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EXCLUSIVE - The five photographs that changed everything.

Posted by Michael Pritchard on January 31, 2015 at 18:00

BBC Radio 3's The Essay is running a series of five programmes each evening between 16-20 February 2015 at 2245, under the banner of 'The Five Photographs that (you didn't know) changed Everything'. The photographs being discussed are not generally found in the history books; they are not generally art; and the photographers who made them are not generally known beyond a small coterie of photographic historians.

The five photographs discussed in this series of essays changed the way we see ourselves and our place in the world. They had an enormous impact in the fields of medicine, architecture, astronomy, law and cultural history. The series has been supported and developed in association with De Montfort University's Photographic History Research Centre and The Royal Photographic Society.

The programmes, with their provisional transmission dates are:

Monday 16^th February.

1. A woman’s left hand. Kelley Wilder on the x-ray that changed medicine.

The photograph of Anna Bertha Ludwig Rontgens left hand taken in 1896 astounded the scientific world and alarmed the public. For the scientists it signalled the beginning of medical radiography. For the public it gave rise to fears about intrusion and privacy in much the same way as the introduction of the TSA body scanner did in 2007. From medical imaging to airport security, Kelley Wilder shows how x-ray photography changed the world.

Kelley Wilder is Reader in Photographic History, De Montfort University, Leicester

Tuesday 17^th February.

2. . Draper’s Nebula. Omar Nassim on how a photo of space changed our view of the universe and our place within it.

Today high-resolution photographs of nebulae or galaxies saturate our culture to such an extent that they are almost kitsch. But when Henry Draper took the very first pictures of a nebula in 1880 it was one of the greatest achievements of photography. Omar Nasim tells the story of how this photograph defied the imagination and raised questions not just about the size of the universe but about the very origins of humanity.

Omar Nasim is lecturer in the School of History at the University of Kent.

Wednesday 18^th February.

3. . The Dogon. Jeanne Haffner on how aerial photography changed the spaces we live in. The birds-eye photograph of the Dogon tribe working their fields in Mali was taken by the French Africanist Marcel Griaule. He’d trained in aerial photography during the first world war and he argued that the Dogon landscape, seen from the air, revealed the patterns and secrets of the lives of its inhabitants, patterns which could teach Western city planners and architects how to build a happier society.

Jeanne Haffner is lecturer in the Department of History and Science at Harvard University.

Thursday 19^th February.

4. The Broom cottages. Elizabeth Edwards on the photo that changed the way we see ourselves.

The man who took the photo, W. Jerome Harrison, launched a scheme for recording the country’s past in which amateur photographers up and down the land took pictures of the buildings which were important them. Wiki-buildings and English Heritage do this now on a much grander scale. But Elizabeth Edwards argues that the mass participation of people in defining what matters about the past began with Harrison, and changed the way in which a nation viewed itself.

Elizabeth Edwards is Research Professor of Photographic History and Director of the Photographic History Research Centre at De Montfort University, Leicester

Friday 20^th February.

5. The Tichbourne Claimant. Jennifer Tucker on the photo that changed the law.

In 1863 a butcher sat for his photograph in the remote town of Wagga Wagga, Australia. Three years later this likeness had Britain transfixed. Jennifer tucker tells the story of how it was central to the longest legal battle in 19th century England, and sparked a debate about evidence, the law, ethics and facial recognition that has continued ever since.

Jennifer Tucker is Associate Professor of History and Science in Society at Wesleyan University, USA

The programmes will be available on the BBC iPlayer after transmission.

V&A announces new Curatorial Fellowship in Photography

Posted by Michael Pritchard on April 26, 2019 at 7:05

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) announces a new Curatorial Fellowship in Photography. Generously supported by The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, the fellowship will run for the next four years. The Curatorial Fellowship follows the Foundation’s ongoing support of the V&A and its significant donation towards the museum’s recently-opened Photography Centre, for which gallery 100 was renamed ‘The Bern and Ronny Schwartz Gallery’ after the businessman and portrait photographer and his wife.

The first fellowship of its kind in photography at the V&A, the scheme will see two fellows join the museum over consecutive two-year periods. The initiative arises from The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation’s desire to give early scholars of photography the opportunity to acquire invaluable museum experience and specialist knowledge working alongside the Photography Section’s accomplished curatorial team. Fellows will gain expertise in the history of photography and contribute substantially to the museum’s knowledge of its world-renowned collection that includes over 800,000 photographs.

