Chiswick Auctions has a number of interesting lots relevant to British photographic history in its next sale at the end of the month. These range from Alfred Buckham, Bertram Park through to Bob Carlos Clarke. Of particular interest is a letter from 1911 (lot 6) from Thereza [Charlotte Story-]Maskelyne to Lady [Caroline Julia] Dillwyn Llewelyn describing the daguerreotype in the 1840s and expressing an interest in the early history of photography as well as remarking on Charles Talbot, the collections at Lacock Abbey and The Pencil of Nature; lot 355 is a set of photographs of the Creative Camera/Coo Press offices in Doughty Street along with a portrait of Colin Osman. 

Elsewhere in the 473 lot sale is a selection of cameras, optical views, lantern slides, nineteenth and twentieth century photographs and albums, and photographic books including lot 120 The Book of Bread (1903).  

Photographica
Chiswick Auctions
31st Mar, 2025, starting at 1100
See the full catalogue here.  

Image:  Alfred Buckham (1879-1956), In the North Sea, c.1920, lot 116.

BBC Radio 4 Extra carried a series of programme related to photography on Saturday. They will be available for the next twenty-eight days. Catch up with: 

• The Photographer at Sixteen by George Szirtes George Szirtes reads his memoir
• Conversation Extra Sontag on Photography, a conversation between Susan Sontag and Philip French (1978) 
• Diane Arbus: Intimate Portraits (2023) 

Photograph albums of Victorian Britain have often been interpreted in terms of the social and familial networks of their compilers, but they also imply certain geographies – local and transnational, imagined and travelled – that are not always brought to the same level of critical attention. This keynote lecture delivered by Luke Gartlan examines an impressive album compiled by Cecilia Mary Jocelyn, née Elliot, which is currently on permanent display at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Luke Gartlan is Senior Lecturer in the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of A Career of Japan: Baron Raimund von Stillfried and Early Yokohama Photography (2016); and has co-edited two volumes: with Ali Behdad, Photography’s Orientalism: New Essays on Colonial Representation (2013); and with Roberta Wue, Portraiture and Early Studio Photography in China and Japan (2017).

A second keynote At the Center of the Periphery: East Berlin and the Face Value of Photo Books from Steffen Siegel is also being delivered as part of the same event. 

Navigating the Victorian Photograph Album: Itineraries, Histories, Erasures
Keynote Lecture as part of the photo-historical seminar “Centers and Peripheries: Photography’s Geography Lessons"
Dr Luke Gartlan
18 March 2025 at 1830 (CET) | 1730 (UTC/GMT)
Rome and streamed online, free 
See: https://www.biblhertz.it/events/41034/2206 

At the Center of the Periphery: East Berlin and the Face Value of Photo Books
Keynote Lecture as part of the photo-historical seminar “Centers and Peripheries: Photography’s Geography Lessons"
Professor Steffen Siegel
20 March 2025 at 1830 (CET) | 1730 (UTC/GMT)
Rome and streamed online, free 
See: https://www.biblhertz.it/events/41035/2206

Popular Visual Shows 1800-1914  is a forthcoming book that tells the story of the growth of picturegoing as a popular habit between 1800 and 1914. Encouraged by urbanisation and changes in transportation, education, and leisure patterns, the regular and widespread provision of exhibitions and shows became a defining characteristic of cultural life. Painted panoramas and dioramas awed with enormous tableaux; the stereoscope immersed viewers in a 3D world; the many varieties of peepshow promised a marvellously garish experience of patriotic battles, gruesome murders, and far-off places. If that was not enough, the ever-versatile magic lantern projected hundreds of thousands of slides of every imaginable subject, from travelogues and temperance tales to illustrated hymns and adaptations of popular fiction. Then, after 1896, audiences experienced the cinematograph, and were able to enjoy film at the many fixed venue cinemas that emerged from around 1908.

