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The world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of paper peepshows has been donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) under the Cultural Gifts Scheme. The Scheme was introduced by the Government in 2013 as a major initiative to encourage life-time giving to UK public collections. This is the first gift under the scheme to be allocated to the V&A. The acceptance of these two collections will generate a tax reduction of £294,600.

Paper peepshows resemble a pocket-sized stage set, complete with backdrop and paper cut-out scenes, which expand to create an illusion of depth. The gift of over 360 paper peepshows, along with other optical wonders, spans nearly 300 years and 12 different countries. The collection was formed over 30 years by Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and is now part of the V&A’s research collection, soon to be accessible in the reading rooms of the National Art Library.

Covering a wide range of subjects, the peepshows allow viewers the chance to join a vibrant masquerade, have a peek inside the Thames Tunnel or to follow Alice down the rabbit hole. Others commemorate historic events, such as the coronation of Queen Victoria or Napoleon’s invasion of Moscow in 1812. They come in many shapes and sizes and are printed or handmade. Some are no larger than a matchbox, while others expand to over two metres in length. First engineered in the 1820s from paper and cloth, peepshows became an inexpensive pastime for adults and children. Most commonly sold as souvenirs, they offered a glimpse into a choice of vistas, celebrating particular events, famous places or engineering feats.

Nearly two hundred years since their invention, paper peepshows continue to delight viewers with their ingenuity and visually arresting scenes. Culture and Digital Minister Matt Hancock said: "This rare and comprehensive collection highlights a historical form of entertainment that very few people will have seen before. It's wonderful news that thanks to the Cultural Gifts Scheme this collection will now be enjoyed by the wider public for years to come."

Dr Catherine Yvard, Special Collections Curator at the National Art Library, V&A, said: “This collection is a real treasure trove and makes a wonderful addition to our holdings, which focus particularly on the art of the book. Peeping into one of these tunnel-books is like stepping into another world, travelling through time and space. In an instant you can join Napoleon on the Island of St Helena or a rowdy masquerade on London’s Haymarket. Peepshows were 19th century virtual reality. They offer wonderful insights into social history. Considering that most of them would have been made quite cheaply, it is a miracle that so many have survived.”

Edward Harley, Chairman, Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said: “The acquisition of this important and enchanting material highlights the diverse range of objects accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme. The collection provides a rare and exciting opportunity for an under-represented area in visual culture to be understood, studied and enjoyed in the public domain.”

Mr and Mrs Gestetner said: “We are thrilled that, through the Cultural Gifts Scheme, our collection charting the origin of the paper peepshow from the 1820s to the present day, which has given us immense pleasure over the years, will now join the V&A’s collections where it can be enjoyed by many others and used for study purposes.”

Highlights from the collection include:

• Oldest paper peepshow in the collection: Teleorama No. 1, by H. F. Müller, c.1824-25. Made in Austria, this peepshow presents an idyllic garden leading to a large country house.
• Smallest: L'Onomastico, c.1900. This Italian peepshow is the size of a small matchbox, but expands to nearly 20cm long, revealing a lively street party.
• Most popular subjects: The Thames Tunnel and the Crystal Palace are each represented in over 60 examples within the collection, each slightly different from the other.
• Longest: A handmade peepshow picturing riflemen on manoeuvre c.1910 expands to over two metres in length.
• Most unique: A view from L'Angostura de Paine in Chile was probably hand-made by the British writer Maria Graham c.1835 when she travelled in Latin America.
• Oldest item in the collection: A British boîte d'optique c.1740, one of the precursors of the peepshow, consists of a mahogany box with a lens to view prints through.

The collection will soon be available to search online on the National Art Library Catalogue and on ‘V&A Search the Collections’. Anyone wishing to access the peepshows can view them by appointment at the V&A’s National Art Library. This extensive collection is a well-documented resource, as a full illustrated catalogue was published in 2015 by the late Ralph Hyde (R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows: the Jacqueline & Jonathan Gestetner Collection, Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 2015).

Discover why the stereoscope and stereo photography mesmerised Victorians when they first appeared at 1851s This free online course, which starts 1 August, will examine the rise of stereo photography and the work of two pioneering photographers – the Scotsman, George Washington Wilson, and the Englishman, Thomas Richard Williams.

 Image above: Stereocard of the Art and Science Museum, Edinburgh by H Gordon

Following its presentation to the world at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, the stereoscope – a device that makes images appear 3D – mesmerised Victorians. Collecting and viewing stereo photographs became a craze.

Stereoscopes were produced in different price ranges, thousands of stereo images were printed and bought each year, and one company involved in this boom, The London Stereoscopic Company, proclaimed: ‘No home without a stereoscope.’

The course has been developed following the major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland in 2015, Photography: A Victorian Sensation, and many of the images in this course are drawn from the National Museums Scotland collection.

The course lasts for two weeks and registrants need to commit 3 hours per week. A certificate will be provided.

Use the hashtag #FLstereoscopy to join and contribute to social media conversations about this course.

