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

November 6, 1868.] THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 531 since last year, the change being in many respects for the better. There will doubtless be a considerable prevalence of what a facetious friend terms “ Salomoniac ” pictures. I have seen many capital examples, and heard of many more. The first impulse of many English photographers was to wonder at the photographs of the artistic Frenchman ; next to decry them; and since then has come the better phase, and the tendency is to profit by them, and we shall see the results, doubtless, at this exhibition. Some have been deterred from attempting anything of this kind from a feeling of dislike to the notion of imitating. I do not think that adopting a new style and aiming at a new phase of excellence should be regarded as imitation. If it were so, every one who has taken card portraits is an imi tator. But it is quite possible to adopt a style without imitating individual examples of that style; and such adop tion is not only permissible, but is often praiseworthy. Taking a high place amongst the specimens of this new style will be found the contributions of Mr. V. Blanchard, many of which are most admirable. M. Fradelle will, 1 believe, exhibit similar pictures, in the production of which I am told he is doing a very large business. Mr. Fry will, I believe, exhibit some fine examples of the same kind. Mr. Leake has done exceedingly good work in this direction, and I hope he will send some specimens to Conduit Street. I have seen some examples by Messrs. Robinson and Cherrill, which have been mistaken for Salomon’s pictures; and I am told that they have a fine series which I have not seen, some of which will doubtless be sent to this exhibition. Mr. N. Briggs, of Leamington, will doubtless send his prize picture and others of the same kind. He contributed to the Falmouth exhibition something styled in the catalogue “ Emolliotypes," specimens of which we may hope to see, and learn something of their character. Robinson’s “ Re turning Home” will doubtless be there; and examples of Mr. England's last summer's work, produced by the wet process, by the way, to which, for this season, at least, I undeistand, he returned. I believe we shall have some examples of the charming works—both in portraiture and shipping—of Mr. Hughes ; and of the summer’s work of Bedford, and of Gordon, and scores of others, so that the exhibition can scarcely fail to be an attractive one. The offer recently made in your pages of a donation of fifty pounds towards a benevolent fund will surely stimu late effort to initiate a society of some kind ; but it appears to me that Hie proposition for forming such a fund has not excited the universal interest which, might have been expected. Letters have appeared from time to time in your pages referring to it as a desirable thing, but it has not been discussed in detail. It has not been brought forward at photographic societies, nor talked of much in the circles in which photographers most do congregate. Is it because photo graphers, as a rule, are not poor, and do not see the prospect of poverty, or because the number of those amongst them most likely to feel the pinch of necessity do not make their voices heard ? Apropos of some false reports which the editor deemed it right to contradict, I was struck with some remarks of a cynical philosopher in a recent number of Belgravia, on the subject of false reports. I suppose it is at times necessary to correct special misstatements, but I cannot help agreeing considerably, on such subjects, with the philosopher, whose words I will, with your permission, quote:—“ If,” says he, “ you wish to get on comfortably in this world, it is best to allow your brother, and your sister too—by whom I mean everybody—to lie themselves black in the face ; so long as they refrain from forging your name, and so getting you into pecuniary trouble, they can’t do you much harm. Leave it to Mr. Carlyle's Eternals in their own good time to proclaim the truth. As a rule, it is impossible for any man thoroughly to disprove nine hundred and ninety-nine out of a thousand falsehoods ;” and hence, he argues, it is not worth the trouble to try. Dan O’Connell used to say. “ Give a lie ten days’ start, and the truth will never overtake it.” I object, however, to this pessimist doctrine ; I fancy that lies, as well as curses, are like chickens, and come home to roost, and that “ ever the truth comes uppermost, and ever is justice done.” So mote it be. The societies generally have recommenced their meetings. The North London had a capital paper from Mr. Cherrill, of a character a little too abstract, perhaps, for discussion generally, although a somewhat animated discussion arose incidentally out of it, regarding the quality of albumin ized paper, and the proportion of salt employed. Some of the members thought if they knew the proportion of chloride used with the albumen in preparing paper they could more readily determine the proper strength of silver solution necessary to begin with, and the proportion of silver necessary to maintain that strength. Albuminizers seem to think that such information is not necessary: that the skilled printer will quickly learn by experience the kind of treatment necessary for any sample of paper, and that the unskilled printer is scarcely worth considering. The argu ment is bad, I think, in both cases; and the time will come when the proportion of salt used will be marked on the paper as a matter of course. At the South London a somewhat unusual subject for a photographic society was discussed. Mr. Blanchard ex hibited and described an American stereoscope. It pos sessed three especial points of superiority over most of the instruments familiar at this side of the Atlantic : it was per fectly open; permitted the slide to be well illuminated by artificial light, which few ordinary instruments permit with any convenience ; it permitted ready and extensive adjust ment to the focus of various eyes; and it was simple and cheap. Mr. Blanchard thought that the introduction of such a stereoscope to the public would give a new stimulus to the demand for stereoscopic pictures. I hope that the in strument will be shortly introduced into commerce. The Liverpool and Edinburgh Societies have had good meetings, but no point of especial novelty was introduced. BACKGROUNDS AND ACCESSORIES. BY J. MARTIN. Muon has been said and written upon the management and painting of scenic backgrounds and accessories for the studio, and many complaints have been made (with good cause) of their unnatural and disjointed effect. I think the great requisite—truth of perspective—-has been overlooked and neglected ; often, I fear, from a want of knowledge, both in the photographer and the painter. It need cost no more trouble or expense to make them correctly designed than otherwise. I consider the greatest requirement with pictorial back grounds and accessories is that they should be painted en suite, meaning from the same point of distance. This will be determined by the distance the camera is to be placed from them; this, again, must bo governed in most cases by the length of the studio in which they are to be used Thus executed they will, when arranged in their proper situations, appear together in true perspective from one certain spot which is the true point of view. At this place the camera should stand, and, whatever the size of the photo graph to be produced, should always remain there, and never be shifted either nearer to or further from the background, or from side to side, as is often done. Following this method it is necessary to use cameras and lenses of various sizes, but not so various as might be expected, as pictorial back grounds and accessories are seldom needed except for full or three part length figures or groups. Heads or busts, for vignetting, are best executed on plain backgrounds of a light colour. Half or three part length portraits look well with a graduated plain background, so arranged as to bring the shaded side against the light side of the head. If any accessory is used, let it be, in such pictures, some simply