Background: Civil War Photography
Wes Cowan of PBS's History Detectives discusses the work of photographers during the Civil War, including how photographers manipulated reality in constructing their shots.
Wes Cowan of PBS's History Detectives discusses the work of photographers during the Civil War, including how photographers manipulated reality in constructing their shots.
Author John Hanson Mitchell outlines his discovery of 2,000 antique glass plate negatives by a previously unknown 19th-century African-American landscape photographer, Robert Alexander Gilbert. Mitchell presents slides of Gilbert's work, and discusses what is known of Gilbert's life.
A slideshow gives examples of presidential photography by three White House photographers: Cecil Stoughton, photographer for Kennedy and Johnson; David Hume Kennerly, for Ford; and Diana Walker, for Reagan and Bush, Sr. The presentation also includes photo coverage and commentary on other presidents, including Clinton and a discussion with the photographers which follows the slideshow.
Curator Sally Pierce and associate curator Catharina Slautterback review the history of the Boston Atheneaum's collections of prints and photographs, beginning with the Atheneaum's founding in 1807. They look at the contents of the collections; how the items were obtained, collected, and exhibited; and what they indicate about changes in tastes and available materials over time. The presentation includes slides.
The lecture's audio is also available for download.
Donald Cann of the Boston Harbor Islands and John Galluzzo of the Massachusetts Audubon Society show the multiple uses of Boston Harbor by displaying a series of historical postcard images, from the Boston docks and shipyards to the amusement parks and summer playgrounds of the early 20th century.
The lecture audio is available independently as an mp3 file.
National Archives senior curator Stacey Bredhoff looks at the process involved in compiling the touring National Archives exhibit "Eyewitness," which focuses on eyewitness accounts of events from World War II, the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights' Movement's Bloody Sunday March at Selma.
Curator and conservator Grant Romer talks about the formation and work of the Boston photography partners Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes and their studio on Tremont Row. Romer looks at the architecture of Tremont Row and how it impacted the work of the partners. His presentation includes slides.
Audio and video options are available.
According to the History of Photography Podcasts website, "One of the great characters in the history of the medium, Alfred Stieglitz was also one of the most influential photographers and promoters of photography of the 20th century. In this presentation, professor Jeff Curto looks at Stieglitz and the group of photographers and other artists he gathered around him. He also tries to examine why what Stieglitz did and what he said were often two different things."
Travel photography in the 19th century is the focus of this podcast, exploring the advent of wet-plate collodion technology, which spurred the advance of travel and landscape photography. Professor Jeff Curto places a special emphasis on photography of the American west.
Audio and slideshow options are available.
The Museum focuses on the life and times of the photographer Alice Austen. The house features views of New York Harbor, and displays a collection of negatives that depict turn-of-the-century American life.
The museum offers tours, educational programs, and recreational and educational events, and is open to the public throughout the year, with the exception of January and February. The website offers a brief history of the location along with basic visitor information.