The Bonus Side of Cabinet Cards

All of us have seen cabinet cards, those 19th century portraits on heavy card stock you find for a buck in almost every antique shop in America. Did you ever consider the backs of these cards? Almost all have beautiful and graphic typographic or pictorial examples that advertised the photo studio or photographer. While many cabinet cards portraits (the fronts) can be relatively bland, you might want to flip the card over. Like a second chance lottery ticket—you just might have a second chance at something wonderful. These images are from Luminous Lint, the most comprehensive Web site on photography in the world. Luminous Lint is a labor of love by Alan Griffiths. (alan@luminous-lint.com)

These cabinet card backs are from the private collection of Anthony Davis, and were part of an online exhibition on Luminous Lint.
Antiq-photo Rainbow Creations
(www.19cphoto.com)

An AM repost from 2/11/09

Spirit Photography: “Granny, Are You Here?”

The late 19th century saw a rise in spiritualism in the United States and the world. Indeed, even Mrs. Abraham Lincoln was convinced that ghosts and spirits existed and this, in part, fueled others in similar beliefs. Photography at the time was still rather unaccessible and misunderstood by the ordinary citizen, their images usually taken by photographers in studios. Enter the dishonest photographer to the popular spiritual seance scene, and an opportunity for a past buck appeared. These unscrupulous photographers would bring a person into their "spiritual studio" and a "mock" seance was performed. Of course, when the photo was taken, the victim paid the money and instructed to come back the next day to see "what may have materialized." What seems almost comical today was believed by many as revealing of long lost ancestors, or other ghosts that happened to be around them. With a simple dodge and burn technique coupled with the merging of another portrait or two to the sitters original—and voila! an industry was born. Today, these fake spirit photos are quite rare, and, if you can find one, often sell for hundreds of dollars. See an exhibition here.

TOP: ANON: 19th century; Private Collection of Andrew Daneman; © Andrew Daneman Collection of American Tintypes

BOTTOM: ANON: 19th century; c. 1870; Private Collection of Andrew Daneman; © Andrew Daneman Collection of American Tintypes

For more information on this subject, see the online exhibition Ghosts, Apparitions, Angels, Spiritual Visitations and Views of the Future on: www.luminous-lint.com

Or, check out this book: The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult by Clemont Cheroux, Pierre Apraxine, Andreas Fischer, Denis Canguilhem and Sophie Schmit, (Yale University Press, 2004)

Reposted from November 2008

Weekend Random Images

(Above) My Bicycle Book, saddle stitched, published by the Board of Education, Palo Alto, CA, 1941, Via Ampersand Vintage. Click image for larger view.


(Above) Ceramic pot by Rudy Autio (1926 - 2007), via here. Click for larger view.


(Above) Collection of 16 Balsa Wood Model Airplane Ribs, c. 1940-1950. Via Heir Antiques. Click for larger view.



(Above) Collection of 12 pressed steel children’s tricycle seats. Via Lost Found Art. Click for larger view.


(Above) Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, photogram. 1923; Silver print. Collection of Charles Isaacs, via Luminous Lint. Click for larger view.



(Above) “HAY..............For Sale.” Via Candler Arts. Click for larger view.


(Above) Monkey skull from Africa; covered in mud and raffia. Circa 1925. Via Historia Antiques. Click for larger view.

19th Century Objects Incorporating Photographs

Unknown
Portrait of a suited young man
1890s (ca)

Mirror, photograph on reverse

Anon.
With the Compliments of Him Who Sells Goods Cheap at East Mason, Warren Co., Ohio
n.d.

Carte de visite size, photographic business card


Anthony Berger
Lincoln
1864, 9 February (taken) 1864 (created)
Campaign Pin

Anon.
Page from “A New Map of the River Thames from Oxford to London”
1872 edition by Henry W. Taunt
n.d.


Anon.
Case notes with photo of Cuthbert Charles Duguid Morrice, + inserted note with drawings
1898

Case notes with photo

Anon.
Four stick pins.
n.d.

Jewelry

Anon.
Hairband, made of four standards of human hair with a tinted albumen image, English
1865 (ca)


HERE’S A VERY INTERESTING ON-LINE EXHIBITION that has focused on 19th century objects where photographs have been added or incorporated to add to, inform or decorate. This exhibition is just one of many on Luminous Lint, the best and most complete web site/resource on photography today. Luminous Lint is the result of years and years of hard work by Alan Griffiths, who is leaving the world an amazing archive. What I love about Luminous Lint is that it is a living resource for photographers, artists, students, collectors and academics. While you are there, sign up for their free email newsletter.