A focus for each fellow will be an independent research project based on the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection, which was transferred to the V&A in 2017. Exploring areas of strength such as portraiture, colour photography and photographic process, all themes of interest to Bern Schwartz and the Foundation, each fellow will spend three months in the V&A Research Institute (VARI). Using an accompanying travel fund also provided by The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, the fellows will also travel nationally and internationally to share their expertise and further their study of the photographic medium.

Applications will open via the V&A website on 25 April and close on 27 May with the first fellow commencing in autumn 2019. Details can be found here.

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, said: “We are enormously grateful to The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation for their generosity in supporting our Photography Centre and mission to make photography available to the widest possible audience. The V&A is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of creative thinkers. This Curatorial Fellowship in Photography will give emerging curators the chance to deepen their own knowledge and expertise while furthering scholarship around the museum’s world-class photography collections.”

Michael Schwartz, Chairman of The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation, and Anne Varick Lauder, Senior Advisor, said: “We are delighted to continue supporting the V&A’s Photography Section and its talented team of curators. By directly working with them and the objects in their care, the fellows will gain invaluable on-hands experience essential for furthering their careers in photography. Bern Schwartz was passionate about education and the mentoring experience. His career as a portrait photographer was immeasurably advanced by learning directly from the legendary photographer, Philippe Halsman.”

The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation were the first major funder to support the V&A’s new Photography Centre, which was opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in October 2018. The Bern and Ronny Schwartz Gallery, a refurbished 19th-century picture gallery, is currently host to a major display entitled Collecting Photography: From Daguerreotype to Digital, which explores photography as a way of ‘collecting the world’. An extension to the Photography Centre is scheduled to open in 2022 and will expand the V&A’s photography offer further with new and exciting ways for visitors to encounter this diverse and dynamic art form.

Historic archive of Kodak Ltd donated to the British Library and De Montfort University - Official Press Release

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 19, 2009 at 7:30

An unparalleled collection of documents and photographs charting the development of photography from a gentlemen’s pursuit to a mass popular pastime has been donated to the British Library and De Montfort University. The Kodak Ltd Archive, dates back more than 120 years and represents a treasure trove of primary material for historians and researchers of the history of photography. Kodak Ltd’s British company archives have been handed to the British Library and its research department’s library of important photographic journals to De Montfort University in Leicester. The earliest items in the archive date back to 1885, when the Kodak Company – a subsidiary of the US-based Eastman Kodak Company – opened its first UK offices in Soho Square, London. It adds to the already outstanding photographic collections of the British Library, which hold around half a million photographs dating from the birth of the medium up to the present and which will be staging a major exhibition showcasing these collections in October 2009.

The archive includes financial ledgers dating back to the company’s earliest years in the UK, advertising photographs and original line drawings used in advertising campaigns, Kodak publications including catalogues, newsletters and calendars, correspondence and minutes of meetings, photographs of buildings and employees and research reports dating back to 1928. Books and journals from the archive, which are largely duplicates of items already held by the British Library, are to be donated to De Montfort University, Leicester, which is this year launching a Masters degree in Photographic History and Practice. The archive was formed in 1977, when the holdings of the Kodak Museum (established 1927) were divided between items of significance to the history of photography generally and those relating to the history of the Kodak Company (The Kodak Ltd Archive). The former items – including photographs, photographic apparatus, products and processes – were donated to the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television at Bradford in 1985. John Falconer, Head of Visual Materials at the British Library, said, “The Library is delighted to acquire such a significant collection as the Kodak Ltd Archive – which we will make available to researchers in our St Pancras Reading Rooms in perpetuity. It will form a unique resource for the study of the growth and development of photography as a professional tool and popular amusement from the 1890s onwards.” Chairman & Managing Director of Kodak Limited, Julian Baust said “The earliest items in the Kodak Ltd Archive date from around 1885 when the first Kodak offices were opened in Soho Square. The Archive contains some excellent photographs from Kodak’s history. Kodak Limited is very excited to be relocating our valuable archive over to The British Library, where it will be available to historians and researchers alike.” Dr Gerard Moran, Dean of DMU’s Art and Design Faculty, said: “De Montfort’s growing reputation as an International Centre in this area of study has been boosted by this generous donation. Postgraduate students at De Montfort University’s Centre for Photographic History will benefit greatly from having immediate access in Leicester to this tremendous resource. I’m grateful to colleagues at Kodak, the British Library and here in the University who have worked very hard to make this happen.” Amateur Photographer magazine has also run a news story on this with different information. Click here to see.

The Doctor, The Photographs & The Court Case of 1877

Posted by Michael Wong on April 22, 2010 at 9:34

Most of you (myself included !) would have first encountered the Irish philanthropist, Dr Thomas Barnado (1845-1905), as your local High Street charity shop. But what did he have in common with photography and a court case brought against him in 1877 ? Well, his name may not spring to mind instantly amongst the names of early photographers, but perhaps deserves to.

