By Mark Allen, Guest Blogger and Clickworker General Manager.

As a photo junky, I’m always interested in the works of the masters. The Ansel Adams and Jacob Riis’ of the world. That’s why I’m excited that Clickworker has the opportunity to take on the George Eastman House collection as our biggest pro bono project ever. Not only does George Eastman House hold collections from some of the most important photographers in the U.S., but also has become a go-to for international, historical, and documentary images from all over the world since the beginning of photography.

Nickolas Muray, Marilyn Monroe, 1952

Lewis Hine, Empire State Building Construction Worker Touching The Top Of The Chrysler Building, 1930

Though the extent of my own photographic experience has yet to go beyond vacation and cute dog photos, I can appreciate the scope, quality and documentation that the greats bring to the canon of photography. In short – photo museums are awesome. And what’s even better with this project is as our crowd of 120,000 clickworkers tag the more than 400,000 images, they become even more searchable and available online for researchers, enthusiasts, students – anyone! It is truly a perfect partnership to showcase our international services and, as a result, the world will have a more accessible visual library.

To get involved please register as a clickworker here.

The other day I received an invitation to an exhibition opening, which isn’t unusual, except the envelope was wearing a Baby Brownie stamp. As a fancier of all things photographic, I was much more interested in the stamp than in going to the out-of-town shindig. A couple of research clicks later I discovered that back on June 29th of this year, the USPS issued a set of twelve commemorative stamps honoring Pioneers of American Industrial Design. Among those honored is Walter Dorwin Teague, considered the dean of American design, who styled a number of Kodak products.

My cancelled Baby Brownie stamp

I’ve always been curious how this arrangement began. A little research brought me to transcripts in the GEH library of a 1970s interview between Reese Jenkins (now professor emeritus of history at Rutgers University) and Kodak retiree Adolph Stuber. Stuber’s father, William G. Stuber, was hired by George Eastman in the early company days; he went on to be the company CEO after Eastman retired in 1925. Adolph grew up with Kodak and also had a distinguished career in the company himself, becoming manager of the Camera Works in the mid-1920s, then ending up as a company vice president in the sales and advertising department after WWII. It was Adolph Stuber who interviewed and hired Teague, then a fledgling New York City artist, to do facelifts on some of the cameras, as the old designs had become a bit dated. Teague became a design consultant for Kodak for the next thirty years or so. Many of the milestone Eastman Kodak Company products, such as the Baby Brownie (the first injected-molded camera made by Kodak), the Super Kodak Six-20 (the first auto-exposure camera), and the Bantam Special (the first Kodak camera with the f/2 Ektar lens) were Teague designs.

Super Kodak Six-20

Bantam Special

The success of the plastic Baby Brownie would prompt the company to produce more cameras of this type. Most Baby Boomers’ photographic experience began with descendants of the Baby Brownie, such as the Brownie Tourist, the Brownie Holiday, and of course the various Brownie Star models. One of the last cameras Teague was involved with was the Brownie Starflash of 1957; it was the first Kodak camera featuring a built-in flash holder. It was also my first camera.

When Director Anthony Bannon welcomes The Photographic Historical Society’s PhotoHistory XV symposium to the Dryden Theater this October 22, it will be the 15^th time we have shared resources with George Eastman House in the 41 years since the first PhotoHistory. It is a valuable partnership for all concerned.  For our Society, it provides an association with the premier photographic historical facility in the world. For Rochester and GEH it brings an unmatched degree of attention created by the attendance of the world’s leading photo historians who will be in attendance here this October.  We are extremely pleased that our long relationship continues with respect and affection.

We anticipate that PhotoHistory XV will bring some 150 visitor-historians drawn here by a rich selection of original papers that will cover old photographic processes, the development of the photo industry, the history of color photography and much more. Our speakers join us from five countries for the talks, which are a major component of the symposium. Registrants also participate in a Trade Show and Swap meet on the following day.

At previous symposia have heard from such notables as Beaumont Newhall, photographic historian and Director of Eastman House; Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera; and Steven Sasson, inventor of the digital camera.

The Photographic Historical Society, founded in 1966, is the first organized society devoted to photographic history and the preservation of photo antiques. This year, in a bid to attract younger historians, we are offering students free admission to the symposium. The 15^th PhotoHistory changes from a triennial event to one held every two years by popular request. As president of The Photographic Historical Society and general chairman of PhotoHistory XV,  I invite you to check our web site at www.tphs.org and to join us to meet historians, collectors, photo experts, and dealers from around the world.

Anthony Jones is one of the few remaining photographers who still looks for the beauty in everyday objects and places, who looks for the abstract in the concrete and captures images that have the flavour of urban life. In an age of digital, he still holds steady the tiller of silver based photography and the elegant beauty of images created with a critical eye looking for the innate beauty and design in everyday life.

Anthony Jones, London Taxis, 1998. One of fourteen photographs donated by London- based photographer Anthony Jones, that will appear in our upcoming benefit auction.

It’s not fashionable but it is classical and though bigger, brighter and more colourful images are in vogue now, like the fads of the past they will seem old before their time and the classic modernist work of Anthony will still seem relevant, significant and beautiful.

Working in black and white with a medium format camera, Anthony walks the streets of his native London looking for momentary juxtaposition of disparate objects creating a pattern that only black and white can reproduce. His image of a London taxi in front of the Bank of England holds both the motion and constant change of urban life and the solidity of tradition and steadfastness.

His work has the flavour of Paul Strand’s images of New York in the 1930s and of Bill Brandt’s London work a decade later. Anthony’s work comes from a long tradition of the lone photographer, walking the streets with his eyes open to the moment when balance occurs and an image can be made.

His work does not speak of today or yesterday or tomorrow. Instead they speak of the abstract patterns created by the momentary conjunction of objects and places in the modern metropolis. His images are quiet reflections in the midst of a noisy city. His images both define and belie the facts of modern urban life.

Editor’s Note:  Look for more in our 2011 Benefit Auction blog series leading up to the big event October 3rd.

During their recent visit to the area for a family wedding, fashion photographer David Burton and his wife Sarah stopped by our Gannett Foundation Photographic Study Center. Archivist Joe Struble prepared a selection of ‘fashion in photography’ images on the print rail and brought a few albums out for viewing— which gave us a chance to take a closer look at one album that made a particular (and timely!) impression with the Burtons : the British royal family.

Archivist Joe Struble (left) with Sarah and David Burton.

A view of images on the print rail.

Sarah Burton examines the royal family album.

The following details are from the album Famile Royal D’Angleterre, ca. 1863 (seen above). The images are printed by the van dyke brown process on silk (look closely and you can see the stiching and fabric folds).

 Queen Victoria

 Princess Louise

Princess Alexandra 

Prince Albert Victor 

 Princess Beatrice

Prince Leopold

View more of our The Photography Collection or browse selected sets on Flickr.