Check out the entire exhibition here.

Yesterday and Today

(Above) New York State, 1970, from Ken Josephson portfolio, 1973/1975 via Artnet.

(Above) Photo by Ken Josephson.

(Above) L.A., 1982, by Ken Josephson portfolio.

(Above) Polapan, 1973, from Ken Josephson portfolio, 1973/1975 via Artnet.


(Above) Oregon State University

(Above) Sweetland Building, Carson City, Nevada

(Above) Thema Woche 23- Alt & Neu, Bild 1

(Above) Savannah Street

(Above) Carroll Street

(Above) Boy Scouts, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

(Above) Inlet Bridge, Washington, D.C.

(Above) Thomas Circle, Washington, D.C.

(Above) 7th Street, Washington, D.C.

(Above) Peace sign (from the early 70s) in front of the Environmental Sciences Building on the U.W. - Green Bay campus.


I HAVE SPOTTED SOME INTERESTING CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS ON FLICKR RECENTLY, WHICH triggered a memory of some similar photos I have seen in my studies of contemporary photography. But I just could not recall the photographer until I contacted my friend Alan Griffiths, proprietor of the voluminous and fabulous photography Web site Luminous Lint. I gave Alan a brief description and bingo! Alan nailed it instantly.

Alan reminded me that the photographer is Ken Josephson, who did a series of photographs back in the early 1970s of his own hand holding various photographs or postcards in front of various backgrounds. These conceptual photographs, some of which you see above, played a visual game with the viewer, testing the truths of perception.

The color images are photos from a site on Flickr here. Definitely pay the site a visit—it’s a great photo pool that includes many who have contributed images similar. The difference here is that the images on Flickr focuses on then and now—taking actual vintage photographs and putting them in the same spot in which they were taken. What you have is a visual time machine—then and now.

Kenneth Josephson was born on July 1, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. He began making pictures with the family’s snapshot camera in 1944, and bought his own 4×5 view camera two years later. He earned a BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (1957) where he studied under Minor White. Josephson was a professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1960 to 1997, and a founding member of the Society for Photographic Education. He is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship (1972) and two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships (1975 and 1979). His work is in the collections of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Art Institute and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Bibliotéque National, Paris; and Foograficka Maseet, Stockholm.

David Moore: A Renowned Australian Photographer

(Above) Diving suits, Menorca, Spain [100 Photographs, pl. 033] 1954 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Sisters of Charity, Washington DC [100 Photographs, pl. 038] 1956 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Lloyd Rees at 90, Northwood, Sydney [100 Photographs, pl. 096] 1985 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate

(Above) Fairground horses, UK [100 Photographs, pl. 027] 1953 (ca) Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Painting the Himalaya, Sydney [100 Photographs, pl. 018] 1950 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Orcades departure, Pyrmont [100 Photographs, pl. 009] 1948 (ca) Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Pyrmont Bridge, Sydney [100 Photographs, pl. 005] 1947 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


(Above) Funnel of Orion [100 Photographs, pl. 004] 1947 Gelatin silver print David Moore Estate © Courtesy of the David Moore Estate


FROM TIME TO TIME I LIKE TO REMIND MY READERS OF A GREAT WEB SITE on photography called Luminous Lint. It is a very complete and thorough Web site that traces the beginnings of photography to present day photographer/artists. Developed by my friend Alan Griffiths, Alan has devoted himself to this effort. If you have a question about photography, the processes, the styles, the art or the science—you can most likely find it on this site. It’s an on-going labor of love—for you folks who love photography.

Luminous Lint hosts special on-line exhibitions every month. Last month (April 2, 2009) was the exhibition “David Moore: 100 Photographs”— the legacy photographs of the late David Moore (1927-2003), who was a renowned Australian photojournalist. At his death, David left a legacy of over 200,000 negatives, of which 100 were selected for posthumous publication in editions of 90. Moore felt that this set of images was pivotal to the archival record – historically, artistically and biographically. He asked his daughter, Lisa Moore, to coordinate the posthumous production of limited edition prints from each negative. She felt that this was also her father’s way of ensuring that his legacy of photographs was not only still available to the public but was represented by a collection over which he had exercised control.