See more and sign up here: http://nms.ac.uk/stereoscopy

The world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of paper peepshows has been donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) under the Cultural Gifts Scheme. The Scheme was introduced by the Government in 2013 as a major initiative to encourage life-time giving to UK public collections. This is the first gift under the scheme to be allocated to the V&A. The acceptance of these two collections will generate a tax reduction of £294,600.

Paper peepshows resemble a pocket-sized stage set, complete with backdrop and paper cut-out scenes, which expand to create an illusion of depth. The gift of over 360 paper peepshows, along with other optical wonders, spans nearly 300 years and 12 different countries. The collection was formed over 30 years by Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and is now part of the V&A’s research collection, soon to be accessible in the reading rooms of the National Art Library.

Covering a wide range of subjects, the peepshows allow viewers the chance to join a vibrant masquerade, have a peek inside the Thames Tunnel or to follow Alice down the rabbit hole. Others commemorate historic events, such as the coronation of Queen Victoria or Napoleon’s invasion of Moscow in 1812. They come in many shapes and sizes and are printed or handmade. Some are no larger than a matchbox, while others expand to over two metres in length. First engineered in the 1820s from paper and cloth, peepshows became an inexpensive pastime for adults and children. Most commonly sold as souvenirs, they offered a glimpse into a choice of vistas, celebrating particular events, famous places or engineering feats.

Nearly two hundred years since their invention, paper peepshows continue to delight viewers with their ingenuity and visually arresting scenes. Culture and Digital Minister Matt Hancock said: "This rare and comprehensive collection highlights a historical form of entertainment that very few people will have seen before. It's wonderful news that thanks to the Cultural Gifts Scheme this collection will now be enjoyed by the wider public for years to come."

Dr Catherine Yvard, Special Collections Curator at the National Art Library, V&A, said: “This collection is a real treasure trove and makes a wonderful addition to our holdings, which focus particularly on the art of the book. Peeping into one of these tunnel-books is like stepping into another world, travelling through time and space. In an instant you can join Napoleon on the Island of St Helena or a rowdy masquerade on London’s Haymarket. Peepshows were 19th century virtual reality. They offer wonderful insights into social history. Considering that most of them would have been made quite cheaply, it is a miracle that so many have survived.”

Edward Harley, Chairman, Acceptance in Lieu Panel, said: “The acquisition of this important and enchanting material highlights the diverse range of objects accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme. The collection provides a rare and exciting opportunity for an under-represented area in visual culture to be understood, studied and enjoyed in the public domain.”

Mr and Mrs Gestetner said: “We are thrilled that, through the Cultural Gifts Scheme, our collection charting the origin of the paper peepshow from the 1820s to the present day, which has given us immense pleasure over the years, will now join the V&A’s collections where it can be enjoyed by many others and used for study purposes.”

Highlights from the collection include:

• Oldest paper peepshow in the collection: Teleorama No. 1, by H. F. Müller, c.1824-25. Made in Austria, this peepshow presents an idyllic garden leading to a large country house.
• Smallest: L'Onomastico, c.1900. This Italian peepshow is the size of a small matchbox, but expands to nearly 20cm long, revealing a lively street party.
• Most popular subjects: The Thames Tunnel and the Crystal Palace are each represented in over 60 examples within the collection, each slightly different from the other.
• Longest: A handmade peepshow picturing riflemen on manoeuvre c.1910 expands to over two metres in length.
• Most unique: A view from L'Angostura de Paine in Chile was probably hand-made by the British writer Maria Graham c.1835 when she travelled in Latin America.
• Oldest item in the collection: A British boîte d'optique c.1740, one of the precursors of the peepshow, consists of a mahogany box with a lens to view prints through.

The collection will soon be available to search online on the National Art Library Catalogue and on ‘V&A Search the Collections’. Anyone wishing to access the peepshows can view them by appointment at the V&A’s National Art Library. This extensive collection is a well-documented resource, as a full illustrated catalogue was published in 2015 by the late Ralph Hyde (R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows: the Jacqueline & Jonathan Gestetner Collection, Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 2015).

Today is the 179th anniversary celebrating the birth of the early pioneer of 'moving pictures', John Arthur Roebuck Rudge. Discover more about the 'JAR of Knowledge' (as named by his friends) and how we might make the big 1-8-0 an extra special occasion for him next year in this blog from Brighton & Hove Museums...

The blog is part of RPM’s John Ellerman Foundation-funded project ‘Film Pioneers’, which aims to develop curatorial skills by enabling staff at the museum to research, display and document the city’s Film & Media collections. This includes the Experimental Motion display and a full review of the collection to further explore its international significance and how the museum might enhance its use, as well as ensuring that the collection is fully accessible to the public online. Another strand will enable skills-development and sharing for professionals working with film and media collections across the south east.

Experimental Motion: the art of film innovation will explore Brighton & Hove’s success as a place for experimental film-making, and its significance nationally and internationally.

Experimental Motion - forthcoming exhibition at Brighton Museum

Sarah Angelina Acland, the pioneer colour photographer, was honoured yesterday with a blue plaque on the property at 10 Park Town, Oxford, where she was living at her death. The plaque was initiated by the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board and was supported by the Royal Photographic Society, Giles Hudson and others. Amongst those attending the ceremony were Lt-Col Sir Guy Acland, Bt, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford, photographic historians, and residents of Park Town.Guests were hosted by the current owner of the house Margaret PInsent and the ceremony was attended by members of the Acland family.  

