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V&A Photography Gallery re-hung

Posted by Michael Pritchard on May 16, 2009 at 23:00

Last night Martin Barnes, senior curator of photography at the V&A, welcomed a range of guests at an informal drinks party in the newly re-opened photography gallery at the museum. Martin thanked supporters and those that had donated prints and money for their continuing interest and reminded those present that the Print Room also offered free access to the museum's photograph collection not on display. The gallery has been split into two with the far section showcasing prints from the nineteenth century and rehung as they were traditionally shown at the time (see photo, right) while the front of the gallery showed a selection of contemporary prints hung in the modern style. A number of photo books were also included in cases. The rehang was undertaken by Martin's curatorial colleagues, Marta Weiss, Susanna Brown and Ashley Givens.As Martin noted, it was a change for him to not be directly involved this year but to be able to come in see the work complete. The display runs until April 2010. For the British national collection of art photography the gallery is far, far, smaller than it should be but in the limited space that they had available Martin and his colleagues have produced an interesting view of the V&A's collections, containing some historic and exciting contemporary photography. One hopes that strong attendances at the special, temporary, photography exhibitions being planned for next year and beyond, together with the likely opening of the National Media Museum's London presence a few minutes walk away, might focus the attention of the V&A's senior management on extending the space available for showing the permanent collection. Also, on show in the museum's recent acquisitions gallery are a number of photographs and an impressive exhibition of photographs titled The Photographers' Pilgrimage: Exploring Buddhist Sites which shows nineteenth century photographs from the main buddhist centres from around the world (see photo below).

Photographs: Michael Pritchard.

FP Bride Daguerreotype -

Posted by JanetLehr on March 28, 2009 at 13:43

Gentlemen, my great pleasure to research with you - Imagine, had we had access to google search when we began our careers?? Two words typed into google: Bridal Daguerreotypes brought three photography afficionados together. I began this morning determined to learn as much about this stunning bridal daguerreotype as I am able. I have no external clues. The work was purchased many years ago. It is framed, so no preserver or case for clues. I have not examined the plate - a logical next step. I'd put it away, like a squirel. In my exuberence, having just had my apartment repainted, fresh surfaces brought me to fresh thoughts about those wonderful objects which enrich our surroundings. Yes, I'm very much in business - and the first client who came up - yesterday - said 'comme bien'. I was caught flatfooted. When I bought the work it was as a Brady, I really bought it because it was such a beautiful daguerreotype - and I paid a Brady price. But, now I need to properly attribute it - No furniture for clues, only a beautiful cut velvet cloth. I am so pleased to reacquaint with you both. Have you any thoughts on my investigation?Meeting this way brings my thoughts back to my first meeting with Beaumont in 1968. I'd been 'bitten' by photography. In looking around, for people who shared my enthusiasm, to see work, I quickly found Beaumont at GEH. I called the House, he and I spoke for some time, he was very generous with his time. The conversation was coming to a close when I asked a simple question, something had been nagging at me - that there were very few people interested in the photograph. I ask, "How many people are there interested in photography?" Beau replied, "Now we are six."Mark, Gordon - I hope you are very well and flourishing. Janet

UK EXCLUSIVE: Charlotte Cotton joins NMeM as Creative Director

Posted by Michael Pritchard on July 16, 2009 at 12:00

Charlotte Cotton is to join the National Media Museum in Bradford as Creative Director. Rumours had been swilling around the photographic community for five or six weeks and I am now able to confirm this news. Cotton had recently left her job at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where she had been curator and head of the photographs department. The NMeM had yet to officially confirm this news which was first reported in the Los Angeles Times this morning. The newly created role of Creative Director at the National Media Museum was advertised and reported on here in January 2009. It is believed Cotton will report directly to the head of the museum, Colin Philpott, and will become part of the museum's senior management team. The new position has the key goal of creating a showcase gallery in London. This is museum's long-vaunted London presence which 'aims to raise the profile of the Museum with new audiences in the nation's capital and to further enrich the city's cultural life'. Cotton's past relationship with the V&A Museum may stand her in good stead. An exhibtiion space has been identified at the Science Museum but funding has yet to be put into place to convert and run the new galleries. The NMeM's chair of trustees, Michael G. Wilson, producer of the Bond movies, has been driving this project forward in recent months. There is a wider discussion on the London presence here. Cotton joined the the LACMA in 2007 and while there she oversaw the acquisition of the Leonard and Marjorie Vernon collection of about 3,500 prints, organized an exhibition of Philip-Lorca diCorcia's work and presided over a lively series of performances, conversations and screenings. Previously she had been in New York since 2005 to organizing a cultural program for the Art & Commerce agency and was a visiting professor at Yale University (2005) and visiting critic at SVA, Bard, CCA and Cranbrook (2005-7). She had been head of programming at the Photographers' Gallery in London (2004-05) and was Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1993 to 2004. She has curated many exhibitions of historical and contemporary photography including, Imperfect Beauty: the making of contemporary fashion photographs (2000), Out of Japan (2002), Stepping In and Out: contemporary documentary photography (2003) and Guy Bourdin (2003). Cotton is the author and editor of publications such as Imperfect Beauty (2000), Then Things Went Quiet (2003), Guy Bourdin (2003) and the well-regardedThe Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004). She was founding editor of wordswithoutpictures.org.