In the 1950s his photographs were widely published in newspapers and magazines including The Observer, Time-Life, Look, The New York Times and Sports Illustrated. In 1958 he joined Black Star, a photo agency based in New York. Numerous books have been published of his work and many of his photographs have become iconic images of Australia.

Photographer E.O. Hoppé

(Above) In the West Street District, New York City, 1921. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [15423-0015]
Click any image for larger view.

(Above) View from the Delaware Bridge, 1926. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [17369-D]

(Above) Ford Factory, Detroit, Michigan 1926. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [17391-E]

(Above) Snow at Boston Railway Station, Massachusetts 1926. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [17378-0034]
Click any image for larger view.

(Above) New York City Rooftops from the Shelton Hotel, 1925. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [15423-0226]

(Above) Locomotive, Boston Railway Station, Massachusetts 1926. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [17378-0041]

(Above) Rooftops, Apartments, New York City (View from E.O. Hoppé’s studio on West 57th Street) 1921. Gelatin Silver Print, © E.O. Hoppé Estate at Curatorial Assistance [15423-D]


I JUST DISCOVERED THE INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPH’S OF E.O. HOPPÉ, a modernist photographer whose work was not seen for 60 years, and only discovered several years ago through the investigative efforts of Graham Howe, a curator of photography in the United States.
I found his work on the incredibly important and rich photography Web site, Luminous Lint. Hoppé’s photographs were first seen at London’s Michael Hoppen Gallery in 2006.

Why is his work important? Why should his work be considered on equal of Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand and other pioneers of modernism? Just look at his work and the dates that he was making these prints. I would say, that had Hoppé’s photographic portfolio been known to photography curators even 30 years ago—his work would be in the mainstream photographic history books today. Photographic history books dealing with modernistic photography will, from now on, have to include E.O. Hoppé.

All images here follow the same copyright © as stated in Luminous Lint.

--------------------
Emil Otto Hoppé was born in Munich in 1878 but lived in England from 1900 until his death in 1972. As an early and important photo-modernist, his seminal views of the United States in the 1920s rivaled those of his American peers Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, and Walker Evans. Hoppé shows us an America as only an outsider could: brave, new, and grand in scale but with a hint of trouble brewing in the gaps between its multicultural and economic diversities. Hoppé’s skill, intelligence, and photo-modernist vision established him in the 1920s and 30s as a dominate force in photographic art.

The photographer’s reputation was inadvertently eclipsed in 1954 when he sold his work to a London picture library where it was filed by subject and locked away—obscuring it from the public and from photographic historians. Only in 1994, through the research and investigative efforts of Graham Howe, photography curator and director of the traveling exhibitions and art services company Curatorial Assistance in Pasadena, California, has this major photographic collection been reassembled—enabling us to see for the first time in over half a century the work that evidenced Hoppé’s stellar achievement in the photo-modernist era.

Background
In 1907, after winning first prize in a contest sponsored by the London newspaper, the Daily Mail, Hoppé left banking to open a portrait studio in London’s Baron’s Court. His photographs of arts celebrities such as Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, A.A. Milne, T.S. Eliot, G.K. Chesterton, Leon Bakst, Vaslav Nijinsky and the dancers of the Ballets Russes quickly earned him the reputation as the top celebrity photographer in London. In 1913 he expanded his studio to the Kensington house of the late painter Sir John Millais, occupying all thirty-three rooms with his burgeoning operation. For over a decade Hoppé was London’s leading portrait photographer, and in 1919 he began take his camera to all continents of the world—photographing the people and landscapes in Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Africa, the United States, Jamaica and the West Indies, Cuba, New Zealand, Australia, India and Ceylon, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaya, and Japan. Hoppé’s large-format gravure-printed photographic books about “Fair Women” (1922), Great Britain (1926), United States (1927), Germany (1930 and 1932), and Australia (1931) were likely to have influenced other important photographers who followed, including Bill Brandt, Cecil Beaton, Walker Evans, and others.

Exhibitions and Publications
In October 2006 an enthusiastic press greeted the first exhibition of Hoppé’s work in over 60 years for Hoppé’s London at London’s Michael Hoppen Gallery. In April 2007 the exhibition E.O. Hoppé’s Amerika opened at Bruce Silverstein Photography accompanied by the publication of a 160-page monograph of the same title by W.W. Norton with an essay by Phillip Prodger.

This was the first U.S. showing of Hoppé’s American photographs in over 80 years.