Acland was elected a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 1905. A collection of her colour photographs is held at the Museum of the History Science in Oxford. Her monochrome studies and papers are kept in the Bodleian. She was the subject of a book by Giles Hudson which was published by the Bodleian Library in 2012. 

See more about Acland here: http://www.oxfordshireblueplaques.org.uk/plaques/acland.html

This summer the V&A will present a display of over 120 photographs that explore the camera as subject. People are taking more photographs today than ever before, but as they increasingly rely on smartphones, the traditional device is disappearing from sight. 

The Camera Exposed showcases works by over 57 known artists as well as many unidentified amateur photographers. From formal portraits to casual snapshots, and from still-lifes to cityscapes, each work will feature at least one camera. Portraits of photographers such as Bill Brandt, Paul Strand and Weegee, posed with their cameras, will be on display alongside self-portraits by Eve Arnold, Lee Friedlander and André Kertész, in which the camera appears as a reflection or a shadow.

Other works depict cameras without their operators. In the earliest photograph included in the display, from 1853, Charles Thurston Thompson captures himself and his camera reflected in a Venetian mirror. The most recent works are a pair of 2014 photomontages by Simon Moretti, created by placing fragments of images on a scanner. 

I have this Vernon Heath albumen photograph in my possession that I purchased about seven years ago here in New England. It's in its original frame and the photograph itself measures 19 1/4" h x 26 1/4"w. It's possible that this example is an enlargement from a smaller glass negative as I'm aware of Heath's innovations in this regard. Although, does anyone know whether he did employ mammoth plates?

In his book entitled "Vernon Heath's Recollections" (Cassell & Co., London, 1892) Heath writes in chapter VII, page 61; "I recollect two negatives that I obtained in 1862-one at Cookham, the other at Roe-Hampton:the former the horse chestnut tree at the angle of the backwater". Could this be that photograph described?

In addition, written on the back of the photograph in pencil is "Vernon Heath". I have no way of knowing whether it's his signature as I've never come across an example. But it's possible that this particular photograph was entered into a photo exhibition (London?) and that the person who received it wrote Heath's name on the back for proper identification as it hung on a wall or in an exhibition catalog. Does anyone have any information that might help me determine whether indeed this is the case with this photograph?

I thank you for your time and consideration.

John Minichiello
Providence, RI

The full programme for the St Andrews Photography Festival, Celebrating 175 years of Scottish Photography in the home of Scottish Photography, which takes place from 1 August-11 September can now be downloaded here (PDF). 

I'm working on a project with the architectural historian, David Blissett, who is currently writing a biography of the English Victorian architect Charles Barry.  Barry designed the Houses of Parliament in London and David is trying to locate any early photos of the Houses of Parliament (i.e. under construction from 1840 onwards).  Any information on the whereabouts of images from this date would be most gratefully received and passed on to David.

Image: Roger Fenton: Westminster Abbey looking towards the Houses of Parliament under construction, c.1857

The George Eastman Museum recently purchased the only known box of Kodak Film for use in the Kodak camera (sometimes called American Film), introduced by the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company in 1888, and one of only three known boxes of Kodak Transparent Film, introduced in 1889 for use in the Kodak camera. Now a part of the museum’s internationally renowned technology collection, these unopened boxes of film complete the Eastman Museum’s holdings related to the original Kodak camera—adding to its examples of the camera, case, shipping box, and sample images.

“These two rolls of film make a critical contribution to the Eastman Museum’s holdings of photographic technology—considered the leading collection of its kind in the world,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director, George Eastman Museum. “Given their importance and rarity, these boxes of film are not only among of the most significant objects in our technology collection, they are also extremely important to the evolution of photography and the history of Rochester, New York.”

Introduced in 1888, the Kodak camera sold for $25, including factory-loaded film to take one hundred 2½-inch-diameter circular pictures. After the photographs were taken, the still-loaded camera was returned to Rochester, New York, and for a fee of $10, the film was developed, prints made, and a new roll of film inserted before the camera was sent back to its owner. The company adopted the slogan “You press the button, we do the rest”—penned by George Eastman—and Kodak snapshots became a cultural phenomenon.

Todd Gustavson, Technology Curator, George Eastman Museum. said: “We have always kept an eye out for film manufactured in the late 1880s to complete our collection of objects related to the first-generation Kodak camera. We jumped at the chance to bring these two boxes home to Rochester.”

Eastman Kodak Company’s roll film
Roll film represented the beginning of Eastman Kodak Company’s business model, one of the most successful and profitable for much of the twentieth century. Eastman’s American Film, which had a paper substrate, was first introduced along with the Eastman-Walker roll holder of 1885 and marketed to professional photographers, though they did not embrace it. Undaunted, Eastman decided to offer the film and a new camera, the Kodak, to amateur photographers. Eastman’s Transparent Film, which had a nitrate substrate, was for a time sold alongside the American Film, which was discontinued in about 1900. Although American Film for the Kodak camera was listed in the company’s catalogs, it was not often sold separately.

