Blogs

George Szirtes reads his award-winning memoir about his mother, Magda. Her turbulent life reflects the drama of the 20th century.

She survived incarceration in two different concentration camps during the Second World War and then settled in Hungary - but fled with her family in 1956. Arriving as a refugee in London, serious illness forced her to abandon professional photography and to live at home as a housewife, where she began the process of “Englishing” her family.

The Photographer at Sixteen reveals a life told backwards, from the depths of Magda’s final days to her girlhood as an ambitious photographer in Budapest. The woman who emerges is beautiful, energetic, direct, warm and passionate. It is a book born of curiosity, of guilt, and of love.

With thanks to Colin Ford CBE for highlighting this broadcast

The Photographer at Sixteen - George Szirtes
BBC Radio 4 from 15 March and then for four further episodes daily and on BBC Sounds 
See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000t418/episodes/guide

The Guardian newspaper has reported that the E Chambré Hardman studio negatives in Liverpool is deteriorating. It noted: The National Trust faces a “race against time” to save a historic collection of previously unseen photographs before they deteriorate.

Renowned Liverpool photographer Edward Chambré Hardman’s collection of 140,000 prints and negatives passed to the National Trust, along with his house, in 2003 but some negatives were found to be “actively deteriorating and emitting toxic gases”.

The under-threat prints were not properly conserved by Hardman at his studio on Rodney Street in the Georgian quarter of Liverpool and initial inspections revealed serious problems in the way some items had been stored.

Read the full story here: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/03/edward-chambre-hardman-national-trust-in-race-against-time-to-save-liverpool-photographers-archive

Photographs: © Michael Pritchard. The Chambré Hardman House and darkroom. 

This workshop, led by Almudena Romero, will give you detailed knowledge on chlorophyll printing (and on other sustainable photographic methods), including the science behind the process, tips and recommendations, info on suppliers,  process steps and troubleshooting techniques, to help you to make great chlorophyll prints from home. 

Starting with an introduction to a range of sustainable, yet little-known, early (1840s) photographic techniques, this workshop thoroughly explains sustainable photographic processes' history, science and practice. 

Get to play with photography in an unusual and environmentally friendly manner and produce beautiful image-objects for your home and friends.

See more and book here. 

When Anna Bertha Röntgen first glanced at the radiographic picture of her hand she is supposed to have said “I have seen my death!” and refused to take part in any similar experiments. In a brief time however, this new way of seeing the body forever altered the landscape of both popular culture and the visual arts.

This talk explores how X-rays and other medical imaging techniques have had their diagnostic capacity repurposed and subverted, becoming an integral part of experimental artistic practices. It follows a historical trajectory, from the early works of the avant-garde to contemporary interdisciplinary projects and artist residences within imaging facilities. It discusses the interactions between artists and medical practitioners, as well as its impact on viewers of the general public: what changed from the time Mikhail Larionov and Francis Picabia were engaging in explorations of the radiographic gaze? How is the meeting point of art, medical science and technology framed in the works of contemporary artists such as Matthew Cox, Mona Hatoum and Paulina Siniatkina? The talk will also highlight lesser known creations and initiatives from the former Eastern bloc, highlighting X-ray depictions and the medical gaze as part of the state apparatus, through the works of artists such as A.I. Kurnakov, Morozov Anatoly Alekseevich, Obrosov Igor Pavlovich and Levichev Yuri Ivanovich.

Looking Inwards: The Role of Medical Imaging Technology in 20th and 21st Century Visual Art

Tuesday 16 March  1-2pm (UK time) on Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/91441604082

Meeting ID: 914 4160 4082

Passcode: 195522

See: https://chstmphdblog.wordpress.com/lunchtime-seminars/

If you haven't already, please consider taking the Photograph Preservation Initiatives survey or sharing it with colleagues who work with photographic materials, including those in other countries (the survey is available in five languages). The extended deadline to complete the survey is March 17, 2021.

Link to survey: utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82GgIHMVqNpfF5Q

We very much appreciate your help in collecting this valuable information!

Thank you,

Debra Hess Norris, University of Delaware

Heather Brown, Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin

Shannon Brogdon-Grantham, Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute

Ellen Cunningham-Kruppa, Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin

Marta Garcia Celma, M+ Museum, Hong Kong

Amber Kehoe, Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin

Lee Price, Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, Philadelphia

Ioannis Vasallos, The National Archives, UK

William Van Sommer (1859–1941) was a little-known amateur photographer who left behind a unique collection of images of his local Surrey landscape and favourite gardens in colour.

He took his pictures in an era when gardens were known for their waves of colour – for the contrasting shades of their rock gardens and the vibrant hues of their herbaceous borders. Yet the Edwardian garden was seldom captured in colour photography at the time.

Van Sommer’s beautiful ‘autochrome’ pictures provide a rare glimpse of the colours of these gardens of the past. Read on to discover some of the earliest colour images of the great outdoors including the first known colour photographs of RHS Wisley.

Read more about him and see his autochromes here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/digital-collections/william-van-sommer

If anyone has more information about Van Sommer and his photography feel free to contact Sarah McDonald, Heritage Collections Manager at the RHS. 

The exhibition has been created by RHS Lindley Library. Based at the Royal Horticultural Society’s headquarters at Vincent Square in London, the Lindley Library holds a world-class collection of horticultural books, journals and botanical art.