Moving and projected images were displayed not only in town halls, theatres, and other large exhibition spaces, but also in workhouses, schools, churches, empty shops, and fairgrounds. Picturegoing, in all its variety, became a national pastime, integrating itself more and more pervasively into the structures of everyday life as the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries progressed. Drawing on a wealth of new evidence, this book details the shows that were on offer, where and what they were, the networks and infrastructure they existed within, and, above all, how their audiences experienced them.

Popular Visual Shows 1800–1914. Picturegoing from Peep Shows to Film
Joe Kember and John Plunkett, with Rosalind Leveridge
Oxford University Press, published 22 May 2025
£113, 496 pages, hardcovers, eBook also available
ISBN: 9780192849861
Details here

The LSE has launch its new digital library. Containing 500,000 pages of digital content freely available to search, browse and download, it is a significant step in furthering access to the LSE's  collections to anyone who wants to use them. The site includes digitised and born-digital items from LSE Library’s flagship collections such as The Women's Library, the Hall-Carpenter Archives and the Charles Booth Archive. It includes a mix of copyright free and protected materials.  The new platform provides access to the full range of nationally significant collections available on the previous digital Library, as well as exciting new resources and a suite of enhanced user features. 

Of particualr interest to photographic historians is a digitised version of Street Life in London, photographs documenting women's suffrage and up to the Greenham Women Everywhere project of 2019-2021.  Amongst the prints papers I came across by chance are the Census of Production Reports 1907-1993 which include thos relating to photographic manufacturing, 

A new video guide has been made to help users and ensure that search and discovery of Digital Library content is now easier than ever. 

 https://digital.library.lse.ac.uk 

For more information contact: Henry Rowsell, Digital Library Manager, LSE Library, e: h.r.rowsell@lse.ac.uk 

Image: World Graphic Press Limited, Christine Pankhurst, Trafalgar Square, London, 1908. From The Women's Library collection. 

The University of Oxford and the Bodleian Libraries have announced the endowment of the post of Bodley’s Librarian and Director of University Libraries, thanks to the generous philanthropic support of the Helen Hamlyn Trust. The trust has been a strong supporter of the Bodleian Libraries over many years, and this £4 million gift towards the post has also resulted in the release of £2 million in matched funding from the University. The endowment means that Bodley’s Librarian, the most senior position at the Bodleian Libraries, will from now on be known as Bodley’s Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries. The funding will ensure the permanence of the role, and support the sustainability of the Bodleian into the future.

Richard Ovenden has held the role of Bodley’s Librarian since 2014. The libraries’ endowment – essential for the sustainability of the organisation – has tripled during Ovenden’s time at the head of the Bodleian. During his tenure Ovenden has championed photography, and led on adding photographers' archives to the Library's special collection, and he was behind the appointment of the Bern and Ronny Schwartz Curator of Photography. Amongst the Libraries' most significant acquisitions was securing the personal archive of William Henry Fox Talbot, which has heralded a period of major collecting in the field of photography. He has also suppported photography within the institution by encouraging exhibitons, conferences, events, and the award of an Honorary Fellowship to photographer Gary Fabian Miller (see left). 

More widely, under his leadership, the libraries have made transformational improvements to their buildings, especially the renovation of the Weston Library which was completed in 2015 – celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – the KB Chen China Centre Library, and the refurbished Radcliffe Science Library. Major acquisitions under his leadership include the only surviving copy of a ‘lost’ poem by the poet Shelley, the papers of John le Carré, the archive of the NGO Oxfam, and the Kohn Bach Manuscript. 

See: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about/media/helen-hamlyn-trust-endowment

The British Film Institute is seeking a Curator and an Assistant Curator to join a team of archivists, a conservator and collections specialists in the BFI’s Special Collections team, working with one of the world’s most significant collections of photography and designs (posters, costume, production, animation), filmmakers’ paper archives, and special collections (scripts, pressbooks).  

