Swann Galleries Launches “Photophilia” Blog for Lovers of Photography
New York—Swann Galleries, an auction house that specializes photographs and other works on paper, has launched a social media project that reaches out to the global photography community of collectors, curators, dealers, critics, photographers and enthusiasts. The new blog, called Photophilia, is hosted on tumblr and offers a fully interactive platform for sharing your favorite photos. Swann defines Photophilia as an obsession, a love, a desire for photographs.
“Colleagues and customers are always engaging us in conversations about photography,” said Swann Photographs Senior Specialist Deborah Rogal, “and, often their first question is ‘what is your favorite image in this sale?’ So, we had the idea of opening that conversation up to a wider audience. We hope it will create new ways of experiencing, viewing and discussing photography.”
The blog, swann-photophilia.tumblr.com, is a moderated page where anyone can submit their favorite photograph, along with a few lines of text explaining why they love it. A tumblr account is not required, just an email address and first name.
More than 25 users have posted their beloved images so far, with works by well-known photographers such as Herb Ritts, Alfred Stieglitz, and Irving Penn; vernacular works, including a snapshot of one participant’s grandfather; and evocative examples of photojournalism.
“So far, the entries have made it clear how intrinsic photography is to everyday life,” said Rogal, “and how much the medium reveals about the way we live and love.”
For those unfamiliar with web publishing tools, Swann offers a more old-fashioned way to take part in the project. They have produced a limited-edition series of postcards with sample images that come in sets of five and are accompanied by a response card with room for a description of a favorite photograph.
For more information on this project, or to request a set of the destined to be collector’s item postcards, please email photophilia@swanngalleries.com. More information on the project, including images of the April 15 launch party, is available on the Swann Galleries blog: swanngalleriesinc.blogspot.com. When you’re ready to post your own image, go to swann-photophilia.tumblr.com.
First image: The first series of postcards created for Photophilia.
Second image: Actual Photophilia entry about a Todd Hido image.
