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« With this exception then I present my invention to the country, and trust that it may realize our hopes of its future utility.—Believe me to re main, my dear Lord Rosse, your obliged and faithful servant, " II. F. Talbot. To the Earl of Rosse, Connaught Place, London." • On the nd December, 1852, the first public exhibition of photographs was openedby the Society of Arts, in their rooms in the Adelphi, and a large number of pictures, principally by the paper processes, were displayed. On the 20th January, 1853, a meeting of photographers took place in the rooms of the Society of Arts, and the Photographic Society was established. Sir C. L. Eastlake, President of the Royal Academy, became the first president of the new society. This society has become the'parent of a numerous progeny of other societies, which have since sprung up largely in all parts of the kingdom. The concessions made by Mr. Fox Talbot, in the foregoing letter, did not satisfy photographers, who felt that the “single point” reserved was that which hindered the practice more than all the others conceded. Accordingly, the art was daily becoming more practised and lucrative to the promoters, when Mr. Fox Talbot, in December, 1854, brought an action against Mr. La Roche, a photographic artist, to restrain him from taking collodion portraits. After a trial lasting two days, before Lord Chief Justice Jervis, a verdict was returned adverse to Mr. Talbot’s claim, since which, the art, freed from patent restrictions, has progressed with an uninterrupted flow of success. The early experimentalists in the collodion process confined their efforts mainly to the production of positives on glass, and little thought was originally given to the securing of negatives by that process. On the dis covery, however, that the collodion image was suited for use as a negative from which positives on paper might be printed, and that results much supe rior in delicacy and perfectness of definition, with greater rapidity of expo sure were thus obtained, the attention of photographers was chiefly directed to this process. The delicacy of detail which was possessed by the collodion and albumen negatives was found to demand a finer surface for its perfect rendering than that usually possessed by even the finest photographic papers ; to meet this difficulty it was proposed to apply to the paper a coat ing of albumen. One of the earliest records that we find of this application Ina communication by Mr. H. Pollock, addressed to the Journal of the 1 holographic Society, in July 1853. The process has since become general, and is almost universally practised ; although the glaze thus given to the surface is not entirely satisfactory in an artistic sense, yet the facility it affords for rendering delicate definition in a class of pictures, the perfect and minute detail of which is an especial beauty, will always be a strong induce ment to continue its use. It is unnecessary here to refer at length to the calotype and waxed-paper processes and their progress since the Exhibition of 1851 ; they have been, for a variety of reasons, to a large extent superseded by the collodion pro cess. The waxed-paper process has received a variety of modifications, and is still practised with success by some photographers, especially in tropical climates. An allusion cannot,‘however, be made to these methods without expressing some regret that the calotype process, the oldest method of pro ducing photographic pictures, and one by which many of the most beautiful productions of the art have been obtained, possessing many advantages peculiarly its own, should have fallen so largely into disuse. 1 A new difficulty soon developed itself, and the want of permanency in photographic prints was forced upon the attention of all interested in the progress of the art. One of the first to call attention to this failing, and to the importance of devising some means to give greater stability, was the Patron of the Photo graphic Society, His Royal Highness the lamented Prince Consort; at his suggestion a committee was formed for the examination of the causes upon which the fading of positive prints depend, and if possible to suggest methods for the securing of permanency. In May 1855, a committee, consisting of Mr. Delamotte, Mr. Hardwich, Dr. Percy, Mr. Henry Pollock, Mr. Shadbolt, and Dr. Diamond, was appointed by the Photographic Society for this purpose ; His Royal Highness the Prince Consort contributing the sum of £50 towards the expenses of the inquiry. The special objects of the committee were thus stated 1st. To report upon the evidence that can be collected with regard to photographs that have been printed for a long time ; to ascertain whether there are any that appear to be quite unaltered by time, and, wherever it is practicable, to find out the methods by which they were prepared. 