Objects – Page 2 – Bennetto Photography

09/05/201708/01/2018Education, Objects

Rare prints found at the University of Reading

Bennetto Photography William Caxton print from the 1470s

As reported by the BBC, the University has found incredibly rare printed pages by William Caxton believed to date from the 1470s. The only other pages from this book known to be in existence are eight leaves held by the British Library. I photographed Erika Delbecque, special collections librarian at the University along with the 500 year old printed pages. It’s good to see the images on the BBC!

The pages will go on public display from 10 to 30 May at the Museum of English Rural Life at the University of Reading.

BBC article
To read the full BBC article online visit: BBC: Incredibly rare William Caxton prints found

09/12/201610/01/2018Education, Nature, Objects

175 years in the making…

175 years in the making… The British inventor of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877), produced his first ‘photogenic drawings’ in 1834. Talbot created accurate images of the world, i.e. trees and leaves, through mechanical and chemical means.

Some 175 years later and here are my modern versions of Talbot’s leaf images: the leaf images were supplied by the University of Reading’s Herbarium. With thanks to Alistair Culham. I tried to capture the colour, texture and background found on Talbot’s originals but in electronic form, utilising the natural world in the backgrounds too.

The prints are displayed at the Museum of English Rural Life, Reading.

28/10/201610/01/2018Education, Objects

Huffington Post quiz: identify bizarre MERL items

The Huffington Post quiz: identify bizarre MERL items : ‘What are these historical contraptions?’ All objects are from the Museum of English Rural Life, in Reading which has just reopened after a major refurbishment.

Ten items to identify in total: my featured image is either 1. a bee inseminator, 2. carrier pigeon tattoo kit, 3. cow ear punch or 4. de-lousing kit. But I cheated and asked when I photographed the items. Of course, I asked – wouldn’t you? See the article and quiz at: Huffington Post Quiz