Blogs

Following the recent death of Colin Ford CBE Amgueddfa Cymru–Museum Wales has announced the establishment of the Colin Ford Endowment Fund. Before his death Colin gifted his personal collection of photography books, which reflects a lifetime’s worth of collecting, to the museum. The endowment fund will support the on-going purchase of photography books to continue to grow the Colin Ford Photography Library and reflect current photographic scholarship, curation and practice.

Colin Ford CBE HonFRPS was the Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru from 1993 to 1998. He was a curator, historian, museum director and broadcaster, whose professional life was largely dedicated to photography. His personal papers have been donated to the Bodleian Library, Oxford. 

See more and contribute in Colin's memory here: https://my.museum.wales/donate/q/in-memory-colin-ford

In collaboration with the Science Museum Group and Senate House Library, ‘The Media of Mediumship: Encountering the Material Culture of Modern Occultism in Britain’s Science, Technology, and Magic Collections’ project aims to transform understandings of the relationship between science, technology, and unorthodox forms of spiritual belief in modern Britain. 

This project will produce a knowledge exchange, events, and creative performance programme designed to showcase the occultural use history of artefacts and collections held by the Science Museum Group and Senate House Library. These activities will explore how seemingly secular technological and scientific instruments— cameras, radios, telegraphs, and other objects— have been used by spiritual practitioners and sceptics alike to probe the existence of an unseen world. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and follows on from the Popular Occulture in Britain, 1875-1947 research network.

The project has published its first blog here: https://mediaofmediumship.stir.ac.uk/2021/04/30/touching-the-past-in-intangible-times/

Image: Quarter plate ‘Cameo’ camera manufactured by W. Butcher & Sons, London (made c. 1915–20).
Image courtesy of Science Museum Group, © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

I'm looking for information on my biological father Hugh Scott. I have two pieces of information, from the British Journal of Photography, on his photographic career - see below:

10 Sept 1937.  In a report on the Professional Photographers’ Association exhibition of portraits in London:  ‘Hugh Scott has some good large heads, mostly of sitters in theatrical character, though the make-ups, and particularly the wigs, are in some cases not so successful as the photography’

7 Oct 1949. Hugh Scott is noted as joining the staff of the London School of Photography, Perry’s Place, Oxford Street, London W1

Has anyone come across either his name and/or his work and might be able to add further detail? Are there any other sources that I might check to get further information?

Russell Southwood

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were passionate collectors of photography from the announcement of the medium. Following their purchase of the Osborne estate in 1845, this locality became an important setting for the early photographic experiences of the royal family. The presence of the royal family at Osborne House contributed to the Isle of Wight becoming a popular destination in the mid-nineteenth century.

Read more about its role, importance and wider impact in this  online resource by Helen Trompeteler, a former curator at the Royal Collection Trust. https://albert.rct.uk/placing-osborne-in-the-history-of-early-photography

An AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award studentship covering stipend and tuition fee costs is offered within the Photographic History Research Centre (PHRC) in the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities in collaboration with the British Museum.

The project addresses the role of photography and its relationship with other mimetic technologies in field archaeology and the subsequent institutional life of the images in the construction of ‘heritage’. The project also explores the methodological implications for a ‘photographic history’ approach to collections and institutions.

The project will focus on the 1513 magnificent late nineteenth century photographs made of Maya archaeology by Alfred Maudslay, their relationship with other kinds of recording and their subsequent ‘life’ in the Museum. The student will have scope, within the project parameters, to develop an emphasis in photographic history, collections history, history of science, or museum practice in archaeological heritage.

The PhD studentship will be based at PHRC which undertakes leading innovative research on photography and its practices from the early nineteenth century to the present day, and over a wide range of social and cultural processes. It has a dynamic and growing research community and an excellent research library for photographic history. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the development of this community and that at the British Museum.

Supervision will be available from Professor Elizabeth Edwards (DMU) and key members of British Museum staff who have active interests in photography, history, archaeology and collections history.  The studentship will be based at DMU, Leicester, with extended London-based periods of study at the British Museum and related archives

Candidates might come from a range of possible disciplines: art history, history of photography, museum and heritage studies, science and technology studies, material culture studies, archaeology, visual anthropology, or visual culture studies. A knowledge of Meso-American archaeology is not a requirement.

PHOTOGRAPHS, MUSEUMS AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Alfred Maudslay, Photography and the Mimetic Technologies of Archaeology: A Study in Method, Process and Effect

Photographic History Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester/ British Museum, London

STARTING JANUARY 2013

For a more detailed description of the PHRC please visit our web site or contact

Professor Edwards (eedwards@dmu.ac.uk) who will be happy to discuss the studentship further.