Eastman’s Transparent Film was the flexible photographic material used by most people experimenting with early motion pictures. Thomas Edison’s assistant W. K. L. Dickson used Kodak Transparent Film (which was 70 millimeters wide), slit in half to 35mm and then perforated, as the flexible medium to store images to be presented in the Edison Kinetoscope, the first 35mm motion picture viewing device.

The acquisition of these two rolls of film were funded by donations from Steven Sasson, the inventor of digital photography and a trustee of the George Eastman Museum, and Robert and Lynne Shanebrook. Robert Shanebrook is the author of Making Kodak Film. Both boxes of film are currently on display at the George Eastman Museum. For more information about the museum’s technology collection, visit eastman.org/technology.

The first annual St Andrews Photography Festival, which is set to celebrate the role and legacy of the town’s pioneers of photography from August 1, has revealed details of its headlining exhibitions and events.

UPDATED: The full programme can be downloaded here (PDF).

BID St Andrews – the business improvement body created in January to support businesses in the town – has been working with the University of St Andrews and local businesses to create the new annual festival of photography to celebrate the role and importance of the town in the origins of the art and showcase the Scottish photography which has become part of the legacy of the pioneers who were based in St Andrews.

Dr John Adamson is perhaps the most celebrated early amateur photographer as he taught his brother Robert Adamson, who went on to form the seminal documentary partnership with David Octavius Hill, as well as Thomas Rodger - who set up the first photographic studio in St Andrews while still on 16 or 17 years old in 1849. But many other names are to be celebrated for the role they played, including Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair, David Octavius Hill, Robert Adamson, Thomas Rodger and Sir David Brewster.

The first six-week-long festival – from August 1 to September 11 - will see events and exhibitions focus on the earliest days of photography in St Andrews as well as the pioneers’ legacy in Scottish documentary photography since.

The festival will put some of the photographic archive highlights of the University of St Andrews Library Special Collections on show, as well as creating a showcase for contemporary Scottish photography.

Thirteen local businesses, including cafés and restaurants, are hosting exhibitions alongside six more conventional venues. There will also be workshops to demonstrate a variety of early photographic processes including calotype and collodion, talks and events for photographers of all ages and levels.

The exhibition highlights include:

• Scotland Through The Lens: 175 years of documentary photography - prints from University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collections archive.
• Pioneer Thomas Rodger - prints from the University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collections archive will be on show in the first purpose-built photographic studio on St Mary’s Place, now the University Careers Centre.
• Photographic artist Calum Colvin RSA OBE - a selection from Colvin’s much-collected 'constructed photography' output over the last 30 years, including a stereoscopic portrait.
• Document Scotland - a collaboration between Scottish documentary collective Document Scotland and the University of St Andrews Special Collections will see a selection of images displayed outdoors along the railings of The Scores, which looks out to the West Sands and the Firth of Tay.
• David Peat - street photography by the award-winning Scottish documentary-maker, cinematographer and photographer. There will also be a talk on Peat’s work by David Bruce.
• Renowned rock photography of Harry Papadopoulos - 16 images from the collection at Street Level Photoworks which resulted in the major project What Presence: the Rock Photography of Harry Papadopoulos.
• Franki Raffles - a cross-section of the archive of the feminist social documentary photographer, and St Andrews alumna, whose powerful images for the Zero Tolerance campaign highlighted awareness of domestic and sexual abuse against women around the world.
• Alicia Bruce - prints from the controversial Menie: TRUMPED project by the award-winning documentary photographer and lecturer about the effect on the natural landscape and local residents of the creation of the Trump Resort in Aberdeenshire. She’s also hosting a presentation of her portfolio and giving a portraiture workshop.
• Landscape pioneer Robert Moyes Adam – Once Scotland’s foremost landscape photographer, his work is known from Scotsman calendars, The Scots Magazine and many books from the 1930s and ‘40s.

The extensive events programme includes:

• Early processes demonstrations – Demonstrations of three of the earliest photographic processes: the calotype, the lucotype and the photogenic drawing and well as cyanotype printing workshop.
• Outdoor Victorian Tintype Studio – Have Richard Cynan Jones take your photograph in a recreation of an outdoor Victorian Tintype Studio.
• ‘Become a Street Photographer’ youth workshop - local photographer Carolyn Scott will give 13-17 year-olds tips on becoming a better storyteller with their photos. The resulting pictures will become part of the Scotland Through The Lens exhibition at the Gateway Galleries.
• Literary Readings inspired by the work of Hill & Adamson - Award-winning writer and St Andrews graduate Ali Bacon creates stories around the calotypes of Hill and Adamson and lends a voice to those who sat for the earliest portraits. Presented with the illustrations from the University Library Special Collections which inspired them.
• Family History Collections Day - An event for local families to bring their photos and have Rachel Nordstrom, Photographic Collections Manager at the University Library, explain their technical background, historical importance and discuss the proper long-term care of personal collections.
• The St Andrews Photo Tour - In the 1840s St Andrews became the first town to be thoroughly documented by photography. Walkers will learn about the people and places featured in Scotland Through the Lens: 175 years of documentary photography on a free walk led by the University Library’s Photographic Collection Manager, Rachel Nordstrom.

