Mathew Brady was one of the most prolific photographers of the nineteenth century, creating visual documentation of the Civil War period. While Mathew Brady’s exact birth-date in Warren County, NY is unknown (circa 1822 – 1824), this year marks the beginning of the commemoration of Brady’s 200th birthday. [Read more…] about Photographing the Civil War: Mathew Brady at 200
Photography
Mechanicville’s Unique Second World War Photo Collection
On May 8th, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, ending the Second World War in Europe. Less than four months later, on September 2nd, Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, bringing history’s most destructive conflict to an end. [Read more…] about Mechanicville’s Unique Second World War Photo Collection
Emil Otto Hoppé: Vanguard Photography in London and New York
During the 1920s and 1930s, Emil Otto Hoppé was one of the most sought-after photographers in the world. His studio on Cromwell Place, South Kensington, was a magnet for the rich and famous. For years he actively led the emerging photography scene on both sides of the Atlantic, exhibiting his work at the best galleries in London, New York, and elsewhere.
Having produced over thirty photographically-illustrated books, he established himself as a pioneering figure in photographic art. Yet, by the time of his death in 1972, his name and reputation were almost completely forgotten. [Read more…] about Emil Otto Hoppé: Vanguard Photography in London and New York
Putnam History Museum Acquires Hudson River Postcard Collection
Hudson Highlands residents Barry and Mary Jean (MJ) Ross have donated their collection of Hudson River postcards to the Putnam History Museum.
The collection is comprised of 240 distinct early 20th century postcards with scenes of the Hudson River Valley – and related views, activities, landmarks, and landscapes – from New York Harbor to the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Putnam History Museum Acquires Hudson River Postcard Collection
NYS Library Acquires Lincoln Scholar Harold Holzer’s Papers
The New York State Library has recently acquired the complete works of Lincoln scholar and Archives Partnership Trust Board Member Harold Holzer. The collection covers his 49-year career as a writer, lecturer, and historian specializing in Abraham Lincoln and Civil War era. [Read more…] about NYS Library Acquires Lincoln Scholar Harold Holzer’s Papers
Anna Ben-Yùsuf: The Bravery of a Migrant Mother
From the early times of explorers and settlers to the present day, the United States has been a nation of immigrants. Diversity makes the nation tick.
In the history of migration the (often neglected) participation of women has been crucial. Tales of hardship and bravery are legion. The plight of women who have had to make painful sacrifices has been highlighted by artists and historians, though more easily forgotten by the general public.
Zaida Ben Yùsuf joined the American labor force in the 1890s. She was in the vanguard of women who became professionally involved in the production of periodicals, as magazines reached a mass readership and photographs supplanted illustrations. But it was her migrant mother who had blazed the trail. [Read more…] about Anna Ben-Yùsuf: The Bravery of a Migrant Mother
Featured Collections: Great Depression Photos
Between 1935 and 1942 photographers of the New Deal’s Farm Security Administration (FSA) documented the lives and struggles of Americans enduring the Great Depression.
Considered one of the largest documentary photography projects ever undertaken, the photographs include some of the most familiar and powerful images of the nation to emerge from the Depression. Many have reached iconic status in American culture.
The images, held at the Library of Congress, were made in every region of the nation and number in the tens of thousands, and include are photographs made by Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Ben Shahn, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein, Carl Mydans, Russell Lee, John Vachon, Marion Post Wolcott, Jack Delano, and many others. [Read more…] about Featured Collections: Great Depression Photos
Ozone & Historic Photograph Preservation
Exposure to light typically gets most of the blame for fading photographs. However, air pollution can sometimes be an even bigger cause.
The inks, pigments, and metals used in photography can chemically react with air pollutants and degrade images, even in the absence of sunlight. This is not a big problem in modern cases since the process is slow and the original digital photograph can just be reprinted. However, it’s not that simple when it comes to historic photographs with only one original copy. Protection from air pollution is something that needs to be considered to preserve them. [Read more…] about Ozone & Historic Photograph Preservation
Erie Canalway Photo Contest Winners Announced
Judges selected 12 photographs that represent the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor for the organization’s 16th Annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Winners were chosen from a competitive group of more than 300 entries. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Photo Contest Winners Announced
Nancy Cunard, Modernism and the Private Press Movement
The history of the modern private press can be said to have started in early 1891 with William Morris’s foundation of the Kelmscott Press at 16 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, and the publication of his own work The Story of the Glittering Plain.
There had been forerunners of course. Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Press, established in June 1757, set a precedent by producing splendid books, pamphlets, and ephemera, but it was Morris who succeeded in establishing a cost-effective press for high quality publications. His initiative gave birth to a host of similar undertakings. He initiated the Private Press Movement which was closely associated with the rise of modernist ideas. Morris also had a remarkable following in New York. [Read more…] about Nancy Cunard, Modernism and the Private Press Movement