This exhibition is the result of a purchase of a box of lantern slides bought in a local auction room. Catalogued as 'views of London theatres etc.' it did not attract much interest but we were soon to discover
that this decayed and dusty box is very unusual. To anyone interested in the history of photography a common frustration is that most photographs are anonymous and undated and this small collection is rare because most
of the slides are named and dated. Montague Wickham had set himself the task of being expert at night photography and producing a lecture set of London scenes which was presented with notes about night photography. The
pictures, taken 1912/13 just before the First World War, are images full of atmosphere with a wealth of historic detail. They show a City experimenting with the new electric light and a night life of window shopping and crowds
promenading through the extraordinary pleasure domes of the White City. The 'Criterion' flanked by early cars and Victorian hansom cabs proclaims 'Our Sovereign, the Glory of our Empire' and features an sign illustrating a
'Dreadnought' Battleship above the Restaurant entrance, while in the Theatre, George Bernard Shaw's 'Arms and the Man ' is playing! Another picture, taken on the corner of Tottenham Court Road, shows the entrance to the Central Line Tube Station. Clearly visible on an office window is a sign for Ernst Leitz the German company of microscope makers who would a few years later create the world's most famous 35mm camera the Leica. Wickham was a very able photographer both as a technician and a picture-maker. He must also have been fairly wealthy as he specifies the use of rare and expensive wide aperture lenses to be used fully open to capture people. It's certain that he would have used a small quarter plate camera on a tripod and that exposures ranged between a few seconds and twelve minutes.
Much mystery remains about Montague Wickham and his passion for photography, we guess that his home was in the North East and we know that he was a member of the Edinburgh 'CPS' from 1911. In addition we have a few pictures taken by him in Birmingham in 1912. If anyone has more information on MW or a history of the White City, please contact Mike Tilley at Newcastle Arts Centre. 0191 2615618 or e-mail, mike@newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk
The slides have been digitally copied and restored using 'Photoshop' and printed at Newcastle Arts Centre with pigmented inks. The images are now archived on CD and the exhibition prints are expected to last in
excess of 75 years if kept in normal museum conditions. The restored images are copyright Newcastle Arts Centre 2002 and prints are for sale at sizes up to 600 x 500cm.
Exhibition first shown November 2002 and revised October 2006
Posted by Barbara-Ann Brown on September 14, 2006 4:20 PM
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London Shadows - an exhibiton of photographs by Montague Wickham
Saturday 30th September - Saturday 4th November 2006
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Admission free
Newcastle Arts Centre
67 Westgate Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1SG
0191 261 5618
website: www.newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk
email: gallery@newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk
This exhibition is the result of a purchase of a box of lantern slides bought in a local auction room. Catalogued as 'views of London theatres etc.' it did not attract much interest but we were soon to discover
that this decayed and dusty box is very unusual. To anyone interested in the history of photography a common frustration is that most photographs are anonymous and undated and this small collection is rare because most
of the slides are named and dated. Montague Wickham had set himself the task of being expert at night photography and producing a lecture set of London scenes which was presented with notes about night photography. The
pictures, taken 1912/13 just before the First World War, are images full of atmosphere with a wealth of historic detail. They show a City experimenting with the new electric light and a night life of window shopping and crowds
promenading through the extraordinary pleasure domes of the White City. The 'Criterion' flanked by early cars and Victorian hansom cabs proclaims 'Our Sovereign, the Glory of our Empire' and features an sign illustrating a
'Dreadnought' Battleship above the Restaurant entrance, while in the Theatre, George Bernard Shaw's 'Arms and the Man ' is playing! Another picture, taken on the corner of Tottenham Court Road, shows the entrance to the Central Line Tube Station. Clearly visible on an office window is a sign for Ernst Leitz the German company of microscope makers who would a few years later create the world's most famous 35mm camera the Leica. Wickham was a very able photographer both as a technician and a picture-maker. He must also have been fairly wealthy as he specifies the use of rare and expensive wide aperture lenses to be used fully open to capture people. It's certain that he would have used a small quarter plate camera on a tripod and that exposures ranged between a few seconds and twelve minutes.
Much mystery remains about Montague Wickham and his passion for photography, we guess that his home was in the North East and we know that he was a member of the Edinburgh 'CPS' from 1911. In addition we have a few pictures taken by him in Birmingham in 1912. If anyone has more information on MW or a history of the White City, please contact Mike Tilley at Newcastle Arts Centre. 0191 2615618 or e-mail, mike@newcastle-arts-centre.co.uk
The slides have been digitally copied and restored using 'Photoshop' and printed at Newcastle Arts Centre with pigmented inks. The images are now archived on CD and the exhibition prints are expected to last in
excess of 75 years if kept in normal museum conditions. The restored images are copyright Newcastle Arts Centre 2002 and prints are for sale at sizes up to 600 x 500cm.
Exhibition first shown November 2002 and revised October 2006
Posted by Barbara-Ann Brown on September 14, 2006 4:20 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.cultureandcreativitygateshead.org/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/377
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