18th-century scientist Adriaan Paauw : “The Inventor of Photography"

Posted by Michael Wong on March 26, 2010 at 10:02

Well, that's according to collector, Arjan de Nooy, a chemist, whose scientific background led him to pursue a research-based method, focusing on the lives and oeuvres of largely unknown photographers.

His new exhibition entitled "The Collector: Beyond The Amateur - A collector's perspective on the history of photography (see 'Events' for info), begins with work by 18th-century scientist Adriaan Paauw, who De Nooy classes as “the inventor of photography.” Around 1790, this obscure assistant of botanist Sebald Brugmans developed a photographic procedure in which he was able to “copy” objects in the form of photograms ..........

Photo: Adriaan Paauw - collection Arjan de Nooy

World’s 'first' camera at auction

Posted by Michael Wong on February 1, 2010 at 16:25

WestLicht Photographica (http://www.westlicht-auction.com) is to auction off one of the first commercially produced cameras, a Giroux Daguerréotype, which is expected to fetch at least half a million euros. The Giroux Daguerréotype was made in Paris from 1839 in limited numbers from original plans drawn up by its inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, by his brother-in-law, Alphones Giroux. The camera being auctioned on 29 May by WestLicht Auctions in Vienna was completely unknown and has never before been documented. It has been in private ownership in northern Germany for generations. The outstanding original condition of the 170 year-old apparatus is remarkable. Every detail including the lens, the plaque signed by Daguerre himself, the black velvet interior and the ground-glass screen are in their original state. WestLicht Photographica estimates that it will be sold for 500,000 to 700,000 euros at the 17th WestLicht Photographica Auction held in Vienna on 29 May 2009.Westlicht Press ReleaseThe oldest and most expensive camera in the world – WestLicht Auction May 29th, Estimate Euro 500,000 – 700,000!The “Giroux Daguerréotype” is the first commercially-produced camera in the world and represents the initial spark that began the worldwide spread of photography. It was made in Paris from 1839 in limited numbers from original plans drawn up by its inventor, Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, by his brother-in-law, Alphones Giroux.The camera being auctioned on the 29th of May by WestLicht Auctions in Vienna was completely unknown and has never before been documented. It has been in private ownership in northern Germany for generations. The present owner’s father gave it to him in the 1970s as a present for passing his final apprenticeship test as an optician.The outstanding original condition of the 170 year-old apparatus is remarkable. Every detail including the lens, the plaque signed by Daguerre himself, the black velvet interior and the ground-glass screen are in their original state.The unique camera comes with the extremely rare original instructions in German with the title: “Praktische Beschreibung des Daguerreotyp’s”; published by Georg Gropius, Berlin 1839, 12x20cm, 24 pages with 18 illustrations in 5 plates showing the equipment used for producing Daguerreotypes in accordance with Daguerre’s invention. On the back of the little book there are two handwritten notes from 1840 with details of the process.The expertise has been written by Michel Auer, the internationally renowned expert on historic cameras and author of numerous books. Worldwide, only a few of these cameras are known to exist and all of those are in public museums. A camera like this has never been offered for sale by auction before. It is anticipated that WestLicht Auctions’ own world record price of 576,000 Euros (also for a camera from 1839), will be significantly exceeded. The starting price is Euro 200,000, the estimate Euro 500,000 – 700,000.The historical backgroundFrom the end of the 1820s the industrious stage-set painter and showman Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre and lithographer Joseph Nicéphore Nièpce have been carrying out joint experiments into a process for making images from a camera obscura permanent. In 1829 they form a company in order to develop this idea but Daguerre achieves the technical breakthrough only after Nièpce’s unexpected death in 1833. He refines the process and, at the end of 1838, finally manages to fix the chemically generated images permanently.The public first learns of this pioneering invention on the 6th of January 1839 in the daily newspaper “La Gazette de France”. The article reveals almost no details. Thereafter events follow thick and fast. The day after the report is published, physicist and politician Francoise Jean Arago makes a fiery speech in which he declares Daguerre’s invention to be too important to be the concern of a single person and proposes that the French nation should make the invention of photography a present to the world.The Chamber of Deputies in Paris enthusiastically accepts this idea and Daguerre and Isidor Nièpce, the son of his former partner, are awarded a life-long pension of 10,000 Francs per year in return. On the 19th of August 1839 the secret of the new process is revealed stimulating world-wide interest.The news spreads like wildfire and on the 24th of August, punctually for the public announcement, the first advertisement for the Daguerreotype made by