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248 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [March 27, 1891. PHOTOGRAPHY IN JAPAN. BY PROF. w. K. BURTON, C.E. A word or two as to what is going on here, photographic ally, at the beginning of 1891 may be of some interest. The progress during the three years and a-half that I have lived in the country has certainly been great, yet a mere sketch of it will be enough, as it really amounts almost entirely to the adoption of western methods that are already well known. The greatest advance has arisen from the general introduction of the dry plate process. Three years ago dry plates were pretty extensively used, but I think no single professional photographer used them exclusively in his studio ; many did not use them at all, and the majority used them only in exceptional cases, as when the weather was bad, or restless children had to be photographed. Now collodion is the exception, except with the “ tin- typist,” of which class there are many, especially at holiday resorts, such as Asakusa. The result of the change is a general all-round improvement in the quality of work that is very marked. A tendency to adopt larger sizes, done direct, is a natural outcome of the change from wet to dry plates. In printing methods not nearly so much advance has been made. The ordinary albumenised paper is still almost the only medium for prints issued in moderate numbers. This is not from want of appreciation of better methods by the Japanese ; the beauties of the platinotype process are fully appreciated, and about a year and a-half ago it seemed likely that the practice of platinum printing would spread; but the sudden and enormous rise in the price of platinum put a stop to the use of the paper, as photographers found they simply could not get the prices they had to charge for prints to make the printing at all remunerative. The carbon process is worked a little; indeed, it is worked with great success by Maruki, but the total num ber of prints turned out is but small. Bromide paper is used to some extent, but only, so far as I know, for enlargements, which do not seem to be much run after. It is likely, however, that the recent action of Mr. S. Cocking, of Yokohama, may bring this paper more prominently before the public. Mr. Cocking presented a large quantity of the paper to the Photographic Society of Japan, and offered three prizes for the three best pictures done on the paper. An exhibition of results will be held toward the end of January, and the prizes will be awarded. The only thing that is at all “running ” silver printing on albumenised paper, at present, is collotype, as worked by Ogawa. Ogawa’s best work is as good as any that I have seen, but it is dear for collotype, and, of course, is not applicable unless a considerable number of prints has to be done from the same negative—say fifty at least. Among the few really active and enthusiastic amateur photographers that we have, printing on silver on various kinds of plain paper or other fabrics, and toning with platinum, is very popular. Zincography, intaglio, copperplate engraving in half tone, and various other photo-mechanical processes have been worked out to success on an experimental scale since I have been in the country, but none of them is yet worked commercially. The only thing I know of that is really new in photo graphy that has originated in Japan, is the photographing in metallic gold on a basis of lacquer, mentioned in my notice of last year’s exhibition as the invention of a Yokohama photographer. It is intended to produce the effect of the “ gold lacquer” for which Japan is so famous. I passed the house of the inventor the other day, and examined all the samples to be seen at the time, and I must say that some of them—large panels, for example, with designs in gold on black lacquer—appeared to me to be of very high merit from a decorative point of view. I do not know whether any samples of this kind of work have yet reached America, but I should think that it would be popular. The Photographic Society of Japan must be pronounced a most decided success. Of all the various societies in the country, consisting partly of Japanese, partly of foreigners, it seems to run on the most easily. It would be a much greater success than it is were it better sup ported by professional photographers, but it must be admitted that the great bulk of professional photographers here take no interest in photography beyond its com mercial aspect, and that there is a deal of the meanest kind of jealousy amongst them, so that the fact that a certain professional photographer is a member of the society will be a reason why some half dozen others will refuse to join. Moreover, there are many who are actu ally inimical to the society, because demonstrations are given at the meetings of processes the secrets of which a certain class of professional photographers would like to see strictly guarded. There is a good deal of the same kind of feeling with regard to the Shashin Shimpo, the Japanese Photoyraphic News. The fact is that the older hands could only learn the “mystery” of photography by becoming the apprentices of established photographers, often paying the latter for the privilege, and that they look with ill-favour on the giving away gratis of that information which they so dearly bought. Fewer Japanese have taken to amateur photography than I expected would. We have a good many names of Japanese on the list of the society who must be classed as amateur photographers, but they are mostly men following scientific pursuits, who either take a purely scientific interest in photography, or who use it merely as an aid in their pursuits. On the other hand, the pursuit of amateur photography is greatly on the increase among the foreign community. I refer here to the permanent foreign community, who are to be clearly distinguished from the “globe-trotting” floating community, of which we now have an extra ordinary number at nearly all times of the year.—The Photographic Times. The PERMANEXCY of WATER-COroURS.—Prof. V. Wonwer- manse, of Vienna, has made some investigations as to the permanency of water-colours. He painted a number of surfaces of equal area with various water-colours, and divided them into two equal parts ; one portion was exposed for two weeks to the sunlight, whilst the other was kept in the dark. Gamboge and Indian-yellow suffered only slight change ; yellow ochre, burnt sienna, sepia, and the blues, underwent no change; vermilion, however, lost almost entirely its fire ; some vermilion tones became a dirty brownish-violet, and carmine lake, as well as pure carmine, changed to a scarcely perceptible rose. Neutral tint, a mixture of carmine, and pin's-blue took a much bluer tone. As neutral tint mixed with burnt sienna gives a handsome grey, which is much used by retouchers, it is preferable to use, instead of neutral tint, the much more certain indigo-blue.—Photo. Archiv.