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Lewis Carroll's favourite model sold for £24,000

Posted by Michael Wong on June 15, 2010 at 9:54

Three photographs of Alexandra Rhoda "Xie" Kitchin, one of author Lewis

Carroll's favourite models, were auctioned off at Bonhams collectible books sale last week (8th June) for £24,000. They were each on a cabinet card with Carroll's negative number, grading letter as well as a caption in the photographer's hand.

Carroll, a keen photographer, considered these to be among his best work, and showed Alexandra in Danish and Oriental costumes. Kitchin's father was the Dean of Durham, and for fifteenyears the Censor of the unattached members of the University of Oxford. Hence this gave Carroll, a fellow of Christ Church, plenty of opportunities of photographing her.

Details of the sale can be found here.

Muybridge online resource launched

Posted by Michael Pritchard on June 14, 2010 at 11:15

A new digital resource for Muybridge scholars has been launched. The website, the result of an ongoing collaboration between Kingston University and Kingston Museum in the United Kingdom, aims to provide a definitive research resource surrounding the work of nineteenth century photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Thesite provides an introduction to Muybridge’s works in historical and social context; and information on the international collections that house them. It is fully searchable. Click here to visit the site: http://www.eadweardmuybridge.co.uk/ The site launch comes in advance of three Muybridge exhibitions which open in the Autumn of 2010 in London.

Camille Silvy, Photographer of Modern Life, 1834-1910

Posted by Michael Pritchard on June 9, 2010 at 19:30

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

On-line Auction including rare British cameras

Posted by Michael Wong on June 9, 2010 at 10:00

Eaton S. Lothrop, Jr. ( - 2008) was a science teacher at The Collegiate School, a boys’ school in New York City, from 1954 to 1995, where he also taught photography. He began collecting cameras in 1960, started researching information on cameras and camera history in 1964, and began writing about them and their history in 1968.

Eaton has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections ofbox-form, magazine and “street” cameras in private hands, as well as perhaps the largest collection of single-use/disposable’ cameras known.

The Eaton S. Lothrop, Jr. photographic collection will be sold online between 10th to 30th June 2010. It comprises over 400 lots of cameras and related material dating from the 1870's to 2000's including a No. 1 Kodak camera of 1889 (estimate $1000-1500), stereoscopic models, an original Brownie camera of 1900 (est. $600-900), early English wood cameras, folding pocket Kodak

s, an important series of American detective and hand cameras from the 1880's-1910. Among other rarities is a Boy Scout camera released to commemorate the movement's World's Fair, along with a 'Campfire Girls Kodak'. Estimates range from $150 to $3000.

A second auction of Lothrop's important library of original trade catalogues and reference books; photograph collection including daguerreotypes, tintypes and carte-de-visite and his own research materials will take place in the Fall.

Speaking to Amateur Photographer, camera historian Michael Pritchard, who catalogued the collection, said:'As someone who knew Eaton for many years I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work on the collection. While it is a shame the collection cannot stay together, I know many collectors will welcome the opportunity to add to their own collections…'

Details of the auction can be found here.

NMeM London Presence a step closer?

Posted by Michael Pritchard on June 4, 2010 at 14:50

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

George Washington Wilson : Destination St. Kilda

Posted by Michael Wong on June 4, 2010 at 13:04

George Washington Wilson (1823-93), was a pioneering Scottish photographer born in the North East

of Scotland. He went to Edinburgh and then London in the 1840s to train as a portrait miniaturist. He became established in Aberdeen in the 1850s as an ‘artist and photographer’, and quickly made a name for himself as one of Scotland's premier photographers among the middle classes and landed gentry. He soon moved into landscape photography and, thanks to the proximity of Balmoral, developed a royal connection (Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) which remained throughout his career.

With his photographer’s tent, his glass plates and chemicals and Dallmeyer camera, he made numerous forays into the scenic heart of the Scottish highlands and islands, as well as many other sites on the UK mainland (as far south as the English Channel) and even parts of Northern Ireland. Throughout, Wilson demonstrated technical and commercial acumen, and claimed to have sold over half a million pictures by 1864. At the time of his death in 1893, the company he founded employed 40 staff and had become the largest and best known photographic and printing firm in the world.

Over 40,000 of Wilson's photographic plates still exist today, largely due to the meticulous washing and chemical treatments he insisted on. Aberdeen University is in possession of some 38,000 of these, which were donated by an Aberdeen photographer, the late Archibald J.B. Strachan, in 1958; details of which can be found here.