Applications are invited from UK or eligible EU/overseas students  (please check http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Documents/GuidetoStudentFunding.pdf Annex A for residency requirements) with a good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) and MA in a relevant subject. Applications are welcome from MAs completing 2012. The CDA scholarship is available for three years full-time study starting January 2013, providing a bursary for both maintenance  (currently c. £14,500) and fees.

To receive an application pack, please contact the Faculty Research Office via email at ADHresearch&innovation@dmu.ac.uk.  Completed applications should be returned together with a full CV, two supporting references, a statement explaining your interest in the project, and an example of your written work of c.3000 words.

Please quote ref: AHRC/CDA/PHRC12/2

CLOSING DATE: September 28^th 2012

Interview date:  week beginning October 15 2012

The Guardian blog noting Colin Philpott's departure from the National Media Museum in April also quotes the British Journal Photography's freedom of information request: of a draft budget of £4 million, only £405,835 had so far been spent. 

Could someone tell me why this photograph shows all these spots? Is it a failure of the photographer to process it correctly? What exactly did the photographer do wrong? Many carte de visites I have by the photographers Ferrier and Rock also show this. They can be seen online here at :http://earlyotagophotographers.blogspot.com/2010/07/ferrier-and-rock.html

William Ferrier was born in Edinburgh on 20 August 1855.

John William Rock was born in Islington, London in 1848.

Fast Forward is looking to commission an experienced writer/researcher to work on researching and drafting a policy for collecting and archiving photography with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) priorities at its heart. The policy will be for use within public sector institutions, and it will include reference to the potential uses of new technologies such as AI. It is expected that the policy will feed into a bigger multi-partner research project.

The post would be an ideal opportunity for a post doc/early career researcher and someone with experience of consultancy work or writing within the cultural sector. The successful candidate will work across the collections at National Galleries Scotland and Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales where they will assist to co-ordinate two onsite research workshops and interviews with institutional staff and other identified individuals. The candidate will be responsible for writing the first draft of a policy, which will be a minimum of 10,000 words, based on this activity by mid-May 2026 and completing a final draft by mid-June 2026.

The work needs to be completed by May 12, 2026, and is expected to take approximately 20 days. Depending on the work proposed the fee will be between £4000 and £5000. We will also provide funding for travel between Edinburgh and Cardiff and your home base. The two institutions that we are working in collaboration with are National Galleries of Scotland and Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.

Person specification – The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:

Essential requirements:
• Strong communication skills, including an ability to write clear and compelling narratives.
• Organised individual with the ability to plan and prioritise effectively, shifting priorities, when necessary, sometimes at pace.
• A problem-solver, with experience of using data, evidence, and insights to develop a set of solutions to an issue.
• Delivery focussed, with the ability to turn complex issues into clear steps, with plans in place to deliver these.
• Knowledge of the infrastructure for photography and the visual arts in the UK.
• Knowledge of EDI priorities and strategies in the public realm.

Desirable skills:
• Experience of working in partnership with external stakeholders to deliver outcomes.
• Experience of developing an EDI strategy.

We welcome applications from underrepresented communities.

To make an application please send the following to afox@ucreative.ac.uk: by 5 November 2025
A4 CV;  Covering letter, 300-word statement about how you will approach the project

Fast Forward is a research project concerned with women in photography based at University for the Creative Arts. Started in 2014 with a panel discussion at Tate Modern, the project has established a significance within the world of photography for highlighting the work of women photographers and for questioning the way that the established canons have been formed.

Fast Forward is designed to promote and engage with women and non-binary people in photography across the globe. We intend to provoke new debate and ensure that we are in the news and in the history books. There are millions of women in the world of photography and now is the time to arrest the process of forgetting that so frequently erases women from the burgeoning histories of photography and shed light on new ways of thinking, showing, discussing and distributing our work.

Fast Forward showcases the best of emerging and established photography by women and non-binary people, it promotes opportunities and records events. We have started a discussion that will be on going and that many different people can continue to contribute to. Fast Forward is the foundation for an emerging international network of women in photography. Contributions that add to this discussion are welcome from any gender, race or class.

Details: https://fastforward.photography/opportunities/call-for-applications-fast-forward-consultancy-commission/

The Hong Kong History Centre's Historical Photographs of Hong Kong project is conducting a survey of potential interest and users.  As part of this we would be really interested to know what types of photographs you would look for if you had the possibility to look for old photographs of Hong Kong (buildings, streets etc), this will really help us to design something that has the right search tools. 

