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PhotoHistorians : a directory of people engaged in research in the history of photography
http://www.clt.astate.edu/wallen/photohistorians/
PhotoHistorians is a simple website that acts as a worldwide clearing house by which scholars can notify others of their research interests in the history of photography. It is run by William Allen of Arkansas State University. The author stresses that the service and website is not a listserv or discussion forum. The project was begun in 1987 as an annual printed document, entitled the International Directory of Photography Historians. It then moved onto the Internet in 1997. It is possible to download the PhotoHistorians directory database as an ASP document. The database can be searched online by term or name.
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Scottish society for the history of photography
http://www.sshop.arts.gla.ac.uk/
The website of the Scottish Society for the History of Photography (SSHoP) contains information about Scottish photographers from the 1840s to the present day. There are three short texts that give a brief but reliable overview of the photography of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries as it happened in Scotland. There are details of the David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson bicentenary celebrations in 2002, and the pages for this event feature the full-text of an extensive 'Bibliography of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson' (2002). There are also details of the Heritage Lottery-funded 'D.O. Hill Correspondence Project', and a search interface that allows visitors to search the full-text of the 'D.O. Hill Correspondence Database' containing copies of the letters of this famous early photographer. The SSHoP website also contains all the details one would expect to find on the website of a major historical society, including details of lectures, events, and publications such as the SSHoP annual journal 'Studies in Photography'.
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History of photography : from its beginnings till the 1920s
http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/index.html
Written by Dr. Robert Leggat, this website covers the first eighty years of the history of photography. It is intended to be used for general interest as well as a starting point for students preparing for courses which may include some elements of the study of the history of photography. There is an A-Z list of significant people in the early history of photography and a section on processes, styles and movements in photography. Other parts of the website include a bibliography, museums of interest and information about how photography began. Robert Leggat, author, teacher of photography and examiner for qualifications in photography, has been a member of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) since the 1970s and there is a section on the website in which the work of the RPS is explored.
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Midley history of early photography
http://www.midley.co.uk/
This is a collection of published and unpublished essays by R. Derek Wood on the early history of photography. In particular, Wood's interest is in the early pioneers of photography, with a focus on dioramas and early experiments between 1830 and 1850 often ignored by the historic emphasis on the work of William Henry Fox Talbot and Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre. The site has a large archive of articles and correspondence in html and PDF formats, and offers some original research derived from primary sources. It includes detailed bibliographies and provides a useful introduction to a sparsely studied area of photographic history. Please note that this website is due to close down in early 2010.
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Midley search on History of Photography
http://search39.midley.co.uk/
The Midley search on history of photography is a customised search engine, designed by the creator of the Midley history of early photography website. The resource takes the form of a search engine which searches 39 selected websites, which have been judged by R. Derek Wood to be the most relevant to research on the history of photography. By being selective in this way, it is hoped that searches will be more effective and relevant, and a full listing of the 39 selected websites is available on the site. It is also possible to search just the website 'Midley history of early photography'. On the site search plugins are made available. This resource requires an OpenSearch plugin enabled browser such as Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 2. Please note that this website is due to close down in early 2010.
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PhotoLondon
http://www.photolondon.org.uk/
The Photo London website was created to highlight and promote the collections of modern and historic photographs of London housed in London's libraries, archives and museums. The website also provides background information on the history of photography in London. The original five collections were: Guildhall Library, Museum of London, London Metropolitan Archives, Westminster City Archives and National Monuments Record. There are links to each of these photographic collections and image databases. However, there are now many more associate members, each of which has a link to an information page, providing address and contact details, with some background information. The website also includes a photo gallery with thumbnail images, which can be browsed and a bibliography of related book titles. Additionally, there is a links page of related sites and a directory of London photographers 1841-1908, which was first published in print format in 1986. A photo essay by Mike Seaborne explains the history of photography in London, from the earliest developments up to the emergence of digital technologies. There is a also a bibliography, links to the main public collections and the results of a survey conducted in June 2001 into the holdings of photographic collections and the issues faced by curators. The lack of quantity is compensated for by the quality of the images, such as John Thompson's "haunting" The Crawlers, which documents the squalor of Victorian London, and Cyril Arapoff's beachside view of Tower Bridge in the 1930s.
