Interested in Old China and Siam? Want to learn more about John Thomson, the legendary travel photographer of the Victorian era? Come to this public talk at the Royal Geographical Society – free to RGS members and students and only a fiver for everyone else.
The talk is part of a range of events throughout the spring and early summer of 2018, arranged in connection with the exhibition China and Siam: Through the lens of John Thomson at the Brunei Gallery|SOAS, London (13th April 2018 – 23rd June)
Event: A talk on John Thomson at The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Venue: 1, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR
Date: 30th of April 2.30 – 4.00pm.
Tickets: £5.00 per person – free to RGS-IBG members and students, but they need to be booked on the RGS website.
Through the Lens of John Thomson, Pioneer in the application of photography
John Thomson’s connection with The Royal Geographical Society spanned fifty-five years. Using his own words where possible, examples of his negatives from the Wellcome Collection and items from for the Royal Geographical Society we hope to show how he applied photography to the science of geography. From providing practical instruction in articles on photography in tropical climates, to giving advice on how to illustrate routes and register observations. Later, when he became the RGS instructor in photography in 1886, he would guide and influence a new generation of travellers.
Speakers:
Dr Michael Pritchard, Chief Executive of The Royal Photographic Society and photo-historian
Deborah Ireland FRPS Freelance writer specialising in the history of photography
Betty Yao Co-curator of the exhibition China and Siam: Through the lens of John Thomson at the Brunei Gallery|SOAS, London (13th April 2018 – 23rd June)
https://www.rgs.org/events/be-inspired-through-the-lens-of-john-thomson/
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Photos:
Elephant by John Thomson – courtesy of Wellcome Library London
RGS by – originally posted to Flickr as The Royal Geographical Society, Kensington (CCL)
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The John Thomson Exhibition Blog features multi-media stories about John Thomson, the Victorian photographer, and the London exhibition of his photos of China and Old Siam from the 1860s, Through the Lens of John Thomson, co-curated by Betty Yao and Narisa Chakrabongse. www.johnthomsonexhibition.org
