The National Media Museum has released booking details of the Niépce in England conference which takes place at the museum on 14-15 October 2010. Details are given below...
NIÉPCE IN ENGLAND
Conference Update
An international conference on recent
advancements in scientific, art historical, and conservation research relating to the
photographs which Joseph Nicéphore Niépce
brought to England in 1827.
Co-organized by the National Media Museum
and the Getty Conservation Institute
13th - 14th October 2010
National Media Museum
Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Dear Colleague:
The National Media Museum (NMeM) and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) are pleased to invite you to the Niépce in England conference, to be held at the National Media Museum, Bradford, United Kingdom on Wednesday and Thursday, October 13-14, 2010.
Conference Objective and Goals
Niépce in England
This two-day conference will present the results of new, unpublished research and scientific investigations, which have been undertaken during the NMeM and GCI Collaborative Research Project. In the Royal Photographic Society Collection at the National Media Museum are three plates by Niépce. The conference will address the research and conservation of these photographic treasures, and will discuss future conservation measures that would provide for their long-term protection and preservation. The reason why Niépce brought these plates to England, and their subsequent history, will also be outlined more fully than previously published.
Conference Themes and Speakers
Philippa Wright, Curator of Photographs, National Media Museum
Larry Schaaf, Independent Photo historian
Pamela Roberts, Independent Photo Historian
Grant Romer, Independent Photo Historian
Art Kaplan, Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
Dr, Dusan Stulik, Senior Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute
Colin Harding, Curator of Photographic Technology, National Media Museum
Philip Gilhooley, Independent Fingerprint Consultant and Lecturer in Forensic Science, Liverpool John Moores University
Peter Bower, Forensic Paper Historian
Roy Flukinger, Senior Research Curator of Photography, Harry Ransom Centre, University of Texas
Barbara Brown, Head of Photograph Conservation, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas
Isabella Kocum, Frame Conservator, National Gallery
Susie Clark, Independent Photographic and Paper Conservator
• Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and his work
• The first six photographs brought to England by Niépce in context
• Scientific investigation into the three Niépce photographs in The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the NMeM
• Dating and conservation of the original frames
• Conservation and preservation issues related to the Niépce plates
The full schedule and speaker biographies can be viewed at the museum website at http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Photography/niepceinengland.asp
Related Events
• Conference participants will have a very unique and unprecedented opportunity (that may not be repeated in our lifetime) to view all three Niépce plates ‘out of their frames’, enabling participants to closely examine the surfaces and reverse of these unique photographic treasures. The plates, and their conserved frames, will be on display throughout the conference in the Kraszna-Krausz Print Viewing Room, in the NMeM Research Centre.
• A Conference dinner will take place on Wednesday, October 13th, 7pm – 10pm at the National Media
Museum. Tickets for the dinner need to be purchased with your conference ticket at a cost of £22.
Registration
Formal registration for the Niépce in England conference is now open. Please note that attendance to the conference is limited. All registrations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have already registered initial interest in the conference you are not guaranteed a place and will still need to ring and book your place.
For further enquiries regarding the conference please email rsvp.nmem@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk and we will respond to your enquiry accordingly
To book your conference ticket please call the museum box office on +44 (0) 870 70 10 200. Please note that tickets can not be purchased online.
Ticket costs
• Full price conference ticket £90
• Concession price conference ticket £70
• Wednesday evening dinner £22
Hotel accommodation
Overnight accommodation is available locally at the Bradford Jurys Inn Hotel.
The hotel is a two minute walk from the museum and rooms can be booked either online at: http://bradfordhotels.jurysinns.com/ or by calling +44 (0) 870 4100 800.
Rates range from £55 to £80 for a double room. Early booking is advisable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Media Museum in Bradford opened as The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in 1983 and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London. The Museum is devoted to photography, film, television, radio and the web and looks after the National Photography, Photographic Technology and Cinematography Collections. The Museum is home to two temporary exhibition spaces and, a Research Centre that hosts regular displays from its extensive Collections. The Museum’s vibrant programme reflects all aspects of historical and contemporary media practice and issues.
www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
The Getty Conservation Institute works internationally to advance conservation practice in the visual arts—broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and sites. The Institute serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and delivery of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage.