Curator - closes 17 March 2025. Details here
Assistant Curator - closes 17 March 2025. Details here

For almost 50 years Flambards has been one of Cornwall’s most loved visitor attraction. It was a delight for all ages, but will be most firmly etched into the happy memories of many generations of Cornish children. But rising costs and falling visitor numbers forced its closure in November last year, and now its extraordinary contents will be auctioned. The auction will encompass all 50 astonishingly detailed shops in the Victorian Village, the similarly remarkable ‘Britain in the Blitz’ installation and the surrounding War Galleries, plus all the supporting historical displays, including the full size Concorde and the Avro Shackleton cockpit.

Of particular note to BPH is the inclusion of the photographer's shop front and contents. The shop front itself is being auctioned. The photographic contents include a studio camera, signage and studio furniture. 

The Flambards Sale
Lays Auctioneers
Penzance: 25-27 March 2025
See details here: https://www.davidlay.co.uk/auction/details/fl01-the-flambards-sale/?au=444

To mark what would have been photographer Mik Critchlow's 70th birthday on 7 March 2025, and two years since his passing, Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland has announced it will open a new gallery dedicated to the acclaimed photographer later this year. The Coal Town Collection will showcase more than 100 photographs from Critchlow’s Coal Town archive, which first went on display at Woodhorn Museum in November 2021. Chronicling the town and people of Ashington over four decades, ‘Coal Town’ provides a rare glimpse inside the town’s coalfield communities, and captures periods of major social, economic and political change in Northumberland. Critchlow personally selected each photograph from his archive for the original exhibition.

The Coal Town Collection will also feature personal items on loan from Critchlow’s family, including cameras he collected and used during his career, unseen photographs, and other personal ephemera that provide an insight into the man behind the camera.Mik's negatives and archive remains with his family. 

The new exhibition at Woodhorn Museum celebrates the legacy of Critchlow and his work, and the hugely important role he played in documenting the end of Northumberland’s mining history. Liz Ritson, Director of Programmes & Engagement at Woodhorn Museum, said: “With a career spanning almost 45 years, Mik’s work is one of the most important historical archives we have of the end of deep coal mining in Northumberland. It also captures the short and long-term impact of the industry’s closure on coalfield communities. His emotive and deeply personal photographs do more than capture a moment in time; they tell a story of the people and communities he was part of in the town of Ashington.

“Because of his close connections to the people he photographed, Mik was able to capture deeply personal moments in people’s lives. Throughout his career he sensitively documented moments of joy, sadness, and everyday life within the coalfield communities in Ashington. The new gallery celebrating his extraordinary body of work will give visitors to Woodhorn the opportunity to experience and enjoy his work, in Mik’s own words, “…back home where they all belong.”

Born and raised in Ashington, Mik Critchlow amassed an archive of over 50,000 pictures during his 44-year photography career. He began photographing the people and street life of his hometown in 1977 after seeing an exhibition by The Ashington Group (also known as the Pitmen Painters).

Part of a mining family, Mik often referred to coal as being ‘in our blood’. His family moved to Northumberland in the mid-1800s to work in the region’s coal mines. Mik’s grandfather worked at Woodhorn Colliery for 52 years, his father spent 45 years as a miner, and his two brothers also spent 25 years working underground. Mik died on his birthday  - 7 March 1955 -  aged 68 in Ashington, Northumberland.

Maureen Critchlow, Mik’s wife, said: “Mik saw the Coal Town exhibition as the culmination of his life’s work within the area. Even though he’d worked on many projects further afield, it was this one, spanning a period of over 40 years, that was most special to him. He had a deep understanding and empathy for the people who lived and worked in his home town.

“Mik had a longstanding association with Woodhorn Museum, having exhibited his work there many times over the years, and attending many a Miner’s Picnic day. The museum also holds a collection of his original exhibition prints from the 80s in its archive. He would have been honoured to have his work permanently housed in the museum to enable many more people to view it. It is fitting, therefore, for the anniversary of his 70th birthday to coincide with the announcement of the new Mik Critchlow gallery.”