We sincerely invite you to fill out this survey form. Make your answers as specific and detailed as you like, but please don't include any sensitive or personal information. We may use AI (e.g. ChatGPT) to process the responses so they could be shared with a third party. Thanks.

Hong Kong History Centre

香港史研究中心正在籌辦一個名為「香港歷史照片」的數碼平台項目。為此，如您有可能尋找香港舊照片（建築物、街道等），我們非常希望了解您會尋找哪些類型的照片，這將有助我們設計出合適的搜索工具。

我們誠邀你協助填寫此問卷。請盡可能具體和詳細填寫您的答案，但請勿包含任何敏感或個人信息，因我們可能會使用人工智慧（例如ChatGPT）來處理回應，有機會倏將這些回應與第三方分享。謝謝。

香港史研究中心

In addition to the survey, details of Centre's call for photographs are here: https://www.hkhistory.net/hphk-call/

Southport's The Atkinson venue and the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), with Ponting's biographer Anne Strathie, is showing a new exhibition Herbert Ponting: Explorer and Photographer at The Atkinson from 10 June to 2 September 2023.  Ponting's family lived in Southport from the 1880s. 

Alongside the exhibition of photographs and rarely seen artefacts relating to Herbert Ponting are a series of talks and events. 

Ponting’s father was appointed Manager of Preston Banking Company in the 1880s and the family set up home in Park Road West, Southport.  

Herbert Ponting: Explorer and Photographer
10 June-2 September 2023
Free admission, Monday-Saturday, 1000-1600
The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DB
Details: https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/exhibition/herbert-ponting/

The latest issue of Scientia Canadensis deals with photography, science, technology and practice with a series of papers covering these themes. Each is available to freely download. The papers comprise: 

Photography: Science, Technology and Practice / Joan M. Schwartz

“Coils of Sunshine”: Charles Smeaton’s Magnesium-Wire Photography in the Catacombs of Rome, 1866-1867 / John Osborne

At the Cutting Edge of Halftone Printing: William Augustus Leggo and George Edward Desbarats / Kate Addleman-Frankel

“Perfect Dry Plates for Canada”: Gelatine Dry-Plate Manufacturing in Canada in the Late Nineteenth Century / Shannon Perry

Photography in the Arctic Archipelago during the First International Polar Year, 1882–1883 / Marthe Tolnes Fjellestad

Early Canadian Aerial Photography: The St Croix River and the International Boundary, 1921 / Dirk Werle

Seeing, Saving, and Remembering Barnardo’s Children: Technologies of Access and Preservation in Historical Research / Nina Lager Vestberg

Conceptualizing ‘Science’ in the Photography Collections at the National Science and Media Museum / Geoffrey Belknap

Photography: Science, Technology, and Practice in Nineteenth-Century Canada / Joan M. Schwartz

Scientia Canadensis
Volume 44, numéro 1, 2022 Photography: Science, Technology and Practice
Available via this link: https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/scientia/2022-v44-n1-scientia07177/

Ever thought about studying the History of Photography at St Andrews? Check out the MLitt History of Photography at https://st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/art-history/history-photography-mlitt/…

Join a virtual visiting day on March 15 to learn more.

See:  https://st-andrews.ac.uk/study/meet-us/online/pg-online/pg/…

Autograph is looking for an experienced curator to work on their contemporary exhibition programme which focuses strongly on photographic practice and to take lead responsibility for project managing touring and collection loans in the UK and abroad.

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

• Develop and deliver selected aspects of Autograph’s artistic programme (which includes: exhibitions, publications, commissions, residencies, collection projects and digital programmes) taking lead responsibility for touring and loans.
• Provide logistical support coordinating and implementing all practical aspects of programming across exhibitions, UK and international touring, publications and projects on and off site.
• Assist with the development and promotion of Autograph’s photography collection.
• Contribute to an integrated, thematic approach to all programming with learning and engagement, digital engagement  and audience development colleagues.

You will work alongside one other Curator who leads on commissions and residencies to deliver Autograph's exhibition programme at their galleries in Rivington Place, and in a variety of other settings.

Autograph is looking for someone who identifies strongly with their values and mission, has extensive knowledge of contemporary exhibition practice and a particular interest in curating photography. You will need to be a strong communicator and an excellent project manager who is comfortable working with a wide range of partners, artists and interest groups, to deliver the responsibilities set out in this role.