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Photoresearcher
http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/department/bildwissenschaft/partnerlinks/eshph/097
'Photoresearcher: publication of the European Society for the History of Photography' is a scholarly full-text ejournal. Issues are in English. At March 2009 there are 10 issues online, freely available for download in PDF format. As an example of the range of contents, issue 10 (Sept 2007) contains articles on: Wolf Suschitzky; Emanuel von Friedrichsthal; Sarah Choate Sears; 19th century Iranian portrait photography; and the socialist 'purification' of the Czech history of photography. The magazine is professionaly presented, with a colour cover and interior black and white photographs. Pictures are displayed clearly at a reasonably large size, and are presented without watermarks. The most recent issue is available only in paper form, and thereafter is placed online. At a time when the history of photography is seriously undervalued and neglected in most universities, Photoresearcher is a most valuable addition to the range of ejournals in art history.
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Documentary photography : Jacob Riis
http://www.vads.ac.uk/resources/JRCAL.html
This is a Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) program to teach the analysis of documentary photography, using the work of Jacob Riis (1849 - 1914), the American photographer, as an example. Its creation was funded by HEFCE and the CAL Group at the University of Nottingham and it is published on the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) website. It is free to install, although VADS have to be contacted for a serial number, without which installation will not be possible; the contact details are on the website. Once installed, the program uses images, text and hyperlinked glossaries, leading the user through the process of analysing documentary photography from first principles, using Riis' work as an example. Riis is best known for his depiction of urban poverty among the tenements of New York City. The users' interpretation is then compared to that of the lecturer. The program can be used as a self-study aid or within a classroom context.
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[Jerwood photography project at the British Library]
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/photographicproject/index.html
The British Library possesses a unique collection of photographs from the second half of the 19th century, which is a "visual archive of major documentary and artistic importance". It also contains "major collections of early texts, patents and other technical documentation relating to the history of photography." However, much of the library's photographic collections are uncatalogued. Therefore, in a three-year project, funded by the Jerwood Charity, it is intended to catalogue the Library's photographic collections and make them available to scholars, photographic historians and other researchers, through an integrated catalogue. The website includes some information about the project and images from the collections, which have been organised into the following sections on photographic processes; the world in focus; exploration and archaeology; image of war; making the modern world; and in the public eye.
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International Center of Photography
http://www.icp.org/
Established in New York over thirty years ago, the International Center of Photography (ICP) functions as a museum and school dedicated exclusively to photography. Previously known as the International Fund for Concerned Photography, the organisation's exhibitions reflect the full spectrum of photography from documentary photojournalism to fashion portraits. The website provides information on ICP's history and mission, events, educational courses, and exhibitions held at the museum. In addition, the Resources page contains information on photography tips, industry resources, jobs, and a comprehensive links of external links covering funding, competitions, forums, photography organisations and legal information.
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Photomuse
http://www.photomuse.org/
Photomuse describes itself as a "resource for scholarship in the history of photography". The result of an alliance between George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film and the International Center of Photography, Photomuse aims to provide online access to the collections and resources of the two organisations. The website contains four sections: the 'About' section contains background information on the project, and 'Search' provides a simple and advanced search of the database, with fields such as description, title and dates. The 'Chronology' section provides a detailed chronology of photographic history, dating from 1830 to the present, with cross-referenced timelines of politics and culture, and the 'Exhibitions' section provides details of a selection of photographic exhibitions organised by George Eastman House and the International Center of Photography.
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Luminous-lint : for collectors and connoisseurs of fine photography
http://www.luminous-lint.com/
Luminous Lint is a large website that is effectively an online visual encylopaedia of historic photography. It contains about 150 online exhibitions of historic photography, and these are organised by theme or by photographer. Images are usually of a medium size. There is a comprehensive A-Z links directory of photography galleries and dealers, mixing contemporary galleries and centres with commercial dealers and auction houses. There is a well-illustrated and detailed timeline of the history of photography, and a listing of photography techniques from Albumen Prints to Woodburytypes. The Luminous Lint website is deeply hyperlinked and cross-referenced, and is actively updated. The project is supported by Amazon affliliate side-bar advertising.
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Photography criticism cyberarchive
http://photocriticism.com/
Created by photography critic A.D. Coleman and edited by Jasmine Gartner, this subscription-based archive provides online access to "multiple texts by a diversity of authors in the fields of history, criticism, and theory of photography from the medium's inception through the present day." The website appears to contain the whole of Coleman's work, including such books as Coleman's groundbreaking 'The Grotesque in Photography' (1977). The website reports that "dozens of texts are added to this CyberArchive on a quarterly basis". The archive can be searched by keyword without subscription, which will give potential users some idea of the likely worth of a subscription.