There will also be a series of talks by notable photo historians including: Dr A.D. Morrison-Low, Research Associate, National Museums Scotland, on the work of Dr John Adamson; Dr Sara Stevenson, former Chief Curator of the Scottish National Photography Collection; Professor Elizabeth Edwards of De Montfort University and David Bruce former director of the Scottish Film Council.

For sweet-toothed fans of historic photography, local Royal Warrant-holding bakers and confectioners Fisher & Donaldson are creating 'cartes-de-biscuite' – chocolate versions of the Cartes-de-visite photographic calling cards used by Victorian society – as well as chocolate ‘stereo-bars’ - bars of chocolate with images of St Andrews and can be viewed in 3D.

BID St Andrews Chair, Alistair Lang, says: “This festival is about celebrating the gift St Andrews’ photographic pioneers gave to the world and acknowledging the Scottish photography since their day which has become part of their legacy through being inspired by their work.

“We want everyone to be a part of this unique festival which will become a regular fixture in the town’s calendar, whether in person or via social media and the Web.

“The festival will provide an opportunity for businesses across the town to get involved and interact with customers in new ways.

“We gratefully acknowledge and thank the University and Fife Council for their support in creating this event.”

Festival Organiser Rachel Nordstrom (Photographic Collections Manager, University of St Andrews Library, Special Collections Division) says: “Thanks to a close friendship between William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the photographic negative, and Sir David Brewster, Principal of the United Colleges in St Andrews, photography first arrived in Scotland by way of St Andrews. The new medium was then taken up with great enthusiasm across the country.

“While most people think of St Andrews as the home of golf, or the home of an ancient university, there is a rich photographic history which is often overlooked by many visitors. Our aim is to expand on what St Andrews has to offer for both visitors and locals.

“Over the past three years we have seen a resurgence in Scotland for the appreciation for historic and contemporary photography. Our aim is to build on this but highlight the vital role St Andrews played in the earliest days of photography, and the role Scotland played for the following 175 years.

“I am extremely excited to be involved in this joint project between the town and the University which highlights an important part of local heritage and celebrates a long line of talented Scottish photographers.”

The St Andrews Photography Festival will run from 1 August to 11 September 2016.

For latest details as they’re revealed, go to the Festival Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StAndPhotoFest/

Festival Headliners

Calum Colvin RSA OBE

Born in Glasgow in 1961, Calum Colvin is a practitioner of painting, sculpture and photography who graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Photography in 1985. He brings these disciplines together in his unique style of 'constructed photography'- assembling tableaux of objects which are then painted and photographed.

His work has been exhibited worldwide for the last 30 years and can be found in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. A winner of one of the first Creative Scotland Awards in 2000, he was awarded an OBE the same year and is Professor of Fine Art Photography and Programme Director at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee.

Exhibition venue – The Adamson Cocktail Bar

Talk and Artist Evening – August 3, 5.30pm at The Adamson - Calum Colvin will talk through his working processes for the items on display at The Adamson.

Information - www.calumcolvin.com

Document Scotland

Formed in 2012, Document Scotland is a collective of Scottish documentary photographers - Colin McPherson, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren - brought together by a common vision to witness and photograph the important and diverse stories within Scotland in the lead up to the Scottish Independence Referendum, one of the most important times in the nation’s history.

Exhibition venue – Railings along The Scores

Information - www.documentscotland.com

David Peat

David Peat (1947-2012) was an award-winning Scottish documentary-maker, cinematographer and photographer. The roots of his photography lie in the classic street photography genre. Continually inspired by the masters of this art and their skill at seeing and hunting a meaningful image within a moment in time. Special Collections Division of St. Andrews University Library acquired the David Peat Archive in 2014.

Exhibition venue – Cafe in the Square.

Talk – September 10, 5.30pm at The Byre Theatre - The Street Wise Photography of David Peat by David Bruce FRPS, a former Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Scottish Film Council.

Information - http://www.davidpeatphotography.com

Harry Papadopoulos

Harry Papadopoulos, born in 1954 in Helensburgh, is a self-taught Press photographer whose interest was inspired by taking photographs at gigs in the late 1970s. His images from 1979-1984, when he was a staff photographer for the legendary music weekly Sounds, capture the post-punk era when Scotland was at the epicentre of the independent music boom. His archive sits at Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow.

Exhibition venue – The Vic

Information - http://www.streetlevelphotoworks.org/event/whatpresence

Franki Raffles

Born in Manchester and raised in London, after graduating from St Andrews University with an MA in Moral Philosophy in 1977 Franki Raffles made her home in Scotland, first on the Isle of Lewis and later in Edinburgh, where she quickly established herself as a leading feminist social documentary photographer. Franki’s powerful images for the Edinburgh District Council Zero Tolerance campaign, which began in 1992 and highlighted awareness of domestic and sexual abuse against women, were subsequently used throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally as the campaign gained adoption further afield.

