I'm going to take this opportunity to mention four items of daguerreian
interest in the way of recent publications.
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"Image; Journal of Photography and Motion Pictures of George Eastman
House" Special double issue, 1997 (Vol. 40, No. 1-4.) The entire issue
(pp. 2-61) is devoted to the article, "Luxury, Novelty, Fidelity:
Madame Foa's Daguerreian Tale," by Rachel Stuhlman, Librarian of the
George Eastman House.
Stuhlman begins her article with an English translation of the
earliest (1839) fictional tale in which the daguerreotype is integral
to the plot. Stuhlman doesn't stop there, however, but uses the tale as
a springboard from which she weaves a rich fabric of individually
marvelous strands: details that, when placed together, provide
understanding of the colorful era into which the daguerreotype was
introduced. I've spent several days carefully reading the article and
can only praise Stuhlman for the thoroughness of her research as well
as the clarity of her presentation.
Single issues are available for $14.00 through the Eastman House
Museum Shop. You'll need to contact them for shipping charges at (716)
271-3361 ext. #303 or by mail at:
Museum Shop
The George Eastman House
900 East Avenue
Rochester NY 14607-2298
(I'll mention that I became a member of the George Eastman House in
December; the issue arrived with my new member materials and I
immediately felt that my $40.00 membership was money well spent.)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In the January 1998 issue of "Smithsonian" (vol. 28, no. 10) pp. 82-85
"The Lure of Gold" is a four-page spread featuring eight
daguerreotypes from the upcoming Oakland Museum exhibition, "Silver &
Gold: Cased Images of the California Gold Rush." (The exhibition opens
Saturday, January 24, 1998.)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
I'm passing along information from friend Nick Graver about the
following current issue of "Forbes" December 29, 1997 (Vol. 160, No.
14) I'll quote Nick's note:
"Pages 108-109 is a two page article on "The Art of Our Time" and
features a beautiful daguerreotype of a man holding a daguerreian
camera. (That does not make him a daguerreotypist.)
Fortunately, the rest of the article talks of "prints" and all the
basics that an investor might want to know. Scares the dickens out of
you, to think what that could do to folks with $$$ to burn.
No mention of actually liking the images, or wanting them up on your
walls. Just, the value and potential for increased profit, etc..."
(I'll second that thought...it does seem a rather sad thought to have
no specific appreciation for the image itself! --G.E.)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Life" (special double issue) Fall 1997 (Vol. 20, No. 10a)
"We rank the top 100 incredible discoveries...plus the 100 most
important people."
The sepia photograph on the cover depicts "Joan of Arc, a Moon
walker, William Shakespeare [and others]...being photographed by Louis
Jacques Daguerre." The editor's note (eight pages in) gives more
background to the cover photo under the title of "A Picture Worth 1,000
Years." Mentioned is the fact that the photographer, Gregory Heisler,
"drove five hours, back and forth to Connecticut, the night before the
shoot to borrow a vintage $30,000 chamfered box half-plate
daguerreotype camera that he insisted on having as a prop."
Page 135 of the issue places Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre as number
79 in the list of "The 100 People Who Made the Millennium." There is
also a very brief text accompanying closely cropped photo of LJMD on
page 147.
I can't offer a sure-fire way to acquire back copies of the issue;
recent-but-off-the-stand issues are sometimes hard to locate. (I
learned of this issue by chance just a couple of weeks ago at a local
coffee-bakery shop. I finally groveled enough that they took pity on me
and gave the shop's copy.) "Life" does have a website, of course:
http://lifemag.com
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Posted for your enjoyment. Gary W. Ewer
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01-06-98 |
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