Linked Ring

▪ English association of photographers

in full  Brotherhood of the Linked Ring 

      association of English photographers formed in 1892 that was one of the first groups to promote the notion of photography as fine art. Henry Peach Robinson (Robinson, Henry Peach) was notable among the founding members.

      The Linked Ring held annual exhibitions from 1893 to 1909 and called these gatherings “salons,” a name they borrowed from the world of painting in an attempt to demonstrate their artistic purpose. The aesthetic approaches of the members varied, but they were all united by the desire to reject the strictly technical approach of much contemporary photography. The members of the group refused to exhibit photographs that, in their judgment, failed to further “the development of the highest form of art of which photography is capable.” They also made innovations in the display of photographs: instead of crowding photographs onto a wall from ceiling to floor, as was usually done at the time, the Linked Ring photographers displayed their work at eye level.

      In order to spread their views on photography, the Linked Ring admitted to their association respected international photographers such as Edward Steichen (Steichen, Edward), Alfred Stieglitz (Stieglitz, Alfred), Gertrude Käsebier (Käsebier, Gertrude), and Clarence H. White. Many of these artists went on to form the Photo-Secession, which promulgated similar ideas in the United States.

Additional Reading

Margaret Harker, The Linked Ring: The Secession Movement in Photography in Britain, 1892–1910 (1979).

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