Blogs

A rare set of photographic albums of the Dutch East Indies by the pioneering Victorian photographers, Walter Woodbury and James Page, will be auctioned off at a forthcoming sale in early October in Bonhams London.

The Lot features 248 images and is believed to represent one third of the Woodbury & Page studio's total photographic output. It including portraits of notable Indonesian figures, ethnographic studies, Dutch colonial life and topographical views from Sumatra to The Moluccas. It is estimated to sell between £40,000-£50,000.

Details of this lot, including a full description of the albumen albums, can be found here.

Walter B. Woodbury (1834-1885), a Mancunian by birth, is the earliest known photographer of the Dutch East Indies. Aged 18 Woodbury emigrated to Australia in the hope of making his fortune in the Australian gold-fields. However, he was sidetracked by his passion for photography and became one of the leading exponents of the wet-plate process. He went on to hone his skills whilst living in Melbourne and, in 1854, won a medal at the Melbourne Exhibition which resulted in his decision to turn to photography professionally. Whilst in Melbourne he met his future associate, James Page, another British expatriate photographer, and both agreed to leave Australia in 1857 for Batavia and established their studio, Woodbury & Page, in the same year. After mastering the use of wet collodion plates in tropical conditions, Woodbury & Page went from strength to strength. Their work was acclaimed in The British Journal of Photography who reported that it was the first "to show the beauties of tropical scenery ever introduced to [England]" (BJP, 18 September, 1885, p.596) and, in 1859, their photographs were marketed in England by Negretti & Zambra (scientific instrument makers to the Queen). After a short spell back in the UK, Woodbury returned to Java in 1860 and travelled extensively throughout the central and west of the country with Page and his brother, Henry James Woodbury (1836-1873). By 1861 the studio was moved to new premises and renamed Photographisch Atelier van Walter Woodbury where it remained until the company was liquidated in 1908. In 1863 Woodbury returned to England with his Javanese wife and, for the next 12 years, went on to invent prolifically (taking out patents for, amongst other things, optical kaleidoscopes, photographic apparatus and even musical railway signals). His breakthrough came with his patent for the Woodburytype in 1864, the photomechanical printing process which became the most commonly used method to illustrate fine books between 1870 and 1900.

Captain Francis Light established a British settlement on this little island back in 1786. Formerly known as Prince of Wales Island, it was a thriving entrepot of the 18th and 19th centuries and is often remembered for its trade connections for the British with the Far East.

This coming weekend (16th-17th Sept), Think City Sdn Bhd and the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) will be organising an international conference with 25 overseas Speakers, entitled Penang & the Indian Ocean (PIO), looking into the state’s early history, amongst other topics.

Aptly named Fugitive Images, Andrew Jarvis from the University of Cambridge will be speaking on how the work of photographers from 1840 to 1867 can be used to shed light on broader patterns of the local community’s activities at the time.

Photo: An old postcard showing rickshaws plying along Campbell Street in Penang from the book Penang – Postcard Collection 1899-1930. — Postcard image courtesy of Malcolm Wade.

Well, not him directly, but, The Penllergare Trust.  And also, it's a lottery grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-1882), the 19th Century horticulturist and early photographer, who married the first cousin of Henry Fox Talbot, set up home at Penllergare which he inherited from his maternal grandfather. The grant will go towards restoring the Grade II listed landscape to its former glory - and create five jobs.  The site is home to an astronomical observatory, built by Llewelyn, which will also be restored. The money will also help help run community events, open days, guided walks and photography competitions.

Who says it doesn't pay marrying into noble families, even though it takes more than 130 years to reap in the rewards!  Well done to The Penllergare Trust for successfully securing the bid!

You can read the rest of the news article here.