The Ramsey and Muspratt collection of negatives, given to Cambridgeshire Libraries' collection in the 1980s, comes to the rescue.

See the full story here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-56401868

The Cinema Museum, established three and a half decades ago by Martin Humphries and Ronald Grant, is at once a visitor attraction, heritage site and sporadic cinema. While this means it carries broad appeal to a range of audiences, straddling several sectors has posed a problem when emergency pandemic funding programmes are staunchly siloed.

The venue, a Grade II Listed former Victorian workhouse that counts Charlie Chaplin among its previous residents, is now crying out for public support via a Crowdfunder page – with great success thus far.

Read more here: https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/features/people-power-cinema-museum-reliant-on-crowdfunder-campaign-after-missing-all-government-support/

The Crowdfunder can be seen here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/reopen-and-reimagine-the-cinema-museum

The 9th Seminar is organised by the Museu del Cinema, The Department of Geography, History & History of Art at the University of Girona (UdG), and the Spanish Ministry Economy and Competitiveness "La construcción del imaginario bélico en las actualidades de la Primera Guerra Mundial".

Girona, Spain - 14 and 15 November 2013. 

Details: http://www.museudelcinema.cat/eng/institut_seminari_2013.php

De Montfort University's Photographic History Research Centre has published details of its Autumn research seminars in cultures of photography. Seminars are open to everyone. 

Autumn 2012, Tuesdays 4 – 6pm, Edith Murphy Building, De Montfort University, Room number in square brackets.

October 9^th     [EM 1.07]

Dr Steve Edwards (Open University)

Beard Patentee, Claudet Exception: Photography, Biography and Intellectual Property

November 6^th  [EM 1.28]

Professor Clare Anderson (University of Leicester)

Representation, photograph-objects and family albums: visualising the Andaman Islands penal colony, 1858-1939

December 4^th  [EM 1.27]

Kim Timby (Independent Scholar, Paris)

From Mirror to Window: The Promise of Early Lenticular Photography

in conjunction with PHRC’s annual 3-D day]

Any queries, please contact the convener: Professor Elizabeth Edwards, Photographic History Research Centre. E: eedwards@dmu.ac.uk

Graphics Atlas is a new online resounce that brings sophisticated print identification and characteristic exploration tools to archivists, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, educators and the general pubic. http://www.graphicsatlas.org/

The National Portrait Gallery has a number of events connected with its two photographic exhibitions the first dealing with E O Hoppé is open now and the next on Ida Kar opens in March. The events are summarised below but see the NPG website for more information and to book (www.npg.org.uk) In my experience events tend to fill up quickly so I would recommend early booking in order to secure a place.

HOPPÉ PORTRAITS: SOCIETY, STUDIO AND STREET
Until 30 May 2011

Exhibition Tour: Free with a timed exhibition ticket.
Friday 4 March 2011, 19.30
Join Curator of Photographs Terence Pepper for a tour of the exhibition.
Workshop
Hoppé’s London: Whitehall and St. James’s
Saturday 19 March 2011, 11.00 - 15.00
E.O. Hoppé’s camera lens was drawn towards the unusual and quirky sides of London and Londoners. Led by a Blue Badge Guide, this walk will explore the London that Hoppé knew. Walk lasts approximately 2 hours. Tickets: £15/£12.
Talk: Picturing Everyman
Thursday 24 March 2011, 18.30
Writer Geoff Dyer and artist Dryden Goodwin take the exhibition as their starting point in a discussion on photography and portraiture’s search for ordinary, representative subjects.
Tickets: £5/£4. 
 

IDA KAR: BOHEMIAN PHOTOGRAPHER
Opens 10 March 2011
Tickets: £3/£2.50/£2

Kar stood at the heart of the creative avant-garde and was the first photographer to have a retrospective exhibition in a major London Gallery. As one of the shining stars of the 1950s art world, Kar’s work has remained surprisingly hidden. This exhibition re-presents this key twentieth-century figure and offers a unique opportunity to see iconic works, which have not been exhibited publicly since the 1960s.

Curator Tour: Free with an exhibition ticket
Friday 18 March 2011, 19.30
Curator Clare Freestone takes a look at some of the highlights in the exhibition.

Finally one other photography events is:

Guardian Eyewitness Event: Photojournalism into the new Millennium
Thursday 3 March 2011, 19.00
Join Roger Tooth, the Guardian’s Head of Photography and editor of Eyewitness Decade, for a whirlwind tour of photographic journalism and its role within a national newspaper.
Tickets: £5/£4.