Exhibition venue – Old Union Coffee Shop

Information - http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/imu/imu.php?request=display&port=45177&id=66e4&flag=start&offset=0&count=10&listcount=20&view=list&irn=555035&departmentfilter=Special%20Collections&ecatalogue=on

Alicia Bruce

Alicia Bruce studied Photography, Film and Imaging at Edinburgh Napier University, graduating in 2006. Her photographs have been presented internationally and won several artists’ residencies and bursaries. Many are represented in several public and private collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland photography collection.

Exhibition venue – Luvian’s Cafe

Portraiture Workshop - August 24, 10am at Eden Mill Tasting Room

Talk and Portfolio Presentation - September 7, 5.30pm at Martyrs Kirk - Menie: TRUMPED Project by Alicia Bruce

Information - http://www.aliciabruce.co.uk/projects/menietrumped/

Robert Moyes Adam

Pioneer Robert Moyes Adam (1885-1967) was Scotland’s foremost landscape photographer. His work is known from Scotsman Calendars, The Scots Magazine and many books from the 1930s and ‘40s.

Exhibition venue –The Doll’s House

Talk - August 9, 5.30pm, The Byre Theatre – Dr Pete Moore, who has researched Adam's work for years, will describe his life and work.

Information - http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/imu/imu.php?request=browse&irn=1687

Scotland Through The Lens: 175 Years of Scottish Photography

50 prints from University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collections archive on display at Gateway Galleries, North Haugh tell the story of documentary photography from the earliest days up to present.

Exhibition venue – Gateway Galleries, Opens September 1.

Information - http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/future/

Thomas Rodger

Thomas Rodger (1833-1888) set up the first purpose-built photographic studio on St Mary’s Place in St Andrews in 1849 while still only 16 or 17 years old. Rodger was taught photography by Dr John Adamson.

Exhibition venue – University Careers Centre.

Information - http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/imu/imu.php?request=browse&irn=1295

Events highlights

August 1, 5.30pm, Talk - Dr John Adamson: Photography in St Andrews before 1870, The Byre Theatre - Dr A.D. Morrison-Low, Research Associate, National Museums Scotland, will discuss the work of Dr John Adamson - one of St Andrews’s first photographers, whose work is perhaps not as well-known as it might be.

August 2, 10am, Early processes Demonstration, Pop-Up Darkroom – Contemporary calotype artist Rob Douglas will demonstrate three of the earliest photographic processes: the calotype, the lucotype and the photogenic drawing.

August 11, 5.30pm, Talk - Travels in Morocco with Hamish Brown, Martyrs Kirk – Dr Hamish Brown, Scottish mountaineer, photographer and writer has spent several months every year for more than five decades walking the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, photographing the landscape and people of the region.

August 20, 10am, Family History Collections Day, Martyrs Kirk - An event for local families to bring their photos and have Rachel Nordstrom, Photographic Collections Manager at the University Library, explain their technical background, historical importance and discuss the proper long-term care of personal collections.

August 25-27, 10.30am, Outdoor Victorian Tintype Studio, Pop-Up Darkroom – Have your photograph taken as people would have in the 1880s. Richard Cynan Jones will take your photo and demonstrate the collodion process in an Outdoor Victorian Tintype Studio.

September 3, 11am-4pm, ‘Become a Street Photographer’ youth workshop, Gateway Galleries, North Haugh - Do you want your photos to tell a story? Let local photographer Carolyn Scott give you tips to set on y becoming a better storyteller with your photos! Free Event is aimed at young people aged 13-17 years.

September 9, 5.30pm, In Sunshine and In Shadows - Literary Readings inspired by the work of Hill & Adamson, Martyrs Kirk - Award-winning writer and St Andrews graduate Ali Bacon creates stories from the calotypes of Hill and Adamson and lends a voice to those who sat for them. Presented with the illustrations from the University Special Collections which inspired them.

September 10, 5.30pm, Talk - The Street Wise Photography of David Peat, The Byre Theatre – David Bruce FRPS is a former director of the Scottish Film Council presents the social documentary photography of Davie Peat. 

The International Conference Stereo & Immersive Media 2016 aims to gather researchers, artists, curators, and archivists working on visual and sound media renowned for their immersive features.

“Stereo” environments (stereoscopic and stereophonic) have been widening the fields of photography and sound since the 19th century, contributing to the emergence of a progressively immersive media culture. This conference aims to bring together photography and sound research fieldsand their relationship with stereo environments, including other immersive visual media (e.g. panoramas, optical displays or virtual games) as well as sound art practices.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

Nicholas Wade, Emeritus Professor at Dundee University. Researcher in the history of vision, binocular and motion perception, and the interplay between visual science and art. His published books include:  Brewster and Wheatstone on Vision (1983) and Art and Illusionists (2016).

Larry J Schaaf, Director of the ‘William Henry Fox Talbot Catalogue Raisonné’, an online resource of the Bodleian Libraries, and Founder and Editor of the Correspondence of William Henry Fox Talbot Projecthe, he’s currently a Research Associate in the History of Art Department at Oxford. His published books include: Out of Shadows: Herschel, Talbot & the Invention of Photography(Yale, 1992) and The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot (Princeton, 2000).

