Blogs

The Royal Photographic Society's Historical group is presentating a day of reconstructions and demonstrations on 7 July in Bath...Roger Smith, a member of the Scientific Instrument Society has made a facsimile of the Wolcott and Johnson mirror camera, following as closely as possible the patent filed by Richard Beard.  David Burder will use the camera to demonstrate the daguerreotype process. This is probably the first time that a Wolcott camera has been used to make a daguerreotype since the early 1840s. 

There will be other demonstrations of early processes and prints, including wet-plate collodion (Guy Brown) and the bromoil process (Brian Iddon). Examples of prints resulting from some of the early processes will be provided by Donald Stewart.

This is a day devoted to notoriously unpredictable  processes - nothing is promised but an exciting day out.

The cost of £15 for non-Group members and booking is essential as space is limited.  

To see more and to book click here.

The proceedings of a conference that examined three plates from The Royal Photographic Society’s Collection by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce dating from c1826-27 have been published. The investigation by the National Media Museum and Getty Conservation Institute re-wrote photographic history and revealed a hitherto unknown photographic process.

In October 2010 the National Media Museum, Bradford, held a major conference, supported by The Royal Photographic Society, to present the findings from an extensive investigation into three plates by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce contained within the Society’s Collection. The conference brought together specialists from different areas ranging from conservators, to historians of picture frames, paper and fingerprints, as well as photographic historians. Exciting new findings were presented about the plates which rewrote the photographic history books. They revealed for the first time that the plates were the result of three different processes including a previously unknown photographic process.

The majority of the papers from the conference have been published by The Society’s Historical Group in a special edition of The PhotoHistorian and a one-off issue of The Society’s Imaging Science Journal totalling some 93 pages.  These are available as a set only in a commemorative folder for £20 including UK and worldwide postage.

The proceedings can be ordered via The Society website by clicking the link www.rps.org/niepce or by contacting The Royal Photographic Society on +44 (0)1225 325733 or reception@rps.org

I will be doing a two day silver gelatin dry plate workshop from Double Negative Darkroom on the 27/28 April. This two day workshop will cover all aspects of the contemporary Silver Gelatin Dry Plate technique - both glass plate negatives and Ambrotypes.

I have spent the last few years almost solely on the Silver Gelatin Dry plate technique and is by far and away my most popular workshop, so this is a great opportunity to discover a fantastic area of photographic history. The course will be run over two days and will cover all aspects of the Dry Plate technique - including glass plate negatives as well as Ambrotypes.

The glass plate technique is a very fascinating and rewarding form of photography and puts users directly in-touch with photographic history and a very artisan, craft-based form of photography where you, the photographer, control every stage of the process - from creation of the plate, through to the processing and conception of the finished, physical article.

The course will be run from Double Negative Darkroom - one of London's best equipped darkrooms.

Double negative Darkroom
178A Glyn road
London
E5 0JE

The cost of this two-day workshop is £330.00 (£110.00 deposit). To book email jon@jonathanstead.com or doublenegativedarkroom@gmail.com.

Students are welcome to bring large format cameras if they have one and wish to work with their own equipment - and they are also welcome to bring 35mm cameras or medium format cameras as most can be converted to take plates - making plates of various formats possible... I will bring some examples and we can discuss options of how you can convert your camera - for future use as a dry plate camera. (please note it will not be possible to convert cameras on site).

All materials will be supplied, as will cameras - but as above, if there is anything you would prefer to work with your own gear (light meter for example) please do bring it along.

Noel Chanan’s latest hardcover, The Photographer of Penllergare- a life of John Dillwyn Llewelyn 1810 to 1882, is an in-depth, richly illustrated and forensically researched hardcover book. Llewelyn was married to a cousin of William Henry Fox Talbot, the British inventor of photography, and consequently became an inspired pioneer of photography from the 1850s. In addition to being an accomplished photographer, he was a highly productive polymath, benevolent landowner and a driving force in social and economic change around him in South Wales and London. Far from being a mere coffee table book, the scholarly endeavour employed to enrich the images and narrative, results in a rewardingly revealing history with oft times touching tales of sadness and joy.