Alphonse Giroux et Cie is printed in the “Journal des Débats”. The announcement explicitly draws attention to the fact that production will be supervised by Daguerre himself and the reader is informed of the brochure which contains a detailed description of the process.The booklet, which will soon be printed in numerous languages and will go through 32 editions, also contains precise plans of the camera developed by Daguerre.Since the French nation has compensated him for his invention, Daguerre no longer has the exclusive rights to it but, as a good businessman, he finds ways of making money out of his name which is now famous all over the world. On the 22nd of June 1839, two months before the process was made public, he already signed a contract with Alphonse Giroux and the Susse Brothers. (Incidentally, an original Susse Frères camera was auctioned by WestLicht Auctions in 2007 for 576,000 Euros). In the contracts the two companies were given the exclusive rights to produce and sell the Daguerreotype and the other equipment necessary.The famous optician Charles Chevalier expressed his disappointment at this agreement because he had been hoping to acquire it. After all, it had been Chevalier who had made the contact between Daguerre and Nièpce in 1826 and he had also been following their experiments over the years. In his biography the respected producer of scientific instruments commented on the choice of an interior decorator and a stationer for the production of the Daguerreotype with ridicule and a certain degree of annoyance. Despite (and because of) that position Chevalier was given the commission of producing the lenses for the cameras made by both companies.The cameras produced by Daguerre’s brother-in-law are more opulently finished than those of the competition. Every Giroux camera has a golden plaque which, in addition to the maker’s mark, bears Daguerre’s personal signature. The selling price of 400 Francs was very high, representing approximately annual income of a normal working man. Under the terms of the contract Giroux was to have half the profits, Daguerre and Niépce taking equal shares of the remainder.There is no record of the total number of cameras that Giroux produced but since cheaper and improved cameras came onto the market relatively quickly, it is assumed that the numbers were very limited. It can also be assumed that the Giroux Daguerreotype was only produced in 1839. Apparently Daguerre did not take the development of his camera any further. The inventor died in 1851 at the height of his worldwide fame.On the functioning of the camera and the processMaking Daguerreotypes is a relatively involved process. Since the photographer has to ensure the light sensitivity of every photograph, he needs to have a lot of equipment with him. For open-air shots he must also carry a darkroom. For this reason the Daguerreotype was originally sold with everything necessary for the production of Daguerreotypes. All in all the required equipment weighed around 50 kilos and included in addition to the camera itself, fuming and mercury boxes, a spirit burner as well as the silver-covered copper plates and the necessary chemicals.The camera itself consists of two boxes which are slide into each other and are made of different kinds of wood. The larger of the two, which has the lens attached to it, is fixed to the base plate. The back of the smaller box is either the ground glass plate or the holder insert and it fits into the forward box so that the whole is lightproof. The interior is lined with black velvet. In order to bring the image into focus the rear box is moved back or forwards along the wooden camera base.It can then be fixed in position by means of a brass screw. A fold-out mirror behind the ground-glass screen allows the image to be seen while standing upright.Initially Daguerre used plates of pure silver. Later, to save costs, they were made of silver-plated copper. Before the exposure was made the plates were fumed with iodine or bromine. This took place in a special wooden box with the aid of a spirit burner. Under the influence of this fuming process, light-sensitive silver iodide formed on the surface of the plate.In order to maximise the brightness of the image while focussing, the lens’s outer brass fitting was removed. During the exposure the ground glass screen was exchanged for the (now) light sensitive plate (167 x 216 mm). Before the exposure was made the diaphragm was replaced and a swivelling cap served as a shutter. Daguerre suggested exposure times of between 3 and 30 minutes, depending on light conditions.After the plate was exposed, the photograph was developed with the aid of mercury fumes which adhered to the surface producing a very faint silver image. Development and fixation in a salt or cyanide solution results in a positive image made of grey quicksilver. The tonality of the original pictures varied between grey and blue-grey but, after the introduction of gold toner, they could also be gold, purple or sepia-coloured.Daguerreotypes are astoundingly finely nuanced and practically grainless – even when examined under a magnifying glass they exhibit very fine details. When they are framed in a way that excludes air they are extremely durable. Daguerreotypes are always unique and cannot be reproduced. This is also one of the reasons why they are such sought after and desirable collectors’ items nowadays.

