The Studio in the Field: Exhibit Reception and Film Screening

Location: The John Crerar Library, Kathleen A. Zar Room.
Time: May 27th, 5:00-7:30 pm.

In conjunction with its current exhibit, The Studio in the Field: Techniques in Early Wildlife Photography, the John Crerar Library will be hosting a reception and film screening on May 27th, from 5:00 pm-7:30 pm. A guest lecture and introduction to the exhibit and films will be provided by Carl Fuldner, Department of Art History.

Refreshments to be served.

RSVP by emailing Jennifer Hart or Sarah Fesmire.

During the 1890s, technical advances made it practical to photograph birds and other animals in their natural environments for the first time. But faced with the unpredictable realities of photographing in the field, early practitioners struggled to make worthwhile images from the standpoints of art or natural history. The Studio in the Field traces the development of wildlife photography as a popular cultural pursuit, focusing on the innovative techniques and strategies devised to craft pictures that would appear convincingly natural to nineteenth-century audiences.

For over a century, wildlife film has grown alongside wildlife photography into an artistic, cultural, and scientific pursuit. From Muybridge’s landmark animal locomotion studies to today’s cinematic nature narratives, wildlife film has educated, entertained, and transported popular audiences to remote and distant worlds.

Please join us as we celebrate the history of early wildlife photography and film and investigate the pioneering films of Eadweard Muybridge, George Albert Smith, and Jean Painlevé.