Critically, the book engages with the photographic object, its processes and production, reflecting the sense of consideration, appreciation and commitment that Llewelyn appears to have applied to every facet of his life. It is a large format volume measuring 290 mm x 256 mm containing 276 pages which are steeped in the visual and literal history surrounding Llewelyn family. The 235 images, 160 of which are photographs, contain a range of facsimiles of watercolours, salted paper prints, daguerreotypes and albumen prints. The choice of images describes the life and times of a wealthy family in a bygone era as well as Llewelyn’s deliberate and consistent exploration and development in photographic genres. Excerpts from the family’s diaries stretching over three generations engage the reader in the real life experiences of his family in Swansea in the 1800s.

The photographs are clearly labelled and located appropriately to the text with additional detailed descriptions of the images relating to the titles, medium of reception, medium of print, and dimensions in the appendices giving appropriate significance to the processes he used. The photographs themselves are displayed in their present condition often showing evidence of damage but also how the photos were used: corners cut off and albums, paper scraps used in experiments and general wear and tear. The tonal shifts from one image to the next indicate the author’s determination to reflect each image in as close to its true state as possible. The comprehensive footnotes, detailed timeline and family trees complement the narrative historical content.

This volume weaves together a diverse range of elements that record the rich detail, dark shadows and joyous highlights of John Dillwyn Llewelyn, a revisualisation of the life of one who made a significant contribution to early photography. It is a smorgasbord of fascinating narratives that can be dipped into or consumed from cover to cover.

Janine Freeston

The Photographer of Penllergare- a life of John Dillwyn Llewelyn 1810 to 1882

by Noel Chanan

Details of the book's availability can be found here: http://www.the-photographer-of-penllergare.co.uk

SEAS Photography website is now chugging along...some 20000+ images to add... and some glitches to iron out. But if you've time do have a browse... SEAS Photography 

The South East Archive of Seaside Photography (SEAS Photography) was first established in 2012 with assistance from a Heritage Lottery Fund award. It is located at Canterbury Christ Church University: Broadstairs Campus under the Directorship of Dr Karen Shepherdson.

SEAS Photography currently consist of two inter-related heritage strands:the Sunbeam Collection and Walkies Collection. 

http://www.seasphotography.org.uk/

Here is a singular opportunity to expand the vision of an important, multi-faceted centre that is not only a major gallery, but also an academic force in the world of photographic arts: a growing collection and an exhibition space that has inspired the creation of groundbreaking new works, publications and touring exhibitions. Since its opening in September 2012, more than 150,000 people have visited the Ryerson Image Centre. Situated at the heart of the university campus in downtown Toronto, this 4,500 square foot facility is dedicated to the exhibition, research, study and teaching of photography and related disciplines, including new media, installation art and film. It is home to an amazing trove of photographic works, highlighted by the world-renowned Black Star Collection of some 292,000 photographs. The Centre has Canada’s largest photographic teaching collection, a growing number of photographers’ archives, and a broad selection of moving image media.

Your inclusive, high energy leadership of the Ryerson Image Centre will expand its profile among Ryerson students, Toronto’s public and the international art community. As the Centre’s Director and chief relationship developer and a key fundraiser, one of your priorities will be to expand upon the many international partnerships already in place and create a visionary strategic plan that embraces the interests of multiple stakeholders. Reporting to the University Provost, you’ll be an advocate of the Centre’s academic mission as you put a significant focus on scholarly exhibitions, managing and building the research collection and supporting research. In addition to your role as champion of the Ryerson Image Centre, you will also add best practices and sound fiscal management to the organization while supporting progressive development of your team.

An accomplished organizational leader and advocate, you will also bring a zeal for the arts and academia to this administrative and entrepreneurial role.