Virtual Exhibition: The Forth Bridge Evelyn George Carey- Engineer-Photographer

Posted by michaelg on July 15, 2009 at 17:00

A selection of images taken from the Benjamin Baker: Bridging the World Exhibition can be seen on line for those who are unable to visit the venue in person. The exhibition will be shown in London later in the year and I will forward relevant details as and when they become available.In addition, in September there will be a symposium on Photography and Engineering organised by the Ordine degli Ingeneri di Padova and Venice University in the Autumn.Details will follow as soon as I know more.The Exhibition at Rook Lane Arts:http://www.rooklanearts.org.uk/baker/index.html exhibition home pagehttp://www.rooklanearts.org.uk/baker/gallery.html images as thumbnails-viewable via greyboxBenjamin Baker's activities took him far and wide. Not only to Egypt but also to the US when Fowler & Baker Ltd took over the work on the Hudson Tunnel and was also responsible for the design of the now defunct Manhattan Elevated Railway - see "Edison Clip" and a second by the Mutascope Company" which shows more complete view of the structure. Courtesy of Youtube's Narragansett55michaelgray@imageresearch.org

(A little) more on the NMeM London presence

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 27, 2009 at 13:30

The British Journal of Photography's blog reports more on the NMeM's London presence and takes a little further the comment posted here in January. The BJP notes that three spaces have been allocated at London's Science Museum: one for large scale exhibitions, one for smaller scale exhibitions and a retail space, and will open in 2011. The museum will not confirm details but hope to make an annoucement later this year. The BJP's blog report can be read here and a fuller report will be in next week's issue of the magazine.

A village lost and found

Posted by Michael Pritchard on July 12, 2009 at 9:30

Many months ago I reported here that Brian May and Elena Vidal's book on series of stereographs of the 1850s photographer T. R. Williams Scenes in Our Village was going to be published in October 2009. Well, the project continues on schedule. The book is currently in press and the stereoscope that will accompany it has been designed, prototyped and is being manufactured. There is more on Brian's own blog here: http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html (10 July). For more on TRW visit the London Stereoscopic Company website here: http://www.londonstereo.com/trwilliams/index.html.

And/Or Book Awards 2010

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 26, 2010 at 7:27

The two shortlists are announced for the 2010 And/or Book Awards, the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image. A winner from each category will share a prize fund of £10,000. They will be announced during an awards ceremony at the BFI Southbank, London, on Thursday 29 April.

The shortlisted titles for the Best Photography Book are:

Oil by Edward Burtynsky (Steidl)
Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans by Robert Frank, edited by Sarah Greenough (Steidl)
Paul Graham by Paul Graham (Steidl)
Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and ’70s by Ryūichi Kaneko and Ivan Vartanian (Aperture Foundation)

The shortlisted titles for the Best Moving Image Book are:

The Tactile Eye by Jennifer M. Barker (University of California Press)
Being Hal Ashby: The Life of a Hollywood Rebel by Nick Dawson (The University Press of Kentucky)
Eisenstein on the Audiovisual by Robert Robertson (I. B. Tauris)
The New Yorker Theater by Toby Talbot (Columbia University Press)
Michael Haneke’s Cinema by Catherine Wheatley (Berghahn Books)

Over 150 titles were submitted across the two categories for the awards, which have been narrowed down to a final nine books by the two judging panels chaired by Philippe Garner (Photography) and Francine Stock (Moving Image). The judges were looking for clearly written, well illustrated works, which make a significant contribution to the understanding of photography and/or the moving image.