Denis Pellerin, Curator of the London Stereoscopic Company. Co-authored books: La Photographie Stéréoscopique sous le Seconde Empire; Diableries. Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell and Crinoline: Fashion’s Most Magnificent Disaster.

We are inviting proposals for paper presentations, workshops/interactive sessions, posters/exhibits addressing one of the following themes:
1- Stereoscopic Photography (historical and contemporary);
2- Pre-cinema and Immersion;
3- Photographic and Sound Media Archaeology;
4- Panorama, Diorama and 360° Panoramic Photography;
5- Animation, Video games, Augmented and Virtual Reality;
6- Urban behaviour and the Influence of Sound devices;
7- Sonic Art and New Technologies;
8- Performance and Immersive environments;

Applicants will have the opportunity to submit their papers for publishing to the  International Journal on Stereo & Immersive Media.

This conference is convened by Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias in collaboration with CICANT (Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies).

Abstracts should have between 200-300 words for a 20 minutes presentation and should be submitted along with a short biography until 22 July on the website https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=simedia2016 When filling the title field in easychair please indicate (within brackets) the number of the theme proposed in this call that best suits your presentation.

The official languages in the conference are English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

For further information please visit our website:
http://stereoimmersivemedia.ulusofona.pt or http://www.digitalmeetsculture.net/article/stereo-and-immersive-media-photography-and-sound-research-2016/

Other queries must be submitted to:
simedia2016@easychair.org

The 11th Seminar on the Origins and History of Cinema will have the theme of: Presences and Representations of Women in the Early Years of Cinema 1895-1920 and will take place in Girona, on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st of March, 2017. Details of the call for papers can be found here: Call for papers

Registration from 10 January 2017.

Greetings. I am looking for information about this albumen photo, a student art room at the South Kensington Museum, which became part of the V&A. It has a Letterpress description, and the blindstamps of both the museum (Loan), and of the photographers Cundall and Downes.

The V&A has an exact copy, and the photographer is listed as Cundall and Downes, with a date of 1860. Although Cundall could very well have been the photographer, I believe that the Cundall and Downes stamp is only an indication that they were the publishers.

Would anyone be able to help teach down who the actual photographer was?

Many thanks in advance,

David

Beryl Diana Vosburgh, who for many years ran Jubilee Photographica, a shop selling old photographs and photographic equipment, in Pierrepoint Row, Camden Passage, London, died on 6 July 2016.

Beryl was a familiar face at the early auctions of photography and the name 'Jubilee' would be heard repeatedly in the days when a buyer's name was called out in the auction room and printed in the realised price sheets. She attended the first photography fairs and was a long-serving committee member of the Historical Group of the Royal Photographic Society which she joined in 1973. She was a founding member of both the Group and the Magic Lantern Society. Her shop was one of the first in Britain specifically devoted to historical photography and only closed in 2002. 

Beryl Roques was born in 1932 in Edmonton, north London. She attended RADA where she met Richard 'Dick' Vosburgh, the actor, writer, lyricist and broadcaster. They married in 1953 and remained together until his death in 2007 living in a beautiful town house in London's Islington. They had a son and five daughters.

While she was studying at RADA she was snapped up to be one of the main anchors of the 1952 BBC Radio series: The Younger Generation Under 20 Parade. It was described in the Radio Times as 'A programme on things to read, see, and hear, presented mainly by under-twenties'. She starred in this weekly series throughout 1952-53. Her resulting acting career highlights included: Miss Phillips in BBC Radio's Mrs Dale's Diary; Princess February in The Golden Cage for Children's Hour; the 1954 Home Service series entitled Home and Away with Dora Bryan and the BBC Revue Orchestra; alongside Phyllis Calvert in Monday Matinee presents Craig's Wife; 1961 film: A Little of What She Fancied and 1962's Associated Rediffusion TV series No Hiding Place.

In 1965 she became one of the regular presenters of the popular BBC children's programme Play School. She presented 35 episodes of the show alongside regulars Eric Thompson, Derek Griffiths, Johnny Ball and Brian Cant.

In 1977 her real-life actress daughter Tilly Vosburgh played her offspring in Secret Diaries for Yorkshire Television (her other daughter was played by Sophie Thompson). Also in 1977 she performed in a Jubilee theatre show at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Beryl supported Dick's successful career in television, radio, theatre, film and magazine, often assisting him on projects when he had plays on Broadway, on tour and in the West End and looking after the children when Dick was heavily involved in a project.

She played various roles in the demo tapes for her husband's musicals: Windy City, A Day in Hollywood A Night in the Ukraine and A Saint She Ain't to name a few. Beryl appeared in Jango (1961).  Away from her acting and shop, she was a professional photographer, photographing theatrical productions and taking the Spotlight pictures of countless high-profile actors and actresses.

Michael Pritchard writes...As a boy in the 1980s I got to know Beryl through the RPS Historical Group. I remember visiting her shop, taking care to visit on a Wednesday or Saturday, when it was open. Beryl's shop included plenty of cartes de visite, stereocards, albums, stereoscopes, lantern slides, cameras and the more accessible end of the market. She had a particular interest in photographic jewellery. When one visited she was more likely than not to press a photograph in to your hand as a gift irrespective of whether you bought something. She regularly donated material to institutions or to individuals if she felt it was the right home for it. Beryl was kindly, knowledgeable and wonderful company over dinner at her College Cross house. 

