Blogs

Rose Teanby has produced a short blog about Anna Atkins's visit to Chatsworth in 1851 and her cyanotyping of ferns. The blog connects to the current Chatsworth exhibition The Gorgeous Nothings: Flowers at Chatsworth which is on view until 5 October. The exhibition is showing a borrowed copy of Photographs of British Algae, Cyanotype Impressions by Anna Atkins in the Oak Room at Chatsworth (see photo above) and previously reported on by BPH. 

Read the blog here: https://www.chatsworth.org/news-media/news-blogs-press-releases/anna-atkins-at-chatsworth/

Photo: Rose Teanby / Chatsworth.

Surrey had many psychiatric and learning disability hospitals, and their archives inform our understanding of historic attitudes to mental illness, epilepsy, and a wide spectrum of learning disabilities.  Medical case notes telling the personal stories of thousands of people, young and old, who were admitted to these vast institutions are often accompanied by a photographic portrait of the patient, bringing us face to face with a person long dead through the emulsion held in negative on a fragile glass plate or sepia image captured on paper. 

Often taken on admission to the hospital, we see them at a particularly vulnerable time in their lives and their gaze both challenges and resonates with us through shared emotions and experiences. They are an important resource for the history of asylum photography, shedding light on the history of mental health, the social background of patients and the approaches to care and treatment provided by different institutions in Surrey over more than a century.

Picturing the Patient: Photography in Surrey Hospitals, 1850-1960
Online, 8 October 2025, 1730 -1845      
Cost: £6 - book this event

Image:  Hugh Welch Diamond, Patient, Surrey County Lunatic Asylum, 1850–58 / Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Terra Nova, the ship immortalised by Herbert Ponting, has been filmed for the first time since it sank in 1943. The ship which was resdiscovered in 2012 carried Captain Scott's doomed polar expedition in 1912. The BBC's report used Ponting's images but failed to credit him, only the commercial picture libraries and collections housing his work. Ponting died in 1935 and his work is out of copyright, but deserves credit for creating images that retain their power today. 

See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwyvyqkx9yo

Image: Herbert G. Ponting, Terra Nova Icebound, 1912.     

Autograph is looking for an experienced curator to work with our collection and our contemporary exhibition programme, which focuses strongly on photographic practice and engages with audiences in the UK and abroad.

We strongly encourage applications from global majority* candidates who are underrepresented in curatorial roles within the gallery and museum sector. Global majority in this context refers to people who identify as Black, Asian, mixed and/or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’; these groups represent over 80% of the world’s population.

Based at Rivington Place, in Shoreditch, London which houses our two public project spaces, a learning studio and our specialist photographic collection, you will:

• Develop and deliver selected aspects of Autograph’s artistic programme which includes: exhibitions, publications, commissions, residencies, collection displays, and digital programmes.
• Identify options in Autograph’s photography collection to engage other institutions in partnerships locally, nationally and internationally.
• Contribute to realising Autograph’s strategic and business development objectives: key stakeholder engagement, development and income generation.

This is a new role and is initially offered for a three-year fixed term, with potential to renew – subject to resources available. It is suitable for someone who has gained experience in curatorial practice already, and who is interested in taking the next steps towards developing broader organisational leadership experience, in a medium-scale visual arts organisation. We are looking for someone who identifies strongly with our values and mission, has extensive knowledge of contemporary commissioning and exhibition practice, a genuine desire to engage with collection research to produce new projects and a particular interest in curating photography.

Details and apply here: https://autograph.org.uk/blog/news/were-hiring-curator/

Jane Wigley, one of Britain´s first female photographers, and the first to open (in 1845) a portrait studio in boomtown Newcastle, is today, as she was then, disregarded as a footnote. The pictures she took appeared lost, her life´s story without bookends. New research however illuminates the unique shaping behind Jane Wigley´s character– for the soldier´s daughter had spent much of her childhood in the company of a robot, an invisible girl, and an apparition with bright pink eyes, before coming out into the world herself as a nightingale. Indeed, Jane Wigley enjoyed a full, even brazen life before devoting her energy to the world´s newest wonder, photography.