The photography shortlist includes: an essay by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, chronicling the infrastructure of the oil industry and the implications of our dependence on the fuel; an expanded re-issue of legendary photographer Robert Frank’s seminal work The Americans; a retrospective of Paul Graham, the pioneering UK photographer and winner of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009; a survey of the Japanese photographic print culture of the 60s and 70s, which has since had a profound influence on photographic publishing worldwide.

Philippe Garner comments:

The field was strong and the excellent shortlist reflects a wide range of approaches. They include: single-minded and engaging investigations of sometimes very narrow topics, made riveting by the passion of the authors; excellent monographs on or by photographers from all areas of photographic practice; and a number of quirky, category-defying projects.

The moving image shortlist includes: Jennifer M. Barker’s theory that the connection between film and viewer goes beyond the visual and aural, to become something visceral; a portrait of the life of the underappreciated rebel 1970s Hollywood Director, Hal Ashby; Robert Robertson’s revealing exploration of Eisenstein’s ideas about the audiovisual in cinema; memoirs by Toby Talbot, co-owner of Manhattan’s influential home of art-house film, the New Yorker Theatre; the first English language analysis of the films of Austrian Director, Michael Haneke, by UK film critic Catherine Wheatley.

Francine Stock comments:

The books that impressed us above all were the ones that inspired a deeper love of film. The shortlisted authors each combined passion and original research in a format that suited their subject. Whether it was intimate memoir, biography, history, critique or a call for a radical new understanding of the way we experience cinema, these books were both focussed and involving.

World's smallest gallery to open in Settle

Posted by Michael Pritchard on July 8, 2009 at 8:00

What is claimed to be the world's smallest gallery opens in a former BT telephone box on the green in Settle, North Yorkshire, on 11 July. The gallery will be opened by the Mayor of Settle, Councillor Barbara McLernon. The decommissioned box was restored in a project led by local volunteers, with help from the local council. 'Contributions are welcomed from members of the public and must be no larger than a postcard,' said the gallery's curator Professor Roger Taylor (pictured) who lives on the green. Taylor was previously a curator at one of the world's largest museums, the former National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford. He said: 'We are very excited to see such a creative use of the phone box and it's great to have a bit of fun as well as involve the wider community in a contemporary art and photography project,' The opening exhibition features postcard-sized work from local artists and schoolchildren, as well as examples by more renowned figures such as Ansel Adams, Paul Hill, Samuel Palmer and Toulouse Lautrec. 'We are very excited to see such a creative use of the phone box and it's great to have a bit of fun as well as involve the wider community in a contemporary art and photography project,' said Taylor who is Professor of Photographic History at De Montfort University. The Gallery on the Green will exhibit photographs, paintings and drawings, and visitors are asked to make contributions of 'postcard art'. One-man shows and thematic shows are planned for the future. The gallery website can be found here: http://www.galleryonthegreen.org.uk/index.html

Who created the first true colour photograph ? James Clerk Maxwell or Levi Hill ?

Posted by Michael Wong on March 22, 2010 at 18:11

Started in the 1880s, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has the oldest collection of photography in an American museum, and includes many unique photography collections and related cameras. It includes early examples of color photography made in the 1850s by Reverend Levi L. Hill, a daguerreotype photographer in the remote hamlet of West Kill, New York, in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. The museum has the only set of Reverend Hill’s 62 early color experiments, originally donated in 1933 by Hill’s son-in-law.

Read about this 160-year old photographic mystery and Hill's claim that he invented colour photography back in 1851 in this April's issue of the Smithsonian found here:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/A-160-Year-Old-Photographic-Mystery.html

Companion Guide to Photography in the National Galleries of Scotland (revised edition 2009)

