The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 7.1863
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1863
• 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-id1780948042-186300004
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18630000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18630000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. Vol. VII. No. 228.—January 16, 1863. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION. An exhibition of the collected examples of any art is always a landmark of progress, looked for with eager anticipation, examined with careful scrutiny, and referred to in after-time as authoritative evidence of the exact state of advancement at a given period. The display of photographs at the Inter national Exhibition of last year, we have always main tained, was not an adequate representation of the art. Apart from the antecedent misunderstanding and the unsa tisfactory position, an exhibition representing the progress of eleven years, necessarily contained many things not new to photographers, and possessed much less technical in terest than an annual exhibition. Tbe Photographic Society very wisely determined not to exhibit in 1862, nor in any way divide the interest. This year, therefore, we have the examples of two years’ progress to compare with the recol lections of the last exhibition. The ninth exhibition of the Society was opened for pri vate view on Saturday, the 10th instant, and was attended by a large and deeply interested assemblage of visitors. The old Water-Colour Gallery in Pall Mall, where the most successful exhibitions, in former years, have been held, could not, unfortunately, be obtained this year, and the present exhibition is held in the rooms of the Society of British Artists, Suffolk Street, Pall Mall. So far as regards space, nothing could be more eligible than the present gallery, consisting of one largo room and two smaller ones, and being in the immediate vicinity of the old place, it is con venient on that account. At present it possesses an im portant drawback, which is a serious detriment to the effect of the photographs. We refer to the want of light: the room is lighted by means of a skylight, on which appears to rest the accumulated dust and dirt of something like a century. This, added to the dark weather which has pre vailed lately, renders it impossible to examine the pictures with any approximation to a satisfactory result. When the gas is lighted, the effect is wonderfully improved, but this, we fear, will not often be the case, as we learn with regret that it is not intended to open the exhibition in the even ings this season. The policy of such a course is, of course, decided by a comparison of receipts with costs; but we cannot but remember, that on former occasions the evenings presented the most animated effect, and have secured a full attendance. If it be at all compatible with commercial prudence, we would urge on the authorities the fact, that there are, in London, some thousands of photographers, whose only opportunity of profiting by the exhibition is in the evening. Operators, to whom such exhibitions are of immense educational importance, are closely engaged during the hours of daylight, making the most of the few working hours the season affords; and unless the exhibition be opened in the evening, they must lose all opportunity of seeing it, or, at most, obtain a hasty glance on some single occasion. If it be deemed imprudent, from financial con siderations, to open the exhibition every night, we would suggest that it be opened one or two nights in the week, to which due publicity may be given. In any case, let us have light; let the dirty skylight be cleansed. Photographs pre-eminently require a good light for their satisfactory examination, and they lose considerably by the want of it. The present exhibition is, so far as we can judge at present, a highly satisfactory one. Both in the number and excellence of the contributions it far surpasses those of former years. The walls of the three rooms are well covered, and something like seventy frames remain unhung, rather from want of space than from -want of merit in the pictures. The gentlemen entrusted with the hanging have, on the whole, executed their difficult and delicate task with great fairness and ability. Some modifications doubt less might be desired, but the necessity of making frames fit, as well as the importance of giving prominent positions to meritorious pictures having equally to be considered. Some of the contributions, which it might have been desirable to keep together perhaps, are somewhat scattered about; but this is better than hanging fine pictures in inaccessible positions. In taking a general glance at the contributions, and re serving for future notices anything like a detailed criticism, we are struck with the amount of uniform excellence exhibited, and the absence of the sooty abominations which have startled us by their hardness in by-gone years. A higher general excellence prevails throughout, and leaves less room for contrast between the works of different men than existed in former years. There are much fewer white skies; there are fewer masses of soot and white wash ; there are few traces of sulphur toning. Some degree of photographic excellence, if not of artistic beauty, charac terises almost everything we have noticed. Prominently fixed on our memory, are the works of three con tributors, as surpassing everything we have before seen in photo graphic exhibitions. These arc the “Bringing Home the May,” of H. P. Robinson, the “ Photographic Studies,” of Lady Hawarden, and the large instantaneous pictures of Lieut. Col. Stuart Wortley. The first, as we have before expressed our conviction, is such a picture as never before was produced by photography. It here occupies the place of honour, is the cynosure of all eyes, and excites alternate exclamations of wonder and delight from every visitor. Lady Hawarden’s studies are small pictures, but of their class—and it is a charming class—they are perfect gems. As examples of chiaroscuro, they are wonderful ; and as results, for the most part obtained with the management of light possible in a lady's drawing-room, they are a Msson to all photo graphers. The exquisite taste, fine feeling, and excellent photography, combine to produce an amount of pictorial effect very rare in photographs. Col. Stuart Wortley’s instantantaneous pictures of sea, and cloud, and foreground, and atmospheric effect, are sublimely grand. Le Gray has produced magnificent pictures of similar effects, but none like these. Warnod exhibited at the International Exhibi tion some very perfect large instantaneous views, but they lacked the sense of sublimity which these possess. Breese, Wilson, Blanchard, and Fry, have produced wondrously charming small atmospheric effect, but these are equal in beauty and rarity of effect, whilst they are on a scale rarely attempted in such work. We have mentioned the three which have struck us most, because of their unusual style of merit; but there arc many others of scarcely less excellence, but of a more familiar kind. Here are a splendid series of landscapes by Vernon Heath, from which we are delighted to see white skies entirely banished; a fine display of Francis Bedford’s pictures, Eastern and English ; Annan’s noble landscapes ; Henry White’s exquisite bits of English scenery; Earl’s grand interiors ; Thurston Thompson’s unrivalled reproduc tions, and a host of other landscape pictures the mere men tion of the artists’ names will guarantee their excellence. Here are landscapes by Mudd, Morgan, Dixon Piper, Spode,