About

People and Props in Photography, 1840s-1940s is curated by Alison Braybrooks, Andie Fialkoff, Sophia Gebara, Abbe Klein, Colton Klein, and Emily Wehby, candidates in the MA in Art History in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, under the guidance of Frédérique Baumgartner, Director of the MA in Art History, and Roberto C. Ferrari, Curator of Art Properties. The website is designed by Tim Trombley with the assistance of Lisa Peck, Media Center for Art History.  

People and Props is an online companion to the exhibition Time and Face: Daguerreotypes to Digital Prints, curated by Roberto C. Ferrari, on view at the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University from December 4, 2021 to March 12, 2022. It is the fifth in the “MA in Art History Presents” series, which offer MA candidates an opportunity to curate an exhibition—in this case in an online format—based on the Columbia University art collection. Comprised of more than 13,000 works of art in all media, across multiple time periods and cultures worldwide, the collection is stewarded by Art Properties, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library. Drawing on the pedagogical potential of this extensive collection, as well as on the experience of museum and art professionals based in New York and elsewhere, “MA in Art History Presents” allows students to engage with every aspect of the making of an exhibition, from researching to selecting and interpreting objects. In doing so, it contributes to the knowledge and visibility of the Columbia art collection.

Installation shot of Time and Face: Daguerreotypes to Digital Prints showing works by Mike Disfarmer (top left) and Manuel Álvarez Bravo (right) also featured in People and Props in Photography, 1840s-1940s.

The curators of People and Props in Photography, 1840s-1940s wish to thank all the people at Columbia and beyond who have shared their expertise and lent their assistance with the conception and realization of this online exhibition, including: Hannah Bennett and Margaret Smithglass, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library; Eric J. Reisenger and Lillian Vargas, Art Properties; Betti-Sue Hertz and Jennifer Mock, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery; Lisa Peck, Tim Trombley and Stefaan Van Liefferinge, Media Center for Art History, Columbia University; Gail Albert Halaban, Artist; Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography, Harvard Art Museums; Russell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, New Orleans Museum of Art; Peter Mustardo, co-founder, The Better Image; and Prudence Peiffer, Managing Editor, Creative Team, Museum of Modern Art, New York.