In his presentation, Kelvin Wilson will present to the Newcastle audience several portraits now believed to have been taken by Wigley in the town, 180 years ago.

Kelvin Wilson is an archaeological illustrator working for museums and publishers. Research into early photographers led him, amongst others, to catalog the life and work of John Sherrington, a calotypist who like himself once emigrated from northern England to the Netherlands.

Little Woman: The Art of Being Jane Wigley, Newcastle’s First Photographer
Kelvin Wilson
Live: 29 September 2025, 1800-1900
Newcastle, Lit & Phil
Details and booking: https://www.litandphil.org.uk/event/little-woman-the-art-of-being-jane-wigley-newcastles-first-photographer/

Our people are at the heart of National Museums Liverpool. Colleagues from across the NML team make a difference every day, creating memorable experiences for everyone and challenging expectations. We pride ourselves on being a place for everyone, but we are always aiming higher, aspiring to be representative of the communities we serve. Through our people, we are building a culture which embeds trust, respect and inclusion and an organisation in which people are engaged and empowered to enable National Museums Liverpool to evolve. You could be just the right person to join us.  

We currently have the post of Curator of Photographic Collections (Maternity Cover) available.

Reporting to the Lead Archivist (Maritime & Slavery Collections), the Curator of Photographic Collections will be responsible for managing and developing the Maritime Museum’s internationally significant photographic collections, ensuring they are accessible and impactful both in Liverpool and beyond.

Given the scale of the collections, strong collection management skills are essential. These collections are exceptional, and we are committed to increasing their visibility and use — so the role requires a proactive approach to promoting, facilitating, and encouraging engagement with the material in diverse and creative ways.

As a key member of the Archive team, the postholder will contribute to all aspects of its work. Familiarity or interest in areas such as copyright and digital preservation will also be important, and the postholder will be expected to lead on the submission of a funding bid for a digitisation project.

Curator of Photographic Collections (Maternity Cover) 
Location: Liverpool
Salary: £33,778
Contract Type: Temporary
Position Type: Full Time
Closing Date: Thursday 25 September 2025 at 12 noon
Details here

Hot on the heels of The National Archives 2025 cataloguing grants is news of its 2025 scoping grants. One of the recipients is Edinburgh's Stills Centre of Photography which will be using its award to preserve and increase access to its archive as it approaches its fiftieth anniversary in 2027. 

Stills Centre for Photography, established in Edinburgh in 1977, was the first gallery in Scotland dedicated to photography. Stills is working to preserve and increase access to its archive – a unique collection documenting almost 50 years of photographic exhibitions, artist collaborations, and the evolving role of photography in Scotland and beyond. The archive includes prints, films, posters, artist correspondence, and audio-visual materials, much of which remains undigitised.

Opening this collection will enhance public engagement, highlight key photographic milestones, and inform future programming ahead of Stills’ 50th anniversary in 2027, fulfilling the founding vision to preserve, share, and celebrate the history of photography for generations to come.

Vivienne Gamble, Director, says: “as we approach the 50th Anniversary of Stills, this Archives Revealed scoping grant provides us with a timely opportunity to unlock the potential of an exciting collection which can be shared with public audiences and researchers in the future. As one of the few dedicated public spaces for photography in the country, the narrative of our gallery, the artists and the staff who have shaped it serve as an important parallel history of photography in Scotland and the UK from 1977 to the present day. We are very grateful for the support to get this important project off the ground.”

See: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-revealed/scoping-grant/current-and-past-projects/#2025
https://stills.org/

Image: Michael Pritchard

I will give a talk on this subject at the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin on Tuesday 9th September at 6pm. It will feature just over 50 photographs from the collections of  the library which consist of over 5.5 million photographs. 

There will be some items which are rarely seen such as the image (top) from an album of photos by John Shaw Smith from Egypt in the early 1850s.

