Contemporary Photo Story relating to History

A couple of weeks ago we were set a task ( to complete within one week ) to capture a contemporary photo story relating to history by visiting either a museum or building and investigating a story that emerges from that landmark. We were asked to obtain 10 photographs to capture and reveal the story and also display 10 images of research and present within a Pecha Kucha (which is Chinese for a 20 slide-20 second each slide Power point presentation) to the rest of the 2nd year group.

I decided to go and take pictures of Rugby School and was guided around the grounds and surrounding areas of interest in the company of Margaret Bolton who is one of the Matron's at the School.

Below is the set up I used for my Pecha Kucha

1. Modern Print of William Webb Ellis Portrait with Rugby School background

http://www.rugbyrelics.com/rugby-prints.htm

My establishing slide was to introduce the importance that William Webb Ellis is to Rugby School and in regards to the game of Rugby itself.

"The most popular belief is that Rugby was first born in 1823 when William Webb Ellis who played in his time at Rugby school, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, this then originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game".

http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm

2. Painting of Rugby school 1859, note the number of players (Credit: Rugby School)

http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm

This painting details that the rules of Rugby still hadn't been finalised due to the excessive amount of boys playing a game of Rugby at one time. . . . . . "Wouldn't like to be in the middle of that stampede!"

3. Rugby School around the 1950's

http://www.oldukphotos.com/warwickshire-rugby.htm

I found an old photograph of Rugby school from what is believed to have been taking during the 1950's . I used this slide to show the change to the surrounding of the School over time.

4. Picture taken from similar angle (Oct. 2006)

http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm

Again this is a further picture taken from a very similar angle of view 56 years later in 2006. I again included this photograph to show the changes to the surrounding of the School over time.

5.My Photograph of Rugby School on 27th September 2010

This is my establishing photograph. I again wanted to capture the school from a very similar viewpoint to the other photograph's founded from the internet to again show any major differences that have happened since the painting drawn in 1859. The school has not been modernised therefore it is standing in its original form since it was built in the 1800's, this is evident on all three photographs. I decided to take my shot whilst the pupils of the school were walking from and to their next lesson, to personalise that the building is actually still to this day used as a fully operational Private Boarding School.

A used a Vignette detail within Lightroom to guide the viewers eye to the main topic of focus being Rugby School and the Rugby goalpost

6. Dr Thomas Hughes, from an 1893 edition of The Law Gazette

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Arnold

I used this slide to show the portrait of Dr Thomas Hughes who was the Headmaster of Rugby school at the time William Webb Ellis first ran with the ball during a game of football. He was a great educator and historian and introduced new reforms to the School.

7. The Chapel at Rugby School - est late 1800's

http://mosomoso.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/rugby-chapel/

This is a drawing of the inside of the Chapel in the late 1800's. The Chapel is evident in the painting and all the photographs to the left hand side of Rugby School. I included this due to the importance that the School was religious in their actions to participate in morning mass before or even during the School day.

8.My Photograph - Between the Pews in the Chapel

9.My Photograph - History written on Chapel Walls

Both plaques are dedicated to the lives of a famous novelist and poet. To the left is the plaque of Lewis Carroll which reads;

In Memory of Charles Lutwide Dodgson

"Lewis Carroll"

Author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Born 27th January 1832. He entered Rugby School under Dr Tait in 1846 and afterwards lived and taught at Christ Church Oxford, Till his death on 14h January 1898

To the right is the plaque of Rupert Brook, a great English poet who used to live just across the road from Rugby School

10. Tom Browns SchoolDays , by Thomas Hughes , First published in 1857 . Caption reads : Toms visit to the tomb of Dr Arnold . Illustrations by Arthur Hughes 1832 1915 and Sydney Prior Hall 1842 1922 . The school is Rugby School , an English public ( private boarding ) school . English lawyer and author , 20 October 1822 – 22 March 1896

http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=2284326

11.My Photograph - Tomb of Dr Thomas Hughes and Arthur Stanley, both principles of Rugby School

12.My Photograph - The Chapel 2010 awaiting HARVEST sermon

13.MY Photograph - Corridor before entering the CHAPEL

14. Film Still of Tom Brown School Days 1951

http://www.vo2ov.com/Tom-Brown-s-Schooldays-1951-_632615.html

15. Nostalgic: the 1950 film version of Tom Brown's School days Photo: KOBAL COLLECTION

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/7789823/Ripping-yarns-for-the-Dave-and-Nick-era.html

16.My Photograph - Within Rugby School Grounds

17.My Photograph - Original Rugby School

18.My Photograph - Middle Square corridor leading to the classroom where Tom Brown was disciplined

19. Statue of Thomas Hughes at Rugby School- author of Tom Brown School days

http://www.answers.com/topic/thomas-hughes

20.My Photograph - Statue of Thomas Hughes

Within my conclusion shot I planned to capture the still statue in the background with the busyness of today's pupils that are walking around the grounds to symbolize that these pupils are already writing their own history

The above two photographs were not included in my Pecha Kucha. I really liked the way in which the light was falling on the pews giving a very atmospheric and moody feel. I did not add them as they didn't play a strong enough value to my picture story of Rugby School.