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Exhibitions of the Royal Photographic Society, 1870-1915
http://erps.dmu.ac.uk/
'Exhibitions of the Royal Photographic Society, 1870-1915' is a free online research database containing "the annual exhibition catalogues of the Photographic Society, London". There are said to be 45,000 detailed records on the website, including details of exhibits and exhibitors, judges, and members. There are photographic copies of the actual catalogue pages, browsable by year from 1870 to 1915. All pictures, and some contemporary illustrations, published in the annual 'Photograms of the Year' publication have also been reproduced on the website. The website has a variety of search methods, and the ability to refine and to export specific searches. It is possible to browse the illustrations, using thumbnail images; this can be done by going to the main 'Exhibitions' menu tab and then clicking on the 'Pictures' link placed next to each year. Such images are available in large size and without watermarks, and are scanned from the printed pages rather than the original photographic prints - therefore, showing the illustrations as they appeared in the catalogues at the time. This online resource would also be a useful website for those interested in advertisements and the history of technical matters concerned with photography, since in later years there are illustrated adverts in the catalogues.
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Shades of light : photography and Australia 1839-1988
http://photo-web.com.au/ShadesofLight/default.htm
This Web page gives access to a free ebook version of the book 'Shades of Light: Photography and Australia 1839-1988'. The original 218-page book was written by Gael Newton, and was published in 1988 by the Australian National Gallery. The online version is divided into chapters, covering the history of photography in Australia. These short chapters are not illustrated, despite much of the material under discussion being in the public domain due to its age. There is also one chapter missing from the original printed version. This is the final chapter: '14: Contemporary Photographic Practices' which was written by Helen Ennis. This version of the book, despite its online limitations, will be of interest to those seeking a reliable overview of the history of photography in Australia.
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American Museum of Photography
http://www.photographymuseum.com/
Established on the World Wide Web in May 1996, as 'Photography's beginnings: a visual history', The American Museum of Photography is a virtual museum, located only on the Internet. It is dedicated to educating and informing the general public of the power of photography and sharing photographs with Internet users worldwide. The exhibitions are drawn from the Museum's collection, which was started by William B. Becker in the 1960's. The collection includes several thousand individual images, chosen for their visual impact and content, which range from early photography to Ansel Adams. The user can take a guided tour of the museum or click on individual current exhibitions, which are displayed on the front page. Each thumbnail image can be enlarged and includes background information about the photograph. The website also includes an online research centre, which has an information section on early photographic processes and links to selected websites.
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AnamorFose
http://www.anamorfose.be/
Set up by Xavier Debeerst in Kortrijk, Belgium, the AnamorFose Photo Gallery specialises in dealing with art photography from 1850 to 1950, focussing on Belgian and European photography. The Gallery also represents some contemporary photographers and sells photography books. Each month the Gallery presents a thematic exhibition, which displays part of the collection and which is shown on the website. Included is a 'photographers' section, which displays the work of all the featured artists and a 'portal', which includes a guest book and a directory of website links, relating to the history of photography and other photography websites.
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Media history project
http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/
Part of the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts' website, the Media History Project promotes the study of media history. Sub-titled "promoting the study of media history from petroglyphs to pixels", it contains a media time line, ranging from the prehistoric to the present day, articles and quizzes for media studies students. The articles explore the way technology; politics; economics; cultural and moral change; and institutions have contributed to the development of the media throughout its history. Subjects include printing and publishing; journalism; photography; advertising and comics; telegraphy, telephony and sound recording; radio, film, television and computing.
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Daguerreian Society : dedicated to the history, science, and art of the daguerreotype
http://www.daguerre.org/
This is the website for the Daguerreian Society, which was founded in 1988. It is an American organisation made up of individuals and institutions, sharing a common interest in the art, history and practice of daguerreotype photography, which was pioneered in the 19th century by French artists and photographers Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851) and Joseph-Nicéphore Niépce (1765-1833). The website includes galleries of daguerreotype photographs, articles about the history, process and development of the daguerreotype and a bibliography of the literature surrounding the subject. The Resources section is very comprehensive. It has a collection of full and selected text materials, from descriptions of scientific processes, to fiction in which a daguerrotype has importance. Some of these are downloadable PDF files. There is a bibliography, an illustrated guide to the process of making a daguerrotype, news from contemporary practitioners and a facsimile of a guide around an 1850s daguerrotype factory. A National Endowment of the Arts database contains a developing collection of images, which may be searched by reference number, author, location, subject or other detail. The Galleries contain images under headings including, 'The American Vision', 'Silver and Gold', Reflections of an Era' and 'Contemporary Daguerrotypes by Charlie Schreiner'. There is membership information on the website and links to the Society's newsletter, and a membership directory with information on how to purchase these items. The links section provides an extensive list of links relating to the daguerreotype, as well as links of photohistorical and general historical interest. This is a fascinating resource, full of information and with a wealth of material for researchers in all aspects of early photography. It is also especially interesting because it deals with the daguerrotype not only as a stage in the development of photography, but also as a process used by contemporary artists. The site is very well presented and user-friendly.