To be considered for this position, please submit your resume and related information online by selecting where you heard about the role and clicking “Add to List” below.

For questions, please contact Margaret Vanwyck in the Toronto office at +1 416-366-1990.

See: http://www.odgersberndtson.ca/ca/executive-opportunities/11566/

A chance find in a Brighton antiques shop in April 2012 may bring its owner in excess of £500,000 as Martin Philips has decided to part with his cardboard boxes of old photographs. Museums and private collectors have expressed an interest with his collection of Choate’s work and all three hundred original prints, plus some surviving glass negatives when they are sold at auction later this month.

Described as one of the most significant photographic discoveries in recent decades, over half of the 500 photographs were perfectly-preserved 19th century albumen prints of feet of famous people including the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, naturalist Charles Darwin and fellow photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.  All the prints bear the signature ‘Erasmus Choate, Brighton’ - one of the founders of the Photographic Society in 1853. He is known to have exhibited in the London Salons of the 1850s and ‘60s, though it was thought that none of his work had survived.

Phillips says that some of Choate’s descendants had tried to claim ownership of the prints, but after a brief courtroom battle he has been confirmed as the legal owner. You can read the entire news article here.

Men and women have dressed to impress for all occasions throughout the ages. After the invention of photography in the late 1820s the popularity of dressing up for studio photographs grew, reaching its peak from1860 to1880. This exhibition is a snapshot of fashion and photography from 1880s cartes de visite to the start of the movie age in the early 1900s.
As well as focusing on original costume, images, photographs and camera equipment from the museum collection, this exhibition is illustrated by fabulous detailed period costumes from the world famous film costumiers Cosprop. Amongst others see outfits worn by famous film and television stars Dame Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) and Nicole Kidman (Portrait of a Lady).
Visit this exhibition for a glamorous glimpse into the past. Try on replica costumes and create your own carte de visite, design your own Victorian or Edwardian outfit or try out early optical instruments from the time of photography and moving image invention.

The exhibition will be from 22nd June to 31st August 2013 at the Annan Museum, details of which can be found here.

As well as an artist’s eye for composition early photographers had to understand the physics and chemistry of their art. On Saturday, 29th June 2013, Alex Boyd will demonstrate some of the techniques used in early photography by creating a number of portraits. Visitors are welcome to drop in, see Alex at work and ask questions.

Alex is widely regarded as one of the rising stars of contemporary Scottish photography. His work has been exhibited and published internationally, with shows at prestigious venues such as The Scottish Parliament, The Royal Ulster Academy and the European Parliament. In 2012 Alex was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Art (FRSA).

Details of this event which is held at Annan Museum can be found here.

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is proud to announce the short and long lists for its annual awards for photography and moving image books.  The Foundation also reveals Thames and Hudson Chairman Thomas Neurath as the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.

Established in 1985, the KKF Book Awards are the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image and the two winners share a £10,000 prize.  The judges have shortlisted books ranging from heavy tomes to small paperbacks, each with outstanding pictorial and literary content and exceptional production.  With the proliferation of self-publishing and e-books, the need for traditional publishers to create beautifully crafted books with cutting edge content is more urgent than ever.

Best Photography Book Award

The award was judged by photography specialist and curator Zelda Cheatle (chair), Guardian photography critic and writer Sean O’Hagan and photographer Paul Graham.  The panel selected:

Shortlist – from which one winner will be chosen

• Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s by Kate Bush (Barbican Art Gallery) [BPH's tip for the winner] 
• Billy Monk by Billy Monk (Dewi Lewis)
• War / Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath byAnne Wilkes Tucker, Will Michels and Natalie Zest (Yale University Press)

