{"id":1767,"date":"2012-12-28T12:51:41","date_gmt":"2012-12-28T12:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scottlewisphotography.eu\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2013-02-22T13:18:57","modified_gmt":"2013-02-22T13:18:57","slug":"the-birth-of-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.scottlewisphotography.eu\/?p=1767","title":{"rendered":"The Birth of Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Birth of Photography<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Is a photography exhibit at the R.E.M in Mannheim<\/a>. 250 photos from the Helmut Gernsheim Collection are on display including the first ever photograph, a landscape photograph taken by Joseph Nic\u00e9phore Ni\u00e9pce in 1826. This exhibition is a collaborative undertaking between the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim and the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas in Austin, which houses the historical part of the Gernsheim collection (which contains over 30000 photographs)<\/p>\n

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The First ever photograph.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The high light of the exhibit was a very rear chance to see a fantastic collection covering a long period in the history of photography including the first ever photograph (taken by Joseph Nic\u00e9phore Ni\u00e9pce in 1826).<\/p>\n

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Helmut Gernsheim spent years researching the history and location of the worlds first ever photograph. In 1952 Gernsheim discovered the long-lost world’s first permanent photograph, which looked more like an old up polished mirror.<\/p>\n

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Nic\u00e9phore Ni\u00e9pce created the photo with a camera obscura focused onto a 20\u00a0cm \u00d7\u00a025\u00a0cm (7.9\u00a0in \u00d7\u00a09.8\u00a0in) pewter plate coated with bitumen of Judea, a mixture similar to asphalt. The bitumen mixture hardened when exposed to the light, while the unexposed portions remained water soluble and could be washed away with a mixture of oil of lavender and white petroleum. As a result of the 8-hour exposure, sunlight illuminates the buildings on both sides.<\/p>\n

Other stuff that caught my eye<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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Among all the fantastic photos there were of course a few that really captured my attention. It was quite an exciting feeling to walk around the corner and discover classic images that I had previously only seen in books or online.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Henri Cartier-Bresson \u2013 Dimanche sur les bords de la Marne<\/em><\/strong><\/address>\n
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\u00a0Kurt Hutton: Unemployed, 1939<\/em><\/strong><\/address>\n
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Helmut Gernsheim: Wendeltreppe im Uhrenturm der St.-Pauls-Kathedrale, 1943<\/em><\/strong><\/address>\n
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Robert Lebeck: Flughafen Belgrad, Roter Teppich f\u00fcr die Kreml-Herren, 1955<\/strong><\/em><\/address>\n
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But the image that was the centre of discussion was part of the Coney Island series by Bruce Gilden<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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People either loved it or hated it. I personally it is a masterpiece in it composition.<\/p>\n

Die Geburtsstunde der Fotografie : Meilensteine der Gernsheim-Collection <\/strong>has been extended until 24\/2\/2013 <\/strong>so if you are anywhere near Mannheim in that time you really should got to this historic exhibit.<\/p>\n

For more info on the topic there are 2 fantastic books. The first of witch is solely about the exhibit and the second is a more in depth look at the entire collection.<\/p>\n

Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen – Die Geburtsstunde der Fotografie: Meilensteine der Gernsheim-Collection<\/strong><\/address>\n