A groundbreaking new tour tracing the footsteps of legendary 19th-century photographer John Thomson is set to launch this season. This unique journey offers photography enthusiasts, history buffs, and cultural explorers the chance to experience the people, landscapes, and traditions of China as Thomson did during his pioneering travels in the 1860s.

The John Thomson in China – A…

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is seeking donations of Focal Press books or the two magazines published by Focal, the publishing imprint specialising in photographic and film processes and techniques. Books with illustrative covers and dust wrappers would be welcome in particular. In addition, any catalogues or other Focal Press printed materials from the period 1938 to 1978 would also be of interest. Focal Press was founded in 1938 by Andor Kraszna-Krausz, who established the charitable…

I am currently writing the Eastham brothers’ life story for inclusion in the PCCGB’s book to commemorate their 50^th Anniversary. Over the years I have assembled a collection of their cartes de visite, and those of their brother Enos  (1826 – 1886).

I need help trying to ascertain whether they actually purchased a daguerreotype licence in late 1845 or early 1846 presumably from Beard’s licensee for Lancashire, John Johnson.

On 25 August 1845 Messrs. Holt and Eastham,…

The Directory of Travelling Photographers. Part 1: 1841-1881 and the new Part 2: 1882-1921 are now both available online via the Romany and Traveller Family History Society (RTFHS) website. The website has just been updated with part 2. Additional records have been found for the earlier period, and for post -921. It is hoped to incorporate these into one consolidated…

The receipients of the Archives Revealed Scoping Grant programme for 2025-26 managed by The National Archives have been announced. Inevitably photography is integral to many of the recipients' collections. The programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives.

Of particular note is Oldham Archives which holds the Oldham Chronicle collection. The Chronicle archive is 77.3 cubic metres in…

 Hill and Adamson salt print is available to purchase if anyone is in NYC or can work through the various taxes and shipping information, at Swann Auctions. Though judging by the expression on the sitters face(Professor Monro)…

Apparently from Virginia, Birt Acres appeared out of nowhere in Britain aged 35, without a trace of his former life. Yet immediately he became a prominent figure in the late Victorian photographic world. He soon teamed up with Robert Paul to make a moving picture camera and then shot the first commercial films in Britain in spring 1895, in parallel with the work of the Lumière…

The National Portrait Gallery, which owns twelve volumes of Camile Silvy's studio daybooks, has published a blog by Paul Frecker tracing the story of the daybooks and the missing volume 11 (July 1863-June 1864). Frecker also explores the importance of the books and Silvy's negatives. He is the author of Cartomania published in 2024 by September Publishing. …