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94 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. LFEBRUARY 6, 1885. McLeish (river scenery), Mr. P. M. Laws (landscapes and studies), Mr. Sawyer (large heads finished in colours and monochrome), Mr. Bacon (large direct portraits and enlargements), the Autotype Company (some very fine carbon work), and contributions from Messrs. Mawson and Swan, J. Pike, and others ; graphoscope album and stereoscopic slides from Mr. Garland and Mr. Auty; and from Mr. Downey a large French stereoscope, with some fine glass stereo slides. Dr. Berwick exhibited in this department his apparatus for taking micro-photographs, personally giving demonstrations of this interesting work to numerous groups of visitors. The specimens shown, both negatives and prints, were much admired. The Glossop Dale Photographic Society. The large room of the Glossop Town Hall presented a very brilliant scene on Tuesday evening, the 27th ult., on the occa sion of the first Annual Soiree and Exhibition of the Glossop Dale Photograph Society. The Society, though of very modest proportions so far as the number of members is concerned, prosecutes its aims with much earnestness, and those practically acquainted with it manifest an enthusiasm and love for the art which is highly commendable, and we think it may be asserted, without fear of contradiction, that of the numerous visitors who patronized the Soiree few, if any, anticipated the treat in store for them. The Society was established in November, 1883, and that it has a legitimate claim to existence was abun dantly manifest by the numerous and creditable productions of the camera at the hands of its members presented to public view on the 27th ult. The object of the exhibition was to make the public acquainted with the character of the Society and its operations, as well as with the advances made in the photographic art generally; and the spirit the members put forth in attaining this end resulted in a collection of pictures and photographic appliances of rare excellence, both as regards variety, number, and artistic worth. The pictures were placed on screens of maroon cloth round three sides of the room, and also upon an improvised screen in the centre, while in addition there were stands containing specimens of cameras, stereo scopes, transparencies, albums, &c. The room in addition was beautifully decorated. The floor was covered with crimson cloth, the windows draped with similar material and lace cur tains, and flags were arranged in trophy fashion at intervals on the walls, while the platform was adorned with a number of exotic and other plants kindly lent by Messrs. W. E. Rowcliffe and R. G. Hawke, members of the Society. The room thus formed an admirable lounge. The opening ceremony took pace at 19.45, when there was a large and fashionable company present. The President (Captain Partingdon) then delivered the follow ing address on the subject of Photography. The word photography is derived from Greek words signifying to delineate by light. In point of fact, it is neither to the light nor to the heat of the solar rays we are indebted for the beautiful results of photography, but to a principle existing in combination with the light and heat of the sun, to which has been applied the name of actinism—a term also taken from a Greek word for a sunbeam, and signifying the influence of the sun’s rays without involving the assumption of any theory on the subject. To illus trate the composition and coloured refraction of the sun’s rays, suppose a beam of solar light is admitted into a darkened room through an aperture, and that it is made to pass through a glass prism instead of being refracted as a whole and appearing still as white-light, which it does when the refracting surfaces are parallel, it is lengthened out and exhibits the well-known solar spectrum, which is commonly divided into what are termed the seven prismatic colours, blue, yellow, red, with the compound colours of orange, green, violet, and indigo. The order of succession is invariable ; thus the red ray deviates least from the direct path, and the violet ray the most. Hence, the violet end of the spectrum is the most refrangible, and the red the least refrangible. The chemical power is found chiefly in the violet rays, and it is this chemical property that is taken advantage of in influencing photographic impressions. Scheele was the first to show that the rays of the sun were able to effect chemical changes, more especially on silver salts. He was followed by others, viz., Senabier, Count Rumford, and Ritter, who was the first to notice that certain solar beams not possessing luminosity, but having a remarkable effect in inducing chemical metamorphoses, existed in sunlight. Little, however, was done regarding photography, until Thomas, youngest son of Josiah Wedgewood, in 1802, published his method of producing sun pictures by coating white paper or enamelled leather with a solution of nitrate of silver, and exposing the coated surface to sunlight under a painting on glass. However, he did not succeed in fixing the impressions, although assisted by Sir Humphrey Davey. Nicephore Niepce, a native of France, was the first who succeeded in fixing the image in the camera obscura, and if we take photography to mean not simply the superposing of an object upon a sensitive sheet, and allowing the sun’s rays to print the outline of that object, but rather the reflecting of any image in nature in the camera and fixing it after the image has passed away, then Niepce was certainly the first photographer. It was as early as 1816 that Nicephore Niepce first produced a veritable photograph in the camera ; but, in this instance, the lights and shadows were inverted, viz., the whites in the original object were depicted in black in the picture, and vice versa. Niepce seems to have devoted a deal of time and attention to this matter, for we find that in 1823, seven years after he produced his first photograph, he had succeeded in producing a really permanent impression. This was done by means of an asphaltum, termed “ bitumen of Judea,” which is soluble in certain oils m its normal condition, but becomes insoluble after exposure to the action of light. A metal plate covered with this bitumen and exposed in a camera forms an image on the surface of the bitumen, which, after washing over with oil, leaves that part undissolved where the impression exists. Several specimens of these photographs are still extant in the British Museum and the Louvre. It was not until after this date that Daguerre appears to have made photography his study. The two investigators were made known to each other by a relative of Niepce showing a bitumen picture to Prof. Chevalier, of Paris, who remarked that Daguerre had been making experiments with the camera, but apparently with little success. Daguerre was a painter of some eminence, and director of the Diorama of Paris. Niepce and Daguerre worked together and greatly developed the process, hence the term Daguerreotype ; but to Niepce the honour of discovering photography seems to have been given. In England, the sub ject was first pursued by Henry Fox Talbot. His first experi ments were begun in 1834, with a view of rendering permanent the image produced in the camera on the paper parchment by the sun. A paper was read by him to the Royal Society, in 1839, on a process by which natural objects may be made to delineate themselves without the aid of the artist’s pencil. This mode of photography was termed the Talbotype process. Talbot seems also to have discovered that pyrogallic acid greatly improved prepared paper to receive impression by exposure, and developed the effect of the sun’s rays. Many substances have been used for the basis of the picture. Glass seems to have been largely used, and when coated with albumen or gelatine has many suitable qualities for receiving and retaining good impressions. Prepared paper covered with a suitable film, and other substances, now form the bases and media in practical photography. This is a short history of the introduction and development of this art, which has become an important, useful, and interesting branch of business. Photographic portraits have an interest and charm for most people ; we see this in our public streets, where specimens are exhibited. In our homes, where our albums are generallay placed in conspicuous places tor friends to inspect and admire, or otherwise criticise, we notice the gentler sex very beautiful to look at, and exceedingly charming, yet how much more attractive we should think them if proportionately good and considerate! In the sterner sex we have less of the fine symmetry and delicate facial expression and form, but yet much to interest us. This is exemplified in the photos, of our leading persons in all branches of business or professions. By means of photography we know great and leading persons, without ever seeing them in th e substance ; we get ideas of what they are like which we could never dream to get in any other way. By photo graphy we are able to see at little cost specimens of the loevliest spots on earth, and choicest views of the grandest piles of archi tecture in the world, sights that forty years ago the greatest traveller could not relate or impart with the same vividness as we see them now. Photography will also remind us of the constant change that takes place in ourselves if only we at times have our likenesses taken, and compare one with the other. Photography, I have no doubt, has an elevating influence on the moral tone of the people by showing the beautiful and grand with less of the hideous than really exists. We have also more of the choice character of persons put before us than we have of the opposite, and so with the scenery of the country. Photography also aids us to remember those we wish to keep in memory, provided they