The Bodleian Libraries present the exhibition A New Power: Photography and Britain 1800-1850 on 1 February 2023, at the Weston Library, house of the Bodleian’s unique collections.
A New Power will gather an extraordinary range of things and photographic materials, offering a fascinating insight into the function of photography in the British Empire. Making up over 160 items, the exhibit will explore the early history of the medium, beginning with its creation and the earliest dissemination of photographic images in Britain, and ending with the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition reveals how photography intersected with all elements of a nascent modernity and played a vital function in forming British society.
Inventing photography
The exhibition is uncommon in tracing the development of photography back to the late eighteenth century, acknowledging the contributions of women to the experiments that resulted in the statement of the medium and its subsequent commercialisation. A New Power features a number of the first photographic images to be released, together with an amazing array of early daguerreotypes, photogenic illustrations and salt prints from calotype negatives. Examples of work by William Henry Fox Talbot, Anna Atkins, John Hershel, Richard Beard, Antoine Claudet, Edward Kilburn and John Mayall are consisted of, together with plaster busts by Francis Chantrey, a painting by John Constable, and a portion of Charles Babbage’s first computing engine. Specific emphasis is placed on the dissemination of photographic images in the popular press, documenting both stars and diverse members of the working class. A variety of items expose the worldwide spread of photography, exposing the way photographic images provided the British Empire with a sense of coherence and power.
A brand-new kind of reporting
Among the lots of revolutions that accompanied the creation of photography included the transformation of photojournalism. It was now possible to trace over a daguerreotype and copy the image as wood engravings to produce a precise visual document that could then be integrated into illustrated newspapers. This procedure would damage the initial daguerreotype, however would enable virtually limitless reproduction of its image. The process was pricey, however the caption ‘From a daguerreotype’ printed beside an image became a mark of authenticity in the newspaper industry. Especially crucial in this regard was the starting of the Illustrated London News in 1842, the world’s first showed weekly news publication.
The history of celebrity
Photography also had a central function in the development of the idea of celebrity. The exhibit includes a variety of early examples of society’s obsession with the images of well-known individuals. Amongst the most intriguing items on screen is a series of inscriptions of actors based on daguerreotypes. The series consists of an image of Individual retirement account Aldridge, an African-American star who carried out in plays by Shakespeare and would provide anti-slavery speeches after his performances. The exhibit also consists of a daguerreotype portrait of Queen Victoria and her kids, where the Queen has actually rubbed out her own face, irritated that she had actually been caught with her eyes closed.
A New Power belongs to the Library’s dedication to give more area to photography research and preservation, led by Bodley’s Librarian, Richard Ovenden, and the Manager of Photography, Dr Phillip Roberts. Just recently, the Bodleian have actually been broadening their comprehensive photographic archive through the acquisition of collections such as the Bern Schwartz archive, the archives of William Henry Fox Talbot, the archives of Helen Muspratt and Daniel Meadows, and product from the Hyman collection of 20th-century British photography.
The exhibit has actually been curated by Geoffrey Batchen, Professor of History of Art at the University of Oxford and a professional in the history of photography. He states of the exhibition: ‘By demonstrating how photography converged with all aspects of a nascent modernity, A New Power reveals photography’s vital role in making Britain the society it is today. But it likewise breaks with the normal way the history of photography is developed by focusing on the advent and expansion of the photographic image, rather than simply of the photograph.’
To accompany the exhibit, Bodleian Library Publishing will be launching a brand-new book authored by Geoffrey Batchen on 16 March 2023. Developing Photography: William Henry Fox Talbot in the Bodleian Library will offer an engaging window into the archives and the imaginative activities of Talbot.
The Bodleian Libraries will also host a series of occasions and lectures dedicated to photography and to their archival materials. On Friday 17 March, Geoffrey Batchen will hold the lecture Modern Times: Photography in Britain 1800– 1850, free for all to access, while on Saturday 18 March the Bodleian will host A New Power: The seminar, throughout which specialists will check out and talk about numerous elements of photography’s history in between 1800 and 1850.
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New Power: Photography and Britain 1800-1850
1 February– 7 May 2023
The Weston Library
Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG, United Kingdom
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk