Americas Collections Blog

Picturing the Great Alone: photography and the Antarctic

Robert Falcon Scott on the 'Terra Nova' expedition, by Herbert Ponting. Image from Wikipedia.

Last year was a busy one for Team Americas and one of the many things we managed to do was take on some responsibilities for materials relating to Antarctica, thus adding a whole extra continent to our domain. This being the case, when an opportunity to view 'The Heart of the Great Alone' at The Queen's Gallery came up a couple of us jumped at the chance.

'The Heart of the Great Alone' covers various early twentieth century expeditions to the Antarctic, including that of the 'Terra Nova' during which Scott and his team perished. The main exhibition focus is the photography of Frank Hurley, photographer for Shackleton's 'Endurance' expedition, and Herbert Ponting, who produced the official photographs for the 'Terra Nova' expedition. I could write a lot here about these photographers and the expedition but the best thing to do would be to recommend a visit the exhibition itself or the e-gallery.

 
'Midnight in the Antarctic Summer', by Herbert Ponting. Image from Wikipedia.

However, as always with these trips, I had a mind to mull over the Library's materials relating to the Antarctic when I got back. The Library's collections from this area are not the largest in the world, with institutions such as the Scott Polar Research Institute and the Royal Geographical Society (to name a few) holding a wealth of material, but there is a noteworthy body of material which is well supported by the wider collection of Official Publications and Newspapers (especially in the case of an expedition such as the 'Terra Nova').

That said, there are some stand out items and a notable collection of miscellaneous materials held here. Captain Scott's diary is one of the Library's star collection items and the journal 'The South Polar Times' (shelfmark: Tab.444.d.6.) was the first publication printed on the Antarctic continent. Publications by Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting also feature, including Ponting's 'The Great White South' (1921, shelfmark: 010460.g.1). These items contribute to a wealth of published material relating to the Antarctic and explorers such as Scott and Roald Amundsen.

As well as holding materials relating to the initial exploration of Antarctica, the Library has a significant collection regarding the continent in the later twentieth century; where scientific progress and international co-operation become the order of the day. Materials arising from events such as the Antarctic Treaty or organisations such as the British Antarctic Survey, as well as many academic texts and articles regarding the continent, are insightful on their own but also suggest an evolving relationship between global society and the frozen continent.

[PJH]

Kodak: framing the last 120 years

'Kodak factory at Harrow, 1890s'. Photographer unknown. British Library Kodak Archive A.1787

The news that Kodak is formally filing for bankruptcy protection has been coming for some time but it still represents a significant moment in the history of photography. Ever since George Eastman marketed his company's first camera in 1888 Kodak has framed the personal, family, social and political histories not just of the Americas but of a significant portion of the world.

As such, I decided to dig around and see the mark Kodak has left on the British Library's collections. In short, it's a big one. Some of the earliest materials we hold relating to Kodak were published by the company itself, for example the Kodak Press publication, 'Picture Taking and Picture Making' (1898, Shelfmark: YA.1998.a.14770). This body of material is quite large and covers various subjects, from 'Motion Picture Laboratory Practice, and Characteristics of Eastman Motion Picture Films' (1936, Shelfmark: 778.1258 DSC) to the journal, 'Dental Radiography and Photography'.

Far larger is the body of material which owes a debt to Kodak equipment in its production, including a number of our photobooks, travelogues, newspapers, journals, and so on. Some early examples here include the Countess of Aberdeen's, 'Through Canada with a Kodak' (1893, Shelfmark: 10470.b.35) and Alfred Leader's, 'Through Jamaica with a Kodak' (1907, Shelfmark: 010470.e.5). Both also illustrate how quickly Kodak developed an intimate relationship with the international traveller and the travelogues many of them produced.

'Shrimp Fisher (September 1908)', entry for Eastman Plate Competition by L. Hillier. British Library Kodak Archive A.1997 

The Library's Kodak related collections do not end with published material, however. Two collections of particular note are, 'The Oral History of British Photography' and the 'Kodak Ltd. Archive'. Kodak receives multiple mentions in 'The Oral History of British Photography', often as a reminiscence but also because of the interviewing of people such as Robert Lassam (former curator of the Kodak Gallery). The Kodak Archive held here was donated in 2009 and is the corporate archive of Kodak's UK arm, providing access to photographs and documents which illustrate the development of photography in the UK as well as the company's history.

Kodak's global reach and legacy is borne out by how pervasive materials relating to or facilitated by the company are in the collections of the British Library and libraries across the world. This, therefore, is one of the many ways in which the significance of today can be impressed upon us.

[PJH]

The Group of Seven comes to Dulwich

 

[J. E. H. MacDonald, 'Lake O'Hara', 1929, oil on canvas, 53.6 x 66.5 cm, The Thomson Collection, Copyright Art Gallery of Ontario. Currently displayed as part of 'Painting Canada: Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven'', Dulwich Picture Gallery] 

On Saturday I had time to pop over to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and view the recently opened, 'Painting Canada' exhibition. Subtitled, 'Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven', the exhibition displays work from a group of artists who are credited with conceiving how to depict the uniqueness of the Canadian landscape. Wilderness is very much the focus of the exhibition and the works on display evoke both the majesty of the scenes depicted and the facination of this group of men with Canada's wild spaces.

While this wilderness is a dominant theme in the group's work they were prolific and covered many subjects,  from portraits, to rural landscapes and even attempting to capture the modernist beauty of the aircraft after it arrived in Canada. The Group of Seven travelled far and wide, covering a broad span of Canada in their work, and some members also produced art in Europe, notably during the First World War.

[Lieut. A. Y. Jackson, "Camouflaged Huts, Villers-au-Bois" in, Art and War: Canadian War Memorials (1919), London: Canadian War Records Office]

 

In fact, I remembered during the exhibition a collection item from the Canadian War Memorial Commission which contained contributions from some of the Group. (Lieutenant) A. Y. Jackson and (Captain) F. H. Varley were both involved in the war and produced art about it. The publication Art and War: Canadian War Memorials (1919, London: Canadian War Records Office; BL Shelfmark: J/7859.i.15) was produced, "to form a record of Canada's part in the Great War and a memorial to those Canadians who have made the Great Sacrifice" and Jackson and Varley contributed four works to it.

The Group of Seven had a significant impact upon the imagination of Canada and, as 'Painting Canada' shows, continue to today. If you are interested to know more our collections hold various materials relating to Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, including notable items such as, Art and War. There are also useful reference works such as, Housser, F. B. (1974), A Canadian Art Movement: the story of the Group of Seven, Toronto: Macmillan Co. (Shelfmark: X.429/10637); Murray, J. (1994), Tom Thomson: the Last Spring, Toronto: Dundurn Press (Shelfmark: q95/02542 DSC); and, Town, H. and Silcox, D. (1982), Tom Thomson: the Silence and the Storm, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart (Shelfmark: L.42/3735).

[PJH]



... and the Pacific (II)

Following on from last week's post on Obama's visit to Europe and possible contrasts with earlier claims to be the 'first Pacific president', here is the promised (brief) introductory bibliography on Samoa, in particular its place within the strategic and global interests of the late-nineteenth century and what might be termed the colonial gaze.  This, along with materials held in the UK National Archives, the Congressional Serial Set, and contemporary newspapers, would I'm sure be the basis for a very interesting final year or MA dissertation.

Manuscripts

Add. MS 41633, Log-book of HMS 'Diamond', on the Australian station, 22 Mar. 1882-16 Apr. 1884;

Add. MS 52309, ff. 11-12, Photographs of the ruler of, and a candidate for, the throne of Samoa (1888) [cf. Scott Papers, cf. Add. MS 52296]

Ashley B4313, ff. 21-24, Two Letters from Sidney Colvin to Edmund Gosse, the earlier on the death of R. L. Stevenson, the later on the possibility of moving his bones from Samoa now that it had become German; 18 Dec. 1894, 11 Nov. 1899. [ALC, vi, p. 11]

Printed Books

Edwards, Elizabeth, 'Time and Space on the Quarter Deck: Two Samoan Photographs by Captain W. Acland' in Raw History: photographs, anthropology and museums (Oxford, 2001), ch. 5;

Gilson, R. P., Samoa 1830 to 1900: the politics of a multi-cultural community (Melbourne, 1970);

Kennedy, Paul M., The Samoan Tangle: a study in Anglo-German-American relations 1878-1900 (Dublin, 1974);

Meleisea, Malama, Lagaga: a short history of Western Samoa (Apia, 1987);

Ryden, George Herbert, The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa (New Haven & London, 1933);

