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

Motes. “ The Lodger’s Friend ” is the somewhat whimsical name for a new form of bottle-lock which has been designed and patented by Mr. T. E. Halford, of 61, Chancery Lane. It consists of a metal belt to embrace the neck of an ordinary wine bottle, with a hinged band attached, which is bent over the cork and fastened to the belt by a tiny padlock. The photographer does not deal with liquids of a kind which tempts the wanton palate, but he has in use certain fluids of a volatile nature which are apt, in hot weather, to force the unprotected stopper from the containing bottle, and we venture to suggest that an adaptation of the same principle—omitting the padlock— would be useful in the laboratory for bottles containing ammonia, ether, and similar compounds. The New York Sun comments upon an interesting fact regarding photographic portraits which, in the course of business, fall into the hands of an engraver. At first glance such a portrait may be regarded as generally attractive, but, as the engraver devotes careful attention to it, day after day dissecting it, so to speak, as he expresses it in lines on his plate, a different feeling arises in his mind, and often he will detect under the exterior polish a bully and a sneak—a man who will do anything to gather in the shekels. On the other hand, he may be repelled at first by the homely, common-place appearance of a man who, on the same closer acquaintance, gradually improves. The bard look gives way under closer acquaintance, and the features grow friendly. So that engraving a man’s picture is a good deal like knowing the man himself— intimacy brings out the truth about him. A correspondent of the Photographic Times recently made a suggestion with regard to exhibition photographs which is worthy of consideration. He believes that many would-be exhibitors are prevented from sending in their works for the simple reason that they have little time or inclination to get them framed. He points out that if photographs intended for exhibition were sent in un mounted, they could then be handed over to a professional worker, who would be instructed to mount them all in the same simple manner. A picture would not then claim any adventitious merit from being more tastily mounted and framed than its fellows. He believes that if this course were followed, the number of contributions sent in for exhibition would be largely increased. It will perhaps be remembered, in connection with this matter, that a few months ago we described and advocated a method of exhibiting unframed pictures which has long ago been successfully adopted by the Fine Art Society at Bristol. Mr. J. R. Gotz, of Buckingham Street, Strand, has shown us some very fine examples of photographic illus trations which have been produced by F. Thevoz and Co., of Geneva, and for which he is the accredited agent. They appear to owe their origin to some modification of the collotype process, but whatever be their nature, the eftect given is of the best. Messrs. Percy Lund and Co. have organised, under the management of Mr. W. E. Henry, C.E., “The Practical Photographers’ Federation,” the main object of which is an invasion of Canada, to take place next month. In other words, the federation will consist of forty practical photographers, who will each subscribe fifty pounds to a common fund, to enable them to do photographic work with large profits amid the farming and mining districts of Canada. One would have thought that if the said outlying districts had shown signs of hungering after photographers, the old-established Canadian towns and cities would have been able to meet the demand. But it seems that it is not so, and Messrs. Percy Lund and Co. have risen to the occasion. To that enterprising firm we must refer those who wish to learn more about the matter. Librarians of the numerous free parochial libraries which are springing up all over London must see that photography is well represented, or somebody will want to know the reason why. A correspondent of a con temporary complains that he can get any number of text books on angling, golf, and lawn tennis subjects, in which he does not take the least interest, but that in all which concerns photography the library is very deficient. We suppose it depends whether the librarian is a photographer; if he is, there will be no lack of photographic literature. The question has been asked, Why does not some ingenious and unscrupulous person take to forging postage stamps ? It is pointed out that many stamps are neither more nor less than negatives as they stand, while, supposing that the imitation be not very good, no one ever dreams of examining a stamp to see whether it is genuine. A writer in the Moniteur de la Pholographie lately said: “Without knowing anything, we are perfectly sure that a large system of fraud is being carried on, and by a very easy method.” This is rather alarming, and we hope the ingenious forgers are confining their operations to France. It has been suggested more than once that the repro ductions from photographs of pretty women wearing the latest fashions would be a great improvement on the inane prettinesses which form the usual style of illustration in fashion books. This, of course, is an artist’s opinion. The experienced costumier knows better. Said the pro prietor of a leading fashion magazine the other day : “ Yes, I tried photographs once, blit never again. A photograph may do when you want to show a bonnet or a hat only; but for a costume, where the full-length figure is wanted, the dumpiness which the camera gives is fatal. Our fashion ladies must be ‘divinely tall,’ but in photographs they are always short and squat. After all, ladies don’t buy fashion plates for the faces, and if the waists which our artists give the figures are impossible, everybody knows they are so. The whole thing is conventional.” There is a little logic in what this gentleman says. It may be a consolation to photographers who live in “cutting” neighbourhoods where competition has forced prices down to a point which yields little more than a bread- and-cheese existence, that artists are not much better off. The schools of art all over the kingdom have resulted in the over-production of tenth-rate artists, who. if they get any commissions at all, take them at an absurd figure. We know a case where a young artist undertakes to draw and colour from photographs military figures, cabinet size, at the rate of eighteen shillings a dozen. These water colour sketches are sold retail at half a crown each, and, working his hardest, the artist cannot do more than half a dozen a day, so that he earns about the same wage as a decent carpenter.