I would draw reader's attention to the series of free photographic history seminars being held at the University of London on Saturdays between October and December: http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/xn/detail/2680769:Event:37545?xg_source=activity

For anyone based in the Midlands then there is a different series of free seminars being held at De Montfort University: http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/photo-history-seminar-series-in-leicester 

To accompany the 10-part BBC television series as mentioned in an earlier blog here, The Francis Frith Collection announced that it will also be publishing a book focussing on the achievement of the Victorian photographer Francis Frith, who in the 1860s embarked upon a colossal project — to photograph every town and village in the United Kingdom.

The photographic record of Britain compiled by the Frith company is one of the first and most comprehensive pictorial records of Britain. 'Britain's First Photo Album' will feature a selection of superb images from the Frith archive taken in the second half of the 19th century showing how the country appeared in Frith's lifetime, which will be contrasted with modern photographs taken by John Sergeant of the same locations in the present day. History is brought to life as each chapter of the tie-in book, focuses on four storylines inspired by vintage Frith photographs, with John Sergeant journeying around Britain meeting people with a connection to these photos from the past.

'Britain's First Photo Album' (w/t) will be released in February 2011, RSP £20.

The 50 photographs – mostly black and white – are drawn from across NLI’s collections, and range from formal studio portraits featuring children of the landed classes taken in the 1880s to more candid shots of city kids taken in the 1960s. Small Lives shows Irish children not just in the context of their own lives but also in the context of Irish history, incorporating major events such as Michael Collins’ funeral in 1922, the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 and the Arranmore Disaster in November 1935 – events which were an important part of 20th century Irish social and political life.

As well as photographs, the Small Lives exhibition features a number of illustrations dating from the 1830s. These illustrations, housed in NLI’s Prints and Drawings Department, demonstrate how children were depicted before photography. They show how line drawing could suggest movement – something which photography could not do in the 1800s, when the technology was still in its infancy.

You can read the official press release from Aoife O’Connor, the exhibition curator, here, and details of the exhibit here. If you can't make it to Dublin, there is an interesting selection of photos from the exhibition that can be found on this site here too.

Photo: Walking Home.

Format: Glass Negative

Size: 10 x 13 cm

Date: circa 1904

NLI Ref.: CLAR35

Reproduction rights owned by the National Library of Ireland

Explore the history of dogs in photography at the Kennel Club Art Gallery with a unique display of vintage images depicting man’s best friend from the 1850s to the 1950s. ‘Photography Going to the Dogs’ is the latest exhibition to come to the hidden Mayfair treasure, the Kennel Club Art Gallery. The charming exhibition will take visitors through 100 years of dog photography and explores the companionship between dogs and their owners from the Victorian era into the mid 20th century.

Images include historical photography from Crufts, Victorian cartes des visites, cabinet cards, original glass negatives and a collection of vintage cameras and stereoscopes will also be on display, along with images from the Libby Hall and Alan Cook collections.

Luisa Pontello, Assistant Collections Manager at the Kennel Club Gallery said: “We are looking forward to the exhibition, as there is simply no other like it. We believe that it will be fascinating for anyone with an interest in dogs or photography.

“Thanks to the invention of photography in the 19th Century, followed by a popular pastime for collecting postcards in the early 20th Century we are able to offer visitors a step back in time. Thanks to the Victorian public’s enthusiasm for photography and their clear love of dogs we have an absorbing exhibition we are delighted to open free of charge to the public.”

Opening Times
The exhibition will run until 13th January 2012. The Kennel Club Art Gallery is open Monday – Friday from 9.30am – 4.30pm by appointment only. Telephone 020 7518 1064 or e-mailartgallery@thekennelclub.org.uk to book an appointment.

Facebook Event for 'Photography Going to the Dogs'

See a few images from the collection on Flickr

The Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, invites applications for fellowships in support of research using the Center's archive, fine print, and rare book collections. Our goal is to promote new knowledge about photography, photographic history, and photographic theory. Fellowship applications are evaluated within this context.