Shona Brown, Mik’s daughter, added: “My Dad had an effortless ability to capture people’s emotions and personalities while simply going about their daily life. Quite often, when looking back on the mining era, it’s easy to automatically think of ‘the miners’ themselves, and not their families or the effects the devastating loss of the industry had on the wider community. The selected images were personally chosen by my Dad back in 2021, capturing community life over four decades and creating a breathtaking display. This permanent home of The Coal Town Collection will ensure not only that his legacy lives on, but also the memories and subjects in the images. It’s been a pleasure working closely with the talented team at Woodhorn Museum and I’m confident he would be delighted with the end result.”

Mik Critchlow’s work has also been exhibited and published by Side Gallery, Amber-Side Collection, Brunel University, Durham Art Gallery, Arts Council England, Northern Arts, British Journal of Photography, and Creative Camera. In 2019, his third solo book, Coal Town – which features a collection of images from the exhibition – was published.

Speaking about the Coal Town exhibition in 2021, Mik said: “For the past 44 years I have photographed the town, people and surrounding areas of Ashington, Northumberland, the town in which I was born, educated and still live. Ashington as a community owes its very existence to coal mining, and although the extraction of coal was the major dominant factor in their lives, miners and their families shared many interests. There was always a strong tradition of community life. People would often ask me, ‘Why are you photographing me? I’m not royalty’, and I would say, ‘you’re my royalty, you’re just as important’. I’ve always told people they’re important. I was photographing them for history really. After all these many years, I feel that I'm bringing these people back to life again, back home where they all belong." 

The Coal Town Collection will open at Woodhorn Museum in May 2025. The date will be announced shortly.

From 1 April 2025, North East Museums (formerly Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums) will manage Woodhorn Museum, Hexham Old Gaol and Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum on behalf of Northumberland County Council.

For more information about Woodhorn Museum visit: www.museumsnorthumberland.org.uk.

Images: © Mik Critchlow. Top: Mining apprentices with winding wheel, Ashington Colliery, 1981; Below: Miners coming off shift, Ashington Colliery, 1981. 

The landmark British photo-magazine, Picture Post (1938-57), was launched in the era of the Spanish Civil War and the Popular Front. Conceived for Hulton Press by Stefan Lorant (a Hungarian editor exiled from Nazi Germany), Picture Post had a transnational staff and a global outlook. It was the leading British example of an international phenomenon – the birth of photojournalism and the photo-essay. The equivalent of Life in the US and Paris-Match in France, the magazine achieved circulation figures of 1.7 million.

Before the establishment of large television audiences, the photographs published in this general readership magazine offered audiences a shared perspective on the UK and its place in the world. Picture Post reported extensively on the Second World War as it unfolded across the globe, as well as documenting both the Cold War and the wars of decolonization after 1945. It helped popularise a progressive attitude to society and politics, shaping the debate about postwar reconstruction and the establishment of the welfare state. Yet, its coverage also reflected sexist and racist ideas of the era, as well as patronizing or critical perspectives on disadvantaged communities and young adults.

To mark the opening of a major exhibition about Picture Post at Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, we will be hosting a one-day public workshop that aims to bring together an international cohort of researchers, curators, archivists and librarians to discuss the development and impact of Picture Post.

We invite proposals for 15-minute papers or panels of 3 to 4 contributors. Please send a title, abstract (250 words) and short biography (150 words) to Tom Allbeson e: allbesont@cardiff.ac.uk.

We encourage contributors to engage with the multifaceted histories relating to the genesis, development and legacy of Picture Post. We are interested in a broad range of methodological approaches to the emergence of photojournalism and the photo-essay format pioneered by mid-century, general readership photo-magazines.

