OXNARD — Beginning May 9, 2023, the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) will be presenting its latest exhibition, PORT/TRAIT, in its Brenda and Gary Farr Gallery.
From the inception of photography in the early 1840s, cameras captured the international migrations of sailors around the world. The invention of photography can be credited to Louis Daguerre, a French inventor and artist who first introduced the concept to the French Academy of Sciences in 1839. That same year, the American inventor Robert Cornelius produced what’s considered the first photographic self-portrait. Their creation of portrait photography generated a multitude of encounters between sailors and photographers, capturing their lives at sea for global audiences.
PORT/TRAIT features a beautiful collection of never-before-seen daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cabinet cards, stereographs, and carte de visite. It also includes a unique collection of embroidered sailor and maritime-themed portraits.
There will also be an evening reception for PORT/TRAIT on May 23 from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm. The evening will feature rare photographs, antique cameras, a talk with tintype artist Michael Chylinski, a photo booth, and refreshments. Tickets for the reception are $5.00 for members, $10 for non-members, and
$5.00 for seniors. Tickets are available through the Museum website at cimmvc.org.
About CIMM: Founded in 1991 and located in Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor, the Museum’s galleries feature rare and beautiful maritime paintings dating back to the 1600s, more than sixty world-class models of historic ships, rotating thematic fine arts exhibitions, and interactive exhibits that encourage
visitors to expand their horizons about everything maritime. The Museum is currently open Thursday-Monday from 12 pm to 4 pm. www.cimmvc.org