In 1874 Dr. Barnardo opened a Photographic Department in his Stepney Boys' Home. Over the next thirty years every child who entered one of Barnardo's homes had their photograph taken. Children were photographed when they first arrived and again several months later after they had recovered from their experiences of living on the streets. The photographs were kept in albums and case-history sheets. There are over fifty thousand of these 'before' and 'after' cards, printed on a carte-de-visite, of the boys at the homes, and were then sold in packs of twenty for 5 shillings or singly for 6d. each. This enabled Barnardo to publicize his work and raise money for his charitable work.

However, Barnardo was accused of setting up the pictures in a court case in 1877. He admitted to not always using a child who was destitute as a model and sometimes exaggerating their appearances to get across the "wider" truth about the class of children he wanted to help. The courts reprimanded him but said his homes were still "real and valuable charities".

The case was so important because the status of photography was, at the time, a medium by which some kind of visual "truth" was supposed to be revealed. The idea that Barnardo had staged many of his photographs destabilised a Victorian notion of what it was to be an "authentically" poor child. A deliberately manipulated photograph of a child was considered not just an assault on notions of representational truth, but also an assault on the innocence of the child itself.

Well, you can judge for yourself at a talk entitled "Barnardo's Philanthropy and Photography" - see Events for more information.

Carte-de-visite :The transformation
Pictures from the 1870s used by Barnardo's homes to attract funds,
ostensibly showing children "before" and "after" being rescued from the
streets. Barnardo was later accused of setting up the pictures in a
court case in 1877.

Lost & Found: The Thuillier Collection - (UPDATED with video) one of the most important historical discoveries from WWI

Posted by Michael Wong on March 2, 2011 at 9:17

A treasure trove of more than 3,000 World War I glass plate negatives of British, Indian, French, Australians, and Americans, and even some of the Chinese Labour Corps and other allied troops have been found, sitting almost undisturbed for nearly a century, in three large chests in a dusty attic of a dilapidated farmhouse in Vignacourt in the Somme valley, some two hours north of Paris. Named after the photographers, local farmer Louis Thuillier and his wife Antoinette, "The Thuillier Collection" was almost lost to history because the farmhouse where they were stored is likely to be sold in coming months and their descendants had no idea of the historical significance of the plates.

Throughout much of the war they photographed the fighting men who came to their humble outdoor studio in the courtyard of their house. Thousands of their photographs must have found their way to homes around the world, including Australia. Remarkably the Thuilliers’ glass plate negatives still exist, sitting almost undisturbed for nearly a century. They have recently been located by investigators from Australia’s Channel 7. The TV program has secured almost 500 of the plates from a Thuillier family relative, Henriette Crognier. When she heard of the great interest in the plates, she insisted on donating them to Australia.

Research at the Australian War Memorial indicates that the Australian photographs were mostly taken in November 1916 and during November-December 1918. Among the latter are scenes of celebration on the day the war ended, 11 November 1918. As Australian War Memorial head of military history, Ashley Ekins, said the ‘Thuillier Collection’ is an extremely valuable collection of images of Australian and other allied soldiers just behind the frontlines, one of the “most important discoveries from the First World War”.

You can catch a preview of the programme "The Lost Diggers" and a gallery of the photos here, as well as an article from the Australian War Memorial here.

Photo: On leave ... a message to the folks at home (Copyright: The Thuillier Collection)