Picture Post (1938-57): Genesis, History & Legacy of a Photo-Magazine
One-day workshop, Cardiff, Friday, 13 June 2025

Deadline for CFP: Friday 14 March 2025
Programme announced: Friday 14 April 2025

Read the full call here (CFP - Picture Post Workshop, June 2025.pdf)

Organisers:
Dr Tom Allbeson, Reader in Media & Photographic History, Cardiff University, allbesont@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Bronwen Colquhoun, Senior Curator of Photography, Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, bronwen.colquhoun@museumwales.ac.uk 
The event is co-hosted by the Tom Hopkinson Centre for Media History (School of Journalism, Media & Culture, Cardiff University) and Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales. 

Do you have a broad knowledge of the history of photography and photographic technologies? Do you have the ability to research interesting stories in collections and then communicate this complex information to non-specialist audiences in an engaging way?

About us
The National Science and Media Museum holds internationally significant collections of photographic, film, television, sound and games technologies. In the photography and photographic collections alone, we care for millions of individual photographs and cameras, plus related technologies.

We are now recruiting for a Curator of Photography and Photographic Technology to join on a fixed-term, 12-month, maternity cover contract. This is a full-time role working 35 hours per week, based at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford with hybrid working also available.

About the role
The Curator of Photography and Photographic Technology is a key role within the museum’s curatorial team, working with and championing our world class collections of photography and photographic technology.

You will work with colleagues to understand, care for and facilitate access to our collections. This includes improving collections information and catalogue records, appraising and progressing potential acquisitions and undertaking collections reviews.

You will facilitate access to collections by responding to enquiries, developing content for displays, online content or in-person talks and tours, and by hosting research visitors. There is also scope for you to identify and develop your own project or specialisms within the period of this role. This might respond to recent or emerging technologies such as digital photo manipulation or generative AI, or it might respond to historic materials already held in the collection.

About you
Joining us, you will have a broad knowledge of the history of photography, of historical and contemporary photographic technologies and of their relationship to the wider history of science and technology. You will have good oral and written communication skills with experience of communicating complex information to non-specialist audiences, for example in exhibitions, articles, blogs, outreach or teaching.

Crucially, you will have good research skills which will enable you to find interesting stories related to our collection. You will be able to build relationships with internal/external peers, subject specialists and organisations and you will have a good understanding of collections management and curatorial procedures.

Curator of Photography and Photographic Technology
Bradford: National Sicence and Media Museum
Fixed term (12 months), maternity cover
Closes: 26 March 2025
Details here

The Hong Kong History Centre, based at the University of Bristol,put out a call for donations of historic materials, especially photographs, to its ‘Hong Kong Collection’, which is held in the University of Bristol Library’s Special Collections.

Established in 2022, and building on the previous seven years of successful work of the Hong Kong History Project at Bristol, the University’s Hong Kong History Centre is the only such research centre in the world. The Centre supports research on the history of Hong Kong and its peoples and provides public engagement and outreach, with the aim of raising public awareness of the history of Hong Kong and its global connections. The Centre leadership team consists of co-directors Dr Vivian Kong and Professor Robert Bickers, and Research Director Professor Ray Yep.

The Hong Kong Collection preserves materials with significant research value to the study of Hong Kong History. The collection contains archival materials in a wide range of physical and digital formats and media, in both English and Chinese. No other institution in Great Britain has the collection of material relating to Hong Kong’s history as a strategic priority. The photographic collection stands out as a highlight, offering a visual narrative of the evolving landscape and lives in Hong Kong across different periods. Our goal is to make these photographs freely accessible online internationally.

The Centre is seeking offers of donations of original photographs (loose or in albums), negatives, post cards, or magic lantern slides. It is looking for material that is likely to be of significant interest to scholars and students seeking to understand the diverse histories of Hong Kong. These could be small collections, or large ones; they could be rich in records of momentous events, or institutions, or rich in evidence of family life and social history. We are happy to hear about all sorts of materials, such as family letters, diaries, unpublished memoirs etc.

