A History of Photography
October 2012 – January 2014
‘Convergence of the Glaciers Bossons and Taconal, Mont Blanc’, Bisson Frères (Louis-Auguste Bisson 1814–76 & Auguste-Rosalie Bisson 1826 - 1900), 1859, albumen print. Museum no. 794-1918
Free admission
In 1852, the V&A became the first museum to collect photographs and in 1858, the first to hold a photography exhibition. The Photographs Gallery draws upon the V&A’s internationally renowned collection and chronicles the history of photography from the 1840s up to the 1970s. It showcases some of the most technically brilliant and artistically accomplished photographs in the history of the medium. This re-hang of the permanent display shows works by key figures of photographic history including a selection of Eugène Atget’s views of ‘Old Paris’ and significant works by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz, Irving Penn and Bernd and Hilla Becher.
About displays
Complementing our permanent collections, there are many free temporary displays around the V&A. They range in size from a single case to a room.
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
MoreShop online
Coming into Fashion: A Century of Photography at Condé Nast
Fashion photography is said to have begun with the distinguished American photographer Edward Steichen in 1911, and in the more than hundred years sin…
Buy nowEvent - Architectural Photography Masterclass
Sat 15 June 2013 10:30
2 DAY DIGITAL WORKSHOP: Learn how to best photograph architecture and our built environment.
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