A new book entitled "Destination St. Kilda From Oban To Skye And The Outer Hebrides" (ISBN-10: 1907443037) by Mark Butterworth has just been published today. It documents the travel through the Western Isles to St Kilda in 1885 by George Washington Wilson and Norman Macleod. They took many photographs along the way and their collection of pictures, ‘From Oban to Skye and the Outer Hebrides’ was shown in magic lantern lectures throughout Scotland. In 2004 Mark Butterworth purchased the set, complete with the original lecture notes.

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

HistoryPin : World’s largest user-generated archive of historic images ?

Posted by Michael Wong on June 4, 2010 at 9:30

Whether you love or loath Google's Streetview, the internet search engine giant has teamed up with We Are What We Do to launch a 'historical photography' website which allows consumers to "pin" old pictures of towns and cities on contemporary photographs. The site, entitled Historypin, lets users share their archive photos by loading them up to a specific location on Google Maps or image on Google's modern Street View.

Users will also be able to search either by name or postcode and then scroll back through time to see photos from different periods in history layered over their modern-day locations. Pictures have been provided from various national archives, as well as contributors including Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, the Royal Albert Hall and Arsenal FC. The result is a fascinating snapshot of the changing face of local streets and well known landmarks and will provide a new perspective on historic moments.

The site has ambitions to become the world’s largest user-generated archive of historic images and stories. A short introduction can be found here.

You never know - someone out there may have a gem of a photo you have been searching for !

NMeM visitor numbers 2004-2010

Posted by Michael Pritchard on June 1, 2010 at 21:00

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

NMeM job: Exhibitions Organiser

Posted by Michael Pritchard on June 1, 2010 at 20:40

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

Vintage camera auctioned for world-record 898,000 dollars

Posted by Michael Wong on May 29, 2010 at 23:11

As reported in the blog earlier this year, the world's first commercially produced camera, a daguerreotype, dating from 1839 and bearing the

rare signature of its French inventor, sold at auction in Vienna today for a record 732,000 euros (898,000 dollars). It broke the previous record of 576,000 euros, fetched during a Westlicht auction in 2007 for a similar daguerreotype camera made by the Paris company Susse Freres.

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.

Daguerre never had exclusive rights to the process he invented, instead receiving a pension for himself and the heir of his former partner Nicephore Niepce from the French state, which declared
photography a gift to the world. But businessman Daguerre figured out a way to make money from his fame by signing contracts with the two French workshops giving them exclusive rights to make and sell the equipment.

Rhyl historian's photographs of charabancs under the hammer in Colwyn Bay

Posted by Michael Wong on May 27, 2010 at 16:54

A unique collection of more than 600 photographic negatives of charabancs and other memorabilia

garnered by the late Rhyl collector and historian, John Nickels, was auctioned off by Colwyn Bay auctioneers, Rogers Jones Co, yesterday (Tuesday, May 25).

Mr Nickels, who died aged 80 in 2000, spent a lifetime amassing hundreds of glass negatives, photographs and postcards that were almost thrown out. The entire collection was bought for £2,800 by the Omnibus Society to secure it as an archive, rather than it 'lost'

by going in to a private collection. The collection would be available for research and to illustrate articles and books. Private collectors from the UK and Europe were among those who missed out at the auction.

Photos: The collection of photographic negatives was nearly thrown out after Mr Nickels' death.

Llandudno's Camera Obscura re-opens

Posted by Michael Wong on May 27, 2010 at 16:50

Llandudno's Camera Obscura was first built in 1859 by an 18-year-old Leo Williams. It was the first of several octagonal dark rooms to be built on the site, all to the same design, and only just one of seven such instruments remaining in the UK.

Perfectly positioned on the heights above the Happy Valley on the Great Orme, the obscura is blessed with a panoramic view extending from Liverpool Bay over Llandudno Pier across to the Little Orme, taking in Penmaenmawr across to Anglesey.
Further information can be found here.

Photos: An 1890s albumen image of a camera obscura at Happy Valley, Llandudno, Wales by Francis Bedford (1816 – 1894) an English architect and photographer. You can just make out the obscura on the right edge of the photo.
Llandudno from the obscura c 1890.

Benjamin Brecknell Turner & Amsterdam

Posted by Michael Wong on May 23, 2010 at 18:04

According to the V&A records, Benjamin Brecknell Turner (1815-94) was one of the first, and remains

one of the greatest, British photographers. His images were highly praised during his lifetime for their rustic beauty and grandeur.

Born in London in 1815, Turner started work in the family candle and saddle soap business at the age of 16. In 1849 he took out a licence to practice paper negative photography from its inventor, William Henry Fox Talbot, when the new art was barely 10 years old. He mastered the art and exhibited at the world's first public photographic exhibition, held at London's Society of Arts in 1852, where he was singled out as one of the best contributors. In 1855 he won a medal at the Paris Exhibition Universelle and continued exhibiting his photographs until the 1880s.

