The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 35.1891
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1891
• 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-id1780948042-189100009
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18910000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18910000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

226 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [March 20, 1891. Hotes. Belgian photographers, in their official organ, the Bulhtin Beige, have expressed few or no opinions about the coming International Photographic Congress in Brussels, which, it is to be hoped, will not be held at the same time as the meeting of the British Associa tion for the Advancement of Science, at Cardiff. At a recent meeting of the Brussels Section of the Belgian Photographic Association, the chairman, M. Alexander de Blochouse, stated that he had been to Paris to attend a meeting of the permanent committee of the Congress ; that committee will soon cease its functions in Paris and move to Brussels. At the same meeting a letter from M. Declercq de Grammont was read, urging that the next Congress should recommend that every photo graphic lens should have engraved upon its mount the size of plate which it covers perfectly with the largest aper ture, also the amount of angle included. S. Simon, in relation to our remark last week about unicorns, the Liverpool Amateur Photographic Associa tion, Professor Huxley, and the basilisk, is prepared to believe in the unicorns, although he has never seen one, because they are mentioned in Scripture ; but he is inclined to think the statement about the basilisk to be a mistake. He may, therefore, be informed that the basilisk is also mentioned in the Old Testament under the name of the cockatrice. Pliny and other celebrated authorities describe the animal. It is a serpent born from a cock’s egg, has plenty of legs and claws, and a fine long tail; on its head is a kind of crest. Its glance is so fell that when a man catches its eye the man falls down and dies ; when he sees another variety of the basilisk all the flesh falls from his bones. The only living things the basilisk fears are the weazel and the cock, which is why they keep so many of the latter birds, and other poultry, at the back of the Alexandra Hotel at Liverpool. The best time for photographing the basilisk in the forests near that city is after dinner, when there is plenty of sunshine about, and when the adventurer is guided by any suitable member of the Corporation of Liverpool. Basilisk hunters carry a piece of looking-glass to catch and throw back the deadly glance of the creature, thus causing it to slay itself. It is useless, in these dangerous photo graphic excursions, to carry any other than a demon camera; if one of the blue demon description be employed the quest is all the more likely to be suc cessful. Professor Lippmann might be invited to join in the next hunt to try the efficacy of his mercurial mirror. Those photographers who wish to join the next basilisk hunt have our permission to write for an invitation to Mr. Paul Lange, president of the Liverpool Amateur Photographic Association, and to enclose their portraits. Those who wish to know more about the habits of the animal should write to Mr. Bartlett, the superintendent of the Zoological Gardens, London. A committee of one person never loses time in talk or in idle contention, but carries out all its designs promptly without let or hindrance from colleagues. Washington Irving tells of a fierce debate in Congress, in its early days, as to which department of the State fell the duty of stopping up a hole in the wall of the Parliament House, through which hole the winds of heaven blew, and gave the legislators colds in their heads. The debate had waxed hot for three nights, when a member of Congress resolved himself into a committee of one, and paid a bricklayer to stop up the hole. This brought the debate to an end. Instead of originating palavers at society meetings and in news papers, Mr. Lewis M. Biden, of the Toynbee Camera Club—whatever and wherever that Club may be— single-handed called a meeting of delegates of London photographic societies to consider the question of the federation of such societies, which now find themselves half way to practical federation before they know much about the matter or have had time to breathe. Mr. Biden can say, with one of old, “Alone I did it.” In accordance with a resolution passed at the last meeting, he has called another meeting of delegates for Monday evening next at the rooms of the Photographic Society ; in his circular doing so, dated March 14t h, he gives some of the resolutions passed at the last meeting, omitting the one to invite delegates from the Photographic Society to attend. The so far suggested objects of the federation seem to be of a reasonable and useful nature. M. Janowski has been trying experiments on the action of light upon the typhus fever bacillus, and finds that it t nds to kill it, no doubt by oxidation, and that the more actinic rays of the spectrum exercise most power in this respect. They tend to kill proto plasmic matter. They have the same influence over the diphtheria bacillus. Perhaps a conclusion may be drawn from this, that the dirty air of London not alone is an obstacle to the rapid taking of photographs, but promotes the disease of human beings by cutting off the supply of the most actinic rays. The intense blue colour of some Alpine flowers, a richer blue than ever seen in the lowlands, has often been speculated to be in some manner due to the rich supply of violet and ultra-violet rays which vegetation receives in those regions of pure air. A recent action, brought by a photographer against a lady client for the price of copies of portraits supplied to her, indicates a carelessness in business arrangements which is as unfortunate as it is indefensible. Accord ing to the defendant, she was asked by the photographer, “by way of compliment,” to have her portrait taken, and for this she received a few copies for herself, while the complainant “ sold thousands of her photographs to the public at a very handsome profit.” We pre sume, therefore, that the lady had attractions which gave her pictures a considerable value. At any rate, she refused to pay for the pictures, and she was supported in her contention by the Court, who gave a verdict in her favour, with full costs. It is so much against the interests of a photographer to treat his clients in this