The exhibition Surrounded by the View: Panoramic Photographs from the Kelsey Museum Archives will open on January 14, 2000. The show is curated by Robin Meador-Woodruff.
In 1919 and 1920, photographer George R. Swain accompanied Francis Kelsey on an expedition that circled through Europe and the Mediterranean area to document sites of interest to classical history scholars, as well as to identify potential sites for future excavations. Among Swain's photographic equipment was a Cirkut camera, one of the earliest rotation cameras manufactured for commercial use.
With this camera, Swain produced a series of magnificent panoramic views of many of the sites he and Kelsey visited. The photographs were apparently never formally displayed, nor were many, if any, of them published--an oversight that will be remedied in part by this exhibition.
This unique portion of the Museum's photographic archives will be accompanied by a brief introduction to the cameras available to Swain at the time. In addition to his photographic activities, Swain was an avid diarist, and illuminating comments drawn from his journals will make these vistas come alive for visitors to the galleries. We look forward to introducing you to Mr. Swain's amazing photographs.
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