Watson, R. M., History of Samoa (Wellington, New Zealand, 1918);

Wilkes, Charles, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition... 1838-1842 (Philadelphia, 1845), vol. 5. (see also this post)

[MJS] 

"A monument to the faith and energy which have created the Empire": Canada and the Royal Family

 
Prince Edward visits Montreal during his 1919 tour of Canada. Image by Herbert Black. BL shelfmark: HS/85.10

Friday’s royal wedding is not just a big deal here in the UK but also across the world. Canada in particular has long had a fond relationship with the Royal Family, as illustrated by the above (abbreviated) quote given by King George VI on a visit in 1939. The quote actually addresses Winnipeg as a testament to the achievements of Empire, but the King’s meaning could be extended to Canada as a whole.  Seen in this light, the current enthusiasm of Canadian politicians and broadcasters for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (even with the impending election) can be seen as an extension of a trend with deep historical roots.

As for the Library’s collections, the photographs in our Canadian Colonial Copright collection offer a lens on this enthusiasm through the visit of Prince Edward in 1919. I have blogged on this previously and the image above depicts part of this visit, but I want to note here that the volume of images in the collection is intriguing. As a copyright collection the number of photographs speaks to the perceived value of the images of the Prince as well as public interest in him, making them a notable cache within the collection. And Edward is not the only member of the Royal Family present in these photographs, Victoria is mourned and George V celebrated during the span of the collection’s life (1895 – 1924).

Of course, these images are not the only source of information about the Royal Family in North America in the Library, with various trips by a variety of Family members well documented in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Of particular note, the 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada and the United States is covered in some interesting literature, such as George Young’s Voyage of State (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1939, Shelfmark: 010470.k.5), and Keith Gordon’s North America sees our King and Queen (London: Hutchinson and Co., 1939, Shelfmark: 10805.g.46) which provide some contemporary insights into this particular piece of pre-war relationship building. Lastly, with Canada’s enthusiasm for tomorrow’s wedding and the forthcoming visit of Prince William and the Princess Katherine to be, the relationship between the Royal Family and Canada is something that will continue to be evidenced through the materials in the British Library.
[PJH]

Dusting off the DeLorean: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian

We now have over a hundred posts on this blog, and many thousands of visits; thank you all for stopping by. Team Americas will still be posting regularly, but it seems to make sense to revisit some earlier, popular posts for those who are new to the blog.  First up, a post from Carole on Edward Curtis and the North American Indian from 2010, lightly edited to avoid temporal confusion of the flux capacitor.

 

I came across a piece in the North Shore News last week on The Edward Curtis Project. It's a multi-disciplinary theatre performance and photographic exhibit by Métis/Dene playwright Marie Clements and photojournalist Rita Leistner, which premiered at the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. I was struck by the enduring interest in, diverse opinions on, and responses to Curtis’s own project – that extraordinary, collaborative endeavour to document Indian cultures, which resulted in the 20 volumes of ethnographic text and photographs, and 20 portfolios of photogravures, published between 1907 and 1930, which make up The North American Indian. The project was supported by Theodore Roosevelt and part-funded by J. Pierpont Morgan. And it was thanks to the latter, and then, after his death, his son, that the Library received a full set of the publication. 

I also read not too long ago about work at Rutgers to restore Curtis’s 1914 silent film In the land of the head hunters, which features Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) communities in British Columbia, and this project has also spawned numerous performances, events and conferences.

And of course, academic debate on Curtis and his work continues. Of the many books on the subject, I would pick out Mick Gidley’s Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Incorporated (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), and his edited volume Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian Project in the Field (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003), both of which are held in the BL. I would also mention Shamoon Zamir’s work on native agency in Curtis's project. Whilst we await his book on the subject, you can read "Native Agency and the Making of the North American Indian: Alexander B. Upshaw and Edward S. Curtis" in The American Indian Quarterly Vol.31 (4), 2007, pp. 613-653 (available electronically in our reading rooms).

The entire contents of The North American Indian have been digitised by Northwestern and can be viewed online. The images are also available via the Library of Congress's American Memory website, where you will also find a useful special presentation Edward S. Curtis in context. But there's nothing like seeing the real thing, and a photogravure from one of the portfolios was featured in our Points of View exhibition. It is a portrait of Bear’s Belly (Arikara), who was born in 1847 in Fort Clark (in present day North Dakota). And speaking of a warrior of the plains, I'm reminded of the BM's recent exhibition Warriors of the Plains: 200 years of Native North American honour and ritual.

