As part of our Through the Lens lecture series, noted photography collector and historian William Fagan will explore the pivotal role of French photographers and techniques in shaping the early photographic landscape in Ireland. Unlike in England, the Daguerreotype process, considered ‘The French Gift to the World,’ could be practiced freely in Ireland, which led to French artists and practitioners like Le Chevalier Doussin Dubreuil and Edgar Adolphe establishing themselves in Dublin. Fagan will also highlight the impact of Louis Werner, an Alsatian photographer and painter and his son Alfred, and the Lauder family, who adopted the French title ’Lafayette’ and flourished in the Irish photography scene and outside of Ireland. This lecture will offer a fascinating look at the international connections and artistic exchanges that defined 19th Century Irish photography.

William Fagan, Chairperson, Photo Museum Ireland

Speaker Biography:
William Fagan is a retired public servant, photographer, and photographic historian with a diverse career. He served in various government departments, and played a key role in establishing the Office of the Ombudsman in 1987. He later became Director of Consumer Affairs for eight years. In 1998, he moved to the private sector as Director of Regulatory Affairs and Communications at Chorus Communications, now Virgin Media, where he helped to introduce broadband and digital TV in Ireland. William also worked with the Qatari government, establishing a telecoms regulator that liberalized Qatar’s telecom market. An accomplished writer on photography, William is researching Ireland’s photographic history from 1840 onwards. He joined the board of Photo Museum Ireland in 2019 and became Chair in 2022. He is also a member of several photographic societies, including Dublin Camera Club, the Royal Photographic Society and the Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain. He is currently Executive Vice President of Leica Society International which has 3,000 members in 74 different countries.