The cyanotype was one of the earliest photographic processes and with its rich, blue color, remains one of the most beautiful. Invented in 1842 by the amazingly prolific Sir John Herschel, the easy-to-produce cyanotype lives on today in the darkrooms of many photographers and artists. Links for this episode: Sir John Herschel –  at the Getty Museum Anna Atkins – British Algae in the New York Public Library Alternative Photography – a how-to guide from a good source Cyanotype material from Freestyle Photo Lenscratch.com – Review of a contemporary exhibition of alternative processes, incl ..read more

The Kodak Brownie camera was one of the most popular cameras in the history of photography. The Brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of the snapshot to a public eager to preserve their personal and family memories. With its simple controls and initial price of $1, it was intended to be a camera that anyone could afford and use. Links for this episode: The George Eastman House’s Brownie Collection Kodak’s Brownie History Page (a little dated, but interesting) Brownie In Motion – Stephen Takacs very cool project – also on Stephen’s website     The Kodak ..read more

When light sensitive material is exposed to light, a chemical change happens, but this change isn’t necessarily visible. This idea is perhaps part of why early photographers – and early viewers of photographic images – had a hard time with the concept of the latent image, yet it was one of the most important components of the technology of photography in its infancy ..read more

The photographs of pioneer color photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863–1944) give us a remarkable view into a world that is now lost – the Russian Empire just before the Russian Revolution and World War I. In this podcast we explore both Prokudin-Gorsky’s photographs and the unique tri-color photographic technique he employed to create them. Links for this podcast:  Book – Nostalgia: The Russian Empire of Czar Nicholas II Captured in Colored Photographs by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii The Empire that was Russia – Library of Congress collection of Prokudin-Gorskii ..read more

Tina Modotti (1896 – 1942) was an Italian photographer who was most active in Mexico between 1923 and 1930. Known for her romantic and business relationship with Edward Weston and her friendships with Diego Rivera, Frieda Kahlo and other Mexican artists, Modotti was also a political activist during the Mexican Revolution and beyond. Links for this episode: Tina Modotti web archive Mexico as Muse – Modotti & Weston at SFMOMA Tina Modotti at MOMA Tina Modotti Mexican sombrero with hammer and sickle 1927   ..read more

Photographer Gordon Parks, born 1912 and died 2006, was one of the most important figures of twentieth century photography. A humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice, race relations, poverty, civil rights and honest depictions of urban life, Parks’ work provides an amazing chronicle important aspects of American urban life in the last half of the 20th century. Links for this episode: The Gordon Parks Foundation Books by Gordon Parks– on Amazon Gordon Parks: The Making of an Argument – The New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition archive page Gordon Parks: The Making of an Argument ..read more

Photographer James Van Der Zee was active from the 1920s through the late 1970s, working primarily in his native Harlem neighborhood in New York city.  Through his elegant portraits and images of social, religious and athletic groups, he created an intimate narrative about his community, showing the world a part of America that was rarely seen. Links for this episode: James Van Der Zee in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago The Studio Museum of Harlem is the custodian of a large archive of Van Der Zee’s work Van Der Zee’s funerary portraits Jean-Michel Basquiat – Photograph b ..read more

When the exhibition The Family of Man opened in January of 1955, 60 years ago this month, visitors were greeted by more than 500 photographs and these words by the poet Carl Sandburg: “People! Flung wide and far, born into toil, struggle, blood and dreams, among lovers, eaters, drinkers, workers, loafers, fighters, players, gamblers. Here are ironworkers, bridgemen, musicians, sandhogs, miners, builders of huts and skyscrapers, jungle hunters, landlords and the landless, the loved and the unloved, the lonely and the abandoned, the brutal and the compassionate-one big family hugging close to th ..read more

Photographer Lisette Model, born in Vienna, Austria in 1901 and died 1983,  was an important street photographer of the early 20th century, defining much of what would be considered part of the street photographer’s aesthetic for decades to come. The Gambler – Photograph by Lisette Model ..read more

Welcome to the History of Photography Podcast 2.0! Having retired from my college teaching job, I’m no longer teaching the photo history class, but I have lots of other irons in the fire and want to continue the podcast with some new topics and ideas. A complete semester of the History of Photography class will still be available online, as well as some other resources. Links for this episode: Photo History Podcast Classes – an entire semester online all the time Photo History Links – a large resource of useful history-related websites Camera Position Podcast – My other podcast about creative ..read more