[C.H.]

The Photogenic Prince: Edward in Canada, 1919

 

‘H.R.H. Prince of Wales at R.N.W.M.P. Barracks, Regina’ by G. W. Brinkworth, 1919. Shelfmark: HS 85/10

While the success of The King’s Speech at the Oscars took few by surprise, it provided me with the impetus to dig out some materials from our Canadian collections. As with The Queen before it, The King’s Speech seems set to be one of those films which, for many, defines the popular sense of its characters for some time. In short, it immortalises Bertie as the dependable and stoic hero, while Edward fills the role of dashing, and ultimately feckless, rogue.

As with most films this overlooks the depth and nuance present in the biography of any historical figure. This has been noted in a number of articles and blogs, with especial emphasis on how the film juggles some of the central historical relationships. That being the case, I have always found these films and their narratives an intriguing invite to find out more so I had a dig around our collections.

Prince Edward was a well travelled and popular member of the Royal family. Indeed his extensive tour of the empire and sartorial reputation lead to him being one of the most photographed public figures of the inter-war period. This is illustrated by the many photos of Edward contained in the Library’s Colonial Copyright Collection of Canadian photographs, the diversity of which hint at the many aspects of the personality of the man while also illustrating the complexity of a modern monarch’s life. The Library also provides a wide range of interesting supplementary materials, such as Edward’s own memoirs, entitled A King’s Story (1951, New York: Putnam’s Sons. Shelfmark 10807.ff.41), Ziegler’s , King Edward VIII: the official biography (1990, London: Collins. Shelfmark: YH.1990.b.422) and the edited volume of correspondence, Wallis and Edward: letters, 1931–1937 (1986, London: Weidenfield & Nicolson. Shelfmark: YC.1987.b.1797).

This list scratches the surface and says nothing of the wide range of materials held regarding Wallace Windsor (née Warfield), King George VI, the Queen consort Elizabeth and many other individuals involved in the story of The King’s Speech but it does show just how much there is to understand about this complex cast of characters.

 

[P.J.H.]

Seeing Double: Impressions of America (1899)

Phil wrote some months back about stereoscopic photography, and I was struck by a current reprint of some U.S. Civil War '3D' photographs that I came across during the AHA, so I thought I would start to have a look at some of the photographically illustrated Americana in the collections.  First up is Porter's Impressions of America (1899), an account of a British scientist's journey from New York to Colorado Springs via Niagara, Yellowstone Park, San Francisco, Yosemite and Utah. There's a copy online, thanks to the University of California Library (and a .pdf available via the British Library's online catalogue).

You will, however, need a pair of stereoscopic glasses to get a full effect.  There are a pair in the back of the British Library copy at shelfmark K.T.C.103.b.3 (which is also signed by Porter); these are sadly lacking in the copy at at 10412.d.11.

 

Readers will find an account of the stereoscopic effect, a considerable amount of detail on the flora, fauna and geography Porter encountered along his way: in Manitou Grand Cavern, CO, for example, his guide plays the stalactites with a 'sort of drumstick', playing 'soft, bell-like notes, sometimes almost nasal... Thus we heard "Rousseau's Dream," and other airs, ending with "God Save the Queen"' - or, perhaps, 'God Save America'.  The effect knocks the show caves in Cheddar into touch.  Porter concludes with some speculations on the periodicity of the Gulf Stream, the American and Canadian Falls, Mirages, Photographic Methods and Geysers.  The final page includes a table of temperatures 'made with due care, on the summit of Pike's Peak, during the morning of September 7, 1897, by the author on five men' in the sleeping room at 8:15.  The author hoped that the observations 'may interest physiologists'. 

 

[M.S.]

Remembering 9/11

 
Photograph by Michael Katakis.

Mike Barnett and Bud Evans, Ranchers, Merriman, Nebraska, Tuesday, September 18 4:10 p.m. 'It may be New York but we're all Americans.' Bud Evans

We’ve reached that dreadful anniversary again. The past week has seen numerous documentaries on TV focused on every conceivable aspect of those terrible events of 11 September 2001 - and can it really be nine years since we first watched our TV screens in disbelief as we saw footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers?

