in Scotland but in the history of the medium.

In the years immediately following its establishment, National Galleries of Scotland received a number of significant bequests which quickly grew the collection. The exhibition will explore some of these major archives, such as The Riddell collection which joined the collection in 1985, ARTIST ROOMS, established in 2008 and jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate, and the MacKinnon Collection that was jointly acquired with the National Library of Scotland in 2018. Throughout the decades, the collection continues to grow and each year new additions are made, with an increasing focus on equality, diversity and inclusion.

Looking to the next 40 years, the exhibition also focuses on acquisitions from the last decade which address issues such as equality, inclusion and diversity. National Galleries of Scotland actively seek opportunities to broaden representation across the collection and the exhibition highlights this as a priority area for collecting in the future. Representation of female photographers has been a recent priority, with work by artists including Chrystel Lebas, Wendy McMurdo, Chloe Dewe Mathews and Arpita Shah entering the collection.

Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘Photography is a cornerstone of the National Galleries of Scotland, accounting for almost half of the entire collection. It is with great delight that we celebrate the medium with this impressive and engaging exhibition drawn entirely from the vast holdings of the nation’s collection. Over the course of the last forty years many photographers, collectors, donors, curators, and enthusiasts have contributed to this important world-class collection which belongs to the people of Scotland. We are excited to celebrate this anniversary with our visitors through such a dynamic display.’

Louise Pearson, Photography Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘The 40th anniversary is the perfect moment to draw from the full breadth of Scotland’s photography collection. This vibrant and fun exhibition includes photographs of famous Scots and works by photographers who have become household names. It opens many possibilities in making connections across our country’s photography collection, sharing highlights as well as celebrating lesser-known works. We want visitors to join us in celebrating the collection and take pride in Scotland’s contribution to photography worldwide.’

This exhibition is funded by The Morton Charitable Trust and the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery

Supporting the exhibition are a series of live, online and hybrid events and workships including: an opening talk Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection (hybrid, free). Join a panel of invited speakers to mark the opening of our Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection exhibition. The conversation will look at the national photography collection in the context of the 1980s.

Read more: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/celebrating-40-years-scotlands-photography-collection
See a STV piece on the exhibition: https://news.stv.tv/east-central/exhibition-celebrating-40-years-of-scotlands-national-photography-collection

Image: (Top:) CC:  David Octavius Hill & Robert Adamson / Jeanie Wilson [Newhaven 15]; (lower:) Oscar Marzaroli, The Castlemilk Lads, 1963. Purchased 1985 © Estate of Oscar Marzaroli.

24.39 is the new name for the former Photo Discoevr Fair and is now run by Barnabé Moinard. It is a key event during the Paris-Photo fair bringing vintage and collectable photography and books to the contemporary fair. 24.39 will bring together dealers, gallery owners, collectors and international experts every year. 24.39 boasts vintage prints spanning from the very beginnings of photography in 1839 to the end of the twentieth century. The fair offers a broad selection of works to discover - both eclectic and varied, sometimes little known, often wonderful, and always surprising.

24.39 is a must-attend event for professionals and amateurs alike: a unique rendez-vous where the most unusual and distinctive collections are born.

24.39
Saturday, 9 November 2024, 1000-1600
Pavillon wagram, 47 avenue de wagram, Paris 17
Free entry
Details: https://24-39.com/about

Tying in with Paris Photo (7-10 November) the latest issue of The Classic has been published in print and as a free download. In this issue, it interviews Malcolm Daniel at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Ettore Molinario, due to open Casa Museo in Milan next spring. There are also lengthy interviews with Michael W. Sonnenfeldt and Richard Grosbard of MUUS Collection and Robert Muir, Rachel Wetzel, Michael Greisman and Sasha Belgrave each discuss one of their research projects. There is much more besides. 

You will find an article about Paperbase on The Classic Platform, our online resource, as well as the first three interviews in a new series, The Next Generation in Classic Photography and Heat and Dust – Captain Linnaeus Tripe’s views of Burma, an article about the prints held by Hulton Archive, written by the archive’s Vice President Matthew Butson.

Download: https://theclassicphotomag.com/the-classic-12/

From photographs of Northern England in the early 1970s, to his renowned theatre and Samuel Beckett photography, to images of James Baldwin, and Paula Rego in her studio, this is a comprehensive exhibition of John Haynes’ work.

