Join the Raclin Murphy Museum in welcoming Edwin Davison, Irish archivist and photography conservator, who is a leading expert on the work of Father Francis Browne, S.J., the subject of the fall exhibition Through the Lens of Father Francis Brown, S.J.: Photographic Adventures of an Irish Priest.
Davison will tell the story of how Father Browne's 42,000 photographic negatives were forgotten for decades after the photographer’s death. When discovered in the Jesuit Province Archives in Dublin, they were deteriorating badly. In 1988, David Davison, a leading photographic technician in Ireland, undertook the project to conserve the photographs, assisted by his son Edwin. Subsequently, Edwin Davison catalogued the material and became caretaker of Father Browne’s photographic oeuvre. He will share his memories of the dramatic rediscovery, and his unfolding knowledge of these historical images. He will also discuss his thoughts about sharing these images with an American audience, their inclusion in the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art exhibition, and the Museum’s permanent collection of photographs by Father Browne, the largest holding in the United States.
Before the lecture in the Atrium, we encourage you to explore Father Browne’s work on view in the Temporary Exhibition Galleries on Level 2. The exhibition will remain open until the lecture begins.
This event is co-sponsored by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies.
Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.