The Center for Creative Photography is the largest institution is the world devoted to documenting the history of North American photography. At the heart of the Center are the archives of over 200 photographers, scholars, galleries, and organizations, comprised of 4.5 million items and complemented by an unparalleled collection of over 90,000 fine prints. In the new Laura Volkerding Study Center, researchers will be able to study items from the fine prints collection side-by-side with negatives, transparencies, correspondence, and other manuscript and visual materials.

Fellowships are awarded for projects that require an extended period of research in the collections of the Center. Awards in amounts up to $5,000 will support two to four weeks of study at the Center.

• Miton Rogovin Research Fellowship, which awards up to $5,000 to support research into the art and career of Milton Rogovin (1909-2011) and socially concerned photography.
• Josef Breitenbach Research Fellowship, which awards up to $5,000 to support research into the art and career of Josef Breitenbach (1896-1984) and as his work and archive relates to other works and archives in the Center's collections.
• Edward Weston Family Research Fellowship, which awards up to $5,000 to support research on the art, career, and influence of Edward Weston (1886-1958), his family, models, and friends.
• Ansel Adams Research Fellowship, which awards up to $5,000 to promote new knowledge about photography and the history of photography.

Qualifications

Scholars from any discipline are encouraged to apply. Pre-doctoral applicants must have completed coursework and preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree, and must be engaged in dissertation research.

Application process

Send a cover letter, curriculum vitae of no more than four pages, and a brief statement detailing the candidate's research interests and how they will be advanced by study of the Center's archives and print collection.  Attention will be given to the candidates' statement concerning the value of the Center's holdings in investigating those interests. Please visit the Center's website www.creativephotography.org for more information about collections. Applicants may also address questions about the collections to the Head of the Laura Volkerding Study Center, Leslie Clames calmesl@ccp.library.arizona.edu. 

Applications should be emailed to: Cass Fey, Curator of Education, cass@ccp.library.arizona.edu.

Applications must be sent via email by November 15, 2011

Selection Process

Selection is based on the quality of the proposed research and its relationship to the Center's collections. Decisions will be announced by email on or before December 31, 2011. Residencies must be scheduled with the Volkerding Study Center Staff. Fellowships recipients and their research projects will be announced in the Center's publicity.

Full details can be found here.

The National Archives of Norway has published a large collection of photographs from both private and public archives on Flickr. The archives span from 1860 to modern times.

All photographs have been published to the Flickr Commons, meaning they are distributed without copyright restriction. Flickr users are openly invited to provide annotations to the growing collection in an attempt to bring further meaning to the images.

The archives depict may unique aspects of Norweigan history, including “royalty and celebrities, photos of beautiful Norwegian nature and scenery, documentation of industry, historical events like World War II or the Nordic World Ski Championships of 1966, and Norwegian development during the last century”.

Aberdeen Lord Provost Peter Stephen today launched the city's new online home for thousands of historic photographs and records at the Central Library. The 'Silver City Vault' makes the Aberdeen Local Studies archive available free to remote users for the very first time.

Online visitors can do everything from tracing an Aberdeen ancestor to glimpsing Victorian life through old photographs, many of which were captured in stunning detail by renowned photographer George Washington Wilson.

The resource contains over a thousand images of the city – including long-vanished buildings, the construction of famous landmarks, businesses which have come and gone, trams on Union Street, and horse-drawn carriages waiting at the Castlegate to take passengers down to the beach. The collection also features hundreds of images of people, landmarks and special events, such as royal visits to the city.

In addition, the website contains over 40,000 index records for events like marriage notices and newspaper obituaries and more than 10,000 articles from local journals covering individuals, organisations and events. And family historians can now search for their Aberdeen ancestors among the 30,000 personal names in the Local Studies Combined Index, with entries ranging from obituaries and notices of marriage in the Aberdeen Journal to lists of 'paupers' in the parishes of the city, chiefly drawn from the Victorian period.

The official press release can be found here, and the archive, created with the help of funding from the Scottish Government's Scottish Library and Information Council, is located here.

