E-Photo
Issue #61  8/5/2003
 
Upcoming Events of Note

EXHIBIT AND SEMINAR ON 19TH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY IN INDIA

Part of the large 19th-century photography collection of Dr. William Erhrenfeld will be on display at the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art (Legion of Honor) beginning September 14. Entitled "Reverie and Reality: 19th-century Photographs of India from the Erhrenfeld Collection, the 115 image selection will be on display until March 7, 2004. A major catalogue of the exhibition has been published and will be available for sale from the museum. Dr. Erhrenfeld, professor emeritus of vascular surgery of the University of California, has been focusing on India for decades now. His vast collection of Indian art and photographs of India is one of the finest in private hands.

On the Saturday, September 13, just prior to the official opening, the museum will sponsor a one-day symposium with a series of experts who may be the top in the field--a truly unique opportunity for those photography people with an interest in India and its early photographers. The seminar will open at 10 am and run to about 4 pm with a lunch break and viewing of the exhibition at about 12 noon. The cost is $7 for museum members; $12 for non-members; and $4 for students and teachers with appropriate ID. Lunch is not included in the price of the tickets. To order tickets or for more information, call 1-415-682-2481. You can also get advanced symposium tickets by sending a check payable to COFAM to: Public Programs--Ehrenfeld Symposium, Legion of Honor, 100 34th Ave., Lincoln Park, San Francisco, CA 94121. That is also the physical address of the museum and the symposium.

Robert Flynn Johnson, curator in charge of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, put the program together with Dr. Erhenfeld and will introduce the group. Dr. Ehrenfeld will lead off with a talk on the "Joys of Collecting". I've known and respected Bill for a number of years, and I am sure his talk will be very interesting and entertaining (but his language might only be suitable for a mature audience!). The rest of the experts read like a "who's who" of early Indian photography. At 11:15 am, John Falconer, Jerwood Curator of Photography at the British Library, will discuss "The Early Years of Photography in India". Scheduled for after the lunch break, Sophie Gordon, Associate Curator of the Alkazi Collection of Photography, has chosen "'Under the Sunny Skies of Ind': Photographing Antiquities and Tribes" as her subject. Noted author and consulting curator of photography at the Peabody-Essex Museum Clark Worswick's topic is "The Preoccupation with the Picturesque". Last but certainly not least is the author of one of my favorite photo books of recent years, Omar Khan, who wrote From Kashmir to Kabul: The Photographs of John Burke and William Baker, 1860-1900. Khan will wind up the seminar with a talk on "War Photography in 19th-century India and Afghanistan".

Even if you only like history, you should catch this one. And if you admire the important early photography of India, this is a must-attend event even if you have to catch a plane to get here.

PHOTOHISTORY XII

Coming up September 19-21 is the 12th triennial symposium on the history of photography, which is held in Rochester, NY. The event is presented by the Photographic Historical Society of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Henrietta, 111 Jefferson Rd., Rochester, NY. Registration is $80 and includes a reception, the symposium, a box lunch and entrance to the trade show.

The symposium and tabletop photographica dealers show has been held every three years since 1970. The dealers show is held on Sunday, September 21, from 9 am-3 pm at the hotel. The show is a mix of equipment and images.

For more details on the symposium and exhibit show, you can go to http://www.tphs.org/ .