Posted by Michael Pritchard on February 23, 2009 at 21:00

Since the practical invention of photography in the 1840s, Scotland has been at the centre of the history and development of the medium. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery – which houses the Scottish National Photography Collection – and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, hold outstanding collections of photographic art spanning three centuries. Included are figures such as D.O. Hill and Robert Adamson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Thomas Annan, Alfred Stieglitz, Robert Capa, Bill Brandt, Annie Leibovitz and Andreas Gursky. This book offers a detailed guide to the collections as well as an accessible and informative introduction to photography. This revised edition includes recently commissioned photography and significant new acquisitions, with works by Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman and Robert Mapplethorpe. The book will be available in March 2009, 224pp, 200 colour illustrations, £9.99. National Galleries of Scotland ISBN: 978 1 906270 20 9 The authors: Dr Sara Stevenson is Chief Curator of the Scottish National Photography Collection, National Galleries of Scotland Dr Duncan Forbes is Senior Curator of Photography at the National Galleries of Scotland. A nineteenth-century specialist, he also writes on aspects of contemporary photography, with recent articles and reviews appearing in the Oxford Art Journal, History Workshop Journal, Portfolio, History of Photography and Third Text. Recent curatorial projects include Joanna Kane’s ‘Somnambulists’ and Dieter Appelt’s ‘Forth Bridge – Cinema/Metric Space’. He is currently finishing a book on the early Scottish photographer John Muir Wood, titled Holding the World Together Within.

And/or Book Awards 2009 shortlist announced

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 27, 2009 at 12:30

The two shortlists have been announced for the 2009 And/or Book Awards, the UK’s leading prizes for books published in the fields of photography and the moving image. A winner from each category will share a prize fund of £10,000. They will be announced during an awards ceremony at the BFI Southbank, London, on Thursday 23 April. The shortlisted titles for the 2009 And/or Photography Book Award are: • Brought to Light: Photography and the Invisible, 1840-1900 by Corey Keller, Jennifer Tucker, Tom Gunning and Maren Gröning (Yale University Press) • From Somewhere to Nowhere: China’s Internal Migrants by Andreas Seibert (Lars Müller) • Susan Meiselas: In History edited by Kristen Lubbin (Steidl) • The World from my Front Porch by Larry Towell (Chris Boot) The shortlisted titles for the 2009 And/or Moving Image Book Award are: • Photography and Cinema by David Campany (Reaktion Books) • Fight Pictures: A History of Boxing and the Early Cinema by Dan Streible (University of California Press) • Performing Illusions: Cinema, Special Effects and the Virtual Actor by Dan North (Wallflower Press) Over 150 titles were submitted across the two categories for the awards, which have been narrowed down to a final seven books by the two judging panels chaired by Martin Parr (Photography) and Mike Dibb (Moving Image). The judges were looking for works which make a significant contribution to the understanding of photography and/or the moving image and which use photographs as more than a means of illustration. The photography shortlist includes: a book which steps back to a time when the new visual technologies of photography, x-rays and microscopes captivated scientists and the public alike; a photo essay by Andreas Seibert investigating the lives of China’s internal economic migrants; an in depth look at Susan Meiselas’ esteemed career in socially engaged documentary photography; Larry Towell’s personal photo album comparing his family life in rural Ontario with his photojournalist work the world beyond. Martin Parr comments: “It is reassuring that despite the internet and the credit crunch, so much effort and care goes into the making of these books, all of which reflect the application and passion of individual photographers or curators.” The moving image shortlist includes: David Campany’s missing history of the connections and influences between photography and cinema; a revelatory investigation into the importance of boxing films in early cinema by Dan Steible; Dan North’s exploration of the essential role of illusion to the process of movie making. Mike Dibb comments: “When I first worked in cinema there were so few books available on the subject, now I am amazed that there are so many. We all agreed on the shortlisted titles though, which all demonstrate insightful academic analysis, written clearly and without jargon.”

Lecture series: Pepper's Ghost II

Posted by Michael Pritchard on October 23, 2009 at 8:25

Further to an earlier posting reporting a series of lectures on early projection and the magic lantern (click here) full details of the programme have been published. The programme can be downloaded by clicking here: Pepper'sGhost_II_.pdf

China : Through the lens of John Thomson 1868 - 1872

Posted by Michael Wong on March 22, 2010 at 15:02

For those who might not have a chance to view this exhibition at the Merseyside Maritime Museum (see Events) before 6th June, a book has been published to accompany it. It can either be obtained from the Museum Shop (sold out as of today, but with more copies to follow) or from Amazon (168 pages, 310 x 310 mm, hardback with 157 black and white photographs; ISBN 978 616 7339 00 9).