Professor Bickers was the founder of the Historical Photographs of China project which has now concluded, although the website remains live. 

Read more here: https://www.hkhistory.net/hphk-call/

Image:  Denis H Hazell, View from Victoria Peak, looking East towards Mount Parker, Hong Kong, 1924. https://hpcbristol.net/visual/Bk09-06. Courtesy: Historical Photographs of China. 

NEUMEISTER Münchener Kunstauktionshaus, in Munich, is offering a very early Richard Beard daguerreotype at auction on 19-20 March 2025. The subject is Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, founder of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry. The prince and his family were visiting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Windsor in January/February 1842 and it is possible that the daguerreotype was made during the visit. The daguerreotype is estimated at 350-500 Euro.

The lot description reads: 
Richard Beard and employees
1801 East Stonehouse, Devon - 1885 Hampstead
Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, founder of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry
Inscribed "Beard / Patented" on the inner metal frame. Daguerreotype. Image size: 5 x 3.8 cm. Set in a red leather case. Damaged.

Ferdinand was the second son of Duke Franz Friedrich Anton of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1750-1806) and Countess Auguste Reuß zu Ebersdorf (1757-1831). In 1816 he married Countess Maria Antonie Gabriele Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya (1797 Budapest - 1862 Vienna), the heiress of the House of Koháry. The House of Saxe-Coburg-Koháry emerged from this marriage. The couple had four children, including Prince August (1818-1881), who would marry Princess Clémentine d'Orléans.

The daguerreotype technique was the first commercially usable photography process in the 19th century. It is named after the painter Louis Daguerre, who helped develop it. It was published in 1839. In England, Richard Beard became aware of the new technology and secured the patent for England and Wales. In 1841, he founded the first English photography studio. Most of the photographs taken in Beard's studio were taken by employees. In our case, the name of the metal frame also refers to this.

Provenance: Clémentine, née Princess of Orléans (1817-1907), to her son Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861-1948). Estate of Dr. Alexander Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (1933-2024).
Provenance: estate of Dr. Alexander Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (1933-2024).

March-Auction and Ducal Treasures – Noble Sale. From the House of Württemberg
19-20 March 2025
Lot 1243
See: https://www.neumeister.com/en/auctions/ducaltreasures/#c27751

There are a number of new displays and exhibitions in Edinburgh. At the National Gallery a new display within the Scottish galleries looks at textiles and fashion through a small selection of calotypes (positives and negatives) of Hill and Adamson. They highlight the remarkable skill of pioneering photographers Hill and Adamson in using the process to showcase the fashions of the 1840s. They embraced the technical challenge of photographing the varied textiles and fashions of the day. Still experimenting with the calotype process, they successfully reveal the delicate pattern on a pair of lace gloves, the rough wool of tartans and tweeds and the sheen of silk.

At the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (SNPG), an exhibition celebrates forty years of collecting photography. There are highlights from Scotland's world-class collection of over 55,000 photographs. Find famous faces, gems of early Scottish photography and new acquisitions which push the boundaries of photography. Arranged thematically - Portraiture, Experimentation, Documentary - the displays bring historical photography and contemporary photography together to hint at the breadth of the collection. Side panels note the need for inclusivity and ask visitors to recommend contemporary photographers whose work should be included in the collection, the other reminds us of the archive and a new acquisition (see below). 

Just opened in the King's Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse is Royal Portraits which was originally seen in London. In the balcony space and side gallery the exhibition feels smaller than that in London, but it focuses more directly on the photography with less contextual art. It's engaging, with work photography from Cecil Beaton to Leibowitz, and it shows how royalty has been pictured and used photography, and how they have been photographed has changed over the century.  

Stills gallery current student show is just about to end and a new exhibition from a Hayward touring show will be installed. The popular photobooth remains in situ.