If you are a fan of his work, you are in luck as there is an exhibition entitled "Amsterdam 1845 – 1875, The First Photographs", well, held in where else, but Amsterdam ! Pride of place is reserved for the sixteen large format paper negatives of Amsterdam landscapes taken by Turner during his visit to Amsterdam in 1857. Details of this exhibition can be found in the 'Events' section.

Photo: Benjamin Brecknell Turner, 'Self Portrait', about 1855. Anonymous loan(V&A)

The Art of Matrimony

Posted by Michael Wong on May 23, 2010 at 18:00

Husbands and Wives is an exhibition of intimate family portraits, tracing the emergence of

photography in Australia, profiling in the process the work of some of their most significant artists and photographers. Not quite British (!), but with British-influence.

Notonly does it presents a glimpse at the private lives of Australian couples through rare portrait photographs from the 19th century, but it also gives an insight into the lives of the people captured in these slow, painstaking and relatively expensive sittings.

This effect was liberalising. The invention and proliferation of photography during the second half of the nineteenth century created a revolution in representation, particularly in the way that people chose to represent themselves. While painted portraits were the preserve of the well-to-do, photography democratised the art of portraiture, opening it up to anyone wishing to celebrate, document and preserve the likenesses of loved-ones and intimates. Surviving photographic portraits from this era – from the hauntingly intense faces captured in daguerreotypes of the 1840s, and ambrotypes of individuals, couples and family groups - including the coloured ambrotype of Thomas Glaister, ca 1858 - to those popularised by the cartes de visite of later decades including the coloured ambrotypes by Thomas Glaister, ca 1858, to those popularised by the cartes de visite of later decades.They all reveal both of the technical developments in the medium of photography and of the sensibilities and attitudes of the people they depict.

A gem-like exhibition of examples of early portrait photography, the exhibition also includes drawings, paintings, miniatures and silhouettes in an exhibition charting an easily obscured but nevertheless intriguing aspect of Australian history.

Husbands & Wives will be held until 11th July 2010 at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. (Yes, the one in Australia, and not in London!). However, with the marvels of the internet, you can watch an ABC news review of this exhibition here. And if that video clip entices you to make that trip half-way round the world, details of the exhibition can be found in the 'Events' section.

Photo: Ambrotype by Thomas Glaister ca 1858

Old Chinese photography

Posted by Michael Pritchard on May 23, 2010 at 13:43

Although not strictly about British photography the following site includes references to British photographers, publishers before 1911. Terry Bennett announces the launch of a new site covering early photography in China. The site can be viewed here: http://www.oldchinaphotography.com/

Haworth-Booth a finale

Posted by Michael Pritchard on May 23, 2010 at 5:30

Mark Haworth-Booth describes on his blog..."An early copy of my book on Camille Silvy arrived from the National Portrait Gallery. We sat on the sofa and looked through every page. It is wonderful! I won't get my other copies until June. This is my finale as a photo-historian and I'm thrilled with it."

The Silvy exhibition will take place at the National Portrait Gallery later this year - it promises to be the exhibition of the year for me and many others...

Mark's blog here: http://markhaworthboothblog.blogspot.com/ is a joy to read...

Last photograph of adventurer Captain Scott to be sold off at auction

Posted by Michael Wong on May 21, 2010 at 10:24

The last photograph taken of Westcountry-born adventurer Captain Robert Scott and his

wife before his ill-fated expedition to the South Pole will be auctioned off soon. The black and white picture was taken by Steffano Webb, a New Zealand photographer based in Christchurch, just before the 1910 trip to Antarctica is expected to fetch £4,500. In total nine of Webb's photographs of Scott's Terra Nova expedition, taken at Lyttelton in November 1910 before the departure for the Antarctic, will be under the hammer.

Also on offer at a separate auction is an archive of material thatbelonged to another member of Captain Scott's team. This includes various photographs taken by Herbert Ponting, the mission's photographer, with one photo on the expedition signed by him and given to McKenzie. (McKenzie was a leading stoker on the Terra Nova and kept the detailed log from the ship that left for the ill-fated mission 100 years ago.) The archive of over 30 lots – many unseen – is being sold by McKenzie's granddaughter and is expected to make up to £30,000 at auction next Wednesday (26th May) at Bamfords auction house in Derby.

Photos: Last photograph taken of Westcountry-bornadventurer Captain Robert Scott and his wife before his ill-fated expedition to the South Pole; Crew of the Terra Nova

Research Officer post available...