The National Museum of Science and Industry's new head of commercial development sees the National Media Museum and its sister museums as 'gigantic gold mines' ripe for commercial development. At a time of museum staff redundancies and increasing pressures on hard-pressed curatorial teams the National Museum of Science and Industry has restructured and expanded its commercial development b2b team. 

Following the appointment of former Classic Media and Ragdoll executive, Anya Hollis as head of commercial development at the Science Museum, the nine-strong team has also added a further three managers. Carin Grix is senior licensing manager; Brenda Conway is senior creative manager; and Jeremiah Solak is senior image library manager. The NMSI group - which includes the Science Museum, The National Railway Museum and the National Media Museum - is also now looking for a senior licensing executive.

Hollis stated: "The museums really are gigantic gold mines. With only eight per cent of items on show at any one time, we have thousands of fascinating objects and images from which to build amazing licensing and publishing programmes. We have had huge success with the Science Museum and Flying Scotsman brands, and now with the new team in place, I am really looking forward to the coming months and the new developments we have planned for Brand Licensing Europe."

For the full report see: http://www.licensing.biz/news/7799/NMSI-reveals-new-structure

Entitled ‘Visiting the Past: Images of the Mistley, Manningtree and Lawford', this new publication is a collection of photographs from the early 20th century and offers a glimpse into the history of three parishes.

Compiled by history buff Bob Horlock, of Shrubland Road, Mistley, and Mike Fryer, Bean, Dartford, who helped with the book’s design, the book has more than 100 photographs from Mr Horlock’s personal collection and donations from museums and history groups. But the major debt of thanks goes to a professional photographer from Leytonstone called Alf Musto, who at the start of the 20th Century would stay with Bob’s relatives in Mistley. (According to Horlock, three of these Musto “present” albums sold on eBay for £1,500 a few years ago!)

There are images of children on the beach in about 1890 and smoke billowing from the busy EDME malt extract works. Crowds celebrate the coronation of King George V, and the Manningtree Volunteers of the Essex Regiment turn out in uniform. Staff from the new Co-operative store in Lawford pose for a picture on what could be opening day in about 1907, and there’s a photograph of three of the 113 German submarines that surrendered at Harwich in November, 1918.

A news article can be found here. The book launch will be held at Stour Sailing Club, Quay Street, Manningtree, between 11am and 2pm on Saturday, 10th September. Copies should also be stocked by Townsends shop in Manningtree High Street and Mistley Post Office. It can also be ordered directly from Bob on 01206 393 708 or by email at bobhorlock@onetel.com. Or you can try the Amazon link on the right.

Photo: Author with ‘Visiting the Past: Images of the Mistley, Manningtree and Lawford'. Copyright Harwich & Manningtree Standard.

Leicester's De Montfort University Photographic History Research Centre is holding a series of seminars in Culture of Photography during the Autumn 2011 term on Tuesdays from 4–6pm in the Edith Murphy Building 1.08. Admission is free and open to anyone. The series comprises:

• October 18th. Professor Gillian Rose (Open University) ‘The question of method: where next for visual culture studies?'
• November 8th. Professor Darren Newbury (Birmingham Institute of Art and Design) 'Travelling Photographic Histories: From 1950s Cape Town to Britain, andBack'
• December 6th. Professor Patrizia Di Bello (Birkbeck College, University of London) ‘The ‘Camera-Medusa’: stereoscopic photographs of statuettes’ 

The website for Dimbola, which houses information on the legendary Victorian photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron, has been totally revamped. It is now a lot more easier to navigate and focus is on upcoming events and exhibitions. Links to social networks like Facebook and Twitter have also been incorporated. You can check out the new look for yourself by clicking on the link here.

Dimbola Lodge, the best kept secret on the Isle of Wight, was saved from the bulldozers literally at the last minute, in the early 1990s. Cameron who virtually invented the close-up and photography as an art form, made Dimbola Lodge her home from 1860 to 1875.

