Author Topic: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!  (Read 98889 times)

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Offline lilianna

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Offline Janet Ashton

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #106 on: March 06, 2014, 03:01:06 AM »
http://tvkultura.ru/article/show/article_id/71102

Indeed - she is handling photographic plates, which DO require gloves. But the exmaples "bongo" posted concern paper, which is treated differently.
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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #107 on: March 06, 2014, 08:37:49 AM »
I've seen this behaviour before with archivists. I know the psychology. They see themselves as custodians of these materials, but in doing so they become very proprietorial and begin to see the materials as "theirs", and even identify with the original writers as their friends and family.

This is probably what saved this "bourgeois-imperialist" material from getting binned by the Soviets.
Берёзы севера мне милы,—
Их грустный, опущённый вид,
Как речь безмолвная могилы,
Горячку сердца холодит.

(Афанасий Фет: «Ивы и берёзы», 1843 / 1856)

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #108 on: March 23, 2014, 11:47:41 AM »
I fear I may die of old age waiting for this book to come out so we can see the photos. Are they illuminating them by hand?

Offline lilianna

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I saw this book! It's big. But in this book will Lukomskogo photo at the end and not very large.

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #110 on: March 23, 2014, 01:26:00 PM »
liliana

This thread is NOT FOR POSTING PHOTOS OF THE PALACE AS IT IS TODAY.  This thread is ONLY to discuss the Autochromes of the Alexander Palace. 

Thank you

FA

bongo

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #111 on: March 30, 2014, 05:10:38 AM »
The book is out! Or at least a book that features the photos. Does anyone know how/where to purchase this online?

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/ImperialRussian/blog/index.blog/1453800/new-catalogue-of-tsarskoye-selo-photograph-collection/

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #112 on: April 18, 2014, 01:05:59 AM »
Even though the photos have been published in a book that's been out for weeks, still no sighting of them.

If someone has the book, can they please scan it.

It's utterly idiotic and selfish the way the current Palace management is handling this.

They clearly have zero sense of public relations, good business management, or building public goodwill.

When the photos were generously purchased for them you would think they would have gone out of their way to share them with the widest public possible as fast as possible -- to not only share the happiness, but the wider story of the reclamation of their archives, and thereby encourage further donations.

Instead, they've done the exact opposite: hoarding them, treating them like their own precious little state secrets, publishing the book of the photographic archives in a ridiculous edition of just 70 copies, and refusing to sell the book online: one is expected to get on a plane to Russia and trudge out to Pushkin.

What? They're going to reveal them in a popular cheaper edition. Well, whoopee do. It's been an age since the original acquisition, and the heat has long gone out of the story. Another opportunity missed.

There are absolutely NO excuses for this: sharing images online, creating video and press releases, setting up an e-shop costs almost nothing these days. You just need to be motivated and have a commitment to the public.

Instead, they're content to sit on their fat arses and just expect visits and goodwill and donations to roll in.

You only have to look at the way Yale shares all its Romanov albums online. You want the photos? Here they are! And you can zoom in and enjoy them however you want. In other words, they understand these photos aren't just for Yale students and researchers. As pure history, they belong everyone! Everyone in the entire world. And that's how it should be. Another example is British Pathé: they've uploaded their entire 85,000 film archive to YouTube.

No wonder people are rightly sharing GARF images. They're doing the work GARF should be doing!!!!

As far as I'm concerned: f--- 'em all.  They won't be getting a donated cent out of me. Certainly not until the current management is removed and proper outward-focused business-minded administrators are installed who put the public first rather than last.

For a museum administrator your public should be EVERYTHING. If you're not making your conversation and interaction with them your primary concern (and these days that should be on a daily basis online), who is your museum for? Oh we get it: just you. So you can play housey there with all your admin co-workers. With the public just a necessary dumb inconvenience. That's the prevailing paradigm. And if you think it isn't, why do the actions reflect it?

Yes, I'm pissed off. And deserve to be. It's pathetic and shameful.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2014, 01:35:46 AM by bongo »

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #113 on: April 18, 2014, 07:18:04 AM »
Even though the photos have been published in a book that's been out for weeks, still no sighting of them.

If someone has the book, can they please scan it.

That's illegal.
THE LOST CROWN: A Novel of Romanov Russia -- now in paperback!
"A dramatic, powerful narrative and a masterful grasp of life in this vanished world." ~Greg King

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #114 on: April 18, 2014, 10:06:30 AM »
Even though the photos have been published in a book that's been out for weeks, still no sighting of them.

If someone has the book, can they please scan it.

It's utterly idiotic and selfish the way the current Palace management is handling this.

They clearly have zero sense of public relations, good business management, or building public goodwill.

When the photos were generously purchased for them you would think they would have gone out of their way to share them with the widest public possible as fast as possible -- to not only share the happiness, but the wider story of the reclamation of their archives, and thereby encourage further donations.

Instead, they've done the exact opposite: hoarding them, treating them like their own precious little state secrets, publishing the book of the photographic archives in a ridiculous edition of just 70 copies, and refusing to sell the book online: one is expected to get on a plane to Russia and trudge out to Pushkin.

What? They're going to reveal them in a popular cheaper edition. Well, whoopee do. It's been an age since the original acquisition, and the heat has long gone out of the story. Another opportunity missed.

