05 December 2009

Two photography exhibitions

It seems, from diary entries, I haven't been to any exhibitions since Moctezuma on 12 November - but these leaflets have surfaced to prove otherwise. The British Library's exhibition of 19th century photography is fascinating - we spent about three hours there. You can see it online here.Also fascinating were the photographic portraits at the National Portrait Gallery.

These images from the leaflet are also on the exhibition's website. It was impossible not to read the description of each and every one. Often the descriptions were more about the photography - how it came about - than about the subject of the photo. Though maybe for some photos, how it came about was the subject? I also noticed a lot of concern about "authorship" - was the photo a collaboration of some sort, or was the photographer the sole author.

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