Images: courtesy The RPS, The Photographic Journal, February 1975. 

UPDATE: Amy Vosburgh has been in contact with details of Beryl's funeral which will take place on 18 July at Golders Green Crematorium. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact her on 07866 718030.

UPDATE 2. Thank you to Amy for additional information about Beryl's film and television career. 

The History and Archives section of the German Photographic Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie, DGPh) has recognised scientific research in the history and theory of photography since 1978.

The DGPh History of Photography Research Award 2016 will be open for all elements of research into photography’s many aspects. Besides aspects of traditional history and theory of photography, topics will be considered that deal with photography’s social meaning, or the impact that the medium has had on society. The applicant's work should represent an autonomous, innovative, and original contribution to these areas. The award is open to researchers from all fields.

Applications and manuscripts for the DGPh History of Photography Research Award may be submitted in either English or German. Applications should consist of a published or unpublished manuscript produced during the last two years before the deadline. Project outlines, or yet unfinished manuscripts etc.will not
be accepted.

Allocation will be the decision of an expert jury. The jury will publish its reasons to reward the winning entry. The jury consists of the chairpersons of the History and Archives section of the DGPh, the previous prize winner plus one or a group of invited councillor(s).

The award is endowed with a total of 3,000 Euro. The jury holds the right to split the prize between two applicants in equal parts. The award will be handed over at a public event organized by the DGPh.

Submission requirements are the following pdf-files:

• A complete manuscript as electronic file form
• An abstract of the submitted work (approx. 300-500 words)
• A curriculum vitae (résumé)
• A list of publications.

The final date for submissions is the 30 September, 2016. Submissions should be send online under:
http://www.dgph.de/sektionen/geschichte_archive/ausschreibung-dgph-forschungspreis-fuer-photographiegeschichte-2016

More information about the German Photographic Society: www.dgph.de

In 2015 I rediscovered the grave of Victorian photographer Robert Howlett and started researching his short life with the intention of producing his comprehensive biography.  As a consequence of his early death he left no will, diary, family documents or artefacts so this has been a considerable uphill task. 

His story has now taken shape with the help and goodwill of many in the world of 19th century photography, in many different locations, and the invaluable assistance of his family, but I welcome any further input from members and any images which may be Howlett related.  Many will know his IK Brunel portrait with the SS Great Eastern launching chains but there are several images exhibited in the 1850s which I would be delighted to trace.  Some new images have come to light in the course of my research and will accompany the story of his 27 year life, but there is always room for more!

The biography is intended to accompany a rededication of his grave which is in need of restoration after 159 years of Norfolk wind and rain.

Please contact me if you think you may have something of interest.

Thank you.

I am researching the Scottish photographer James Valentine (1815-1879) with the goal of a publication in mind. I would therefore welcome information on James Valentine specifically related to his earliest involvement in photography. Of particular interest to me is a comment in one of his obituaries that claimed he had ‘commenced photography at a very early period after its discovery’. While I have not yet seen evidence to support this, there is another, later account that also suggests James Valentine’s involvement with photography to have been early. The writer of the 1906 account, from The Philadelphia Photographer, had first met Valentine 65 years before, or in about 1841, at which time he was an engraver and small scale commercial printer, though apparently also experimenting with photography while in pursuit of other business:

‘He then from time to time wandered through certain parts of Scotland trying to get orders for lithographing the labels used by chemists and druggists, doing the work in a little shop in Dundee; at the same time doing a little in photography, although more as an amateur than a professional.’

The commentator added that Valentine’s early experiments with photography had included ‘views’ and portraits, and that he had ‘soon acquired considerable proficiency’. James Valentine’s printing business operated from 100 Murraygate in Dundee from 1845, for the next twelve years before changing premises. In 1850, he is said to have travelled to Paris to increase his photographic learning, studying there under either André-François Bulot or Auguste Belloc. The jury is still out on this photographer's identity, whose name was spelt in Valentine’s obituary 'Bulow', and who was described as ‘one of the most skilful photographers in that city’. Back in Dundee, James Valentine opened his new ‘Photographic Portrait Rooms’ at his Murraygate premises in 1851. This marked the beginnings of a photography business that would become probably the largest photographic (and later postcard) publishing company in the world.

I am aware of eight ambrotype studio portraits by Valentine, each impressed ‘J. Valentine, Dundee’ on their framing mats, but have not seen concrete evidence of him having ever produced Daguerreotypes. If any BPH member is aware of Daguerreotypes by James Valentine surviving in public or private collections, or knows of any further published reference, I would be very grateful to hear from them.

James Valentine, Portrait of a Young Girl, c.1856. Ambrotype. Ken Hall Collection 

St Andrews Photography Festival has announced several events of interest to BPH readers. First up, on 1 August Dr Alison Morrison-Low will discuss the work of Dr John Adamson. View this and others at the Festival's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1733795436897095/