The University of West of England's Centre for Fine Print Research in Bristol is running a series of photographic process workshops aimed at, amongst others, artists, designers, craftspeople, communicators, photographers, teachers and managers. CPD courses offer the opportunity for professional updating, learning new skills and techniques, and for intellectual stimulus. 

They will run in the summer of 2021 and cover early photographic printing processes, photogravure, platinum/palladium and preparing digital negatives, and are led by Dr Peter Moseley

Find out more and book here: https://rps.org/CFPR

Image: Dr Peter Moseley

An auction house has asked for identification of a photograph which will be offered at auction on 13 April 2021. There are two photographs in the lot. The photograph which has an unidentified photographer is a portrait of Julia Prinsep Stephen, née Jackson.

The other print shows Mary Louisa Fisher and Julia Prinsep Stephen (both née Jackson), and is attributed to James Mudd or Joseph Cundall. 

Any attributions - ideally with sources - would be welcome. 

This blog, published in 2020 looks at - and identifies - many of the photographers represented in this important art library. Much loved and perused by staff, students, and the general public in the know, the Conway Library is a collection of 9764 red boxes containing brown manila folders. The photographs glued on the brown manila mounts are black and white original prints showing places of architectural notice, often in painstaking detail. The variety, detail and beauty of the photographs, as well as the value of this research resource are well documented in this blog.

The list of photographers tells a completely new story about the library. No longer simply the story of the initial collectors, this is now also the story of the hundreds of people – students, staff or independent supporters – who donated the images.

Read the blog, see the list of photographers represented, and share your own knowledge: http://blog.courtauld.ac.uk/digitalmedia/2020/06/30/who-made-the-conway-library/

The inaugural exhibition in the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s photography gallery examines the first photographic studios in New South Wales, Australia and the characters who ran them. The way we visualise much of the 19th century is framed by the work of commercial photographic studios. The new technology of photography, invented in 1839, led to the rise of these new businesses which found commercial opportunities in sales of photographs, especially portraits. The Business of Photography turns the lens onto the commercial studio, exploring the stories behind particular New South Wales photographers. Original photographs drawn from the Macleay Collection of historic photography are featured.

A supporting online/in-person event is: 

Art UK is holding a conference as the culmination of nearly four years' work to digitise thousands of sculptures across the UK, held in collections and seen in public spaces.

There will be talks from Art UK staff on sculpture digitisation, our learning and engagement programme and new sculpture discoveries through Art Detective. We will share best practice on photography of sculpture, running community engagement events and delivering innovative activities for schools, plus lectures on the historical photography of sculpture.

Talks from curators, art historians and learning professionals will consider public sculpture, innovative learning programmes, diversity and colonialism, and new discoveries in sculpture and sculptor research. These include presentations from our project partners VocalEyes, CultureStreet, the Royal Society of Sculptors and the Royal Photographic Society.

The conference's keynote session will see artist Jeremy Deller in conversation with renowned Classicist and Art UK Patron Mary Beard, as they discuss their views on public art in the UK. The discussion will touch on how they feel about the debate around contentious statues and their removal, and their thoughts on the role of art and sculpture in our public spaces.

Rediscovering our sculpture
11 and 12 March 2021
Free registration

See more: https://artuk.org/about/sculpture-conference

Prospect magazine has a feature by Emma Hartley which poses the question why were women photographers overlooked in the recent Netflix film The Dig. The photography of Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff who documented the excavation at Sutton Hoo was removed and their roles replaced by a male photographer.  Separately  the role of Wagstaff has been largely overlooked in favour of Lack and it was only recently that her birth and death dates were known. 

Read more here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/why-does-netflixs-the-dig-exclude-the-women-who-photographed-sutton-hoo

Image: The long boat discovered at Sutton Hoo as photographed by Barbara Wagstaff. Credit: The British Museum

Bonhams auction of Fine Books and Manuscripts on 31 March 2021 includes a copy of Reports of the Juries (1851-52) which is illustrated with 154 calotypes. The set of four volumes in an edition of approximately 130.   It is estimated at £15,000-20,000. 

See more here: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26772/lot/8/

The British Film Institute is seeking a Curatorial Specialist to join the BFI’s Curatorial department on a fixed term basis until March 2022 to work on the Heritage 2022 project; digitising 100,000 video works from the collections of the BFI and partner archives in order to preserve the collections for future generations.

Key Responsibilities 

• Work with curators and curatorial archivists to process video material to support delivery of the BFI’s Heritage 22 programme, identifying and inspecting materials in order to advise on conservation need. Ensure that materials are accurately described and documented on the BFI’s documentation system.
• Bring an understanding of the history of film, television and the moving image to support curatorial archivists in recommending preservation and conservation workflows for video and other archive materials as part of the Heritage 22 programme. In consultation with curators, assign and amend preservation status applied to holdings and update the Collections Information Database (CID).
• Use the Collections Information Database (CID) tool to accurately catalogue archive materials to internationally agreed standards and undertake materials research for programming, conservation or preservation. Use spreadsheets and information databases to bulk import or export metadata describing the collections.
• Research the BFI National Archive using the Collections Information Database (CID) to identify best materials for potential curatorial programmes.

See more and apply here: https://bfijobsandopportunities.bfi.org.uk/