There will be images which have not been seen before such as this one of a group of people in a Poorhouse in an unidentified location in Ireland in the late 19th Century 

And there will also be better known images such as this one by Colman Doyle in Derry around 1969.

The photos are arranged in groups of 2, 3 or 4 images, telling stories of Ireland and Irish photography since the beginnings of photography over 180 years ago. 

Seen and Unseen - The Photographic Collections of the National Library of Ireland
William Fagan
9 September 2025 from 1800-1900
National Library of Ireland
Free, booking required
https://www.nli.ie/exhibitions-events/seen-and-unseen-national-librarys-photographic-collection

Join the London Archives for an evening of specially devised entertainment by the renowned magic lantern performers Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker from the Magic Lantern Society. Before the main event you can view the current exhibition and an extra curated display of documents just for the evening. A pay bar will be available.

The show will feature an authentic triunial (or Triple) magic lantern combining three projectors in a single device. This is the most complex and rarest form of magic lantern entertainment creating fast-moving shows featuring the most spectacular effects the lantern can produce. Carolyn and Jeremy Brooker have been performing together for over 20 years to perfect this demanding art (www.jeremybrooker.com).

With live musical accompaniment provided by acclaimed silent film pianist Costas Fotopoulos (http://www.costasfotopoulos.com/). Costas is based in London and works internationally as a composer and arranger for film, the stage and the concert hall, and performs as a concert, silent film and jazz pianist.

Magic Lantern Show and Exhibition Late View
Thursday, 30 October. 1845-2100
The London Archives, 40 Northampton Road London EC1R 0HB
See: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/magic-lantern-show-and-exhibition-late-view-tickets-1616805291149?aff=TNewsMLMH

The 24.39 Fair returns for its second edition, during Paris Photo. This independent event, directed by Barnabé Moinard, brings together nearly fifty international exhibitors at the Pavillon Wagram (47 avenue de Wagram, Paris, 17th arrondissement) for a single day dedicated to antique and modern photography.

As the bicentennial of the invention of photography by Niépce approaches, the 24.39 Fair is more determined than ever to fulfill its mission: to bring the world’s photographic heritage back into the contemporary spotlight by showcasing the richness and diversity of original prints. In a market dominated by digital imagery and modern practices, the fair offers a refreshing counterpoint, another way of appreciating photography through its history and materiality. Fair director Barnabé Moinard commented "I want to shift perspectives, spark curiosity, present new ideas, and continually surprise." 

The 24.39 Fair presents prints dating from the 1840s to the late 20th century: daguerreotypes, salted paper prints, albumen prints, silver prints, and more. Each exhibitor brings a unique perspective and area of expertise, whether in travel, documentary, anonymous, or auteur photography. Prices range from just a few dozen euros to several thousand, with a large selection between €300 and €3,000, making the fair as welcoming to seasoned collectors as to curious visitors and young enthusiasts. In 2025, the event is expected to attract around 1,000 visitors.

Among the fifty exhibitors are galleries, dealers, collectors, renowned experts, and auction houses (such as Charlotte Barthélemy and Bassenge Auktionen), as well as restorers-conservators (Atelier STEG). This rare blend of historical expertise and contemporary vision creates an atmosphere that is both warm and sophisticated. Exhibitors hail from France, Europe and the UK, and the United States, positioning the 24.39 Fair as a key player in Europe’s growing vintage photography circuit, alongside events in Amsterdam, Vienna, and the Senigallia Biennale.

24.39 Classic Photography Fair
15 November 2025, from 1000-1700
Pavillon Wagram, 47 avenue de Wagram, Paris 17, a few minutes walk from Arc de Triomphe metro
https://24-39.com/the-fair-1

Professor Kelley Wilder, director of De Montfort University’s (DMU) Photographic History Research Centre (PHRC) is leaving  the university at the end of this month as the university concludes a wider staff consultation and redundancy programme. Wilder has been at DMU since 2008 when she was appointed to develop and write the ground-breaking MA Photographic History and Practice course which started in 2009. The MA moved online from the 2024/25 academic year. She was awarded her Professorship in 2019.