EXCLUSIVE: Kodak donates archive to libraries

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 3, 2009 at 8:30

In a generous move Kodak has donated its British company archives to the British Library and its research department's library to De Montfort University in Leicester. The donations safeguard the material in perpetuity as the company continues its worldwide reorganisation. The material comes from the company's British corporate headquarters and the company's European Research Centre which was established at Harrow in 1928 and recently moved to Cambridge. At a formal ceremony on 2 March at the British Library Kodak's Jan Wildman and the British Library's Ronald Milne, Director, Scholarship & Collections, signed the formal agreement to donate. The company archive which dates from the company's arrival in the United Kingdom in 1885 includes business documents, contracts, production records and marketing material and will complement the British Library's expanding photographic collections which have recently been joined by the William Henry Fox Talbot and Fay Godwin collections.The British Library will be holding a major exhibition of its photographic collections, including some of the Kodak material, from October 2009. This is not the first time that Kodak Ltd has made a major donation. In 1985 it closed the Kodak Museum at Harrow which had opened in 1927 and donated the entire collection to the Science Museum. It now forms a key part of the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Kodak's British research department was formally established in 1928 and the library includes runs of nineteenth century journals and books which were used by company staff until the 1980s and go to De Montfort University in Leicester which has established itself as the leading UK centre for photographic history and research. The university has produced a number of ground-breaking online historical databases and a MA course in Photographic History and it's Practice starts in October 2009. It also has several PhD students researching photographic history. The library donation is a major resource and will be housed in a secure special collections areas of the university library. A small part of the library has been retained by the British Library to fill gaps in its collection of photographic journals. Kodak first arrived in Britain in 1885 when founder George Eastman opened a London office in London's Soho Square to sell his and other American manufacturer's products. The London office was a base for Eastman's expansion into Europe and in 1888 it moved to Oxford Street with formal retail premises. The first British company, the Eastman Photographic Materials Company, was formed in 1889 to handle all Eastman's business outside of North America and in 1890 Eastman bought the Harrow site where the first Kodak factory outside of Rochester, NY, was established. The site remains in operation producing photographic papers. Kodak Limited was established 1898 and the company established a network of shops throughout the UK and added photo-finishing to its operations. Camera making commenced in Britain in mid-1927. The Kodak Ltd dominated the British photographic manufacturing and retail scene for the next fifty years. In the early 1980s recession forced the Eastman Kodak Company, the American parent company, to review worldwide operations and the company underwent a period of contraction which accelerated from in the early 2000s as digital photography began to impact on the company's traditional areas of film and paper production. In Britain a number of sites were closed. The Hemel Hempstead headquarters which had moved from London and opened in 1971 were relocated and the Harrow factory downsized. The research department is due to close shortly. Restructuring had started to show financial benefits by late 2008 when the worldwide credit crunch hit the company but Kodak remains poised to ensure it's future survival by focusing on materials and cameras for digital photography. The donation has taken several years to complete and a number of the key players to secure the collections were present at the formal signing ceremony including Kodak's Dr Sam Weller, former head of research, Chris Roberts, Kodak Archive Curator, Derek Birch formerly of Kodak Research Laboratories; the British Library's John Falconer head of photographic collections, and Professor Roger Taylor. Representatives from De Montfort University included Dr Kelley Wilder, head of the new MA course, Professor Stephen Brown and Dr Gerard Moran, Dean of Art and Design. Michael Pritchard Please note this is a personal report and has not been produced by Kodak, the British Library or De Montfort University. The formal press notice will be uploaded in due course. The photographs here and others are © Michael Pritchard and are available on request.

Tate appoints Charmaine Toh as Senior Curator (Photography)

Posted by Michael Pritchard on March 23, 2024 at 17:25

Tate London has appointed Singaporean Charmaine Toh as Senior Curator International Art (Photography). She replaces Dr Yasufumi Nakamori who was appointed in 2018 and has returned to the United States.

Charmaine Toh has curated over 30 exhibitions ranging from small solo shows in independent spaces to large survey exhibitions in museums. At her former role as Senior Curator at National Gallery Singapore, she led the exhibitions Living Pictures: Photography in Southeast Asia (2022), Chua Soo Bin: Truths and Legends (2019) and Earth Work 1979 (2016) and contributed to Awakenings: Art in Society in Asia (2018-2019) and Siapa Nama Kamu: Art in Singapore since the 19th century (2015).

Prior to that, Toh curated exhibitions at ACC Gwangju (2015), the Fukutake House at the Setouchi Triennale (2013) and BankArt Yokohama (2011). She was also co-curator of the 2013 Singapore Biennale. With extensive commissioning experience, she has worked with artists such as Danh Vo, Ho Tzu Nyen, Erika Tan, Amanda Heng, Vertical Submarine, Li Hui and Matthew Ngui. Charmaine is also the founder and Director of The Art Incubator (2009-2015), where she worked with over 20 emerging artists to develop new work via residency programmes.

She received her PhD from the University of Melbourne. She is the author of Imagining Singapore: Pictorial Photography from the 1950s to the 1970s (Brill, 2023). She has published in numerous catalogues and journals, and has contributed to Survey Practices and Landscape Photography Across the Globe (Routledge, 2022) and An Alternative History of Photography (Prestel, 2022). She is the editor of History and Imagination: Modern Photography from Singapore (2021), Earth Work 1979 (2016) and Reflect/Refract: Essays on Photography (2013).

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.

Fotografiska London is no more...for now

Posted by Michael Pritchard on September 17, 2020 at 20:00

Fotografiska London, the Museum of Photography, which was originally due to open in 2018 has been cancelled as the investment group behind it, Fotografiska London Ltd / AB, has ended its efforts to open at the Whitechapel High Street location. Originally scheduled to open in 2018, and then postponed, uncertainty around Brexit, coupled with current COVID-19 concerns, have now made it untenable for the London-based licensee to successfully establish a franchise. The earlier delays suggest that issues around the financing predate COVID-19.

