Doings of the Sunbeam: Lady Annie Brassey's Albums & Modes of Collecting, Arranging & Exhibiting Photographs in the Nineteenth Century
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of History, Art History & Philosophy
Abstract
This thesis will explore the production of photographic
albums by Lady Annie Brassey (1839-1887), a traveller,
collector and writer famed for her circumnavigational
voyages. Continuing research undertaken as part of my MA
Art History studies, I will focus on Brassey's contribution to
photographic practices in the 19th century, particularly the
collecting, arrangement and display of photographs within
albums; deemed a feminine pastime, this mode of artistic
production has been widely overlooked in terms of
scholarship, with academics such as Patrizia di Bello having
recently opened up this area of study. A Sussex resident,
Brassey's core collections of artefacts largely occupy
Hastings & Bexhill Museums. This project will focus on the
significant body of photographic material that remains in
Sussex at Hastings Library and The Keep Archives, whereas
many of her albums are now kept in the US. Further to our
understanding of one female figure, this thesis will
contribute to our knowledge of photography within the
nineteenth century, revealing networks of exchange and
collaboration, and broadening the myopic canon of
photographic history.
albums by Lady Annie Brassey (1839-1887), a traveller,
collector and writer famed for her circumnavigational
voyages. Continuing research undertaken as part of my MA
Art History studies, I will focus on Brassey's contribution to
photographic practices in the 19th century, particularly the
collecting, arrangement and display of photographs within
albums; deemed a feminine pastime, this mode of artistic
production has been widely overlooked in terms of
scholarship, with academics such as Patrizia di Bello having
recently opened up this area of study. A Sussex resident,
Brassey's core collections of artefacts largely occupy
Hastings & Bexhill Museums. This project will focus on the
significant body of photographic material that remains in
Sussex at Hastings Library and The Keep Archives, whereas
many of her albums are now kept in the US. Further to our
understanding of one female figure, this thesis will
contribute to our knowledge of photography within the
nineteenth century, revealing networks of exchange and
collaboration, and broadening the myopic canon of
photographic history.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sarah French (Student) |
| Description | International Placement Scheme (IPS) fellowship |
| Amount | £4,470 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2020 |
| End | 05/2020 |
| Description | Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A blog post to introduce my research project and share my public engagement activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020,2021 |
| URL | https://doingsofthesunbeam.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Interview (Research News, University of Sussex) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An interview about my research on Annie Brassey (1839-1887) by Jacqui Bealing, University of Sussex, for the University of Sussex website and internal communications, with photographs taken at Hastings Museum by Stuart Robinson (Sussex). This was part of a series to share ongoing research projects at the University. The article 'On the Trail of Annie Brassey' was published on 14 October 2019 [http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/49933]. It was shared widely on multiple internal newsletters and publicly on social media channels. The article is currently a top hit for the search term 'Annie Brassey' on Google and other search engines (UK). I have received 5+ additional research enquiries as a direct result of this. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/49933 |
| Description | Online Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An online photography exhibition, 'Doings of the Sunbeam: Photographs of a Victorian Voyage' as part of the Brighton Photo Fringe festival, October 2020. This was an exhibition to share my ongoing research of Annie Brassey's participation with photography in the 1870s and 1880s. It was held online due to the impact of Covid-19. It was promoted widely as part of the established festival programme, including being featured as a festival highlight in Amateur Photographer magazine. [https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/photo-fringe-2020-is-open-dont-miss-these-highlights-141327]. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://2020.photofringe.org/exhibitions/doings-of-the-sunbeam-photographs-of-a-victorian-voyage |
| Description | Presentation (Art History PhD seminar, University of Sussex) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A paper presented as part of the Art History PhD seminar series, University of Sussex, 17 February 2021, online via Zoom. My paper was titled 'The Social Life of Photographs: A Portrait of the Sultan Abu Bakar and the Brassey Family, 1887.' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation (Association for Art History, Summer Symposium) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Paper presented as part of the annual two-day Summer Symposium for the Association for Art History, St Andrews University, 3-4 June 2019. The event was on the theme of photography and printed matter. My paper was titled 'Speeding towards the Eternal City: Annie Brassey's travel diary of 1883, and other works on paper.' This paper is recorded and available on my blog at: https://doingsofthesunbeam.wordpress.com/2019/07/31/speeding-towards-the-eternal-city/. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://forarthistory.org.uk/our-work/case-study/summer-symposium/ |
| Description | Presentation (Society for the History of Collecting) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Paper presented at an event for the Society for the History of Collecting, as part of a seminar series on diversifying the history of collecting. Online via Zoom, 1 December 2020. My paper was entitled 'Annie Brassey (1839-1887): contextualising a female Victorian Collector for the 21st Century.' This event has led to discussions on the theme of women collectors and nineteenth-century Japan with other doctoral students in the UK and a professor USA. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://societyhistorycollecting.org/news-and-events/shc-series-the-role-of-women-in-the-history-of-... |