Peter Brearley DFC LLB

Before Google Earth: Prof J.K.S. St Joseph and the development of aerial photography

Fri 12 March 2021

online

Recent developments in drone technology have made aerial photography affordable and widely accessible. Prior to this however, it was a highly specialised and skilled branch of photography, developed in wartime and pioneered for academic study and research by Prof J.K.S. St Joseph (1912–1994), Selwyn Fellow and Professor of Aerial Photographic Studies at Cambridge from 1973 to 1980.

Join us for this richly illustrated presentation about St Joseph’s work and legacy, the creation of the Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography – CUCAP. This remarkable archive of almost half a million images records coastal change, discoveries of archaeological sites and the pre-and post-industrial landscapes of Britain.

The lecture and Q&A will be hosted by Dr Jessica Gardner, University Librarian and Fellow of Selwyn College, with contributions by Professor Tom Spencer, Professor of Coastal Dynamics; Professor Martin Millett, Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology; Dr Robert Bewley, Aerial Archaeologist; and Huw Jones, Cambridge Digital Library.

Cost: FREE