When Niloufar Bakhtiar Bakhtiari met Jane Haynes during a zoom bridge session in the Covid-19 lockdown, Niloufar mentioned a Samuel Beckett photograph she admired in Sloane Square restaurant Colbert. Jane revealed that the photograph was taken by her husband John… Years later, John Haynes and Niloufar Bakhtiar Bakhtiari collaborate to bring A Life Passing By to the history-rich exhibition space in Avenue Studios.

Niloufar strongly believes in the importance of memory and the way in which it moulds our identity, and this permeates John’s work. With small group gatherings, reminiscent of the literary salons of the past, the exhibition will offer something unusual in today’s art world — intimacy, discussion and a space for contemplation.

A life passing by John Haynes. A showcase of photographs from 1963-present
4 November-6 December 2024
By appointment at 3 Avenue Studios, Sydney Close, London SW3 6HW
For more information, to view the exhibition, attend the events email: gracepilkingtonpublicity@gmail.com

See: https://www.johnhaynesphotography.net/

Image: © John Haynes, Samuel Beckett at The Royal Court Theatre, 1973 

Photography versus Thatcher: The Photo Co-op Archive, prints and objects, 1979 to 1986 – Photofusion’s origin story tells the story of the early years of the Photo Co-op, the founding organisation which later grew into Photofusion. Opening on 14 November 2024, this exhibition features vintage items contributed by the participating photographers from their archives that now form the Photo Co-op Archive at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol.

Curated by Chris Boot, and in collaboration with the Martin Parr Foundation, the exhibition features photographs by Janis Austin, Corry Bevington, Luis Bustamante, Gina Glover, Crispin Hughes, Sarah Saunders, Vicky White and Sarah Wyld. These include a wide selection of original library photographs used to promote social causes, with objects and documents from the time, and examples of laminated panels from campaign exhibitions. Seen together for the first time, these archival artefacts reveal the ‘world view’ the Photo Co-op created in photographs – a style of advocacy for progressive causes and, in particular, for the solidarity of women, made for and with the community.
Photo Co-op began as a group of campaigning photographers in 1979, making pictures to engage in the battle against the social and economic values of Margaret Thatcher as they were rolled out in Wandsworth. The organisation thrived with the support of the Greater London Council (the GLC) – a thorn in Thatcher’s side – until she abolished it in 1986. Photo Co-op later moved to Brixton and became Photofusion.

A network of volunteer photographers and journalists, many who made pictures for the community newspaper ‘Pavement’, got organised as ‘Wandsworth Photo Co-op’ and mounted an exhibition of work by 25 photographers on the street outside Battersea Arts Centre in 1979. Within months, a mix of photographers, teachers, social workers, community activists, students, and others invested in their local community were meeting regularly, buying materials together, lending their help as photographers to community causes, producing campaigns, sharing darkrooms, making exhibitions and calendars, and starting a photo library.

The growing Co-op was supported by the Greater London Council (GLC)’s innovative, Community Arts Panel; initially to pay three women a shared salary to engage with local women’s issues in southwest London. Their work included campaigns to Save the South London Hospital, on behalf of women, and against privatization. The GLC supported establishing an office and community darkroom in 1984 and doubled its support of now six photographers.

The Co-op’s photo library of campaign images was loaned for reproduction to local and national causes and used in multiple campaign posters and leaflets by the GLC itself, arguably Thatcher’s most articulate institutional critic, including by its Low Pay, Women’s and Popular Planning Units. The Co-op’s style of documentary advocacy pictures became central to the GLC’s visual language until its abolition. Its abolition by Thatcher - alongside winning the Falklands War, beating the miners, and shrinking public services – was one of Thatcher’s signature acts.

The women who won support as “Women’s Photo Co-op” in 1982 were Gina Glover, Sarah Saunders and Corry Bevington. With additional GLC support they grew to include Janis Austin, Vicky White, and Crispin Hughes. Chris Boot joined the membership as its first administrator in 1984 and Luis Bustamante its first education worker in 1985. After GLC funding ended, Photo Co-op continued with the support of the regional Arts Council, moving in 1990 to a new space in Brixton with a gallery, a teaching darkroom and a studio focusing on education and enabling photographers in the community. With the move in 1990, Photo Co-op rebranded as Photofusion, continuing to run the Photo Library until 2015.

