Points of view : capturing the 19th century in photographs / John Falconer and Louise Hide.
By: Falconer, John
.
Contributor(s): Hide, Louise.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: London : British Library, 2009Description: 176 p. : ill. ; 27 cm.ISBN: 9780712350815; 0712350810; 0712350829; 9780712350822.Subject(s): British Library -- Photograph collections -- Exhibitions | Photography -- History -- 19th century -- Exhibitions | Photographers -- History -- 19th century -- Exhibitions | Civilization, Modern -- 19th century -- Pictorial works -- ExhibitionsDDC classification: 770.9034 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending | 770.9034 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00194759 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
From its earliest beginnings in the 1840s up to its democratization as a widespread leisure pursuit, photography was swept along by a tide of artistic and entrepreneurial activity that gathered pace throughout the nineteenth century. Both as an art form and a social document, the photograph quickly took on a critical role as the primary means of visual expression in the modern age.
Points of View brings together, for the first time, a selection of images from the British Library's unique photography collections, examining the history, diversity, and influence of the medium from its invention and early years up until the coming of the twentieth century. Beginning with the work of William Henry Fox Talbot and including some of our most celebrated photographic pioneers--Francis Frith, Felix Teynard, Samuel Bourne, and Peter Henry Emerson among them--this volume focuses on the question Who was taking the photograph and why? Ultimately the answer is found in the rise of mass market interest, the increasing role of technology, and the emergence of this thrilling new discipline amid rapid scientific, social, and industrial progress.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition Points of view : capturing the 19th century in photographs held at The British Library, 30 October 2009-7 March 2010.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 174) and index.
The infancy of invention -- To the ends of the earth -- Documenting art -- The portrait -- In the name of science -- Making the modern world -- The way we lived then -- Fin de siecle
Reviews provided by Syndetics
CHOICE Review
Tasked with presenting an overview of the photographs gathered at random in the rich collections of Britain's national library--the British Museum--throughout the 19th century, the editors follow a well-established path in creating a historical survey of the medium. This work, which depicts the many and varied uses of photography within the culture of that time, is aimed at a general audience. It does not attempt to catalog the entire British Museum collection, present materials to the level that a specialist would, or provide a substantial bibliography; thus it avoids the blocky chunkiness often associated with collections' catalogues. The selection of works is judicious, with a good balance in the mixture of old favorites and new images. The work is strong in presenting the photographs of Britain and its empire, less complete in presenting those of other European counties, and weakest with the US. The "almost 200" photographs are well reproduced and well presented, the texts are informative and readable, and the layouts open and inviting. One could quibble with individual selections, particularly with the practice of pulling selections created as late as the 1920s--but why bother? Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. W. S. Johnson Monroe Community CollegeAuthor notes provided by Syndetics
John Falconer is head of visual materials and curator of photography at the British Library. He has curated a number of exhibitions in this field and he is most recently the author of India : Pioneering Photographers, 1850-1900. Louise Hilde is a social and cultural historian. She is a lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London.