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232 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. LAPRIL 10, 1885. Besides these applications of platinotype, there is another to which I may call attention, and that is printing on textile fabrics, which may be turned to good account. See specimen on screen. The small landscapes are by Mr. Herbert Berkeley ; they will show you to what perfection platinotype work has been carried. The larger views, together with copies of oil paintings, &c., are my own. Jotes. Details as to the arrangements for the Photographic Exhibition at Oporto will be found in another column, Mr. Hadley’s “ At the Wheel,” which our readers will remember as having been issued with the News in Decem ber last, having been rather freely criticised by Mr. A. B. Stewart (see p. 181), we would suggest that Mr. Stewart should now add emphasis to his remarks by making a better picture out of analagous materials. We shall have pleasure in publishing it. The Conferences on the Picturesque initiated by the Edinburgh Society are likely to do good, but more good might result if, when any member sees nothing but very obvious faults in the photograph he is about to criticise, he were to defer his remarks until he can illustrate them with a picture of his own. The value of such Conferences must, of necessity, be almost limited to those present at the meetings, as in ordi nary cases, the mere reproduction of the remarks, without a simultaneous reproduction of the picture, would be of but little value; and permission to reproduce a picture, in order that emphasis might be given to unfavourable criti cisms, might be difficult to obtain. The new Poisons Bill, now before the House of Com mons, scarcely affects professional photographers, as it in no way interferes with wholesale transactions; but several of the absurdities of the old Act are retained. The non- poisonous cyanides are included with those that are poisonous, and the vendor of a penny cake of Prussian blue water-colour will still be liable to pains and penalties. Alkaloids are dealt with in a curious way : " All poisonous vegetable alkaloids, their salts and preparations,'’ are to be regarded as poisons ! A curious way of answering the question, “ What is a poison? ” Rumour has it that the Academy this year promises to have far more than the average number - of portraits of nobodies on its walls, and that the public will have to suffer the same infliction at the Grosvenor. What would be said if the exhibitors at the Photogr aphic Exhibition flooded the room with photographs of their sitters ? Yet this is practically what the R.A.’s do, and, so far as the majority of these portraits are concerned, they are not any better in light and shade and posing than the average work of first-class photographers. Some restriction ought really to be placed on the admission of portraits of non entities. From Mr. Jerrard, of 107, Regent Street, we receive two exceptionally fine cabinet portraits of the Prince of Wales, and one of these was used without Mr. Jerrard's permission, in making the specimen block which appeared on page 193. Successful as Mr. Sutherland’s block is, it should be mentioned that, like blocks by all processes yet invented, it falls short of reproducing all those very delicate gradations of tone which characterise a print on albumenized paper. Hence we only do Mr. Jerrard justice in calling attention to the fact that these portraits are much appreciated at Marlborough House, and that the Prince considers them the best that he has had taken, an opinion he endorses by ordering numerous copies. The authorities at Woolwichare surprised and somewhat disappointed that so little has yet been heard of the aeronautical photographic apparatus which was sent out to Suakin. The fact is, however, that so long as Captain Templar can safely ascend himself in the captive balloon, his verbal reports are to be preferred to information which the photographic camera would supply. Some difficulty presents itself in commenting on Mr. Bird's paper read at the last meeting of the Photographic Society of great Britain, and more in criticising the repro ductions which were shown, as one cannot tell how far the result was due to working up, or retouching. That the results were excellent none can doubt, but that all of them were better than the best that have been done before is questionable; and instead of comparing them with failures, they should have been compared with successes. Our readers will remember the excellent photographs of pictures in the National Collection which were published some years ago by Messrs. Poulton and Sons, and sold for a few pence each. Successful isochromatic photography is now a matter of nearly every-day practice in several quarters ; need we do more than allude to the very striking example of Ives’ chlorophyl method, issued with the current Year-Book, or the great triumphs in this direction which are due to Dr. Vogel ? An illustration of the difficulty of satisfying the critic who looks at works of art from a very narrow or technical point of view is afforded by an incident referred to in the Artist this week. “ Well, Peter, what do you think of my picture?” said the baronet. Replied the butler—« Well, sir, I think the gentleman what painted this picture didn’t know what he was about. Why, he’s only put 12 tumblers for 13 gentlemen 1 ” Unless the Photographic Eye sees things with distorted vision, there are photographers in New York making cabinet portraits at one dollar per dozen. Bad as business is in the English photographic studio, we may suppose tha things are worse in New York,
