Looking for stickybacks! For the past few years, I have been researching stickybacks together (partly with Róman Kiejet). The research has resulted in an exhibition and booklet on stickybacks in the Netherlands. This exhibition was shown last year at the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam.
Now I have conceived the plan to make a European exhibition on stickybacks, which includes all the countries of the time. So I am looking for stickybacks from whole over Europe. I found the "easy-to-find-collectors' through google, but know I am looking for more people who have stickybacks in their collection.
For people who are not familiar with the term stickybacks;
'Stickybacks' - also called American Automatic Photo, snelfotografie (Dutch) and Leimrücken (Germany) are small (size passport) photos from roughly the 1910s. Usually they are single portraits, but there are also double-sized photos with multiple people. Stickyback can be recognizable by the photographed bar with the address and/or name of the photographer above the head of the subjects. And on the bar a number that could be changed.
If you have stickybacks or want to now more please contact me!
*You can find more about the Dutch stickyback exhibition and book on my website; https://dirkkome.nl/snelfotografie-de-rage-van-1912-tot-1925/
Comments
* You can find more about my research on
https://www.instagram.com/stickybacks_snelfotografie/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556462005513
A while ago I was asked about Stickybacks in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, UK and found information about a pop-up studio in town before WW1. I have asked the person who had the photos to contact you.
They are similar to family portraits I had of my aunts taken on UK railway stations, is there any evidence of studios on stations in Europe?
Mattie Underhill, Kidderminster
Hi Mattie,
Thank you forwarding my question!
I did research on studios in the Netherlands and I did't stumbled on a studio on a trainstation. This doesn't mean there weren't any. I think you could dived the studios in a few catagories,
1] The photographers who had already a studio for a longer time. At first most resisted to stickybackphotography but after a while they had to give in because it cost them to much mony.
2] The people who thought this new hype would make them rich. They rented a places fort a longer time but also moved shortley in places like movie theaters, empty stores in corwed streets and pubs. And also in buildings like a bikestore, because it was 2 doors from a famous photographers.
3] Then there where people who stood on fairs etc. And I know a woman who had a boat.
4] There is also an story of a photographer who stayed for a short time, because he was harrassing childeren and women.
A trainstation sounds to me like a perfectplace to be. I don't know when a portrait was required on documents in the UK, but if they were for example on a trainpass it makes it even more plausible.
For me in this 'European stickyback' research it is important that the studio name or address (with the clientnumber) is still on the photo so it can be connected to a place.
Best,
Dirk