This conference is kindly supported by a number of organisations & private individuals, including:
The Royal Photographic Society,
Wilson Centre for Photography,
The University of Bolton
The National Gallery, London
| Job Description: Duty Manager, Bradford: Full-time position £19,000 per annum, increasing to £20,000 on successful completion of probationary period The National Media Museum’s eight galleries and three cinemas attract over 700,000 visitors every Overseeing day-to-day Front of House operations, you’ll deliver training, drive sales, handle daily takings of up to £10,000 and generally make sure your team is delivering the highest levels of customer service. At the same time, you’ll manage Health & Safety and act as Incident Controller in emergencies, making sure the Museum is safe and secure for visitors. |
| Required Skills: |
| You’ll be managing a team of up to 15 here, so a good track record as a manager in a similar customer-facing environment is essential! You should be a good team player too, with the communication, motivational and interpersonal skills to lead and inspire people. Experience of cash handling and working on a till or ticketing system is also important, as is the flexibility to work evenings and weekends. Award winning, visionary and truly unique, the National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and the web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, we aim to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues. |
| Application Instructions: |
| Interested? Please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk Closing date: 4th July 2010 We regret that we can only respond to successful applicants. No agencies please. |
Mr Albury added: "The current owner believes his father had them at least fifty years ago and possibly they have been languishing in a damp-stained folder in the attic since Victorian times. When I told him the results he sounded close to tears with emotion saying how much difference this was going to make to him and his family."
The full report of the auction which was held last Thursday (17th June 2010) can be found here, and the sale catalogue, with full description of the photos and hammer prices, is located here.
A Freedom of Information request to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that the National Media Museum still sees the Science Museum as the base for its London Presence. The DCMS also confirmed:
The NMSI, in common with all national museums receiving direct grant-aid from DCMS, is expected to a reduction in its grant as the government starts to rein in public spending. The NMSI will make a decision regarding the Project in the context of a reduced grant and it is this that will ultimately determine whether the Project progresses or not.
11.06.2010 – 09.01.2011
Tuesday to Sunday:
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Every first Thursday of the month 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Closed on Monday
Photo: Milton M Miller, c 1864
Sunderland’s Antiquarians Society which was founded in 1900 holds extensive archives that have been collected and donated over the past century by people living in the city. They are all available to members and visitors. The Society now wants to give the negatives to any similar organisations in Newcastle who would be interested in taking them for research and to make available to the public.
The full story can be found here. For more information about the Society, visit here. Or if anyone is interested in the negatives, call Bill Hawkins on 0191 551 3947.
Camille Silvy was a pioneer of early photography and one of the greatest French photographers of the nineteenth century. This exhibition includes many remarkable images which have not been exhibited since the 1860s.
Over 100 works, including a large number of carte de visites, focus on a ten-year creative burst from 1857-67 working in Algiers, rural France, Paris and London and illustrate how Silvy pioneered many now familiar branches of the medium including theatre, fashion and street photography.
Working under the patronage of Queen Victoria, Silvy photographed royalty, aristocrats and celebrities. He also portrayed uncelebrated people, the professional classes and country gentry, their wives, children and servants.
The results offer a unique glimpse into nineteenth-century society through the eyes of one of photography's outstanding innovators.
The exhibition has been curated by Mark Haworth-Booth.
There are a series of lectures and events around the exhibitions - details here: http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/camille-silvy-photographer-of-modern-life-1834-1910.php
National Portrait Gallery - 15 July-24 October 2010
Tickets £5/£4.50/£4
To book advance tickets call 020 7907 7079 (transaction fee applies)
Exhibition organised by the Jeu de Paume, Paris, in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, London
A fundraising reception was held at the Science Museum on 25 May to introduce a new exhibition space for photography planned there. Mark Haworth-Booth in his blog noted that "My former colleague Charlotte Cotton is its artistic director. Her speech included a choice expletive - 'We just want to fxxxxxg get on with it' - which was very much in character and appropriate."
Amateur Photographer has followed up BPH's blog posting and its report is here: http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Science_Museum_hosts_NMM_photography_fundraiser_news_298855.html
The images and text in this book come from this double set of lantern slides which was produced in the late 1880's. Individually hand coloured onto the glass plates, these images capture the Western Isles and their way of life in evocative details. Published here for the first time as a complete set, many of the images, particularly of St Kilda and its inhabitants are iconic, well known among enthusiasts of Western Isles history. However, these contemporary hand coloured slides are rarely seen and present a new light on life in the Western Isles, produced fifty years before colour photography came to Scotland.
