| Vol.
I, No. 8 | Gardening
/ Memorial Day | May
18th, 2001 |
Arts
& Craft
Links to Arts & Craft On-Line
.. Links
to Arts & Craft On-Line The
amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. And, to put it all in context, best estimates say
that only a fraction, maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there is actually making its
way to the search engines.
Well ...
Here at DownStreet, we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we
post a few links in Arts & Craft to sites that might interest you.
Sometimes the links will be related to one another ... sometimes
we'll just offer up a somewhat random sampling. Sometimes they're about
Vermont sites, sometimes not. In either case, we think we might be able to
help you find the kind of site you've been looking for.
Of
course, while we can't vouch for the fact that every link we provide will be of
interest to everyone, we do our best to filter out the noise and the
bustle. ...
We hope you enjoy the following sites as
much as we do. Links
to a Brief History of Photography In connection with
this month's Arts & Craft feature -- Across
Great Distance: Photography in The Civil War -- DownStreet's
Links to Arts & Craft on-line offers these links to resources on the history
of photography.
Amercian
Photographs: The First Century
This collection is part of a
Helios -- the photography exhibit of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
on-line which also, during our visit, was featuring exhibits of Contemporary
American Landscape Photography and American Daguerreotypes -- and is well
worth a visit.
.
Once you're there, you can either take the tour, with
a brief intro and a succession of well over 100 images, os simply browse the
index of photographers like Ansel Adams, William Bell, Imogen Cunningham,
Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr., Alexander Gardner, Forman Hanna, Lewis Hine, Bertha
Jaques, Eadweard Muybridge, Timothy O'Sullivan, William H. Rau, Edward
Steichen, Doris Ulmann, Carleton E. Watkins, and more, as well as a number
of early photographs by unidentifed photographers.
.
There are
definitely more extensive collections out there. But for a taste of
photographic history, there aren't many to compare with this great job by
the folks at the Smithsonian.
Rating: ****1/2 [4-1/2 stars]
. American
Museum of Photography (SM)
Unlike the Smithsonian collections,
which aim pretty straight, the American Museum of Photography on-line aims
to be a little quirky ... and they succeed admirably in that endeavor.
...
.
When we visited, the top bill was closer to the Smithsonian
temperament -- an exhibit entitled "The Face of Slavery & Other
Early Images of African Americans." But what followed told
you that you were in for surprises. Next on the list was "Spirit
Photography: 1838-1935 / Ghosts & Ectoplasm captured by the
camera." If that seems too occult, then you could always take in
"Photography as a Fine Arf!: Canine Camera Classics" ... or
"Farm Fresh U.S. Grade A Photo-Surrealism." But if you're
there for history, then any of their standing exhibits -- like their
"Masterworks of Photography" collection, or "Small
Worlds: The Art of the Carte de Viste." And currently
featured, you'll also find a dazzling exhibit of "The Daguerreotypes of
Southworth & Hawes" ... amd much more.
.
It is
precisely this easy movement between the sublime and the nearly ridiculous
that makes the American Museum of Photography worthwhile. A visit will
be well worth your time.
Rating: ****1/2 [4-1/2 stars]
. A
History of Photography
And now comes the nitty-gritty stuff of
photographic history ... not just the beautiful images, but the technical
backgrounders and lots of info that are essential if you're going to do the
history of the medium any justice. ...
.
And that's precisely
what Robert Leggat, a member of The Royal Photographic Society across The
Pond, has done here. ... If you
want to begin at the beginning, then Beginnings of Photography provides an
excellent introduction to the history in considerable detail, and with
numerous links to persons or processes mentioned. And, when you've
finished, if you're still hungry for more, you can follow any of the links
at the bottom of the page to topics like Architectural photography, The
Linked Ring, Lighting, Photo Secessionist movement, Social record, Travel
photography, Unusual ventures, or War photography. ... If you
prefer to dive headlong, on the other hand, then you can always go straight
to the heart of the site -- two major sections on Significant People and
Significant Processes. ...
.
In either case, whether
photography's a curiosity, you're interest, or your passion, there's almost
sure to be plenty here to satisfy. ...
Rating:
***** [5 stars]
. *******
******* If you know of any
links that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
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