The Annan Archive acquisition

The SNPG's 40th anniversary show teases visitors with a few objects from a very significant recent acquisition, the Annan Archive, This has recently been purchased from the Annan family, with the support of the Art Fund. The archive is extensive and covers both the family and the business of T & R Annan in which, of course, photography features strongly. One case in the exhibition, shows a sample of what is included with several of James Craig Annan's many exhibition medals, his notebook recording exhibition prints; an early ambrotype portrait of Thomas Annan, and his passport to Vienna where he met Karl Klič and negotiated the right to operate his printing process. These are just a very small sample of the entire archive.

During a recent visit, the Ben Harman and Louise Pearson, the photography curators, showed me an original collodion negative (one of a number) from Old Streets and Closes, Hill & Admson prints and negatives, D O Hill portrait sketches and examples of the firm's printing.

National Galleries Scotland and the Art Fund are due to make a formal announcement of the acquisition shortly, and the gallery will be appointing someone to work on the archive readying it for public access. It is very likely that an exhibition exploring the role the firm and the Annan family members played within photography, printing and within Scotland will be held in the future.

BPH will continue to follow work on the archive as it progresses. 

See: 
Hill & Adamson | Fashion & Textiles 1843–1848, until 8 June 2025
Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection, until 16 March 2025
Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, until 7 September 2025
Stills - centre for photography

Photographs: Michael Pritchard

The National Galleries of Scotland have an exciting opportunity within our enthusiastic and dedicated Collection & Research team. We’re looking for a highly motivated and organised individual to assist colleagues in the Portraiture and Photography curatorial team with all aspects of curatorial work.

Do you have a strong interest in an art historical subject area related to the National Galleries of Scotland portrait and/or photography collections? Are you keen to develop your skills, knowledge and experience across a variety of curatorial activities? Do you have the ability to take the initiative together with proven experience of meeting deadlines? If so, we want to hear from you.

In this role you’ll assist with all aspects of curatorial work relating to the collection and programme associated with the Portraiture and Photography curatorial team. This will include assisting with the research, organisation, administration and delivery of exhibitions and collection displays; researching artworks in the collection and answering public enquiries. You’ll also facilitate access for visitors to view artworks not on display, support the acquisition programme and help to develop and create interpretation about the portrait and photography collections for our audiences. You’ll be guided and supported by the Portraiture and Photography curatorial team in carrying out the responsibilities of the role. 

Assistant Cuartor, Portraiture and Photography
Full-time and permanent
Sallary: £29,888-32,602, plus benefits
Hybrid/flexible working

Full details: https://ngs.ciphr-irecruit.com/Applicants/vacancy/296/Assistant-Curator-Portraiture-and-Photography
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Monday, 10 March 2025.  

Lawrences Auctioneers is holding an auction of photographs as part of its sale of Books, Manuscripts & Photographs online on 7 March 2025. of particular note are prints from Martin Parr, Tessa Traegar, Peter Lavery and the late Brian Griffin. Historical prints include work from Madamae Yevonde, a topographical album and several lots of photographs from Pakistan and Nepal by Lt. Col R.B. Phayre MC, FWIPS.

Alongside these are several lots of journals and books, plus research files, from the late John L Wilson (see obituary here). These include publications (non-photographic) from William Henry Fox Talbot, a run of History of Photography and John's own meticulously researched PhD thesis The Photographically Illustrated Book 1840-1925: The Changing Response of the Line Artist and the Photographer to the Technical Developments in Photography, 2 Volumes, 1984-1987, and his The Literature of Photography 1839-1905 (unpublished). 

See more here

Image: lot 4070598. BRIAN GRIFFIN (BRITISH 1948-2024). Part of a a collection of fourteen photographs from the Work Series, 1986-87. 

How did the owners of the country house engage with photography in the 19th and early 20th centuries? Mainly using the example of the Pennymans from Ormesby Hall in Teesside, and with some examples from W W Winter Heritage Trust collection, Jonathan will explore how photographers were employed, photographs used in the house and photography became a hobby for many including the Pennymans.

