I have to say the archive storerooms at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution are a veritable ‘Horn of Plenty’ with a seemingly endless supply of interesting artefacts that come up from time to time to see the light of day and be put on public view.
The newly opened exhibition at their premises in Queen Square is a case in point. A fascinating collection of rare early photographs from China and Bath. Together they make up Worlds Apart, which has just opened and is FREE to view.
The advent of photography revolutionised how we make and share images. The inventions of Lacock’s William Henry Fox Talbot and Louis Daguerre were rapidly adopted, and by the mid nineteenth century, travellers, merchants and diplomats were travelling around the world with a camera.
The exhibition explains the early origins of photography and the difficulties that early photographers faced in the field.
It might seem that the cities of Shanghai and Bath stood ‘worlds apart’ at this time, but these two collections of photographs draw interesting parallels and place them together in surprising ways. Carefully composed and wonderfully evocative, the images capture our attention and transport us back in time
Francis Lockey’s calotypes, printable paper negatives, explore the Bath of 170 years ago, with some spots barely recognisable and others barely changed (although of course there is not a car in sight!). The historic prints have been enlarged and reprinted especially for the exhibition so that the finest detail is visible while preserving the unique qualities of the original images.
Low light levels in a specially constructed booth enable the display of some original, fragile negatives of Bath scenes (surprisingly crisp and clear considering they come from a time when photography was still in its infancy). Despite the many thousands of miles that separated the photographers in Bath and China, they were attracted by remarkably similar subjects: ancient buildings, bridges, gateways, and rural landscapes.
The photographs from China, taken at a time of great political strife during the Second Opium War, contain fascinating portraits of bankers, street traders, school children and diplomats, as well as rivers, pagodas and temples. Historic objects from the BRLSI collections, things like the hats, fans, children’s toys and shoes we glimpse in the photographic scenes of the daily life of Chinese people, bring the scenes to life and add depth and colour to the exhibition. The gallery space also delivers the chance to learn something of the early origins of photography.
For any pint-size photographers you happen to have in your charge, there are activities to fuel curiosity and capture the imagination. You may even want to keep a lookout for BRLSI’s photography-centered summer holiday workshops.
Worlds Apart is a free exhibition and is in place until 26th September. For all further information and access to the wider BRLSI programme www.brlsi.org
