I am absolutely loving this video series from Edinburgh Libraries on some of their most notable photographers. The first video was the typical Art School canonical appraisal of Hill & Adamson - kind of a given I guess - but since then they have really delved into the ways in which the history of photography links in with nineteenth century social history, such as in this episode which focuses on the lives and work of David Doull who ran a portrait studio in the city and whose whole collection of glass plate negatives still survive! The other person they focus on is George Morham whose beautiful album of family snapshots proves that in the nineteenth century the term 'amateur' had a very different connotation that it does today.
Its really good to see archives and museums engaging with the past in this way and seems so simple and obvious its a wonder why more do not do the same.
Enjoy the above video and make sure to check out the others. Below are links to some of the images on the Capital Collections and Our Town Stories websites which, like the above videos, are refreshing in their ease of use and audience interaction - the site allowes the viewer to zoom in close to the images and has a lot of information and stories about the people depicted.
Victorian Studio Portraits by David Doull:
http://www.capitalcollectio...
George Morham's photographs tell the story of his daughter Florence's childhood growing up in the Grange area of Edinburgh:
http://www.ourtownstories.c...
Many of them also record his brother Robert's achievements as City Architect during the late 19th Century:
http://www.ourtownstories.c...
Watch other films in this series:
Edinburgh's Pioneer Photographers Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Edinburgh's Pioneer Photographers Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.capitalcollections.org.uk
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