Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Photographic Convention of United Kingdom (PCUK) was founded in 1886 and held its first convention in the city of Derby
, England in August of that year.
The founding members were a mixture of professional photographers and wealthy amateurs. Prominent professional photographers present at the first meeting included William England
, principal photographer with the London Stereoscopic Company
; Richard Keene
, who later became a member of The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring and Alfred Seaman
who established a large number of studios across the Midlands and North of England.The leading pictorialist photographer Henry Peach Robinson
was an early member and was elected President in 1896. William Crooke
the prominent Scottish professional photographer was elected president in 1899. Many of the founding members were also members of the Royal Photographic Society
but sought to establish an organisation with a more informal and sociable purpose- ‘combining the features of a pleasurable outing with photographic mental friction.’
Attendance at the first meeting was 48 but grew rapidly over coming years to reach 328 by the 1898 event. The pattern of the convention was to choose a town where they would be 'hosted' by a local photographic society. A large hotel was chosen as the convention headquarters and three to four days were devoted to a programme of lectures, outings, exhibitions and dinners.
Conventions of the Victorian era were held in:
During the nineteenth century the Convention was a lively focus for debate and experiment around photography. After the First World War interest waned and the PCUK was kept running by an increasingly ageing and declining membership. It finally ceased operating in 1935.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, England in August of that year.
The founding members were a mixture of professional photographers and wealthy amateurs. Prominent professional photographers present at the first meeting included William England
William England
William England was a successful Victorian photographer specialising in stereoscopic photographs.-Life:Sources disagree on his date of birth, with dates from 1816 to 1830 quoted by different authors. In the 1840’s England ran a London daguerreotype portrait studio...
, principal photographer with the London Stereoscopic Company
London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company
The London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company began in 1854 as the London Stereoscope Company , from 1856 was known as the London Stereoscopic Company, and from May 1859 as the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company....
; Richard Keene
Richard Keene
Richard Keene was an early Derbyshire photographer. He was a founding member of The Derby Photographic Society in 1884 and the Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom in 1886 as well as being an early member of The Linked Ring.-Life:Keene was the son of Richard Keene and Priscilla Kimpton,...
, who later became a member of The Brotherhood of the Linked Ring and Alfred Seaman
Alfred Seaman
Alfred Seaman was a professional Victorian and Edwardian photographer who ran a network of photographic portrait studios in the Midlands and North of England. He published a large series of stereoscopic photographs of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.Alfred Seaman was born in Norfolk in...
who established a large number of studios across the Midlands and North of England.The leading pictorialist photographer Henry Peach Robinson
Henry Peach Robinson
Henry Peach Robinson was an English pictorialist photographer best known for his pioneering combination printing - joining multiple negatives to form a single image, the precursor to photomontage...
was an early member and was elected President in 1896. William Crooke
William Crooke (photographer)
William Crooke was a professional photographer with a studio in Edinburgh.Two of the best-known portrait photographers in England [sic Britain], William Crooke of Edinburgh and of London sailed on December 17 for a six weeks' tour of the United States, during which they plan to visit some of the...
the prominent Scottish professional photographer was elected president in 1899. Many of the founding members were also members of the Royal Photographic Society
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography...
but sought to establish an organisation with a more informal and sociable purpose- ‘combining the features of a pleasurable outing with photographic mental friction.’
Attendance at the first meeting was 48 but grew rapidly over coming years to reach 328 by the 1898 event. The pattern of the convention was to choose a town where they would be 'hosted' by a local photographic society. A large hotel was chosen as the convention headquarters and three to four days were devoted to a programme of lectures, outings, exhibitions and dinners.
Conventions of the Victorian era were held in:
- 1886 Derby
- 1887 GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- 1888 BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
- 1889 LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- 1890 ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
- 1892 EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
- 1893 PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
- 1894 Dublin
- 1895 ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
- 1896 LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
- 1897 Great YarmouthGreat YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
- 1898 Glasgow
- 1899 GloucesterGloucesterGloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
- 1900 Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
- 1901 OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
During the nineteenth century the Convention was a lively focus for debate and experiment around photography. After the First World War interest waned and the PCUK was kept running by an increasingly ageing and declining membership. It finally ceased operating in 1935.
External links
- http://www.freewebs.com/jb3d/ Alfred Seaman and the Photographic Convention of the United Kingdom. History of the PCUK illustrated with stereoviews by one of its founder members.
- http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/ Edinburgh Photo History -including interesting material on the PCUK