Three visual arts researchers have each been awarded a fellowship in the history of photography by the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) as part of its Research Fellowships Program for the 2011–12 academic year. This program encourages and supports advanced research on the NGC’s collections, including those in the Library and Archives. 

Elizabeth Cavaliere holds a bachelor of arts from Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, a master’s degree in art history from York University, Toronto, and is currently a doctoral candidate in art history at Concordia University, Montreal. During her residency she will study the photographs of Alexander Henderson (1831-1913) to deepen understanding of 19th century Canadian topographical landscape photography.

Jacob Lewis holds a bachelor of arts from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland and a master’s degree in art history from Williams College. He currently holds a Sylvan C. Coleman and Pamela Coleman Memorial Fund Fellowship in the Department of Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and is also a doctoral candidate in art history at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He will use his Fellowship at the Gallery to study the photographs of Charles Nègre (1820-1880), as well as other 19th century French photographers.

Hyewon Yoon holds degrees from Seoul National University in Korea, as well as a master’s degree in art history from Harvard University, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. During her residency she will explore the Lisette Model fonds of negatives and documents in the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, as part of her research into female European émigré photographers.

Congratulations!

The New York Historical Society has put together a short video clip showing some of the oldest photographs ever taken of Manhattan.  All were shot by photographer Victor Prevost in the 1850s.

You can view them by clicking on the link here.

We are looking for a Curator to take responsibility for the BFI National Archive’s collection of posters, designs and museum objects. Working as part of the BFI curatorial team you will be required to document, develop, research and interpret the poster and designs collections, ensuring they are embedded within the cultural programme of the BFI.

You will have a strong knowledge of British film and television in both its historical and contemporary contexts. You should also have an interest in, and demonstrable knowledge of, 20th and 21st century British art and design, particularly as it relates to the film and television industries.

You will be educated to degree level or equivalent, with a recognised archive, museum or conservation qualification or equivalent experience.

You will be based at the John Paul Getty Conservation Centre, Berkhamsted but you will be required in central London on a regular basis.

You will enjoy benefits such as a final salary pension scheme, 28-33 days annual leave, tickets to BFI festivals and events plus many others.

Further details about the post (including an information pack) can be obtained by visiting www.bfi.org.uk/jobs or by email: jobs@bfi.org.uk.

The closing date for applications is 23 September 2011 Interviews will be held weeks commencing 3 October and 10 October 2011.

Which photographers were included? How were the photographs selected? And Why?

The Lives of Great Photographers was a compelling exhibition drawn exclusively from the Museum's extensive and diverse Photography Collection, including works from The Royal Photographic Society Collection and the Daily Herald Archive. Together this exhibition presented a selection of photographs by some of the greatest photographers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

From photographs by William Henry Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Cameron and Eadweard Muybridge to Tony Ray-Jones and Weegee, this exhibition highlighted some of the most famous and memorable images ever produced. It illuminated the extraordinary and sometimes exceptional lives these photographers led.

Director of the Impressions Gallery, Bradford, Anne McNeill questions Brian Liddy, the curator of the exhibition, about the choices he faced and the decisions he made in the video below:

There is a case study of the National Media Museum's on-going marketing campaign by the creative team behind a recent series of posters. The idea was, in the words of the agency behind the campaign: 'Let the objects speak for themselves! By doing this, we were able to communicate the depth and variety on offer at the National Media Museum whilst also bringing out the stories to be found. The campaign was created to be engaging, through the use of stories and eye catching imagery, and also inspire visitors to find out more by actually visiting the museum itself, this was emphasised by use of the sign off strapline ‘Discover the full story at National Media Museum’

As they say the success of the campaign will be judged by any increase in visitor numbers which are due to be released shortly.

The full report can be found here: http://www.sumodesign.co.uk/work/campaign/national-media-museum.html