Photo: Queen Victoria on 'Fyvie' with John Brown at Balmoral, by George Washington Wilson, 1863; medium: carte de visite, size: 9.20 x 6.10 cm; from the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has published visitor numbers for the National Media Museum, Bradford for the 2009/10 financial year. These are reported below alongside recent years. Should anyone require earlier years I have them on request.
2004/2005 |
2005/2006 |
2006/2007 |
2007/2008 |
2008/2009 |
2009/2010 |
|
April |
55,337 |
46,336 |
56,619 |
44,108 |
57,610 |
57,205 |
May |
43,371 |
43,021 |
51,718 |
54,781 |
54,629 |
59,486 |
June |
42,189 |
48,413 |
41,333 |
52,288 |
45,785 |
40,128 |
July |
62,513 |
52,969 |
53,077 |
69,922 |
62,899 |
59,631 |
August |
68,717 |
60,720 |
77,285 |
72,779 |
91,451 |
52,963 |
September |
47,199 |
40,702 |
45,239 |
47,845 |
44,711 |
36,402 |
October |
65,258 |
61,797 |
64,638 |
67,901 |
69,337 |
47,306 |
November |
57,009 |
49,996 |
53,777 |
65,563 |
41,252 |
47,628 |
December |
51,329 |
42,716 |
50,997 |
58,213 |
47,305 |
45,314 |
January |
44,656 |
42,133 |
49,245 |
57,224 |
44,520 |
36,612 |
February |
54,421 |
64,793 |
68,002 |
64,235 |
63,663 |
56,222 |
March |
66,992 |
61,835 |
65,099 |
82,998 |
49,789 |
67,940 |
Financial Year Running Total |
658,991 |
615,431 |
677,029 |
737,857 |
672,951 |
606,837 |
The National Media Museum has a diverse and engaging programme of displays and temporary exhibitions, which are seen by thousands of visitors every year. You’ll help make sure they’re delivered on time, budget and to the highest standards by successfully co-ordinating project teams and other stakeholders.
Required Skills:
If you’ve worked before in a similar role at a gallery or museum, this is a great opportunity to develop your skills further. It calls for experience of managing projects and developing interpretation, supported by a good understanding of delivery procedures and various display techniques. Of course, you’ll also need to be a great team player, with sound IT skills, excellent attention to detail and the ability to communicate well at all levels.
Award winning, visionary and truly unique, the National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and the web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, we aim to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues.
The post is fixed term until 12th July 2011
Application Instructions:
Interested? Please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
For a full job description please email: recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
Closing date: 10th June 2010
Interviews: 16th June 2010
We regret that we can only respond to successful applicants.
No agencies please
The wooden sliding box camera was privately owned by a family of opticians from Braunschweig in northern Germany for generations who had kept the camera in their living room as a decorative object. The 170-year-old apparatus was built in Paris in limited numbers from Jacques Daguerre's original plans by his brother-in-law, Alphonse Giroux.
The daguerreotype, one of only a dozen in the world, all in museums, was put up for sale by the WestLicht auction house in Vienna today (29/5/10), and said that was the highest bid ever for a camera. The winning bid for the historic camera was 610,000 euros, to which was added a 20-percent tax levy, bringing the total price to 732,000 euros. The starting price for the apparatus was 200,000 euros.
The new owner, who requested anonymity, is a collector from the Asian mainland who bid by telephone, said Ema Kaiser, a spokeswoman for the auction house that specializes in vintage photographic equipment.
'Wow, that was cheap,' she quoted him as saying after he had trumped another collector and a museum that were also trying to obtain the Paris-made wooden box camera.
"It is the first time in the world that a daguerreotype bearing Daguerre's signature and made in the Giroux workshop has been offered for sale," WestLicht gallery director Peter Coeln told AFP. The owner who gave the daguerreotype up for auction "had received it as a gift in the 1970s
from his father after receiving his diploma as an optician," Coeln said. Every detail of the daguerreotype including the lens, the plaque signed by Daguerre himself, the black velvet interior and the ground-glass screen are in their original state, WestLicht said.
The Giroux-made daguerreotype is known for having a golden plaque on it
stating that "no apparatus is guaranteed unless it has the signature of
M. Daguerre and the stamp of M. Giroux." The pioneering camera also came
with a user's manual, written in German and edited in 1839 by the
publishing house Georg Gropius in Berlin.