There are absolutely NO excuses for this: sharing images online, creating video and press releases, setting up an e-shop costs almost nothing these days. You just need to be motivated and have a commitment to the public.

Instead, they're content to sit on their fat arses and just expect visits and goodwill and donations to roll in.

You only have to look at the way Yale shares all its Romanov albums online. You want the photos? Here they are! And you can zoom in and enjoy them however you want. In other words, they understand these photos aren't just for Yale students and researchers. As pure history, they belong everyone! Everyone in the entire world. And that's how it should be. Another example is British Pathé: they've uploaded their entire 85,000 film archive to YouTube.

No wonder people are rightly sharing GARF images. They're doing the work GARF should be doing!!!!

As far as I'm concerned: f--- 'em all.  They won't be getting a donated cent out of me. Certainly not until the current management is removed and proper outward-focused business-minded administrators are installed who put the public first rather than last.

For a museum administrator your public should be EVERYTHING. If you're not making your conversation and interaction with them your primary concern (and these days that should be on a daily basis online), who is your museum for? Oh we get it: just you. So you can play housey there with all your admin co-workers. With the public just a necessary dumb inconvenience. That's the prevailing paradigm. And if you think it isn't, why do the actions reflect it?

Yes, I'm pissed off. And deserve to be. It's pathetic and shameful.

What is pathetic and shameful is your jumping to unsupported and rash conclusions!  How dare you speak of the curators of the State Museum of Tsarskoye Selo in such a disgusting and disrespectful manner!  IF you had been paying attention (which obviously you were not) you might have known that the Museum was so grateful to Bob's assistance in getting the Autochromes back that they gave Bob a full set of scans, High Resolution, for him to put up on the Alexander Palace Time Machine site FREE OF CHARGE to view, although reproduction and publicly re posting elsewhere will not be permitted.

It is NEVER "ok" for any reason to use photographs from a book without permission on the web. Ever.  We will never permit that here.  How dare you think that the Museum staff can just "churn" out books at your whim and pleasure?  This was a scholarly work, that took a long time.  First the plates were tied up in Russian customs for months.  Then they had to be examined, cleaned, preserved, copied digitally and then each one had to be researched and documented.  THEN Viktoria Plaude had to write the thing.  THEN they had to pay to have them published.  These things are not inexpensive mind you.

You have no idea how obnoxious such words are, and how utterly you have unwittingly insulted an entire staff of hard working, under paid, devoted, kind and generous people.

Are you also aware that the Research staff of the Museum uses our website and this forum for research and they READ these posts?  I should hope you will apologize.

Yes, I'm angry.

FA

« Last Edit: April 18, 2014, 10:30:18 AM by Forum Admin »

Offline Ortino

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #115 on: April 18, 2014, 02:44:06 PM »
FA, I very much agree with your response. I think such a tirade was uncalled for. However, there is one point that bongo mentioned that I don't quite understand myself--why don't they sell the book online or make it more accessible to customers? I realize that the print run is very small, but I, among others on this forum, would love to acquire it. Perhaps I am wrong, but I can't imagine that the majority of tourists that visit the CP would be interested in purchasing it.....

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #116 on: April 18, 2014, 03:04:47 PM »
It has something to do with the Russian banking system and their inability to accept credit cards online and paypal won't allow Russian customers.  This isn't a commercial business, and frankly Russian museums are not capable of such sales and marketing things as their Western counterparts. Even getting cash donations to them from outside Russia is not an easy process and is in fact almost impossible.  It took a lot of effort just to get them the funds to purchase the Autochromes in the first place.

We ourselves are puzzled at the very low print run.  I know the books are expensive to print and think perhaps their budget for publications this year was limited and they weren't anticipating having to publish these images when the budget was created some time ago.

We must stop trying to assume that just because something can happen in the US or UK easily, that it can happen just as easily in Russia.

Offline BobG

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #117 on: April 19, 2014, 10:37:11 AM »
The Hermitage shop has a very active and workable online store.  I think the various museums have "territorial" issues that prevent them from sharing resources that would make them all more successful.  It is a shame that an exciting volume like this is so limited and you would think that in light of them trying to set up "Society of Friends of Tsarskoye Selo" this would be an ideal way to begin getting members to contribute and participate.  I think they have lost a tremendous opportunity for support.  In light of the generous gift by Mike Pyles, and Bob refusing to accept them for the Forum,
the museum should feel a responsibility to share them more widely.  While I don't agree with all that Bongo said, I feel his frustration and disappointment.

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #118 on: April 19, 2014, 10:51:45 AM »
Wait. What??

Why do you think they gave Bob the entire set as HR scans so he can build the web page to enable anyone to see them at any time for free?

Why isn't that good enough for people?

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Re: Rare Color Photos of the AP Interiors from 1917 RETURN to the Palace!
« Reply #119 on: April 19, 2014, 07:58:41 PM »
In light of the generous gift by Mike Pyles, and Bob refusing to accept them for the Forum,

I'm not sure where you got this idea. My understanding has always been that the photos WILL be posted on the Palace site.
THE LOST CROWN: A Novel of Romanov Russia -- now in paperback!
"A dramatic, powerful narrative and a masterful grasp of life in this vanished world." ~Greg King