2nd. To conduct a series of experiments carefully, preparing photographs by different means, and exposing them under various circumstances, in order to ascertain what method combines in the highest degree the essential quali ties of permanency and beauty. (To be continued.) • Aroreedings of Societies, London PHOTOGRAPIIIC Society. The usual monthly meeting was held in the theatre at King’s College, Mr. Francis Bedford in the chair. The minutes of a previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Secretary then road a letter just received from Lieut.- General Knollys, in reply to a communication from the secre tary, in which he stated that His Royal Highness the Prince of Woles would have pleasure in becoming the patron of the society. The Chairman called attention to a couple of prints from an enlarged negative, by Mr. W. H. Warner. One was on albumen- ized paper, the other on resinized paper ; the latter possessing more softness and detail than the other, but being a little cold m tone. He also called attention to a series of photolithographs, by Messrs. Simonau and Toovey, of Brussels, produced by M. Asser’s process, sent by Mr. G. Wharton Simpson. A couple of rolling presses, by Mr. Waddy, of Sheffield, were also exhi bited, and the Chairman explained that Mr. Waddy was pre sent, and would answer any questions regarding them. The following gentlemen were elected members of the society: Messrs. W. Stonehouse, E. Fox, P. Meagher, W. E. Debenham, J. Rivington, and Sir A. H. K. Macdonald. Mr. S. Highley then proceeded to read a paper “ On Photo graphy in its Relation to the Magic Lantern, Educationally Considered.” A variety of mechanical adaptations were shown during the course of the evening, and at the close of the paper an interesting series of transparencies, photographed from nature, and from engravings, were exhibited by means of the magic lantern and the oxyhydrogen light. Amongst these were a variety of fine microscopic objects, a series of trans parencies from Kaulbach’s illustrations to “ Reynard the Fox;” some from Shaw’s Bible illustrations; others from Hogarth’s engravings; some of Mr. Englands Parisian street scenes, and American scenery, and a variety of miscellaneous subjects. At the termination of the illustrations, the Chairman stated that it was necessary that two auditors should be elected to examine the accounts, against the annual meeting to be held next month. M. Heisch and M. Claudet, jun., were proposed and elected, and after a vote of thanks to Mr. Highley the pro ceedings terminated. Uorxespondence. [from our special correspondent.] Paris, 1th January, 1863. M. E. BAROUx, a wood engraver, has claimed the merit of having solved the problem of photography on wood, inas much as by a simple process he obtains the design on wood, not reversed, with every delicacy of light, shade, and detail. The wood is not attacked by the sensitive preparations, and if the proof happens to be unsatisfactory, it can be imme diately removed by passing a wet sponge over it. The block can then be recovered with the sensitive coating, and a fresh proof taken. The blocks retain their usual hardness and solidity, and are cut with as much facility as blocks unprepared. The sensitive coating is so thin that it offers no impediment to the graver, while it readily receives corrections, or retouching, with the ordinary black lead pencil. M. Baroux has not yet communicated his process, but I name it in order to stimulate your readers to a satis factory solution of this important problem. An apparatus for operating with in the open air has lately been introduced by M. Rousseau de la Farge: it permits of working with wet collodion, of sensitizing the plate, and of completely finishing the proof, in full sun shine. This portable apparatus does not require the ordinary ob jective to be changed; it serves rather as an auxiliary to it, as they can be united together. It is composed of a grooved box to carry the glass plates, behind which is a compartment for the bottles. To this box there are adapted two vertical baths, by suitable hooks and fastenings. The upper portion of the baths has a groove equal in size to the thickness of the principal slide, of which more hereafter, and intended to receive it during the operation. To keep it fixed, they are furnished with two stop-plates projecting a little over the opening. The rabbet of each bath is closed on one side, and can be on the other by an india-rubber spring. The opening of each bath is closed by a cover coated with gum-elastic. Pressure is exercised and maintained by two screws. The nitrate of silver bath must be made of an imper meable substance, which has no action upon the solution, such as glass or gutta-percha; and it must be enclosed in a wooden case. The developing bath, of orange-yellow glass, must be protected in a similar manner. If it be composed of any other impermeable material, it must have two plates of yellow glass fixed parallel to its two sides, and carefully cemented to avoid leakage. The slide holding the plates during exposure in the camera opens at its lower part, and is closed at will by means of a slip of whalebone, wood, or
