A Fragile Memory: Turn of the Century Glass Negatives from PPL's Special Collections
Photography - Exhibit
Monday, June 1, 2009
6:00 PM-7:45 PM
Providence Public Library, Central
Barnard Room (3rd Floor)
150 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Google Maps - MapQuest
On Exhibit June 1-27
Opening Reception and Lecture Program:
Monday, June 1, 6:00-7:45pm
Speakers: James DaMico, Graphics Archivist, Rhode Island Historical Society; Paul Taylor, Master Photogravure Plate Maker, Director of Renaissance Press, and instructor at Rhode Island School of Design; Richard Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian.
About the Exhibit
More than 1,000 glass plate negatives have been tucked away in the Special Collections of the Providence Public Library for over a century. Now, some two-dozen plates will be printed and exhibited along with a selection of glass negatives. The plates represent a wide range of topics, including portraits of wealthy Rhode Island families, interiors of textile factories, and landscapes of New England.
These glass negatives constitute a cabinet of wonders and a glimpse of a world long past. The centerpiece will be two 20 x 24" prints taken from glass negatives of the same size dating from 1876 of the famous Corliss steam engine, which powered Machinery Hall at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
About the Lecture Program
James DaMico, Rhode Island Historical Society's Graphics Archivist; Richard Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian; and Paul Taylor, a Master Photogravure Plate Maker, Director of Renaissance Press and an instructor at Rhode Island School of Design, will lend their expertise to help us further imagine and contextualize the stories behind the photographs.
James DaMico will address the technical development of photography with his presentation "Glass plate negatives: A Look at a 19th Century Photographic Innovation" and will also discuss how Rhode Island photographers, both amateur and professional, were making use of the glass plate technology.
Richard Ring will offer an informed historical perspective on the city at the dawn of the 20th century with his presentation "The Beehive of Industry: Providence in the Late Victorian Era, 1890-1910."
The contemporary use of the glass plate technique will be presented by Paul Taylor, who will also exhibit glass negatives and prints that he made of New England landscapes.
Additional artifacts of photography will be shown during the evening, including a turn-of-the-century camera and a magic lantern.
Project Background & Objectives
"A Fragile Memory" was conceived and curated by Agata Michalowska and was brought to fruition through a close collaboration with local photographers working out of the AS220 Paul Krot Community Darkrooms
Michalowska, PPL Special Collections, and AS220 Darkrooms hope the editions will offer the community a valuable resource and that, additionally, sales of the photographs might help provide financially for the long-term archival storage of these delicate plates. An edition of the prints is also being donated to AS220's Darkroom Program and a number of these will be part of the biennial Photo Lottery fundraiser returning to AS220 May 30, 2009.
For more information about this free event, please contact:
Agata Michalowska, curator: "A Fragile Memory" project: 401-527-1240; agata.michalowska@gmail.com
Richard J. Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian:
401-455-8021; rring@provlib.org
James DaMico, Graphics Project Archivist, MLIS
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
Phone: (401) 273-8107, ext.16
The AS220's Paul Krot Community Darkrooms are the only public B&W facilities in Rhode Island. Their mission includes accessibility for all artists, affordable space, and providing low and no-cost educational opportunities.
The Special Collections department of the PPL houses over 40,000 books, posters, pamphlets, photographs, broadsides, manuscripts, and other artifacts in an attempt to preserve, augment, and provide public access to these collections.
Cost: FREE
Suggested Audiences:
Elders, Adult, College, High School
E-mail:
calendar@provlib.org
Last Modified: May 15, 2009 at 9:39 AM
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A Fragile Memory: Turn of the Century Glass Negatives from PPL's Special Collections
Photography - Exhibit
Monday, June 1, 2009
6:00 PM-7:45 PM
Providence Public Library, Central
Barnard Room (3rd Floor)
150 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Google Maps - MapQuest
On Exhibit June 1-27
Opening Reception and Lecture Program:
Monday, June 1, 6:00-7:45pm
Speakers: James DaMico, Graphics Archivist, Rhode Island Historical Society; Paul Taylor, Master Photogravure Plate Maker, Director of Renaissance Press, and instructor at Rhode Island School of Design; Richard Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian.
About the Exhibit
More than 1,000 glass plate negatives have been tucked away in the Special Collections of the Providence Public Library for over a century. Now, some two-dozen plates will be printed and exhibited along with a selection of glass negatives. The plates represent a wide range of topics, including portraits of wealthy Rhode Island families, interiors of textile factories, and landscapes of New England.
These glass negatives constitute a cabinet of wonders and a glimpse of a world long past. The centerpiece will be two 20 x 24" prints taken from glass negatives of the same size dating from 1876 of the famous Corliss steam engine, which powered Machinery Hall at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
About the Lecture Program
James DaMico, Rhode Island Historical Society's Graphics Archivist; Richard Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian; and Paul Taylor, a Master Photogravure Plate Maker, Director of Renaissance Press and an instructor at Rhode Island School of Design, will lend their expertise to help us further imagine and contextualize the stories behind the photographs.
James DaMico will address the technical development of photography with his presentation "Glass plate negatives: A Look at a 19th Century Photographic Innovation" and will also discuss how Rhode Island photographers, both amateur and professional, were making use of the glass plate technology.
Richard Ring will offer an informed historical perspective on the city at the dawn of the 20th century with his presentation "The Beehive of Industry: Providence in the Late Victorian Era, 1890-1910."
The contemporary use of the glass plate technique will be presented by Paul Taylor, who will also exhibit glass negatives and prints that he made of New England landscapes.
Additional artifacts of photography will be shown during the evening, including a turn-of-the-century camera and a magic lantern.
Project Background & Objectives
"A Fragile Memory" was conceived and curated by Agata Michalowska and was brought to fruition through a close collaboration with local photographers working out of the AS220 Paul Krot Community Darkrooms
Michalowska, PPL Special Collections, and AS220 Darkrooms hope the editions will offer the community a valuable resource and that, additionally, sales of the photographs might help provide financially for the long-term archival storage of these delicate plates. An edition of the prints is also being donated to AS220's Darkroom Program and a number of these will be part of the biennial Photo Lottery fundraiser returning to AS220 May 30, 2009.
For more information about this free event, please contact:
Agata Michalowska, curator: "A Fragile Memory" project: 401-527-1240; agata.michalowska@gmail.com
Richard J. Ring, PPL's Special Collections Librarian:
401-455-8021; rring@provlib.org
James DaMico, Graphics Project Archivist, MLIS
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
Phone: (401) 273-8107, ext.16
The AS220's Paul Krot Community Darkrooms are the only public B&W facilities in Rhode Island. Their mission includes accessibility for all artists, affordable space, and providing low and no-cost educational opportunities.
The Special Collections department of the PPL houses over 40,000 books, posters, pamphlets, photographs, broadsides, manuscripts, and other artifacts in an attempt to preserve, augment, and provide public access to these collections.
Cost: FREE
Sponsored by: Agata Michalowska and the AS220's Paul Krot Community Darkrooms
Suggested Audiences: Elders, Adult, College, High School
E-mail: calendar@provlib.org
Last Modified: May 15, 2009 at 9:39 AM
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