Seminar with Dr Kelley Wilder, De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester

In this talk, Dr Kelley Wilder (Reader in Photographic History at de Montfort University) will discuss the mechanics that went into constructing photographic materials beginning in the 1880s and stretching into the mid-twentieth century. During this time period, photographic materials changed out of all recognition from their invention in 1839. So did the notion of photography's vision or ability to envision. It was a heyday for analogue photography and for the belief that photographic vision was essential, modern and above all, scientific. Manufacturers worked closely with scientists, and this paper will discuss several important case studies beginning with Henri Becquerel and the Lumière Brothers and running up to Agfa's in-house magazine Photographie und Wissenschaft from the 1950s.

Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.