The PHRC was established in 2011 with Professor Elizabeth Edwards as its inaugural director. It specialised in international and interdisciplinary research on photography and its theories and practices from the 19th century to the present day. Wilder took over as director in 2016.

Kelley Wilder is photographic historian and historian of science of international repute. Her interests range across cultures of science and knowledge generated by photography and photographic practice, and photographic archives.  She has published papers and several books and has a particular interest in the photographic practices of nineteenth century scientists, notably, William Henry Fox Talbot, Sir John Herschel, Henri Becquerel and others. Prior to joining DMU Wilder was the assistant editor of the Talbot Correspondence Project. She has a book in development and other research projects in hand. 

The MA course and PHRC have been responsible for nurturing and training a new generation of photographic historians and artist-practitioners. Many of the PHRC’s former students now occupy positions across academia and museums and galleries in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America.  In addition, the university library’s special collections has become an important repository of photographic history materials. It houses the former Kodak Ltd research library, several photographic institutions’ archives and significant collections of historical photographic materials.The university also hosts online photo-history resources.  

The PHRC will continue and its teaching staff will remain in place. BPH understands that a new director will be announced shortly, and new MA and PhD student supervisory teams are being set up for existing students. The autumn seminar programme is in place and it is likely that the annual conference in 2026 will go ahead. The university has contacted students individually. 

DMU’s redundancy programme is part of a wider restructuring announced in May with, then, 94 posts at risk and 80 roles set to be cut. The Leicester-based university is repositioning itself as it seeks to cut spending by £22 million in 2025, manage falling student numbers, and deal with the costs of setting up new campuses in London and Dubai. The latter was set up after DMU terminated a partnership with World Study Group in 2024 which is now the subject of a costly dispute. The restructuring announcement led to calls for the Vice Chancellor and Executive to resign.

See: BBC news story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3nnge3v1wo
Staff profile: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/academic-staff/art-design-humanities/kelley-wilder/kelley-wilder.aspx
Kelley Wilder's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelley-wilder-62b0457a/

Images: top: De Montfort University; right: Kelley Wilder. left: (l-r) Roger Taylor, Elizabeth Edwards, Kelley Wilder and Stephen Brown co-founders of the PHRC celebrate its first anniversary in May 2012. Photos top and left: Michael Pritchard.    

Lawrences Auctioneers online auction of Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Photography which ends on 5 September 2025 includes four lots of pages from a prisoner album. Each consists of a 4-side leaf and holding 48 portraits of prisoners at Exeter prison. The photographs are captioned with the prisoner's name and a reference number. They show men and children and each is wearing a metal necklace with their prisoner number. The four lots each have a starting price of £100. 

See: https://auctionet.com/en/search?event_id=&is=&q=Exeter+Prison

Mark Dougan who blogs as MerchantCityGlasgow has just posted two further blogs, parts 2 and 3 dealing with early photography in Glasgow. They can be seen here: 

Part 1. Glasgow & Photography, part I (1839-1844)

Part 2. Glasgow & Photography (1842-1851)

Part 3. Glasgow & Photography (1852-1855)

Image: 1852-53 Glasgow Directory advert for John Urie Credit: nls.org.uk

The National Archives (TNA) has announced its cataloguing grants for 2025. The grants programme provides grants of up to £50,000 for the cataloguing of significant archive collections held in the UK. The programme aims to unlock these collections for the public for research and enjoyment. At least 20% of the total grant value is required to be allocated to activities that will promote public engagement with the collection during or after cataloguing. Photography inevitably is a regaulr beneficary and in the latest announcement the following are of particualr interest: 

• £42,082. Bertz Associates, a community heritage organisation, alongside the Library of Birmingham will use their grant to catalogue the Haas collection. Lisel Haas (1898-1989), a queer Jewish photographer, emigrated to Birmingham with her partner in 1938. As a successful photographer in Germany, she re-established herself in the UK despite institutional and cultural barriers. Working with artist-facilitators and community groups, Bertz Associates will consult on the direction of cataloguing and contribute to archival interpretation.
• £50,000. The Historic England Archive is the nation's archive of the historic environment and plays an important role in telling the story of England. This project will catalogue and celebrate the remarkable photographic collection of Janette Rosing, c.1853-1950s. With images from every English county, the photographs capture architecture, landscape and communities, many of which have undergone profound change. The images were taken by leading photographers of the time and contain examples of the era’s photographic processes, creating a powerful document of social history.

