Bibliographies by William S. Johnson
William S. Johnson has produced a detailed annotated biography and an annotated bibliography, both of interest to collectors.
Walker’s Pocket Camera: A Big Boost to Early Amateur Photography
Learn more about William H. Walker and his box-form single exposure camera.
Deardorff and the Kodak Colorama Display
Ken Hough shares how he learned that Deardorff made the big, heavy cameras Kodak used to shoot the Kodak Colorama.
6 New England and Online Photography Exhibits Not to Miss in Spring 2024
Catch these exhibits at the MFA, MASS MoCA, and more.
MFA Boston Exhibit Features Women of the Black Panther Party
Stephen Shames has been the official photographer of the Black Panther Party since his student days at the University of California, Berkeley. Twenty-seven are on display at the Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts in an exhibit titled Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party. Plus, more exhibits ending soon.
Celebrating Photographer Annie Powell
Annie Powell spent five decades, 1892-1942, photographically documenting life in Lowell.
In Search of Information About Curtis Prints
PHSNE recently received the following inquiry: “I have two Edward Sheriff Curtis prints (1998) that were sold through the auspices of PHSNE with a note indicating the original sale signed…
100 Years of 16mm Film—With Safety First
Home Movies: A History of the American Industry 1897-1979, by Alan Kettelle This year marks the 100th anniversary (July 5, 1923) of 16mm movies. The most significant features of the CineKodak 16mm system were safety film and B&W reversal film.
Yosooi no atae: Fashion and Vernacular Photography in 20th Century Japan
Japanese fashion tastes and vernacular photography during the 20th century seen together offer a rare view into Japanese culture, patterns and silhouettes that combine both traditional and Western-influenced clothing
Developing Boston: Berenice Abbott & Irene Shwachman—A Photographic Conversation at the Boston Athenaeum
“Developing Boston: Berenice Abbott & Irene Shwachman Photograph a Changing City“ features the first joint presentation of work by two pioneering photographers of the 1930s and 1960s, capturing a Boston…
A Restored Stereo Viewer, An Unknown Woman, and a Correction
An Impressive Stereo Viewer With An Interesting Provenance The device pictured above was acquired from the Jack Naylor collection. After he passed, much of his collection was turned over to an…
“I Am Seen …Therefore I Am” and “As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic” in Hartford & Salem
Two powerful local exhibitions on view this fall bring the Black Experience face-to-face with audiences up close, seeing how 180+ years of photographic images offer a painfully slow recognition of…
What’s Happening With Film?
“It is the worst of times; it is the best of times,” said the hapless photographer searching for the right color film he could use to shoot at Photographica 90….
PHOTOGRAPHICA 90 & The Last-Minute Details
Photographica 90 is just 48 hours away. This is the 50th Anniversary Year for PHSNE and for the Photographica Show and Sale. Both began in 1973 … and here we…
The First Photograph Published in a Newspaper —1848
It would be difficult for modern readers to accept the text-only version of a newspaper. One online source containing “a brief history of the birth of photojournalism,” states that…
Re-Discovering the Lumière Brothers’ Autochrome Color Plates Factory in … Burlington, Vermont?
A note on this story: Chris Farnsworth, from the Burlington weekly Seven Days, together with the key figure who re-discovered the Lumière Brothers factory in Burlington, Hugo Martínez Cazón, published this…
Anthony Angel’s 18-Year Odyssey Photographing 1950s-1960s New York City
The December 2022 Snap Shots newsletter had short item on the back page from the Library of Congress (LOC) Picture This blog titled: Mapping Anthony Angel’s Photographs of Manhattan. It…
Explore New England Photo Exhibits, Galleries & Auctions This Fall
Autumn is a great time of year in New England. Leaves may be falling, but museums, galleries, auction houses, and photo-oriented organizations are putting up new exhibits, showcasing new work,…
ICYMI: Oscar Barnack’s Prototype Leica Sold For $14.4 million
A prototype Leica “0” camera (#105) that belonged to Oscar Barnack, inventor of the Leica series, crushed previous auction records as well as the pre-auction estimates. The camera, auctioned at…
“This Side of Paradise” Exhibit Supports Charity Auction for Ukraine War Victims
UPDATE: The March 16 auction of Reiner Riedler’s 20 photographs raised 42,000€ for aid to Ukrainian refugees. – WestLicht Museum, March 17, 2022 On his twelve journeys through Ukraine (from…
“Decayed Daguerreotypes” from Public Domain Review
Sometimes photo history just drops something remarkable in your lap. In this case, PHSNE’s esteemed newsletter editor Beverly Regelman came across The Public Domain Review and put a short note…
The Royal Photographic Society turns 169; RPS Journal archives are online, searchable, and free
Happy Birthday to The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain. It was founded on January 20, 1853, and is the oldest continuously-operating photographic society in the world. The RPS has…
New Book: Vivian Maier Developed – The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny by Ann Marks
Just in time for the holidays, author Ann Marks has published her “definitive” biography of the enigmatic Vivian Maier. When the contents of Vivian Maier’s storage unit were auctioned off…
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was born 234 years ago today
Daguerre (1787-1851), a Parisian theater set designer who staged elaborate hand-painted screens that depicted far away lands like the Swiss Alps, is credited with creating the first complete photographic process,…
Who wants those Kodaks sitting on the shelf?
Even the most hardened photographers can be sentimental. Johnny Martyr, a mid-Atlantic Coast film photographer, crafted this paean to a small camera repair shop, Baltimore Photo-Electronic Services, in Pikesville, MD….