Posted by Michael Pritchard on May 21, 2010 at 4:30

Elizabeth Edwards is directing a HERA Funded Project 'Photographs, Colonial Legacy And Museums In Contemporary European Culture' PhotoCLEC, University Of The Arts London

A leading collaborative research project with University of Bergen and VU University Amsterdam, HERA's "Cultural Dynamics: Inheritance and Identity" strand will examine the ways in which museums reflect and respond to varieties of colonial experiences and their specific visual legacies. It will focus especially on their attempts to interpret colonial photograph collections in ways relevant to contemporary post-colonial European societies. You will contribute to the collaborative comparative analysis and to the project's overall analysis and outputs by undertaking research in the 'case study' institutions and be involved with the on-going planning and development of the project and with the organisation of project meetings and events.

All prospective candidates will have a PhD in Anthropology, Modern/Contemporary History, Museology, or related discipline, with demonstrable interest in at least two of the following: visual material, preferably photographs, museums, colonial and/or post-colonial histories, cultural identities. The post holder must be self-motivating and able to work independently within the projects' overall themes and collaborative framework. In addition, the post requires excellent 'people skills', data management experience and an ability to work across disciplines. Fieldwork and/or archival experience would be an advantage.

You will be based at the London College of Communication (SE1) in a unique opportunity to work actively with major collaborative project and with an experienced team from three European universities. The post requires travel and 'away from home work' within UK and to group meetings in Europe.

In return, we offer a competitive employment package including a salary that reflects working in London; annual leave; a final salary pension scheme; and a commitment to your continuing personal and career development in an environment that encourages creativity, diversity and excellence.

Salary: £30,871 pro rata / 0.8 Research Officer / (18 month fixed term appointment)

University of the Arts London is a vibrant world centre for innovation, drawing together six Colleges with international reputations in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts.

Closing date: 1st June 2010

Interview date: 14th June 2010

If you have any queries about this role that are not covered in the documentation available please contact Professor Elizabeth Edwards, Senior Research Fellow at LCC and Principal Investigator on the project, email: e.edwards@lcc.arts.ac.uk.

Please visit http://jobs.arts.ac.uk to download an application pack or alternatively please contact Eve Waring, Research Office, telephone: 020 7514 8437 E-mail: e.waring@lcc.arts.ac.uk

www.arts.ac.uk/jobs

University of the Arts London aims to be an equal opportunities employer embracing diversity in all areas of activity.

Images of a rich heritage goes online ...

Posted by Michael Wong on May 20, 2010 at 17:37

No kidding, but we have news of yet another photo archive going online.

The public are now able to search online a catalogue describing more than a million historical photographs and documents relating to England’s historic buildings and archaeological sites held by the National Monuments Record (NMR), English Heritage’s public archive. This includes images, plans, drawings, reports and publications covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history.

All held on a database which can now be accessed and searched online here.

Until now, these searches had to be done in person at the NMR’s public search rooms in Swindon. Using a range of search terms, users can discover whether English Heritage holds any items in its archive relevant to the topic they are interested in, mainly photos, but also including maps, plans or reports.

Whose complaining ? - Not me !

Photo: Deansgate Arcade, Manchester, 1900.

The Lockey Photographs - Too Good to Miss .....

Posted by Michael Wong on May 20, 2010 at 10:58

The Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution's (BRLSI) Collection includes an album of photographs of

the home counties and other localities by Hilditch, and albums of photographs from 19th century China and Japan presented by the Vacher family. However, an important part of the Collection are the negatives of 86 photographs of Bath taken by the Rev Francis Lockey between 1849 and 1861, using the Fox Talbot calotype process.

In a recent newsletter, theChair of Collections, Rob Randall recently wrote that Michael Gray, former curator of the Fox Talbot Museum at Lacock, offered to sell BRLSI 39 framed prints developed from those negatives. These prints were exhibited at the Royal Photographic

Society's gallery when it was in Milsom Street, Bath, and were so successful that they were also exhibited at Alkmaar and Braunschweig.

At £25 per print andwith a stock of Gray's book on Lockey thrown in for free, it was an offer they couldn’t refuse. The prints were made using traditional methods on vintage photographic paper manufactured in the 1930s.

TheBRLSI will be exhibiting them shortly, with a series of related lectures. There is just one snag. Their budget did not allow for a chance acquisition like this to secure these items for the collections. To raise the sufficient funds, a scheme to sponsor a Lockey print has been set up. Further information can be found here or you can contact the BRLSI office direct on 01225 312084.

Meanwhile Shadows and Light - Bath in Camera 1849-1861, by Michael Gray and David McLaughlin, lavishly illustrated and with biographical and historical notes, is for sale at only £5 a copy.

Photos: Weirs south of Argle Bridge, Bath c1853-61; Boathouse, Riverside, Nr Claverton Street, Bath c1853-61; Somerset Wharf, Bath c1853-61.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.