See the full list of the 2024-2025 recipients (which often include photography as part of an archive): https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-revealed/cataloguing-grant/current-and-past-projects/2024-2025/

Black Heritage Voices is a conference dedicated to uniting professionals working across various roles within the heritage sector, who work with or are interested in Black archives.  This includes archivists, researchers, audience engagement specialists, community artists and activists, heritage programmers (Black History Month) and those in leadership positions. It is organised by Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage

The event fosters dialogue and exploration around creativity, digital innovation and reframing narratives, with a focus on broadening perspectives within the heritage field and ultimately changing the gaze. Speakers of particular note are  Deborah Willis, Professor of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and Mark Sealy, Curator, Historian and Executive Director of Autograph ABP. 

Black Heritage Voices 2025. The Importance of Black Archives in Preserving Historical Memory
11 November 2025, 0830-1900
Leicester: Jewry Wall Museum, St Nicholas Circle, Leicester, LE1 4LB
£120-135
See: https://www.serendipity-uk.com/event/black-heritage-voices/

John Coster, Director, Independent Heritage Network, discusses personal archives left behind after a bereavement and the next Saturday Heritage Fair which provides an outlet for personal effects left behind, including photographs.

Imagine you’ve just experienced a bereavement. A box of personal belongings – school reports, passports, old photographs, perhaps mementos from a life once lived abroad due to war or economic necessity – has found its way to you. These items, quietly stored away for years, suddenly feel important. They might raise questions. They might offer clues. They might carry weight. But what do you do with them? Who do you turn to if you want to understand more, or contribute what you’ve found to a wider story?

The fair will have 25 themed heritage stalls, a talks programme, and an exhibition in the Basement Gallery.  

See: https://doc-media-centre.org/2025/08/10/who-will-help-challenging-the-narrative-around-personal-items-in-heritage-spaces/

Saturday Heritage Fair
10 October 2025, 1000-1500, cafe open from 0830
Leicester, Adult Education Centre, free

The bookseller Bernard Quaritch Ltd has a copy of Alfred Stieglitz's landmark publication Camera Work on offer. Number 37 contains nine photogravures on Japan tissue were made by the Scottish photographer James Craig Annan (1864–1946) from works by Hill & Adamson. Camera Work was published between 1903 and 1917 during which time fifty issues were made. The Annan number is priced at £2200. 

See: https://www.quaritch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Quaritch-Summer-Miscellany-2025.pdf#page=70

Names such as James Lancaster, Walter Tylar, Marlow Brothers, E & T Underwood and Coronet will be familiar to many collectors and historians. These firms were just as a small part of Birmingham's involvement with photography from the 1840s, ranging from small workshops making equipment, factories, to a network of small firms and outworkers making parts and assembling photographic apparatus for sale around the world. As part of Birmingham Heritage Week James Leighton’s collection of historical cameras and photographic equipment made in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter will be on display in the Heritage Lounge at the Hive. The exhibition includes historic cameras and equipment dated between 1841 and 1950. This is a rare opportunity to see a collection of Birmingham made photographic material not normally on public display.

The exhibition can be viewed Tuesday to Friday (10am–3.30pm) during Birmingham Heritage Week and will close on Fri 26 Sept.