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Mother of all art and art history links page
http://www.art-design.umich.edu/mother/
Produced by the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan, the Mother of All Art and Art History Links Page is an online resource guide. It covers annotated links to websites on art history departments in the US and abroad; research resources on African, Asian and American studies, archaeology, art history, Islam, photography and artistic styles; image collections; online exhibitions; art museums; and bibliographies, databases and library catalogues. There are also links to the University of Michigan's website and that of the School of Art and Design.
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Thomas and John R. Connon, a photographic legacy
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/exhibits/connon/
Published by the Archives of Ontario, the Thomas and John R. Connon website charts the careers of father and son, Thomas and John R. Connon, who were innovative panoramic photographers, working in Elora, Ontario, Canada, at the turn of the twentieth century. The website traces the development of their cycloramic panoramic camera, which was first patented in 1887, as well as other experimental photographic processes. The site is simply laid out as an overview with a series of links to further information. Definitions are given of the processes favoured by the Connon partnership, including collodion, gelatin glass negatives, tintypes, early gelatin prints and lantern slides. Also available are: individual biographies of the father and son team; an explanation of the panoramic camera; a collection of panoramic images (which may be viewed in high resolution); an explanation of stereo photography; John Connon's images of life in Elora, a collection of portrait photographs; and a list of sources and resources for further research. This is an attractive site with many primary source images, and useful accessible information on techniques and processes. It is likely to offer interest to researchers in the history of photography at all levels. The site may also be accessed in French.
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Photographic exhibitions in Britain, 1839 -1865
http://peib.dmu.ac.uk/
This website, which is published by De Montfort University, makes available a database of 20,000 photographic exhibits displayed in England between 1839 and 1865. The database is an updated online version of Roger Taylor's 2002 book. It is based on forty rare checklists and catalogues, and therefore makes scarce material freely available on the Web. This is a valuable resource that will be of interest to historians and art historians who study the development of photography and nineteenth-century cultural history. The database covers the formative period of photography, from the first photographic exhibition, which was organised by William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of negative-positive photography on paper. It was held at the Royal Institution, London, on 25 January 1839. The exhibitions covered include those of Roger Fenton and Francis Bedford, among many others. The database also covers the period of activity in photographic circles spawned by the Great Exhibition of 1851. The site includes the foreword from the original printed catalogue, and Roger Taylor's historical introduction is available to download as either a Microsoft Word or a rich text file. The database can be searched or browsed by exhibition, photographer, process or original price. A glossary defines photographic processing terms. The site does not include any of the documented images.
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Image magazine online
http://image.eastmanhouse.org/
'Image magazine online' is a free archive containing the entire run of one of the first major scholarly journals of photography. 'Image' was published from 1952 to 1997 by George Eastman House in the USA. Individual issues are presented as tables of contents, plus a PDF file of the entire issue. Issues have been scanned in complete form, and the pictures are shown at a reasonable resolution and without watermarks. The website offers a sophisticated keyword search facility. This online archive is a vital free resource for those interested in the history of photography, and has been published online by George Eastman House.
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Advanced residency program in photograph conservation
http://www.arp-geh.org/
This is the dedicated website for the Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation, based at the George Eastman House in the U.S.A. The website is elegantly designed and has full details of the Program; the fellows and faculty (past and present); and the many research projects underway. There is link to the Conservation Library Online Catalog (although, at May 2009, this link appears to bounce through to the generic front page of the University of Rochester library catalogue). There are also freely available full-text PDF files to be found via the Projects and Research page, such as: Dr. Thomas Keith's Waxed Paper Process Experiments; The Image Colors of Early Photographs: An Investigation of Photogenic Drawings and Leucotypes by William Henry Fox Talbot; Coating Materials Used in Early Paper Photography; A Survey of Early Photographically Illustrated Books; and The Use of Dichromates in Photography before 1850, among a great many others. Most of these papers and reports are illustrated. This will be a useful website for those interested in the history of photography, and the conservation of early photographs, even if they do not wish to become involved in the Advanced Residency Program.
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British photographic history
http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/
British Photographic History is a substantial social networking and news website, devoted to the history of British photography and photographers. Launched in early 2009, at September 2009 the network has 270 members. The network appears to be very active, even at a time of widespread neglect of the study of photographic history in British universities. The website has blogs, a discussion forum, a full list of members (most with photos), and a useful Events page listing exhibitions and conferences. The British Photographic History network and website is a welcome development for historians researching and publishing on this topic.
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