Are you a passionate enthusiast and collector?

Do you collect photography-related items but don't have the desire or time to build a website?

Would you like to share your passion with fellow enthusiasts?

Well read on.... if you have a collection that relates to any area of the history of photography I'm interested.

• Photographs of combs, mountaineers and mountaineering, famous aviators, scientific equipment, feet or any other subject


• Studio stamps, signatures and portraits of photographers


• Early photographically illustrated books and exhibition catalogs


• The backs of carte-de-visites and cabinet cards


• Photographs of a particular region, locality or building


• Labels for photography societies and exhibitions


• Every model of Brewster stereocard viewer

Whatever your interest in photography is, and even if your partner and friends no longer want to hear about it, I do. If you have fellow enthusiasts who would like to work together to pool knowledge and examples even better. For some online exhibitions on Luminous-Lint we bring together teams of people to work collaboratively and that is rewarding for everyone.

I'll need a set of images, a caption list and a short introduction. It's a very straight forward process - so no matter what aspect of photography you are passionate and knowledgeable about send me your idea for an exhibition and we'll discuss it.

Best,
Alan
alan@luminous-lint.com

Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) - Request for examples

Carleton E. Watkins
#4504 Santa Monica Landing
[Watkin's New Series]
n.d.

Stereoview
Jefferson Stereoptics
Courtesy of John Saddy (Auction, Tues. August 29th & Thurs. August 31st, 2006, # 06-3, Lot 27)

LL/13793

Norman Kulkin of Select Vernacular just sent me an email that is an excellent idea and I'd like to see what we can do as a community of fellow enthusiasts.

The Getty Center in Los Angeles is about to have an exhibition Dialogue among Giants: Carleton Watkins and the Rise of Photography in California (October 14, 2008–March 1, 2009) and the press release says:

"Dialogue among Giants presents the photographs of Carleton Watkins (American, 1829-1916) in the context of the birth and evolution of photography in California. The exhibition considers the social, political, economic, and artistic developments in California between the time of statehood in 1850 and the mid-1880s. It includes approximately 150 works, from daguerreotypes by unknown makers to mammoth-plate photographs by Watkins and his contemporaries."

A Catalog Raisonne of his approximately 1,300 plus mammoth plates is being prepared by Weston Naef for a forthcoming book.

What you can do to assist

I'd like to hear from collectors, dealers and galleries with examples of the photographs of Carleton Watkins that we can include in an online exhibition on Luminous--Lint to coincide with the exhibition at the Getty Center. All ideas, links and scans gratefully received - Alan - alan@luminous-lint.com

The Bromoil Circle of Great Britain - Centenary 2007

Albert Barraclough
Threshing
n.d.

Bromoil print
36 x 29 cm

The Bromoil Circle of Great Britain
© The artist

On Luminous-Lint we have put up several exhibitions on Bromoil Prints but here I want to address a little known area of photographic history - the postal clubs. Maija McDougal FRPS, President of The Bromoil Circle of Great Britain, has kindly provided an introduction that gives the history of the Bromoil Circle from its foundation in 1931 by Sam Weller as the Bromoil Circle Postal Club. In the pre-Internet days it was difficult for small groups of enthusiasts with common interests to keep in touch and share visual media and the solution was to mail boxes of photographic prints between the members - a practice that still continues today.

In 2007 as it was the centenary of the bromoil process the Bromoil Circle published a commemorative volume including works by their members.

"The Art of Bromoil Centenary 2007" (The Bromoil Circle of Great Britain, 2007) ISBN: 978-0-9557199-0-5 printed by Aldine Press Ltd, Malvern, WR14 3NB, UK.

It has never been the intention of this group to swing with contemporary photographic trends but rather to perfect a process and to continue, in the most part, to examine themes that were common within late 19th and early 20th century European pictorialism.

Thanks to Maija McDougal and all the members of The Bromoil Circle of Great Britain that have allowed their works to be included in this online exhibition.

I would be interested in hearing from members of other postal photograph clubs and I'm also interested in the photo-historians who have researched them. Alan - alan@luminous-lint.com

There is an online exhibition of this series on Luminous-Lint.

19th century advertising for photographers or using photographs

Gilles, Photo.
Monde. Heure exacte de ses principales villes lorsqu'il est midi juste a Paris
n.d.

CDV
Private collection of Thomas Weynants
Shows the clocks of A. Bertrand of Namur in Belgium. We are looking for further information on the purpose of this CDV.

Recently on the Yahoo Photohistory list Thomas Weynants (of the fascinating Media Archaeology website - http://www.visual-media.eu) put up a request for information relating to two unusual carte de visites he has showing clocks and if you can provide any information send it through. You can see an image of one of them above.

This brings me to a more general point - I'm bringing together examples for online exhibitions on Luminous-Lint relating to photographs used in nineteenth century advertising for people, products and services. This is still rudimentary but in the exhibition link below you'll see the kinds of material I'm interested in. This exhibition shows how photographers promoted themselves but I'm interested in advertising more generally and the stranger and odder the better. I'm particularly interested in CDVs and Cabinet Cards showing products.


Examples of 19th century photographic advertising:

Solarization in photography - examples?

Josef Ehm
Solarized Nude
1946

Gelatin silver print
17.5 x 12.5 cm (7 x 5 )

Galerie Johannes Faber

At this point you will be thinking - "Will Alan ever stop?" and the answer is probably not. The 'Sabattier effect' (named after the French scientist Armand Sabattier who discovered it in 1862) results in an image that is part negative and part positive and is created by exposing the print to light part way through the darkroom development process. Solarization, the more commonly used term for this effect, was "re-discovered" by Man Ray and Lee Miller and was the kind of technique that appealed immediately to Dadaists and Surrealists.

I'm planning an online exhibition to be added to Luminous-Lint and would welcome examples and suggestions. If you happen to be an authority on Solarization so much the better and I'd welcome your advice. alan@luminous-lint.com

Multiple exposures in photography - examples?

Anon.
[Line Docea et son mari]
1940 (ca)

Gelatin silver print
54 x 90 mm / 2.15 x 3.55 in

Un Livre Une Image
Courtesy of Emmanuelle Michaud (0107EM)

I'm in the midst of planning an exhibition of multiple exposures through the history of photography for Luminous-Lint and I'm seeking examples and suggestions from all periods and regions. If you have CDVs and Cabinet cards in your collection please send them through. This exhibition is not limited to the most famous photographers - I'm also interested in snapshots, real photo postcards and vernacular images. alan@luminous-lint.com

Eggs in photography?

Paul Outerbridge
Kitchen Table
1921

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Warren and Margot Coville Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress

An online exhibition is currently being planned for Luminous-Lint on:

"Eggs in photography"

This exhibition will include examples by Paul Nadar, Margaret Watkins, Paul Outerbridge, Ralph Steiner, Man Ray, György Kepes, Walter Peterhans, Carlotta M. Corpron and others. I'm seeking further examples from all regions, periods and photographic types and would be most interested in any photographs you may have in your collections. alan@luminous-lint.com

UPDATE (July 13, 2008)

There is an online exhibition of this series on Luminous-lint.