Jonathan Wallis has worked in museums and heritage for over 30 years. He began his museum career as a conservator at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, later moving to a number of other museums before joining Derby Museums in 2001. After 17 years he left to work as a regional curator for the National Trust based in Yorkshire and the Northeast. Jonathan’s interests in collections are wide ranging – from British Bronze Age metalwork to Joseph Wright of Derby. His latest research explores the photographic history of a country house, Ormesby Hall, on the outskirts of Middlesbrough and Scarborough's Victorian photographic studios. He has been the Chair of the W W Winter Heritage Trust for the past seven years.

Bookings, by donation, will be shared between the W W Winter Heritage Trust and the Derbyshire Archaeological Society.

The W W Winter Lecture: Photography and the Country House
Jonathan Wallis
Online: 11 March 2025 at 1930-2100 (UTC)
By donation
Bookings here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-w-w-winter-lecture-photography-and-the-country-house-tickets-1077598228309?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam presents a one-day international symposium exploring the vital role of photojournalism and documentary photography in how we perceive our present, understand our past, and view the future. Future Memories brings together photographers, academics, and representatives from art and media institutions. Together, we will discuss the influence of conventions and tropes in visual culture, explore contemporary practices of photographers, curators and institutions, and examine how they perceive the evolving role of photography. The symposium is open to both professionals and the public.

The symposium can be followed physically in the Rijksmuseum and online. 

The price of the ticket includes full access to the Rijksmuseum, where you will have the opportunity to visit the exhibitions on display, including Carrie Mae Weems: Painting the Town, and American Photography. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Symposium: Future Memories | How Photography Shapes Our Understanding of the World
14 May 2025
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum
Details, programe, and booking here

Studies in Photography is holding a major conference on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 in The Engine Shed, Stirling. The conference will explore how photography has shaped and recorded the urban architectural heritage of Scotland. By examining Scottish photography from the 1840s to the present day, architectural styles, photographic records, and the influence of new technologies, the conference will provide a comprehensive look at how cities and towns have been represented and perceived through the lens. Academics, students, architects, photographers, and cultural historians will gather to discuss how photography influences not only the perception of Scotland’s built environment but also the way our modern towns and cities are planned and designed.

Conference themes include: 

● How early photographers recorded urban buildings and spaces
● Documenting and preserving architectural heritage through photography
● Architectural styles and photographic representation – from medieval to modernism and beyond
● The cultural and social Impact of architectural photography
● Technological innovation in architectural photography

Speakers will be expected to deliver a 20-minute presentation and contribute to short Q&A sessions. We expect most presentations will be in-person but a small number of online speaking slots for speakers who are unable to attend will be available. If you would like to submit a paper or a topic to present on, please email a proposal to John Pelan. Proposals should include the topic of your presentation, a short biography of the presenter(s) and the name of your organisation (if applicable). Expressions should also indicate if you would like to present in person or online. Submissions should not exceed 500 words.

Shifting Perspectives: Scotland's Urban Architecture: Sciotland's Urban Architecture through the Lens 
20 May 2025
The Engine Shed, Stirling
cfp deadline: 24 March 2025
Conference: 20 March 2025
Contact: John Pelan, chair@studiesinphotography.com
Details: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wytb06U0xYsOozsTmnPw7Q6dTgBcwFWO/view

Supporters:
Historic Environment Scotland
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Scottish Council on Archives

Image: Giuseppe Milo, Riverside Museum Glasgow Scotland Black And White Architecture Photography, 2015, via Wikimedia Commons.

The National Trust have an exciting opportunity for an Assistant National Curator to join the National Trust on a 12-month fixed-term basis. In this role, you’ll work closely with our photography collections, helping to develop them while expanding knowledge, access, and engagement. You’ll support colleagues at several significant places and contribute to our partnership work, ensuring these remarkable collections are shared and appreciated by all.

What it's like to work here