Longlist

• Algeria by Dirk Alvermann (Steidl)
• Uncle Charlie by Marc Asnin (Contrasto)
• Chris Killip: arbeit / work by David Campany and Ute Eskildsen (Steidl)
• On the Mines by David Goldblatt and Nadine Gordimer (Steidl)
• Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop by Mia Fineman (Metropolitan Museum of Art) (see illustration)
• Sarah Angelina Acland: First lady of Colour Photography by Giles Hudson (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
• Mikhael Subotzky: Retinal Shift by Mikhael Subotzky and Anthea Buys (Steidl)

Of the 10 short and long listed books Zelda Cheatle comments: “Our highly commended books include contemporary work, exhibition catalogues, a beautiful little paperback and turn of the century discoveries.  Every book was thought about, mulled over and the agonising process of elimination or inclusion enacted.  So many of the books were magnificent: we were glad to include Sarah Angelina Acland and her (previously-unknown) spectacular colour images, Marc Asnin’s Uncle Charlie with its 30 years of work and Chris Killip: arbeit, a master photographer, all discussed at length.   Each and every one of the books on this list is a winner for this judging panel.”

Best Moving Image Book Award

Chaired by BFI Creative Director Heather Stewart, the Moving Image panel was completed by Nev Pierce, Editor-at-Large, Empire magazine and Dr. Julian Petley, Professor of Screen Media, Brunel University.   The panel chose:

Shortlist - from which one winner will be chosen

• 39 Steps to the Genius of Hitchcock by James Bell, editor (British Film Institute)
• First Films of the Holocaust: Soviet Cinema and the Genocide of the Jews, 1938-46 by Jeremy Hicks (University of Pittsburgh Press)
• Hollywood Costume by Deborah Nadoolman Landis (V&A Publishing)

Longlist

·         Audiences: Defining and Interpreting Screen Entertainment Reception by Ian Christie, ed. (Amsterdam University Press)

·         The James Bond Archives by Paul Duncan (Taschen)

·         Ealing Revisited by Mark Duguid et al (British Film Institute)

·         The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy by Jody Duncan Jesser and Jannine Pourroy (Abrams)

·         Behind the Scenes at the BBFC: Film Classification from the Silver Screen to the Gilded Age by Edward Lamberti (Palgrave Macmillan)

·         The Cinema of Tarkovsky: Labyrinths of Space and Time by Nariman Skakov (I.B. Tauris)

·         Publisher Ilex for the 2012 books from their series Filmcraft: Costume Design, Production Design, Editing, Cinematography, Directing

Talking about the books, Heather Stewart commented: “The standard of the ten publications on the list was as high as ever, and the shortlisting of the top three was extremely difficult”. 

The 20 short and long listed photography and moving image books will be displayed at Somerset House, London from 26 April – 12 May as part of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

The Best Photography Book and Best Moving Image Book winners will be announced on 25 April as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Gala Ceremony at The Hilton, London.  The Photography and Moving Image winners will share £10,000 in prize money."

On the same night, the National Media Museum First Book Award, in partnership with MACK, will be announced.  The award supports the production of a book of previously unpublished work and is supported by the Wilson Centre for Photography, the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation, the John Kobal Foundation and Pierre Brahm.

Outstanding Contribution to Publishing

In recognition of his championing of both photography and moving image books, the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is delighted to announce Thomas Neurath as the recipient of its Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.

Thomas Neurath, Chairman of Thames & Hudson, one of a handful of still independent medium-to-large size British publishers, has been personally in charge of the programme of photography titles at the company since the 1960's when he first worked with such eminent practitioners as Brassai and Cartier-Bresson.  Soon thereafter T&H was introducing American photographers including Penn, Avedon and Bruce Davidson to book collectors and other enthusiasts outside the U.S.A.

Pioneering historians of the genre such as Helmut Gernsheim found a sympathetic publishing home at T&H as do figures from the art and museum world for whom photography has been and is a significant medium of their artistic practice - Richard Long, Sophie Ristelhueber, David Hockney and Sean Scully to cite some names.