In addition James will leads a walk through Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter showing what photographic equipment was made where and by whom. Although sold out it is hoped more dates might be arranged. More information about the walking tour here

100 Years of Camera Making in the Jewellery Quarter
Arranged by James Leighton and The Hive
Free admission
From Friday, 12 September to Friday, 26 September (open Tuesdays to Fridays, 1000-1530)
The Hive, 3-47 Vittoria Street, Jewellery Quarter, B1 3PE
See: https://birminghamheritageweek.co.uk/event/100-years-of-camera-making-in-the-jewellery-quarter-2/

Image: Gibbons quarter-plate field camera. 

When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was ‘utterly lazy and inattentive’ in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the world. Martin has published over one hundred photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking, over his career. Now, for the first and only time, Martin has produced a book about himself, telling his own story, in his own words.

This autobiography combines over 150 of Martin’s photographs – from his earliest snapshots to the work he is doing today – with his recollections and reflections on each image. We meet a boy growing up in suburbia, who collects obsessively and notices everything. We see him exploding into the public consciousness in the late eighties with a series of startling, ultra-saturated colour images of the British seaside – and scandalising the photography establishment in the process. We see society changing over the decades, from the demise of steam trains, through the opening of the first McDonald’s in Moscow, to the transformations of the post-pandemic world.

As Martin shares his story, his distinctive voice delicately captured by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones, he also reveals his approach to work and commissions; his tricks for gaining access and getting the shot; and he divulges his particular passions: for crowds and queues, fetes and placards, bad weather on beaches, and more.

Martin says..."I’ve published over 130 photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking. This is the first and only time I’ll publish a book about myself. My autobiography is a combination of stories and photos taken from across my life - from my earliest snapshots to the work I’m doing now. It was a way for me to understand my progress as a photographer: to see what has changed, and what has stayed the same, both in my work and in the world. It has allowed me to see how everything is connected"

This is the definitive account of a great photographer’s career, curating the work that has defined his life. By looking at the world through his eyes and his lens, we come away seeing Martin Parr – and ourselves – a little differently.

BPH adds...The book is not a typical biography,  instead it is one befitting one of Britain's great photographers with a focus on Martin's photography. Across 150 chapters Martin speaks to a single photograph tell the story of his life and career, from childhood, to student life in Manchester, and through his early documentary work, and on to The Last Resort, and thence to the present day. His photographs are used a jumping off point to discuss his own life and approach to photography. It's engaging and, even if you've heard Martin speak about his work, Wendy Jones has drawn out new insights into Martin Parr, the photographer, his thinking and into Parr-world. Recommended. 

Utterly Lazy and Inattentive. Martin Parr in Words and Pictures
Martin Parr and Wendy Jones
£30, 312 pages, hardback
Particular Books, published 4 September 2025
ISBN: 9780241740828
Buy here to support the Martin Parr Foundation, signed and on pre-order

Photographs: Michael Pritchard 

Join us at Side for What’s Next?, a public Q&A with Managing Director Laura Laffler and members of the senior team. This is your opportunity to hear directly about what lies ahead for Side as we near the end of our Transforming Amber: Building a Resilient Future project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In 2023, Side lost its National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding from Arts Council England and was forced to close its doors. Over the last year, with support from the Heritage Fund, we have worked to lay the foundations for a more sustainable future. This includes the development of a new business model, changes to our exhibition programme, and the opening up of the AmberSide collection to new audiences through partnerships.

As this exploratory year concludes, we are now ready to share what happens next. This event will outline the next phase of our work. We will present key plans for the gallery and archive, explain how we are adapting to a difficult and uncertain funding environment, and provide updates on our efforts to rejoin public funding streams.

The national picture is challenging. The application process for new NPO funding has been delayed again. Local authority support for the arts continues to fall. But Side is committed to continuing its work and deepening its roots in the North East.

This session is for anyone who wants to understand where Side is heading and how we are continuing the mission that began in 1977. Attendance is free and all are welcome.

Side: What's Next? An open conversation about our future
25 August 2025, 1600-1700
Side Cinema, 5-9 Side, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1JE
Free, registration required. 
Book: https://sidegallery.co.uk/whats-on/events/side-whats-next