Chris Boot (Curator) says: ‘It has been great to have the opportunity to explore the history of Photo Co-op, where, just out of college in 1983, and wanting to be part of the cultural resistance to Thatcherism, I got my first job in photography. The photographers involved at the outset - and the heirs of those who since died – have dug into many storage boxes to put together this archive of objects of their time: photographs, laminated panels, press clippings, minutes, etc, now the Photo Co-op Archive at the Martin Parr Foundation. It’s a compelling story, of a women-led workers’ co-op, forged in the particular fires of Wandsworth – the front line of Thatcher’s sweeping cuts – initially activists-with-cameras who volunteered their picture-making skills to local groups and campaigns, who then won funds from the Greater London Council to pay photographers to make campaign pictures for and with the community, and where the pictures were in turn used widely by the GLC itself, becoming central to their campaigning visual language. Women are usually the heroes of these vivid documentary-advocacy photographs, very of their historical moment that, between them, offer a coherent idea of how society might value and care for its citizens, while challenging prevailing stereotypes of gender, race and class’.

Jenni Grainger, Director of Photofusion says: ‘We are delighted to be presenting this exhibition in collaboration with the Martin Parr Foundation. It speaks both directly to the story of how Photofusion came into existence, and to the fact that, 30 years on, we remain a place for people to express their creativity, their views, and where photographers are supported at all stages of their careers. Our new home on Beehive Place, in the heart of Brixton, is the perfect place to exhibit the ‘world view’ that was created by photographers at the beginning of our organisation and understand the social causes they were championing at the time’.

Photography versus Thatcher: The Photo Co-op Archive, prints and objects, 1979 to 1986 – Photofusion’s origin story
15 November 2024 to 4 January 2025
https://www.photofusion.org/

Image: (top) Mrs Quick's Hospital, Panel exhibition. © Gina Glover_Photo Co-op. Courtesy Martin Parr Foundation. (Lower:) Demo Against National Front, who were meeting in Battersea Town Hall during 1979 General Election. © Sarah Wyld_Photo Co-op. Courtesy of Martin Parr Foundation

Signal Film and Media (SFM) is inviting applications from photographers or lens-based artists who will work collaboratively with local people to produce a new artistic commission that responds to The Sankey Family Photographic Archive resulting in a public exhibition.

The Sankey Photographic Archive is a stunning collection of over 10,000 glass plate negatives and postcards of Barrow and the north-west, which were produced and shared around the world from 1895 to the 1970s. The whole collection has now been digitised and can be searched on our new dedicated website.

We welcome applications from photographers or lens-based artists who have experience of, and the passion for, working in a socially-engaged and/or a participatory way. We welcome artists with an interest in working with archival photography and how the process can inform the development of their work.

Applications are encouraged from photographers/artists from all backgrounds and we actively encourage artists to apply who belong to one or more of the following groups: Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic group, Refugee, D/deaf, Disabled, Neurodivergent, Working Class and LGBTQI+.

This project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to use digital media and creative interpretation to explore the Sankey Photography Archive and make it accessible to a diverse range of people.

Fee: £9,000 (To cover artist fee & workshop delivery fee, production materials, any travel and accommodation needs).
Exhibition Dates: April 2025.
Location: Barrow-in Furness, Cumbria, LA14 5QR.

Details: https://signalfilmandmedia.com/about/work-with-us/

Since the invention of photography in 1839, many of the contributions made by women have been forgotten, leaving their legacy on the margins of history. In recent times, this biased view has evolved thanks to the historiographical rescue of numerous amateur or professional women, regular participants in the different stages of the creative process (researchers, photographers, retouchers, assistants, etc.). In Retratadas, Stéphany Onfray offers a novel approach by analyzing the beginnings of the photographic medium from the perspective of gender. Thanks to a lucid reinterpretation of the relationship that women had with the camera, no longer as operators, but as portrayed, she proposes new lines of reflection to dismantle the hegemonic discourses that have historically confined them to a role of passive observers. Through an exhaustive examination of nineteenth-century visual and material culture, from painting, literature and theatre to the press and a nascent fashion industry, the author explores how, by capitalising on their own image and therefore their bodies, women displaced the boundaries between the sexes, becoming part of a cultural and social dialogue that not only redefined gender boundaries but also favoured a more contemporary, affective and artistic vision of the photographic object.

Retradas. Fotografía, género y modernidad en el siglo xix español [Portrayed. Photography, gender and modernity in 19th century Spain}
Stéphany Onfray
Cátedra, 2024, 360 pages
ISBN 978-84-376-4858-3
€29.95 (paper)
Details: https://catedra.com/libro/arte-grandes-temas/retratadas-stephany-onfray-9788437648583/