Thames & Hudson issues some 180 new visual titles each year.  Photo-agencies such as Magnum, major magazine groups including Condé Nast, the contemporary gallery scene, collaborations with fellow publishers such as Robert Delpire or Gerhard Steidl and wherever possible direct working relationships with the photographers continue to contribute to this programme. "Concerned and passionate publishers" is how Martine Franck described the Neurath family and Thames and Hudson on the occasion of its 60th anniversary.

Upon awarding Neurath with this prize Michael G Wilson, Chair of the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation comments: “Thomas Neurath's passion for books, artists and ideas is evidenced by the incredible range of photographic and moving image titles in the Thames and Hudson catalogue.  The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation is pleased to honour Mr. Neurath for his long-standing commitment to producing excellent and innovative titles across the breadth and depth of publishing on lens-based media."

Neurath is the third recipient of the KKF Outstanding Contribution to Publishing award.  Gerhard Steidl received the award in its inaugural year, 2011, followed by Dewi Lewis in 2012.

It's been reported in the Irvine Herald that German-born Scots photographer, Alex Boyd, is currently working with renowned photographer Rankin on a new ITV programme about the History of Scottish Photography. 

He said: “Ultimately, there is the talent and the resources available for Scotland to build on its photographic past. Ironically, the country was one of the driving forces behind the development of photography in its early days, so hopefully we can work towards the day when Scotland can once again reassert itself as one of the innovative nations of photography.”

The Daguerreotype, with Mike Robinson, Saturday, 1 June - Tuesday, 4 June, 2013. This workshop is for artists with a serious interest in the evolution, aesthetics and process of daguerreotypy. The workshop will be conducted by Mike Robinson, a modern master of the medium.  Participants will learn both modern and traditional techniques of polishing. Also covered will be advanced concepts of contrast control, alternative fuming techniques, and housing options. Each participant will have the opportunity to make up to three daguerreotypes during the workshop.

Roger Watson, Curator of the Fox Talbot Museum, will present a lecture on the evolution of the daguerreotype and show examples of daguerreotypes and vintage housings from the archives of the Fox Talbot Museum and from his personal collection. Each participant will receive a workbook and printed materials including a reprint of the original step-by-step instructions and other readings on the topic of daguerreotype.

The workshop's last day will include a demonstration of rear painted passe-partout cover-glass, a historic method of presentation, and participants will make protective housings for all their daguerreotypes.  

Limited to 6 participants

Tuition: £990, (including 20%VAT*, material fees and lab costs).

http://www.talbotworkshops.co.uk/workshops.htm

The British Journal of Photography reports on the use of Flickr as tool by museums and archives. It quotes Emma Thom, senior web content co-ordinator at the National Media Museum (NMM) in Bradford...

The Commons has expanded the concept of what a museum is. “It used to be the case that museums were seen as four walls – and it’s great if people want to come and look at what we’ve got – but this is an opportunity to take the museum to other people. We’re taking an integrated approach, working with curators and collections teams, to have a stronger web presence, linking our postings to The Commons to our programmes.”

The “no known copyright restrictions” category devised to cover postings to The Commons might have rung alarm bells in the minds of some rights holders, particularly those campaigning against the Orphan Works proposals contained in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill making its way through the British Parliament.

But, according to Thom, copyright issues have not had a big impact on what the NMM is able to do. “Our emphasis is on sharing pictures that are copyright-free – that is what The Commons is all about – and we have thousands of photographs that are out of copyright.” The same is true for many of the other member institutions, with large numbers of images out of copyright or – as is the case of the National Archives (which has some six million) and the Library of Congress – with collections that are largely Government-generated and covered by Crown Copyright or its US equivalent.

The National Media Museum's FLickr stream is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmediamuseum/

Read more: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/report/2250132/shared-history-the-commons-initiative-celebrates-its-fifth-anniversary#ixzz2O8wziiya 

I have recently acquired an extensive collection of glass plates (80,000 items) along with a substantial volume of original documents and day ledgers. The collection was created by Hills & Saunders 'Harrow' studio.

