The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 12.1868
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1868
• Sprache: Englisch
• Signatur: F 135
• Vorlage: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Rechtehinweis: Public Domain Mark 1.0
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id1780948042-186800009
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18680000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18680000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

July 3, 1868.] THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 315 y e i, a a y t a t 1 8 1 I' 8 I charged with the murder. The intended action was on the ground that the picture was exhibited with this description appended for some days after a verdict of acquittal was ren dered. It is, perhaps, worth while for photographers to take a hint from this, and shun the risk involved, which might be so innocently and thoughtlessly incurred. The issue of a new edition of Mr. Lake Price's “ Photo graphic Manipulations ” during the last few days is worth noting. The return of Mr. Price to an early love, after a long—not estrangement, but—pursuit of other interests, will be hailed with pleasure by photographers, and the advent of the new edition of his work, rewritten and enlarged, will be greeted with welcome, and I, for one, shall look forward to renewed triumphs in the phases of art-photography which were years ago adorned by Mr. Price’s works. The questiorof producing small negatives with a view to the subsequent production of either an enlarged negative or enlarged prints—a question full of interest to the amateur photographer—has scarcely, I think, received sufficient atten tion yet amongst photographers. There are very few indeed, I fancy, who would not prefer to work the wet process to the dry process, if it were not for the serious difficulty imposed by carrying dark tents, manipulating boxes, &c. Now, if it were once determined that really good results could be ob tained by the means of enlargement from small negatives, more than half the troubles of impedimenta might be made to vanish. Enlargements in portraiture in various manners have, of course, been tried, and found successful, especially when the work has been intended for retouching or colour ing ; but, as yet, the question of enlarging without the necessity of retouching, as applied to landscape photography, has not been very thoroughly or very fairly tried. I do not suppose that many of the schemes for producing negatives the size of postage stamps will ever receive serious attention ; but I think that if negatives of about 3} inches by 2} inches were carefully produced, fine 12 by 10 pictures might be obtained from them. For such a purpose, the little appa ratus referred to by Mr. Barrett in the PHOroGnaPiIC News oflast week,and described in a former volume, would be found by far the best of any contrivance hitherto proposed. Some years ago I had an opportunity, availing myself of Mr. Barrett's courtesy, of examining the equipment, and I was much struck with its ingenuity and convenience. A plate coated with collodion is immersed into the silver bath, and at once enveloped in a light-tight cover, from which it never emerges until it is a finished negative of about the size I have mentioned. The whole apparatus is scarcely larger than a man’s hat; it is apparently very easy to work, and it certainly admits of the production of good results. How is it, I wonder, that such a piece of apparatus lias never come into commerce ? The societies generally have brought their sittings to a close: Dr. Mann gave an interesting account of Professor Piazzi Smyth’s operations in the Great Pyramid with an apparatus of a similar kind to Mr. Barrett’s just mentioned ; but in many respects not equal, I think, to the latter. Mr. Dunmore exhibited a tent which was undoubtedly con venient to work in ; being intended for large plates, it was, however, necessarily a somewhat cumbersome affair to move about and erect. At the North Loudon very little was done, except some society business. The South London Society had a capital meeting, at which, besides the election of officers, reading of a report, and transaction of the general business of an annual meeting, a suggestive and well-written paper was read by Mr. Pearce, and an interesting discussion followed. The proceedings terminated by an arrangement for an out-door meeting at Hampton Court, and an invita tion to the members from the genial and large-hearted Presi dent to spend an evening at his house. At the Manchester Society Mr. Mabley read some obser vations on print-washing apparatus, which originated an interesting discussion, in which short washing, with specific treatment, such as pressing, rubbing, &c., to remove the hypo, was generally regarded as much more conducive to permanency than any mode in which merely prolonged soaking was relied on. At Oldham a pleasant out-door meeting was held, which gave general satisfaction to the members. fforcigu Eliscellanex. Following the example set by the Duc de Luynes, M. Frederich von Voigtlnder has recently placed at the disposal of the Viennese Photographic Society the sum of four thousand five hundred florins (about £450), to be em ployed in encouraging the working out of improvements in the art of photography. According to the conditions drawn up to regulate the manner in which this sum of money is to be used, it is stated that the interest of the capital only will be expended, the principal being invested in the Austrian funds. A jury or prize committee is to be formed, com posed of members of the society, and these will adjudge prizes, consisting either of medals or grants of money, to the more deserving candidates at a competitive meeting to be held annually. All works sent in to compete are not to bear the name of the artist, but must be marked with a symbol or device and accompanied by a sealed letter from the sender bearing on the outside a similar design ; the candidates must be members of the Photographic Society of Vienna, but need not be resident in that city. In the case of the society ceasing to exist the money will revert to the donor or his successors. In the Mitthcilungcn M. Grasshoff contributes a very clever paper on photographic backgrounds. He complains loudly of the manner in which some of the cabinet pictures are overloaded with accessories, stating that it sometimes appears quite wonderful how the sitter could have threaded himself through the mass of furniture and nicknacs with which he is surrounded, and which encumber and hem him in on all sides ; the majority of backgrounds are, likewise, too highly coloured, and the perspective details generally too distinctly marked to appear natural. Scenic effects which give good results in one studio are sometimes found to be quite unserviceable in others, owing to the different lighting arrangements ; and M. Grasshoff recommends, therefore, a final touching up and modification of the background when in position. To render portions of the background more brilliant, and to light up any dull points, a little powdered chalk will be found very efficacious; and, on the contrary, a glaring surface may be subdued by treating it with dry powdered ochre or umber. Inreference to the photographic establishment of M. Braun, of Dornach, the beauty of whose carbon printing is so well known, the Photographisches Archiv states that as many as seventy employes are engaged on the premises. The grind ing and mixing of the pigments, as, likewise, the sensitizing and rolling of the carbon material, is performed by ma chinery, a six-horse power steam-engine being used for the purpose, and the benzole vapour from the transferred prints is dissipated by means of a windmill which makes twelve hundred revolutions in a minute. As many as four hundred 20 by 15-inch pistures are turned out every day, and this number will shortly be increased to five or six hundred. The Archiv states that the quality of the work performed is, on the whole, very good, but it is of opinion that the pictures produced by Swan, at Newcastle, are more brilliant and of a finer and better tone than those turned out at the Braun establishment; at the same time it should be remem bered that M. Braun has had less experience in the process, and that he works on a very large scale. A new process, says the Archiv^ has been elaborated by M. Wothly, consisting in the use of urano-nickel collodion. The pictures produced by it are perfect as regards definition and clearness, and their tone is excellent. The details of the process have not yet been published by M. Wothly.