Fotografiska International sees London as a leading cultural city, and will evaluate other opportunities in London directly in conjunction with real estate partners.

Footgrafiska's other locations in Stockholm, Tallinn, and most recently in New York, continue as before. Fotografiska in Stockholm, which was founded in 2010, stages between 20 and 25 large-scale exhibitions per year and attracts some 500,000 visitors per year. Part of its mission is “inspiring a more conscious world” through its photography exhibitions and programming.

See: https://www.fotografiska.com/london/

Job: Digital Image Cataloguer - Photographs

Posted by Michael Wong on September 18, 2011 at 19:05

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members.

The RIBA's British Architectural Library is the leading library in the United Kingdom for the study of architecture and architectural history. It provides a service to practicing architects, students, architectural historians, and the general public, and has extensive collections of drawings, manuscripts and photographs, as well as books and periodicals.

A digital image cataloguer is required to assist in extending the Library's online digital image database which currently encompasses 60,000 images. Duties will include researching background information on, and cataloguing, a wide range of visual material thereby increasing its educational and financial potential.

Candidates should be highly organised and have experience of research either within a work or educational environment together with good writing skills and a keen visual awareness. An ability to work quickly and accurately both as part of a team and on your own initiative is essential. A degree in architectural history or a demonstrable in-depth knowledge of the subject is essential. Familiarity with computer systems such as Excel and Access is desirable, as is a basic knowledge of recognised library standards.

If you would like to apply for this position, please complete and send a covering letter and CV, Applicants Statement and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to Human Resources Department RIBA 66, Portland Place London W1B 1AD or to recruitment@riba.org.

Interviews will be held in late October 2011.

Location: Central London
Salary: £21,173 FTE -
Hours: Part-time, 28 hours per week
Closing date: 14 October 2011

Details including full job description and application can be found here.

Good luck!

Obituary: David Alan Mellor (1948-2023)

Posted by Michael Pritchard on October 26, 2023 at 21:01

The curator, academic and writer David Mellor (he added 'Alan' to avoid confusion with the politician of the same name) has died aged 75 years at his home in Machynlleth, Wales. He was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's J Dudley Johnston (2005) and Education (2015) awards.

Mellor studied art at Sussex University from 1967 under Quentin Bell. During this time Asa Briggs, then Vice-Chancellor of the University, received the archive of Mass-Observation from Tom Harrisson. Mellor published and curated exhibitions about the substantial collection of pre-war photographs of working-class life contained in the archive. He stayed at Sussex until his retirement in 2018. In the words of Maurice Howard he was one of the country’s leading scholars in the fields of twentieth century painting, film and photography.' Mellor had an extensive list of publications to his name and curated significant exhibitions on Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and on Robin Denny, Cecil Beaton and Bill Brandt. He curated major exhibitions at the Barbican and Tate, most memorably Paradise Lost: The New Romantic Imagination in Britain (1987) and The Sixties (1993), at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.

Mellor was also a director of Brighton's Photoworks and the Brighton Photo Biennial, and Edinburgh's cooperative Photography Workshop from 1996 to 2011.

As Howard notes 'As a teacher, generations of students testify to his unique insights into British culture. David was teaching the inter-relations of media long before the subject became an academic discipline at the University and was sensitive to art and the environment from the beginning of his career'.

With thanks to Paul Hill (seen on the right, in the picture left) who notes: 'So sad to get the news of the the death of photo historian and teacher. David Mellor (left). We worked together quite a few times - up here in Derbyshire at The Photographers Place workshop in the 70s, Salford ‘80, and latterly talking about The Real Britain project at the 2014 Brighton Biennial. Great scholar and lovely guy….'

See:

In passing: Barry Lategan (1935-2024)

Posted by Michael Pritchard on August 15, 2024 at 12:56

Barry Lategan who has died after a long illness aged 89 years was one of Britain’s leading fashion, portrait and advertising photographers from the 1960s to the 2000s. He was best known for his portrait of Twiggy, for his Vogue covers, and his advertising work. Many of his photographs are immediately recognisable. He was awarded an RPS Honorary Fellowship in 2007.

Lategan was born in South Africa and came to Britain in 1955 to study at the Bristol Old Vic theatre school. National service with the RAF intervened and it was during a tour in Germany that he joined the camp photographic society and photography took over his life. Lategan retuned to South Africa in 1959 and assisted Ginger Odes.

