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• Issue #238
• Article

By Alex Novak

Julian Wolff

Long-time daguerreotype collector and private dealer Julian Wolff passed away this past October 7th at the age of 92. Unfortunately I was unaware of his death until recently. I met Julian back in the mid-1980s, at some of the smaller photo venues in NYC, and I valued his friendship. He exhibited at the Daguerreian Society's 2016 19th-century Show that I chaired.

As Jeremy Rowe, president of the Daguerreian Society noted, "Julian was a passionate collector and long-time mentor to almost everyone who collected daguerreotypes over the last 50 years. Julian always had a smile on his face, and was incredibly open about sharing information, his collection, and life experiences."

Wolff was an industrial arts teacher and a talented glass and ceramic artist and member of the Long Island Craft Guild. He taught ceramics, woodworking, jewelry and photography in the NYC school system for over 35 years.

The Daguerreian Society has named a new publications fund after Wolff. The Julian Wolff Publications Fund will support Daguerreian Society efforts to encourage and recognize publications by young collectors, scholars and professionals in the field of 19th-century photographic history. The funds will be used to extend previous successful efforts to offer competitive awards and recognition to encourage submissions, and support editorial and publication costs for obtaining illustrations and other related publication expenses. Donations are tax deductible. Contact: Diane Filippi, The Daguerreian Society,
PO Box #306
, Cecil, PA 15321-0306; email: diane_dagsoc@comcast.net.

Novak has over 49 years experience in the photography-collecting arena. He is a long-time member and formerly board member of the Daguerreian Society, and, when it was still functioning, he was a member of the American Photographic Historical Society (APHS). He organized the 2016 19th-century Photography Show and Conference for the Daguerreian Society in NYC. He is also a long-time member of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers, or AIPAD. Novak has been a member of the board of the nonprofit Photo Review, which publishes both the Photo Review and the Photograph Collector, and is currently on the Photo Review's advisory board. He was a founding member of the Getty Museum Photography Council. He is author of French 19th-Century Master Photographers: Life into Art.

Novak has published numerous photography articles and columns in several newspapers, including the Photograph Collector, Focus magazine and the Daguerreian Society Newsletter. He has been interviewed extensively on the photography art market by the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Classic magazine, Maine Antique Digest, the Art Newspaper, Art News, Art Business News, Focus magazine, PDN, Black & White magazine, Photographie Internationale, Antiques & the Arts Online, Art Critical and the Photograph Collector newsletter, as well as by many other publications, television programs and websites, both in the USA and in France. He was quoted extensively in the book, "Collectingphotography" by Gerry Badger. He has spoken at numerous photography events and programs.

He writes and publishes the E-Photo Newsletter, the largest circulation newsletter in the field. Novak is also president and owner of Contemporary Works/Vintage Works, a private photography dealer, which sells by appointment and has sold at exhibit shows, such as AIPAD New York and Miami, Art Chicago, Classic Photography LA, Photo LA, Paris Photo, The 19th-century Photography Show, Art Miami, the Daguerreian Society, etc.