Welcome

Welcome to another Luminous-Lint Newsletter.

Many thanks to all of you who have taken out subscriptions to support this vast project. Your contributions assist in keeping Luminous-Lint rolling forward.

Mailing List Update:

I've needed to do some work on the mailing list for this newsletter and I hope all has gone well. If you have received a copy in error please unsubscribe, there is a link at the end of this email, or email me at alan@luminous-lint.com and I will sort it out right away.

Colonialism and photohistory

Luminous-Lint includes images from almost 4,000 public and private collections to construct meaningful histories of photography. It attempts to bring together images to create national overviews of photography but this is difficult for multiple reasons.

Countries, regions and towns have changed names over time. National borders and regional boundaries have been far from fixed since 1839. At times some countries were incorporated into others as the result of war or treaties, for example Poland didn't exist as a country between 1795 and 1918 and Yugoslavia only existed between 1918 and 1992. When India achieved independence in 1947 the country Pakistan was also created with Bangladesh becoming a distinct country in 1972.

The formation of countries, alterations to boundaries and their disappearance has immense implications for how we attempt to construct national photohistories. Histories are often about photographers but they are often known for their work outside their place of birth. How do we address photographers who have taken significant bodies of work but are not native to the country they have documented or worked in? Photohistories of Pakistan and Bangladesh are meaningless without the nineteenth century photographs that went from the India Office to the British Library.

Why is this important?

To start this have a look at two maps of Africa, one in 1880 and another in 1913. This was the period of the "scramble for Africa" when European powers fought to gain land, resources and control over the continent.

Qazaq2007 (creator), 2020, Comparison of Africa in the years 1880 and 1913. Shows how the Scramble for Africa affected the continent, Map, Wikimedia
LL/122669

In 1957 Ghana gained its independence from Britain and from then on different African countries have shaken off the colonial yoke. So from the first decades of photography in 1839 onwards, when photographs taken in Africa were exceedingly rare with the exception of North Africa, right through the period from 1880 to the 1960s most countries were under some form of Colonial administration and this meant control of the photographic image. Where photographs were taken, apart from snapshots and academic research, they were largely taken to support Colonial motivations and aspirations. The constructions of infrastructure, railways, docks, plantations, civic buildings and ceremonial occasions all supported political propaganda.

As these photographs were largely, but not entirely, taken by the bureaucracies they were official documentation and when the countries gained independence many of these archives went to the Colonial power. Therefore linguistic barriers and knowledge of where archives of photographs reside within European collections can add difficulty to research. This is true for all parts of the world that were colonized.

Luminous-Lint attempts, but can never succeed, to be comprehensive but I welcome collaboration with those researching how Colonialism has affected photohistory within different countries.

An ever-expanding Virtual Museum of Photohistory (VMP, Help required)

The information on Luminous-Lint is well structured and it allows us to navigate through photohistory in limitless ways. This has the benefit that you can follow knowledge pathways that are appropriate to your own requirements. Frequently I receive emails from users who have spent many hours down the rabbit hole exploring connections.

Luminous-Lint can be overwhelming as there is no limit to the possibilities. Exhibitions in the physical world do not have this issue as they are a preselected series of photographs ordered in specific sequences to achieve goals specified by the curator. Physical gallery space limits the numbers of images shown and their sizes. In the virtual world there are no such limitations which offer opportunities for different ways to approach complex issues.

David Octavius Hill, Edinburgh Old and New, n.d., Oil on panel, National Galleries of Scotland, Purchased 1942, Accession number: NG 1964
LL/85735

An exhibition on Hill & Adamson may include a hundred paintings and calotypes but Luminous-Lint includes 787 examples from many different collections. The Visual Indexes on Luminous-Lint structure the images ready for exhibition wall panels.

Alan Griffiths, 27 October 2022, Screenshot showing some of the Visual Indexes for "Hill & Adamson"
Luminous-Lint, LL/122649

The ways the visual indexes are sequenced provides the basis for structured virtual exhibitions and these exhibitions will be enhanced over time - nothing is static.

The question is whether we, as a community, desire to create a highly sophisticated Virtual Museum of Photohistory (VMP).

If you have a desire to be involved, have enthusiasm or resources, knowledge to share, skills in virtual architecture or a sound understanding of PHP send me an email and we'll get the ball rolling.

We can improve in profound ways how photohistory is understood.

The data is ready for this.

Alan Griffiths - alan@luminous-lint.com

Moving forward

I've recently returned from a long trip in Europe and it has given me time to reflect on upcoming improvements to Luminous-Lint.

Integration of current research into Luminous-Lint.
Examination of contemporary exhibitions to see where Luminous-lint requires enhancement
Continuation of Photohistory Quests on Facebook to enhance coverage on specific topics
Seeking out additional stereographs and stereo backlists for the Stereographs Project
Continued research into contemporary women photographers

If you have expertise to share on any of these topics please do so.

If you are a subscriber to Luminous-Lint and feel that any theme requires additional information, clarification or additional examples please let me know so the issue can be addressed.

Photohistory Quests - Progress to date (31 October 2022)

The Photohistory Quests are continuing on Facebook and my grateful thanks to all those involved.