He returned to London in 1961, working in some of the leading studios, and photographing fashion. In 1966 he was introduced to Twiggy, then 16 years old, and created what became the face of the 60s. This helped propel Lategan’s career and he had his first Vogue cover in 1968 of a fur-clad Lesley Jones. He worked regularly for Vogue until 1981. He set up his own studio in 1967 in Chelsea. His photography was included in Bailey and Litchfield’s Ritz magazine, and he was the subject of a BBC2 Arena programme broadcast in 1975.

In 1977 he moved to New York to focus on commercial and advertising work, including directing television commercials, and personal projects.

On his return to London in 1989 he continued with his advertising work and TV commercials for companies such as Jaeger, Pirelli, Vodafone and Gordons, winning numerous awards in both mediums. During his career he photographed many well-known models, celebrities from fashion, film and music, and royalty.

In 2006 Lategan suffered a serious fall which caused a serious brain injury and affected his behaviour. He was diagnosed in 2016 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) which he and his family discussed publicly to raise awareness of the condition.

Lategan was involved with AFAEP, now the Association of Photographers, and helped select the inaugural AFAEP Awards in 1984. He held his first exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery, London, in 1975, and was widely exhibited during his career (including by the RPS). Along with many of his contemporaries he enjoyed a long association with Olympus Cameras.

His work is held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and V&A Museum, London, and elsewhere.

The Barry Lategan Archive is now being managed by his son, Dylan.

https://www.barrylategan.com/

Text: © Michael Pritchard
Image: Barry Lategan, c1950s. © Estate of Barry Lategan / Barry Lategan Archive

Michael Schaaf

Posted by Michael Pritchard on August 14, 2016 at 8:00

BPH is saddened to report that Michael Schaaf, the photographer and teacher of collodion and other historic process, was found in his camper van in Lacock on 16 July. He had not been in contact with his family for several days and was discovered by a National Trust employee. Schaaf had conducted a five day intensive workshop at Lacock from 6-10 July.

Schaaf, 52, conducted regular process workshops at Lacock and elsewhere for the Fox Talbot Museum, the Royal Photographic Society and others. He was held in high regard for his own photography and for the quality of his teaching. He was a member and contributor to BPH.

BPH offers its condolences to his wife and family. An inquest is to be held at a later date.

Michael's website remains active at: http://mics-foto.de/

See: http://www.yourvalleynews.co.uk/frontpage-news/tourist-found-hanged-in-beauty-spot/

UPDATE: Charlotte Cotton joins NMeM

Posted by Michael Pritchard on July 16, 2009 at 13:00

The National Media Museum, Bradford, have now issued a formal press release regarding Charlotte Cotton who is joining the museum in October 2009. National Media Museum Appoints Creative Director for London Galleries The National Media Museum in Bradford has appointed Charlotte Cotton to its new role of Creative Director for its future London Galleries. Charlotte will be charged with delivering an exciting vision for the content of the Museum’s special exhibitions programme for its London presence, building on the strong reputation of exhibitions already staged at the Museum’s Bradford base. She will be driving an advocacy programme and helping with fundraising for the project, for which the Museum is currently awaiting government approval on its preferred venue in the Capital. Charlotte is currently Head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest art museum in the Western United States. Before joining LACMA, Charlotte was a Curator of Photography at the V&A for 12 years and then Head of Programming at The Photographers’ Gallery in London. Charlotte will start working for the National Media Museum in October 2009. Colin Philpott, Director of the National Media Museum, said: “We are delighted that Charlotte has chosen to further her career with the National Media Museum, working to build our brand in the short, medium and long-term through our programme of special exhibitions and to help us achieve our long-held ambition to establish a presence in London. Our home will remain in Bradford but having a presence in London will enable us to bring our exhibitions programme and items from our Collection to a wider audience.” Charlotte Cotton said: “The opportunity to play a leading role in the programming for the UK’s most important collections relating to photography, film and television and the conception of its London presence is absolutely thrilling for me. I am really looking forward to realising the most timely, pleasurable, and culturally nourishing experiences of both the collections and contemporary creative talents within the media realm.” Whilst at LACMA, Charlotte has built the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography’s programme, visibility and relevance in the Californian photographic community as well as nationally in the States. The world class historical photography collection of Leonard and Marjorie Vernon was acquired during Charlotte’s tenure, a group of more than 3,500 prints forming one of the finest histories of photography and collections of masterworks from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Charlotte has led on creating a world class and locally relevant events programme at LACMA including debates, conversations, screenings, performances, commissions and publications. During her career Charlotte has worked on an extensive body of exhibitions and publications. During her time at the V&A Charlotte developed a number of exhibitions and publications including Imperfect Beauty: The Making of Contemporary Fashion Photographs (2000), Stepping In and Out: Contemporary documentary photography (2001), and Guy Bourdin (2003). Charlotte has taught at universities and art colleges including as visiting professor at Yale University (2005/6) and visiting critic at SVA, New York; Art Institute, Chicago; Cranbrook College, Detroit; UCLA, Los Angeles; Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City. Charlotte has written a number of books including The Photograph as Contemporary Art (2004), an extended and updated version of which will be re-published in September 2009. As well as numerous articles and essays. Charlotte was the founder of the discussion forum www.wordswithoutpictures.org, a summary of which has recently been published in print-on-demand form. Last year the National Media Museum in Bradford attracted over 700,000 visitors with exhibitions including securing the only UK venue for Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Scrapbook, Photographs 1932-4, working with Hedy van Erp and Iris Sikking of the ICON Foundation on the exhibition Baby, Picturing the Ideal Human 1840s – Now and the Museum generated show; Live by the Lens. Die by the Lens: Film Stars and Photographers. The Museum is home to the National Photography, Photographic Technology, Television and Cinematography Collections. The National Photography Collection contains key images by numerous influential historic and contemporary practitioners such as; Anna Atkins, Sir John Herschel, Martin Parr and Eve Arnold, and includes the earliest known surviving negative, which is part of the William Henry Fox Talbot Collection. The Museum also holds The Royal Photographic Society Collection, the Kodak Museum and the Daily Herald Archive.

