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. 226.—January 2, 1863. PHOTOGRAPHY DURING THE PAST YEAR. Another year of steady improvement has passed. No great or specific change in the general practice of the art, no great discovery or invention, has been added to the record. The year has, nevertheless, been oe of decided activity and success. At the commencement of the year the advent of the International Exhibition, and the position of photography therein, was a topic of all-absorbing interest. The Exhibi tion has come and gone, but its influence on photography has been comparatively unimportant. The relations be tween the two commenced with misunderstanding, and ended without satisfaction. It is true that in this Exhibi tion photography for the first time received definite recog nition as a distinct and independent art; and it is true that it fully maintained, by the excellence of the various contributions and variety of its applications, its claim to such a position. In one point alone, so far as photography and photographers themselves are concerned, did the con tributions come short of what might have been hoped and anticipated. We refer to the question of permanency. Many prints which were subjected to the influences of damp walls, and some which were not, faded very palpably, even whilst hanging in the Exhibition. That some prints, even when hung on the same walls, did not fade, proves, however, that none need have done so if the conditions of permanency were well understood and carefully observed. Printing, without doubt, still continues to be the chief photographic difficulty. Processes for the production of negatives by different methods continue to improve, and little seems left to desire in this respect; but printing still progresses with slow and uncertain steps. It is true that skilful hands, despite the difficulties arising from imperfect knowledge and bad paper, very beautiful prints ar. produced. Still very little is understood of the rationale of tin process, and very little certainty exists as to the pei manency of the results. The attention which the sub ject has excited during the year it is probable may lead to some good results. Mr. Spiller's important discovery of the p esence of free nitrate in the whites of finished prints, and Mr. Cooper’s experiments with resinized paper, will tend it is probable, to the diminished use of albumenized pap and, in our conviction, thus to the removal of one of the causes of fading. Setting aside the question of permanency, no branch of the art has been the subject of greater trouble and anxiety, eve । • . skilled photographers, than the method of producing nd brilliant prints; but the various researches and sug gestions of the year have, we believe, contributed largely to reduce these difficulties. If all the causes of mealiness or want of brilliancy are not well understood, at least the means of overcoming such difficulties are more familiar. The use of an ammonia-nitrate bath for albumenized paper has been found in many hands of immense value in this respect. Ruining the excited paper before printing is stated to have been found in the United States to give excellent results, rhe use of a bath of acetate of soda prior to toning has been found useful by many, and in others the perfect washing and soaking of the film of albumen, prior to immersion in the toning solution, has been found effectual in preventing mealiness. In all cases the use of toning baths, mixed long enough to have attained maturity, and moderately slow toning, have been found of the utmost value. The efficiency of various remedies indicates the fact that various causes for evil exist. A common opinion has prevailed to the effect that to the bad quality of the paper most of the causes might bo traced. Mr. Sutton has proposed, by rendering the paper itself waterproof, to confine the image solely to the film of albumen on its surface. The same idea, in modified forms, has been proposed before, but not extensively carried out. From what we have seen of the results of the new sug gestion, we hope much. But we shall see. Associated with the question of permanent printing is the subj ect of photo-lithography, which has excited much interest during the year. For the purposes of reproduction of all subjects in which gradation is secured by artificial means, such as stippling or hatching, the processes of Col. James, Mr. Osborne, and others, seem to have attained perfection. The attention of the two gentlemen we have named has been almost solely confined to the reproduction of maps and simi lar subjects, and not to the securing of half tone. Recently Col. James has given some attention to that part of the question, and has favoured us with some examples which arc full of promise. More recently we have been favoured with the examination of some specimens by the process of M. Asser, amongst which are by far the finest specimens of half tone we have seen. The year has been prolific in modified dry processes. The tannin process has maintained its ground, or increased its popularity. Mr. England’s modification, by the addition of honey, has proved very successful in many hands. Hot development and alkaline development have aided materially in shortening exposures with these plates, and, in some cases, in permitting the production of instantaneous pictures. Neither method of development is yet sufficiently well understood to give certainty to the processes, but the results of both are sufficient to indicate the fact that rapidity depends upon development as much or more than upon the preparation of the plate. The value of a full proportion ot bromide in dry plates has been well-established on all hands. Mr. Sutton has proposed equal parts of bromine and iodine, as an imperative condition for rapid results. Mr. Keene has long prepared collodion for dry plates with such pro portions, and, in his recently published interesting investiga tions in rapid dry photography, has had opportunity of fully confirming its value. Mr. Bartholomew has also added some valuable suggestions for dry plate photography, which have not been very extensively carried out, but have been nevertheless very successful. Messrs. Hislop, Ward, Window, and others, have offered valuable hints on the simplest of all dry processes—simply washed collodion, without preservation. In these hands plates thus prepared have been very successful. As to the simplicity and value of such a process, there cannot be two opinions. We have reason to believe that, in portraiture at least, this year has been one of very great commercial success, especially amongst skilful photographers. Weare glad to believe that a process of purgation has to some extent been going forward. What have been termed “ Photographic Dens ” have become more scarce, and able photographers more plentiful and successful. We have heard, with much satisfaction, of a ' large number of instances in which the number of portraits : taken during this year have been more than double that I of the preceding year. In landscape photograghy we fear that there has been less activity. One of the most distinguished dry plate pho tographers informed us recently that he had not taken one