An article on John Thomson was recently covered by the national press too:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article7013815.ece

Celebrating the anniversary of the Scottish national collection - Review

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 25, 2009 at 17:30

Note has already been made of this exhibition under 'Events'. A review has appeared in The Independent newspaper on 25 March and written by Hannah Duguid and a small part is reproduced below. The exhibition is open until 19 April. It took Thomas Annan three years to take 31 photographs inside the city centre slums of Glasgow during the late 1860s. Only rarely did the pale Scottish sun provide the light he needed for his large plate camera. Conditions may have been appalling but Annan very subtly tells us that the people were not. In Close No 101, High Street, Glasgow, a pair of trousers hangs from a washing line strapped across the street. They are tatty – there's a hole in the leg – but they are clean. It was difficult to get water in the slums yet the people are able to uphold the Victorian ideal that cleanliness is next to godliness. The ghostly face of a young boy – his face blurred by the long exposure – peeps out from a shabby doorway. Child mortality was high, and he is a reminder of all the dead children, but there is hope for him: the street leads down towards an opening filled with light. It is an exit; there is a way out. The photograph belongs to the Scottish National Galleries, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its photography collection... The full article can be seen here: 25 years of photography: Celebrating the anniversary of the national collection, National Gallery Complex, Edinburgh from The Independent

Abelardo Morell at the Fox Talbot Museum

Posted by Roger Watson on July 6, 2009 at 17:34

BL Points of View - Events

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 22, 2009 at 23:00

The British Library has announced a series of events around its major autumn exhibition Points of View which takes place from 30 October 2009 to 7 March 2010. These include a whole day of lectures and workshops on 7 November as well as one-off events including Brian May talking about the photographer T. R. Williams and Larry Schaaf on William Henry Fox Talbot. Below is a exclusive, handy print-out and keep guide to these. Most of the events are free but have limited availability so booking is recommended. Visit http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/date/sept09/index.html to do this. Further events for January to March will be announced in due course. Events and lectures Imagining the impossible: The truth about spirit photography Sat 31 Oct 2009, 14.30 - 16.00 Price: £6 / £4 concessions Images of departed spirits, ghosts and ectoplasm captured on photographs became a huge sensation between the 1860s and 1930s. As spiritualist mediums and their many clients, and even establishment figures such as Arthur Conan Doyle, enthused about these apparently miraculous messages, others sought to uncover widespread fraud and trickery. An entertaining illustrated talk, especially for Halloween, by Gordon Rutter, Head of the Charles Fort Institute and scholar of strange experiences and anomalous phenomena. A Village Lost And Found: Into an extraordinary stereoscopic world Wed 11 Nov 2009, 18.30 – 20.00 Price: £7.50 / £5 concessions Discover Brian May and Elena Vidal’s painstaking excavation of exquisite stereo photographs from the dawn of photography, as they transport us back in time to the lost world of an Oxfordshire village of the 1850s. Pioneering stereographer T.R. Williams created these powerfully atmospheric views of rural society in 1856, which burst into glorious 3D life when seen through viewers supplied to each audience member. Their intriguing story is presented by lifelong stereograph enthusiast and world-renowned musician Brian May and photographic historian and conservator Elena Vidal, Professor Heard’s peerless Victorian magic lantern show Sun 29 Nov 2009, 14.30 – 16.00 Price: £7.50 / £5 concessions Professor Heard introduces the weird and wonderful magic lantern entertainments once presented in public halls and private drawing rooms throughout the 19th century. An intriguing and amusing show that draws on a unique collection of original mechanical moving pictures, sights, frights, moral warnings, adventures and pictorial curiosities. ‘I have captured a shadow’: Fox Talbot and the dawn of photography Mon 7 Dec 2009, 18.30 -20.00 Price: £6 / £4 concessions Frustrated with his inability to draw while in Italy, William Henry Fox Talbot conceived of the art of photography in 1833. He achieved his first successes at his Wiltshire home of Lacock Abbey by the following spring but delayed announcing his achievement to the public until 1839. Photography was thus born into an era propelled by rapid industrialisation and buffeted by great social upheavals. It both preserved the past and predicted the future. In 2006, the descendants of William Henry Fox Talbot made an extraordinary donation to the British Library. The inventor of photography had started his own archive at the age of eight. Included in this donation were hundreds of notebooks, thousands of letters and many crucial examples of his early photographs. This collection provides an unusually rich and comprehensive resource for studying both the invention of photography and its context in the Victorian era. Drawing on these resources, this illustrated talk by Larry J. Schaaf will explore the invention and early progress of the art of photography through the eyes of Talbot himself. The art and the artist advanced together. World expert on early photography Larry J. Schaaf is the author of many book, including The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot -------------- Photography Day The wonderful world of early photography: A discovery day Sat 7 Nov 2009, 11.00 - 16.30 Price: Free, limited availability, booking recommended Enjoy, explore and learn about the remarkable early years of photography at a packed day of free talks, displays, workshops and activities. All day events Willett and Patterson's amazing camera obscura Time: 11.00 – 16.30 Location: British Library, Piazza Price: Free, drop in A chance to experience the projected images that amazed earlier generations: artists, scientists and holiday-makers. Complete with its authentic booth and operators, this is one of the finest touring camera obscuras in the world. Madam La Luz's photographic parlour Time: 11.00 – 16.00 Location: British Library, Entrance Hall Price: Free, drop in (subject to demand) Dress up in 19th-century costume and have your picture taken by professional photographers in our lavish Victorian photo studio. Early photography advice sessions An introduction to looking after photographs Time: 11.30- 12.30 Location: British Library, Centre for Conservation Price: Free, drop in (limited capacity) Many families have photographic collections ranging from those taken over 100 years ago to the present day. In this presentation you will learn about the different types of photographs and how to avoid storage problems in photographic collections. Images of the past Time: 13.30 – 16.30 Location: British Library, Entrance Hall Price: Free, drop in (time slots may be in operation subject to demand) Bring in your own early photographs and meet our team of conservators. Discuss their themes, dates, techniques and learn how best to care for them and protect your own collection for future generations. Talks and Events Photographic History without Photographs Time: 11.00 – 12.00 Location: All talks will take place in the Conference Centre Auditorium Book now: Free, advance booking available In a heavily illustrated lecture, Michael Pritchard explores a little-known but intriguing world of photographic history sources: trade catalogues, patents, company documents, auction catalogues, handbills and printed ephemera. Presented in conjunction with the 2009 Let's Talk About Photography lectures promoted by the Photographic Materials Conservation Group of the Institute of Conservation Magic Lantern Show Time: 12.30 – 13.00 Book now: Free, advance booking available 'New light through an old hole' Time: 13.30 – 14.30 Book now: Free, advance booking available The History, Science and Art of The Pinhole Camera. Justin Quinnell, who uses pinhole photography will be launching his book Build Your Own Paper Camera . The lecture will take the audience on an entertaining visual journey through the science, art and 500 million year history of the pinhole camera. Magic Lantern Show Time: 15.00 – 15.30 Book now: Free, advance booking available Curator Talk, Points Of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs Time: 16.00 – 17.00 Book now: Free, advance booking available John Falconer, discusses the highlights of the exhibition and the British Library photographic collection. Workshops Pinhole Camera workshop Time: 11.00 - 12.45 Suitable for families with children aged 7 – 16 Book now: Free, advance booking recommended (limited places) Pinhole Camera workshop Time: 15.00 - 16.45 Suitable for ages 16 and over Book now: Free, advance booking recommended (limited places) -----------