Mystery camera No. 2 .....

Posted by Michael Wong on November 29, 2010 at 11:13

If you were not impressed by the size of the first one, well, as the late US President Ronald Reagan would say, "You ain't seen nothing yet!" ...

Robert Leggat

Posted by Michael Pritchard on February 6, 2011 at 12:30

Robert Leggat who researched and maintained one of the first useful photographic history resources on the internet died on 20 January 2011. His A History of Photography from its beginnings till the 1920s (http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/index.html) was designed for school and college students and started in 1995. It is still available today and was being maintained by Leggat until shortly before his death. Put many historical photographic terms or personalities into a search engine and the chances are that Leggat’s website will be somewhere near the top of the results list.

Since its launch the site has had nearly 10 million visitors and the online guestbook from the early years (the guestbook was later discontinued as Leggat was unable to keep up with responding to questions and queries) was full of praise and thanks from students who had made use of it.

Leggat was involved in photographic education throughout his career and took an active role in the Royal Photographic Society as its Honorary Education Officer amongst other positions. A fuller obituary has been prepared but if anyone has any recollections or further knowledge of Robert's career and life please contact Michael Pritchard (email: michael@mpritchard.com)

For sale: Bristol camera obscura for £1.7 million

Posted by Michael Pritchard on July 6, 2014 at 6:30

If you are looking for a camera obscura you could do no better than buy The Observatory in Bristol which overlooks Brunel's Clifton suspension bridge and Avon gorge. Back on the market at a reduced price the eighteenth century building houses one of the few remaining public camera obscuras. A special covenant relating to the purchase ensures that the camera obscura must remain open to the public. The building, associated caves and grounds are yours for £1,695,000 (freehold) or offers in the region thereof. It was originally on the market for £2 million in 2013 and failed to find a buyer.

The Observatory occupies a site of great historical interest, originally an Iron Age lookout post and a fortified Roman camp. The existing building was originally built as a windmill for corn in 1766 and later converted to the grinding of snuff. This was damaged by a fire in October 1777 when the sails were left turning during a gale and caused the equipment to catch alight. It remained derelict for some 52 years until artist William West rented the old mill as a studio in 1828. It was Mr West who installed telescopes and a Camera Obscura, used by artists of the Bristol school to draw the Avon Gorge and Leigh Woods well before the construction of Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The Camera Obscura is situated on the top floor and is still in full working order giving an impressive bird’s eye view of Avon Gorge, projected onto a 5 ft concave metal surface. Leading to the Camera Obscura, there are two circular rooms which would eminently suit visiting art exhibitions, especially with the historical connection to the artists who used this bird’s eye vantage point to capture on canvas, the dramatic Avon Gorge.

Mr West also built a tunnel from The Observatory to St Vincent’s Cave, which opens onto a limestone cave on the cliff face of the Avon Gorge. The cave was first mentioned as being a chapel in the year AD305 and excavations, in which Romano-British pottery has been found, have revealed that it has been both a holy place and a place of refuge at various times in its history.

The building that now stands on the site has only been sold on two occasions since it was constructed in 1766 and is now designated as Grade II*.

The Royal Photographic Society is close by in Bath and the Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock.

Read the full specification here.