Almost a year ago I blogged about the American Civil War and the huge number of books that have been published on the subject, but I also focused on the fact that there are photographs of the aftermath of some of the battles. The debate around 9/11 has also generated a huge number of publications, not to mention the millions of internet pages (just Google it) but it’s the video footage, both professional and amateur, that we remember most, that we can replay over and over again in our heads. And the thousands of photographs that were taken to record every moment, as if the documenting would somehow make sense of it all (it didn’t).

I’ve also blogged about our acquisition of the archives of the photographer and writer Michael Katakis and his wife, the anthropologist Kris Hardin. Michael’s response to 9/11 was to set off on September 14 on a trip across America.

His photographs in the ‘Troubled Land’ series show people from all walks of life – and from the many different nationalities that make up the United States. Each photo identifies the subject, their occupation and the time and place, and most have a short quote from the subject. The photos offer a ‘snapshot’ of America at a unique moment in time, and, not surprisingly, the responses are very different - from the women in the Muslim Americans for Civil Rights and Legal Defense Office in Illinois (‘We are under siege domestically.’) to the owner of a radio station in Nebraska (‘I put up that flag yesterday with a star hand drill. With every blow I was hitting Bin Laden between the eyes.’).

And to quote Michael:

‘I wanted to know if the country could be as reflective as it was reactive. Would we be able to discuss why this had happened or explore if our actions in other parts of the world over the years had somehow contributed to such misery here at home. After 12 days I had more questions than answers.’

 
Photograph by Michael Katakis

Lorraine Woody, Ranger, Little Big Horn Battlefield Hardin, Montana, Sunday, September 16 4:37 p.m. 'I'm very sad. I'm a native New Yorker. When I heard I wanted to go home. I just wanted to go home.' 

[C.H.]

 

 

Thomas Jefferson's Birthday [updated]

If you follow the Gregorian Calendar then today marks the 267th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birthday (13 April 1743).  The Library is fortunate enough to hold a contemporary copy of his Notes on the State of Virginia, which Jefferson inscribed to Col. Smith (most likely John Adam's inept son-in-law), and I was perhaps even more fortunate to have a visit to Montalto, overlooking Jefferson's beloved Monticello just before Easter.  Not only does the visitor witness a panorama of the Blue Mountains in the distance, but also enjoys a bird's-eye view of the house and gardens, planted not only with Jefferson's favourite vegetable, peas, but also more exotic produce like wormwood.  The vines now also produce grapes for wine, something that Jefferson aspired to, but never achieved.  Here's a photo:

And the plants:

Elsewhere on the web, the NYPL has tweeted a link to its digitized Jeffersonian material. And Jefferson's papers are being put online at UVA's Rotunda project.  The manuscript of Notes on the State of Virginia is online at the Massachusetts Historical Society's brilliant website.

[M.S.]

Posted history: Canadian postcards

A Friendly Call, The Bishop Barker Co., 1919.

As well as curating the Canadian and Caribbean collections here at the British Library, the other thing occupying my time at the moment is finishing my PhD. One of my thesis chapters is about the substantial holdings of Canadian postcards from the early twentieth century that are held at the Library, so I thought I’d share some insights into this collection.

Now, in many ways postcards are not show stopping items in libraries or museums (although they did have a section in the Points of View exhibition), especially because we generally see them as something cheap and ephemeral. However, it is precisely because of this characteristic that the postcard deserves our attention. In the early twentieth century the postcard was a means of communication between friends, relatives, associates and even enemies near and far, and the scale on which they were consumed dwarfs how many postcards are bought today, even with the huge growth of the tourist industry. As a result of this the images placed on postcards became an important way for individuals, especially those who could not travel, to see and experience different worlds.

In the Canadian context the rise in popularity of the postcard coincided with a period of major political, social and technological change. Therefore many Canadian postcards produced in the ‘golden age’ of the form’s popularity (1895-1920) are important windows onto Canadian history. Our collection of postcards contains an extensive set of aerial photographs (some of the first taken from a plane in Canada), postcards of the Tercentenary of Quebec and commemorative cards for the death of Queen Victoria, to name just a few subjects. There are also a number of postcards of stereoscopic photographs, which were the subject of one of my previous blogs.

When our Canadian postcards are combined with the Library’s wonderful Philatelic holdings, their research significance is only enhanced.

[P. J. H.]