PHOTOHISTORY QUESTS
EIGHTH SERIES: 701-800

701. Photographs taken by one photographer and published by another (13 July 2022)
702. Joseph James Forrester (1809-1861) - Portugal (14 July 2022)
703. Hippopotami (15 July 2022)
704. Popes (18 July 2022)
705. Czech experimental photography during the interwar years 1918-1939 (19 July 2022)
706. Photographs related to Napoleon Bonaparte and the Napoleonic Wars (20 July 2022)
707. Irving Penn (21 July 2022)
708. Portraits of Ansel Adams (22 July 2022)
709. The Greek Slave (1843) by Hiram Powers (25 July 2022)
710. Interiors of mobile photographic studios (26 July 2022)
711. Celluloid and roll film (27 July 2022)
712. Kirlian photography (28 July 2022)
713. Inhabitants of the Vatican (29 July 2022)
714. Puzzles and games related to photography (1 August 2022)
715. Evidence for itinerant stereo photographers (2 August 2022)
716. Tree stumps and prop trees (3 August 2022)
717. Atomic explosions, preparation, detonation and aftermath (4 August 2022)
718. The Sun, solar flares, sun spots, and transits (5 August 2022)
719. Tunnel construction (8 August 2022)
720. Elderly (9 August 2022)
721. Hospitals (10 August 2022)
722. African Landscapes (11 August 2022)
723. Photographs and artist palettes (12 August 2022)
724. Willoughby Wallace Hooper (15 August 2022)
725. Barcelona (16 August 2022)
726. Masks (17 August 2022)
727. Road works, construction, maintenance and repair (18 August 2022)
728. Lithuania (19 August 2022)
729. Cartoons showing people, their phones and the obsession with photographing food (22 August 2022)
730. Oceanographic research and underwater photography (23 August 2022)
731. Interiors of religious buildings (24 August 2022)
732. Tim Page (1944-2022)
(25 August 2022)
733. Deserts (26 August 2022)
734. Astronauts (29 August 2022)
735. Ghost towns of North America (30 August 2022)
736. Waterfowl (1 September 2022)
737. Toy balloons (2 September 2022)
738. Sardinia (3 September 2022)
739. Prams, baby carriages and strollers (5 September 2022)
740. Standing stones, menhirs, Carnac alignment, barrows, dolmens and cairns (6 September 2022)
741. Unusual pinhole cameras (7 September 2022)
742. Telegraph operators (8 September 2022)
743. Queen Elizabeth II (9 September 2022)
744. L.A. Huffman (10 September 2022)
745. Computers and computing (12 September 2022)
746. Succulents and cacti (13 September 2022)
747. The Gardens of Gethsemane, Jerusalem (14 September 2022)
748. Parades (16 September 2022)
749. Weegee, portraits of and photographs by (20 September 2022)
750. The urban night (21 September 2022)
751. Harbours (22 September 2022)
752. Doors and door furniture (23 September 2022)
753. Bordeaux and its region (27 September 2022)
754. Umbrellas and parasols (28 September 2022)
755. Submarines (29 September 2022)
756. Geological specimens and mineralogy (30 September 2022)
757. Autumnal colours (1 October 2022)
758. Crystal and glass globes (3 October 2022)
759. Film negative and print storage envelopes and folders (5 October 2022)
760. Self portraits of photographers taken using mirrors (6 October 2022)
761. The Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens (15 October 2022)
762. Athens: Tower of the Winds (Horologion of Andronikos) (16 October 2022)
763. Feathers (17 October 2022)
764. The River Danube (19 October 2022)
765. Cats (20 October 2022)
766. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian Nationalist Garvilo Princip - 28 June 1914 (21 October 2022)
767. Temple of Victory (Athena Nike, Nike Apteros, Wingless Victory), Acropolis, Athens (22 October 2022)
768. Canals and their construction (24 October 2022)
769. Woodblock prints related to photography (25 October 2022)
770. Cliff House, California (26 October 2022)
771. Photo-finish photographs (27 October 2022)
772. Photographic portraits of women photographers (28 October 2022)
773. Whales, dolphins and other sea mammals (31 October 2022)

The photographs uploaded have now been fully integrated into Luminous-Lint to provide a richer understanding of photohistory. The updating of the texts continues.

FACEBOOK group: PHOTOHISTORY QUESTS

Here the photographs are not limited to a technique or date as I'm delving into the outer reaches of what is available in photography. My deepest appreciation to all of you who have participated in the QUESTS to date and you can see everybody who has provided images to Luminous-Lint here:

Luminous-Lint: Acknowledgements

Thanks again for all your help over the years.

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

A FREE TRIAL for the website is available so send an email to alan@luminous-lint.com with your name and reasons for wanting to take a look and I'll set up a password for you.

Getting around

Stereographs Project

Library

Video feeds, audio feeds, and enhanced media documents

Welcome

Colonialism and photohistory

An ever-expanding Virtual Museum of Photohistory (VMP, Help required)

Moving forward

Photohistory Quests - Progress to date (31 October 2022)

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

Recently updated Themes

Getting around

PhotographersConnectionsDirectory

Stereographs Project

Library

Video feeds, audio feeds, and enhanced media documents

Welcome

Colonialism and photohistory

An ever-expanding Virtual Museum of Photohistory (VMP, Help required)

Moving forward

Photohistory Quests - Progress to date (31 October 2022)

Free Trial of Luminous-Lint

Recently updated Themes