First photo of Niagara Falls

Posted by Michael Wong on October 28, 2010 at 10:23

Niagara Falls - one of the most photographed scenic sights in the world. But do you know who was the first person to do so?

Well,the honour bestows on a Newcastle industrialist by the name of Hugh Lee Pattinson in April 1840. At

that time he was just getting to grips the early form of photography introduced by Daguerre. On a business trip, Pattinson stopped by at the Falls to perfect his new found hobby. It took him more than twenty minutes to fix the scene on the silver-coated copper plate inside his camera. He would then wrap the plate in warm mercury fumes, slowly drawing the image to the surface. History was made that day as it was the first photograph taken of the Falls ever!

Apparently, in the 1920's his descendants gave the Daguerreotypes to the University of Newcastle, where Pattinson was from. The University library kept them on a shelf in Special Collections but sometime after that, for whatever reason, they were thought to have been lost or destroyed. However in 1997 while looking through some store rooms in the library, the University came across an old dust covered carton marked “Daguerrotypes”, which lo and behold, contained the lost images!

The Niagara Parks Commission has reproduced and enlarged one of the170 year old pictures which it plans to prominently display near the entrance to the Maid Of The Mist boat tour as part of the Commission's 125th Anniversary celebration. It plans to display the rest of Pattinson's images on its web site. You can watch a video report here.

Photo: 1840 Daguerreotype of Niagara Falls (Robinson Library Special Collections, Newcastle University)

Annie Lyden appointed International Photography Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland

Posted by Michael Pritchard on August 4, 2013 at 9:00

Anne M Lyden has been appointed International Photography Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, based at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. The job was advertised earlier this year (see: http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/job-international-photography-curator-national-galleries-of) and interviews were held in May.

Lyden's last day at the Getty Museum was on Thursday and she thanked colleagues for '18 wonderful years' on her Facebook page which was quickly liked by over 60 people. An official announcement from the NGS is due after the Edinburgh Festival. BPH has known of the move since late June but had been asked to refrain from publishing by the NGS. As the news is now in the public domain and widely known BPH has taken the decision to publish.Those who know Lyden have widely welcomed the move with one person calling it 'awesome' and have commended the NGS for the appointment.

The SNG photography collection consists of 863 images and the Photography Gallery, refurbished in 2012, is named The Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Gallery in recognition of a $300,000 donation from the Mapplethorpe Foundation. The funding will, over the next three years, be used to support innovative displays, exhibitions, research and related publications in the new space.

Lyden is currently an Associate Curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. She is one of seven curators in the Museum's Department of Photographs, which was established in 1984 and has a collection of approximately 100,000 objects emphasizing the first 150 years of the medium. Contemporary photography has become increasingly relevant to the Museum's mission and all staff participate in portfolio reviews to inform themselves about current practices while critiquing work and offering insights into the manner in which large institutions like the Getty may spend several years following the career of an artist before committing to acquisitions or an exhibition. Lyden has been a reviewer for Atlanta Celebrates Photography; Review LA, Los Angeles; Palm Springs Photo Festival; and PhotoNOLA in New Orleans.Her final exhibition A Royal Passion. Queen Victoria and Photography will open at the Getty in 2014.

A native of Scotland, Lyden received her Master of Arts degree in the history of art from the University of Glasgow and her Master of Arts in museum studies from the University of Leicester, England. Since joining the Getty in 1996, she has curated numerous exhibitions drawn from the Museum's permanent collection, including the work of Hill and Adamson, P.H. Emerson, Frederick H. Evans, John Humble, and Paul Strand. She is the author of several books including,Railroad Vision: Photography, Travel and Perception (2003), The Photographs of Frederick H. Evans (2010) and A Royal Passion. Queen Victoria and Photography (forthcoming, 2014).

Photographica 2024 / London, 19 May 2024 - New Venue

Posted by Nigel Richards on January 15, 2024 at 11:35

This well loved Camera Collectors' and Users' Fair will soon be taking place and this year we are in a new Central London venue The Royal National Hotel near Russell Square on the 19th May 2024. Organised by The Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain there will be up to 100 sales tables selling user and collectable cameras, consumables, lenses, literature and images. It is not a trade show for new equipment. If you fancy a table to clear that build up of photographic equipment phone 01920 821 831. Early buyers tickets can be obtained from the same phone number.

The Royal National Hotel, 38-51 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0DG

Public entry is from 10am-4.00pm and admission is £8 on the door from 10am to 12 noon and £5 noon to the close, for PCCGB members the entry is free.

Any late updates, the flyer and booking form can be found at https://www.facebook.com/photographicafair

Thanks

Nigel

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.