Fifty British Calotypes

Posted by Michael Pritchard on February 12, 2009 at 20:30

This is the title of a new publication from the long-established photography dealer and collector Robert Hershkowitz. 2008. The book begins with an introducution to Hershkowitz's relationship with British calotype and salt print photography before illustrating full-page fifty photographs. These range from Roger Fenton, Thomas Sutton, Calvert Jones, Linneaus Tripe, Thomas Keith, Clifford and others. The illustrations do the original prints full justice. The book, text plus fifty colour plates plus text is available from Robert Hershkowitz Ltd, Cockhaise, Monteswood Lane, Lindfield, Sussex RH16 2QP, England; Phone: +44 (0) 1444 482240; email: prhfoto@btconnect.com; ISBN No. 978-0-9560594-0-6.

A fuller review can be found here: http://www.iphotocentral.com/news/article_view.php/166/157/947

BBC2 history of photography series sold to National Geographic

Posted by Michael Pritchard on May 14, 2009 at 9:30

Broadcast Now reports that Outright Distribution has sold the critically acclaimed BBC2 documentary series Genius of Photography to National Geographic Channels International (NGCI). Produced by Wall to Wall Television, the series offered a comprehensive history of photography and was originally produced for BBC2 and BBC4. NGCI will air the 6 x 60-minute series in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. In addition, Genius of Photography has been sold to Histoire in France and Viasat in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.