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Bruce Schultz
26-Jun-2015, 11:52
I'm going to DC during the July 4 holiday (2nd through 7th) and I want to see photography. Any gallery/exhibit recommendations? I see a really good show is now at the National Art Gallery.
I'd also like to view examples of wet-plate collodion negatives in the archives of the Library of Congress or Smithsonian. Does anyone have suggestions on how to make that happen? I don't necessarily need to see a specific image, but I'd just like to see something by Brady or Gardner to see some of the negatives characteristics for density and sharpness back then.

Mark Sampson
26-Jun-2015, 13:25
I work for The Phillips Collection (America's first museum of modern art); we are currently showing "American Moments", 130 photographs from our collection by 20th-century American photographers. Steiglitz and A.L. Coburn through Sally Mann. Don't miss it!
The National Gallery is showing what they have collected in photography; they only started 25 years ago but they cover most of the bases, 1839-1980. It's spectacular. Of course the NGA is spectacular in itself... oh look, more Rembrandts...
And go to loc.gov and look up the prints and photographs division. You can go there, register for a (free) reader's card, and the staff there will be happy to show you just about anything in the collection. IDK about seeing negatives but contact me off-list...

Bruce Schultz
26-Jun-2015, 13:30
Thanks Mark. I'll make sure I make it by the Phillips for sure.

StoneNYC
26-Jun-2015, 14:05
If you bring any film cameras, expect that all of the film will be scanned no matter what.

They won't hand inspect, and if you going to any of the government buildings they insist on scanning everything through the x-ray machine, no exceptions.

Bruce Schultz
26-Jun-2015, 14:27
Digital only on this trip. They won't let me carry collodion on airplanes.

ckagy
26-Jun-2015, 15:58
There are also photography exhibits at the National Portrait Gallery. http://www.nationalportraitgallery.org/

A good source of information for traveling around the city is http://www.wmata.com, the website of the Metro System.

finally, check out the stuff on http://exposeddc.com/ for other possible ideas.

Enjoy your trip!

Monty McCutchen
27-Jun-2015, 08:55
Bruce I would second the National Portrait Gallery. I often go when in town for work there (I stay within walking distance) and it never disappoints me either photographically or within other disciplines as well. Mark, I didn't know of the Phillips Museum. I can't wait until the fall when my work schedule will again having me come to town. I look forward to seeing the Phillips then. Thank you for the heads up on that.

Bruce you and i share a mutual friend in New Orleans, maybe next time through I could entice a fellow wet plater out for a beer?

Hope you have a great trip over the holiday.

best,

Monty

Bruce Schultz
27-Jun-2015, 10:46
Monty, I live about 2.5 hours west of New Orleans but I go there regularly to shoot and visit. Let me know next time you're in town and I'll bring my outfit to make images.

Sirius Glass
27-Jun-2015, 14:53
Washington DC and the surrounding area provides may subjects for available light photography of lighted building and monuments as well as street scenes. My avatar is an example.

gregmo
28-Jun-2015, 10:18
A good source of information for traveling around the city is http://www.wmata.com, the website of the Metro System.

Enjoy your trip!

Be sure to check for "Alerts" on the Metro's website.
Generally, metro is very efficient on weekdays, but on weekends it can be a huge hassle. Weekends is when they do track repair work. July 4th is a special occasion so they very well may be running without delays.

Oren Grad
28-Jun-2015, 18:12
Be sure to check for "Alerts" on the Metro's website.
Generally, metro is very efficient on weekdays, but on weekends it can be a huge hassle. Weekends is when they do track repair work. July 4th is a special occasion so they very well may be running without delays.

+1. I've arrived via Union Station late afternoon or early evening on a Sunday on more than one occasion in the recent past, and found myself waiting 20 minutes for a Red Line train, which was then further delayed en route.

On a happier note: another vote for the National Portrait Gallery. Among exhibits I've enjoyed there, I see that the show of Matthew Brady's Union Generals photos is still up:

http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/uniongenerals/

andy
30-Jun-2015, 13:00
This William Christenberry show sounds like it is not to be missed: http://www.hemphillfinearts.com/exhibitions/current-exhibitions

He's just revealed that he has alzheimer's, and this is likely the last show he'll be actively involved in.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/after-a-lifetime-of-capturing-what-was-christenberry-faces-what-is/2015/06/05/66d755e8-0092-11e5-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html

StoneNYC
30-Jun-2015, 13:24
This William Christenberry show sounds like it is not to be missed: http://www.hemphillfinearts.com/exhibitions/current-exhibitions

He's just revealed that he has alzheimer's, and this is likely the last show he'll be actively involved in.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/after-a-lifetime-of-capturing-what-was-christenberry-faces-what-is/2015/06/05/66d755e8-0092-11e5-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html

That's a shame, really sad to hear when real photographers are going through something like this. Or anyone legitimately going through this of course. Best wishes for him.

Mark Sampson
2-Jul-2015, 13:56
There are two or three Christenberry prints in the Phillips Collection show (I believe that he's on the museum's board). The Post article tells a sad story; I've always liked his work but never knew he lived in DC.

Mark Sampson
10-Jul-2015, 19:04
So Bruce-
did you get here? See anything you liked?
let us know, if you please.

Bruce Schultz
11-Jul-2015, 13:32
First off, thanks guys for the tips. Our hotel was only a block from the Phillips, so we saved that for the last day. Excellent exhibit with a good sampling of styles. But the paintings were spectacular. Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party has always been a favorite but I'd never seen it for real.
I was so excited to be greeted by a Fenton albumen print at the current vintage photography show at the National Gallery of Art. And then add to that a Carleton Watkins albumen. I was ecstatic.
The Peru festival held by the Smithsonian has me thinking of going to Cuzco soon.
And then there was the National Portrait Gallery. The cabinet cards of U.S. civil war generals and the civil war paintings and photographs were magnificent. The building itself was a highlight. The interior courtyard is a welcome respite to being overwhelmed with imagery. We ventured to the back rooms where restorations are done and watched videos explaining the process. The Luce collection was amazing with American art and folk art.
Finally, I managed to get a look at a few negatives made by Brady and Alexander Gardner in the National Portrait Gallery archives. A 17x20 negative of Lincoln was an interesting study in Gardner's technique. It had a thick tan hue over the darker areas of the negative and quite a few blotches. Who knows if that's what happened over 153 years or if that's how it looked when it was made. I also found a slight imprint in the varnish of the negative of the photographer who owned the negative before it was donated to NPG, so the curator was excited that someone had found something new. Also got to see a cabinet card negative of John Fremont and Edwin Booth, John Wilkes' brother, who claimed he rescued Robert Lincoln in 1962 from being hit by a train.
The Smithsonian American History museum was disappointing. I remember seeing the big pendulum swinging in front of the Star Spangled Banner which once hung in the foyer but is now in a darkened display room behind the wall where it once hung. There was a good civil war collection that had a 4-tube cabinet card camera (lens set was inserted wrong).
At Ford's theater, reproductions of Gardner's images are everywhere, and the Washington Post ran an image of the conspirators' hanging on the 150th anniversary of that event.
Finally, the farmer's market at Dupont Circle was one of the best I've ever seen. Probably as good as those in France. The Metro was a breeze, although we learned the hard way that 2 passengers cannot use the same card.
The weather was hot and humid but that made coming back to Louisiana easy.