cheers
-steve
------- Forwarded Message
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1996 16:45:35 -0400
Comments: MiNet - Maritime Internet Services - 506-652-3624
To: alt-photo-process@vast.unsw.edu.au
From: nadeaul@darwin.nbnet.nb.ca (Luis Nadeau)
Subject: Re: Gums in Museums
>( The Victoria and Albert Museum of the Decorative Arts in London is one of the
>most exciting places in the world).
>
>In your note of 22/2 you said that you had visited the V & A in the hope of
>seeing prints by Demachy and Puyo.
>
>You said 'Rien ou presque'
>
>I went yesterday in the hope of seeing the 'presque' but it was more a case of
>'rien'.
>The V & A take the view that as the RPS at Bath has such a fine collection,
>which is true,
>there is little point in the V & A trying to emulate them.
>
>This strikes me as being analogous to saying that as the Science Museum
>has such
>a wonderful collection of photographs, also true, there is no reason why
>the V &
>A should keep them. My suspicion is that somebody has a prejudice.
I think it's more a lack of money...
>Despite this, the V & A should be regarded as a mecca. The staff in the Print
>Room are knowledgeable, helpful and kind. I was shown the book arising from the
>photography section of the 1862 International Exhibition which contains
>photo-etchings and photoglyphs by Fox Talbot, photogalvanographs by Pretsch,
>there may be a 'z' in there somewhere, and a print on yellow paper by Pouncy,
>printed with ink direct from the negative, presumably an early collotype.
Probably based on his 1863 patent. BTW, the Science Museum did have
specimens of his processes on loan from the RPS, at one time. They are
perhaps still there.
.
>I stress this point as I am told that this presents a marked contrast with the
>way enquirers are treated at the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris where it is a
>Kafkaesque exercise to obtain access to a Puyo. Having had to gird my loins to
>deal with French officialdom in the past, I do not find this surprising, but is
>it true.
There is something to be said about the Internet and communications with
overseas Institutions. Back in the good old snailmail days, it took you
months to realize that your requests were being ignored. Today, thanks to
the Net, you know you're being ignored after just a couple of days:-)
If this is not progress, what is?
Despite the fact that I have helped (i.e., subsidized) several RCA/V&A
graduate students over the years and despite the fact that they use at
least one of my books everyday, I have had a good percentage of my requests
completely ignored. Ditto in France, although I have had very little
contacts with their graduate students -something that may change later this
year. Same with Spain. The Swiss on the other hand do reply to their mail.
I have several paper (remember those?) letters here from the George Eastman
House in Rochester in which there is a one-paragraph "BTW, thank you so
very much for your Encyclopedia which we use everyday..." And guess what?
My requests for reproducing their photoceramics have been ignored for 15
months. Same love-ignore relationships all over the place (the Getty, the
MET, etc.) although as a whole North American institutions *tend* to be
more helpful. My advice: keep trying and count yourself lucky if you get
any help. All these institutions are understaffed, some much more than
others.
>
>Does anyone know if there have been further developments in relation to
>the germ
>of an idea as to a' function' in Paris in May.
There should be an announcement here sometime over the next few days. Looks
like it will be around May 4th.
Luis Nadeau
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