I would be interested to learn more about any of the actual photographers who worked for Hills & Saunders. I believe the company operated a number of studios around the country, including Harrow, Eton, Oxford & Cambridge. If anyone could provide me with any information or suggestions on where I may find a source of information I would be most grateful.

The General Council of Essonne, through the French Museum of Photography maintains one of the largest collections of photographic heritage covering the entire history of photography and its uses. It counts among its most iconic and fragile, the first pictures known to-date in China, and the diary of the author Jules Itier.

These photographic works are the subject of a new exhibition to offer a unique opportunity to discover the first photographic eye that has focused on Western China. Presented at the China Cultural Centre in Paris on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, and in Beijing and Lishui, it is presented now in Wuhan, with the support of the Municipality and the Museum of Fine Arts in Wuhan. This exhibition presents fifteen daguerreotypes made ​​in 1844 in Macao and Canton shortly after the invention of photography. The exhibition does not attempt to trace the history of photography or the biography of Jules Itier but rather to highlight the specificity of the testimony of both visual and written through photographs and newspaper.

In parallel with the exhibition will be offered another exhibition organized by the Museum of Fine Arts and Wuhan Municipality. Entitled Shadows of the Yangtze River, it's a series of photos taken between 1858 and 1910 of Wuhan, Hankow Bund and the Yellow Crane Pagoda. There is also an array of old cameras on display: a 1860′s Steinheil, a 1890′s Photo-Hall, and a 1904′s Sanderson.

Details of the exhibition can be found here, with some photos of the exhibition from a blog here.

The exhibition presents a rare opportunity to view one of the world’s largest collections of early Japanese photography. There are more than 230 works in this exhibition from the personal collection of Edmontonian Arlene Hall. Its debut was at the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA), which organized the exhibition in 2009. The photographs in the exhibition reflect the transitional period from 1860 to 1899, when feudal Japan was opening to the outside world and yielding to modern influences.

KOSHASHIN (“period photographs”) reveals this remarkable period in history when both Western and Japanese photographers (including Felice Beato, Raimund von Stillfried, Uchida Kuichiand Kusakabe Kimbei to name just a few) developed a distinctive style of image. Dated from the early 1860s to the late 1890s, the 230 works in this exhibition are on loan from The Hall Collection. A remarkable private collection in Edmonton, The Hall Collection is one of the largest collections of these images in the world. This unique collection offers an unparalleled reflection of Japan as it was 150 years ago.

Curated by Catherine Crowston and organized & circulated by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Details can be found here.

In 1861, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert decided that their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), would benefit from an extended tour of Egypt and the Middle East in 1862. It was thought that such a tour would provide the Prince with the opportunity to learn about ancient cultures, history and religions. It would also offer him the chance to meet many of the rulers and diplomats in the region, an experience that they regarded as an essential part of his training as heir to the throne.

This is the Prince’s handwritten journal of that tour from the Royal Archives, published in full for the first time and brought to life with photographs by royal photographer, Francis Bedford. Details of the accompanying exhibition can be found in one of the blogs below.

A Fantastic Legacy: Early Bombay Photography presents over 100 original images gathered from public and private collections, and displayed throughout the gallery in various formats. This comprehensive show explores the rich 19th century history of photography in Mumbai and features some of the earliest anthropological studies that used photography, as well as stunning architectural city scenes, portraits, stereoviews, and some of the first art photographs ever taken in Bombay. It will also feature an interactive learning area and walk-in camera obscura, to bring to life the fascinating innovation of early photography.
In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai and Mumbai Art Room. Curated by Susan Hapgood. Held in Mumbai from 13th March to 27 March. Details can be found here.

The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has released its 2012 numbers. The National Media Museum, Bradford, shows a small increase in numbers which reflects the opening of new galleries. In 2012 the museum received 504000 visitors compared to 486668 in 2011. 

The chart shows the 2008-2012 ALVA numbers for the museum.