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122 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [March 13, 1863. hand, that the portion of the sky seen by the lens was not necessarily that which, by the reflections of clouds, &c., affected the portion of the foreground seen by the lens, and that if care and judgment were used in selecting the sky for each subject, harmony might easily be secured. This plan has been gradually gaining popularity, and is now practised by many of our best photographers, amongst whom we may name Mr. Vernon Heath, Mr. Maxwell Lyte, Mr. Annan, Mr. Archibald Burns, and others. Two or three points demand imperative consideration. The clouds must be lighted in a similar manner to the landscape, and must be of a character to harmonize with it. Nothing would be more incongruous than heavy dark masses of cloud in the sky, when the landscape, perhaps, presents a lake which reflects only bright sunlight. Care must always be taken that the sky be lighter, more atmospheric, and less substantial looking than the foreground. As a general principle, the more light, indefinite, and less pronounced the clouds, the better will be the effect. It is scarcely necessary to say that in using this method immense power is placed in the hands of the artist in balancing his composition, and making a picture out of unpromising materials. The method of painting on the negative has been often attempted, but rarely with complete success. Indeed it can scarcely be expected that it should be successful in other than the hands of an artist. The Eastern pictures of Mr. Francis Bedford afford the best example of successful, treatment of this kind that we have seen, and the effect is marvellously fine. It is a necessary condition in this case that the sky of the negative be not too dense; it must print through, giving an appreciable tint. The clouds may then be carefully painted at the back of the negative; or they may be painted on thin semi-transparent paper like tracing paper, which can then be placed at the back of the negative. The safest plan is that adopted by Mr. Mudd who contents himself with a few delicate stratus-like clouds near the horizon, which are just sufficient to break the blank of white paper, and give some gradation. The simplest plan of avoiding a mass of white paper for a sky consists in giving graduated tint by exposing the print, after it has left the pressure-frame, to the partial action of light. This, if done with care and taste, preserving light in the horizon and running into a darker tint higher up, avoiding at all times too deep a tint, or one in any degree as heavy as the shadows of foreground objects, is often very successful and satisfactory, and can very rarely be offensive. We do not here enter into the question of the legitimacy of any of these methods of giving pictorial value to the photographic landscape beyond reiterating a conviction we have often expressed, namely, that in such matters success is the touchstone of legitimacy. ritical Llotices, INSTANTANEOUS AND OTHER STEREOGRAPHS. By G. W. Wilson, Aberdeen. Wb have recently received a further series of Mr. Wilson’s exquisite instantaneous and other stereographs, amongst which we find some of the most perfect photographs we have seen. The instantaneous pictures are wonderfully fine and full of life and motion : three of the Thames at Green wich—“Waiting for the Boat,” “ Arrival of the Boat,” and “ Departure of the Boat ”—are excellent examples. The crowded pier; the transparent water; the forests of masts which form the distance in which looms heavily, with tier upon tier of decks, the noble hospital ship ; the fine clouds all combine to make most picturesque views. “ The Thames at Woolwich ” (No. 418) is another exquisite slide, low in tone, but wonderfully delicate, detailed, and soft, and a most admirable example of composition. The “ Victory Flag Ship, at Portsmouth,” is another fine slide, as brilliant as the other iss soft. There are many more of the instantaneous pictures of marine subjects which are very fine; but the slides in this series which please us most are the views of Highland scenery, which far exceed any views of the same or similar subjects we have seen. Here is a series of Loch Katrine, which is inexpressibly beautiful, so perfectly chosen as re gards point of view, so brilliant and delicate, so full of grada tion, from the tender greys of the distance to the forcible and bold relief of the foreground and the transparent depths of the water. No. 10 B, “ Loch Katrine and Ben Venue,” is an admirable example of this series, as is also “ Ellen’s Isle ” (No. 36), the sparkling little lights of which more resemble the work of the engraver than the lens. “ Loch-na-gar, Balmoral,” is another noble slide of the same series. A scries of interiors and exteriors of English cathedrals includes some exceedingly fine pictures, amongst which we like those of Durham best. A view of the cathedral from the river Wear (No. 380), is exceedingly beautiful. The interior of the “Galilee, or Lady Chapel,” in Durham Cathedral, is very fine, and renders very perfectly the fine examples of Norman arches. No. 407, the “ Lady Chapel ” interior, in Winchester Cathedral, is an exceedingly fine study of lighting and perfect chiaroscura. Amongst some other very fine interiors, perfect in lighting and manipula tion, it is to be regretted that there is not an entire absence of curved, or converging, perpendiculars. With this excep tion, in a few instances, the whole of the pictures before are perfect examples of art- photography, forming not only some of the most pleasing slides ever issued to the public, but containing most valuable studies for young photo graphers to adopt as standards of excellence to which they should try to attain. INSTANTANEOUS VIEWS OF LONDON, &c. By Valentine Blanchard. London: C. E. Elliott, Aldermanbury Postern. We have here a further series of Mr. Blanchard’s instan taneous views of London streets, and marine and river scenery, of which we have repeatedly had occasion to speak in very high terms. The slides before us include some of the most interesting, and, at the same time, most difficult street scenes in the metropolis, the difficulties here being increased by including vehicles, on a large scale, in the immediate foreground. We have not space for a detailed notice of each slide deserving notice ; but we may mention as amongst the street scenes, which please us best, “ Regent Circus, Piccadilly ” (No. 204), which is a very charming soft picture, with natural clouds, falling exactly in the right position for balancing the composition ; “ London Bridge,” from Southwark (No. 220), is also a fine slide. The marine and river scenes arc our favourites, and these include many charmingly artistic bits. Here is “ The Thames at Rich mond ” (No. 228), somewhat low in tone, but a most charming little picture, with a fine sky: it includes the bridge, boats, &c. No. 235, a “ Study at Tilbury,” of an old paddle steamer laid high and dry upon the strand, is also very fine. No. 240, “ Gravesend from Til bury,” is another very artistic view. We might easily go on selecting choice specimens, but we must forbear, simply heartily commending the series to the attention of lovers of artistic photography. RAMBLES ABOUT CHESHIRE. Photographed for the stereoscope, by J. H. Underwood. This is a continuation of a series we have before had plea sure in noticing and commending. It includes some very pleasant bits of rural scenery, very perfectly photographed: great brilliancy, combined with detail and softness charac terise all the pictures. VIEWS IN NORTH WALES. Photographed by Jacksox Brothers, Jumbo and Oldham. Nearly a couple of years ago we reviewed a series of photo-
