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

461 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [June 26, 1891. Motes. It has often been rendered painfully apparent to photo graphers that it is not desirable to photograph all subjects indiscriminately in a French town. If a picture should unfortunately contain the image of a fort, or any other thing of a military nature, or should even be suspected of doing so, the unfortunate possessor of the camera speedily finds himself in durance vile. Many innocent tourists have been put to the gravest inconvenience in being detained in this manner, under the suspicion, of course, of being Prussian spies. Indeed, ever since the Franco- Prussian war our French neighbours have been mad on the subject of spies, and have not yet recovered from the hallucination. We were not, therefore, very much distressed when we read the other day, in the Telegraph's “Paris Day by Day,” that a French barrister taking photographs of the German soldiery in one of the conquered provinces—no doubt innocently enough—had been “ run in.” He was merely amusing himself by taking a few shots with an amateur’s camera at a regiment of German dragoons marching back from exercise, when he was arrested and taken before the police authorities, who only allowed him to go on the promise that he would take the next train for the French frontier. The precious plates were detained, and are to be officially examined, but with what object it is hard to determine. In the meantime, it would seem that the French are about to render France still more uncomfortable to the tourist photographer. The Espionage Bill, which it is proposed to pass, enforces penalties of a most severe description on spies of all kinds. If, for instance, anyone procures admission to a fortress, dockyard, man-of-war, or naval or military establishment by means of a disguise, false name, or untrue statement, and, acting as a spy, obtains information calculated to compromise the defence of the territory, he will be liable to condemnation to death ; and the same penalty will be meted out to those who, for purposes of espionage, may have made surveys, drawings, or plans ; organised or employed means of correspondence, or collected intelligence with the same detrimental object. If a hurriedly made plan or drawing subjects its author to death, what awful fate is reserved for him who produces the far more accurate and, therefore, more harmful photo graph ? We advise our friends to steer clear of France if this bill should become law. It too often happens that the inventor of a good thing gets very little either of credit or profit out of it, the shrewd man of business coming in and possessing himself of both. We were reminded of this truth the other day, when we saw, in a French photographic journal, the des cription of a “ new ” dark back for films. This back does not open book-fashion in the usual way, but has a space inside filled in with a removable partition of ebonite. Over this flexible slip is folded a double band of film, sufficient for two exposures, and the partition is replaced. This new device was patented in Great Britain about eight years ago by Mr. Vergara, when that gentleman was doing his best to introduce the unfortunate Woodbury film to the notice of photographers. The idea is a good one, and Mr. Vengara should certainly retain the credit for it. M. Schlumberger, the French chemist whose successful imitations of bank notes led to his being prosecuted by the Government, has convinced the Bank of France that his statements and experiments were made in the interests of the public, and his appeal against the fine of 500 francs will probably be successful. Owing to his demonstration that in these days of scientific photography special precautions are necessary to guard against forgery, a small army of chemists, photographers, and engravers are hard at work in the production of a note which shall baffle the most ingenious imitator. Safety against counterfeiting, it is hoped, will be attained by having several vignettes— each struck in a different colour—placedin superposition, and by having the fabric of the paper made in a special tint. Colours of deep tints are to be used, which will offer an equal resistance to chemical action, and which it will be impossible to separate. In the fabric of the paper will also be introduced a light muslin tissue printed in special colours, visible only when held to the light. Nothing is sacred to the enterprising advertiser. It is dreadful to think that when the tourist photographs the pyramids, he must also photograph “Popham’s Pills.” Yet wc are within measurable distance of this. Who, for instance, would imagine that the Straits of Magellan would be made use of as an advertising station ? There is a small rock in an inlet called Gray Harbour, which is between Wellington Island and the Patagonian mainland, on which rock it is etiquette for steamers passing through the Magellan Straits to leave a card in the shape of a board with the name of the vessel and date painted thereon, and nailed to the rock. The captain of a telegraph ship, anchoring in Gray Harbour, lately took a photo graph of the rock, and to his disgust found that the most prominent “ card,” covering nearly the entire lower face of the rock, was one which contained the advertisement of a well-known soap manufacturer ! It is not generally known that at the top of that retiring and modest, but extremely useful, building the Patents Office, in Southampton Buildings, is a suite of photo graphers’ rooms. It was lately said by a technical journal that this photographic establishment was a thing of the past. This is not the case. Work is still being carried on when necessary. It is obvious that, in connection with the copying of designs and plans, photographic facilities are indispensable. The difficulty of securing photographs of notabilities when it is desirable that a complete collection should be made is well known. First, there is the consent of the individual to be obtained, next comes the appointment at the studio, and thirdly, and most important of all, the keeping of the appointment. Indeed, the worry and disappointment are so irritating, that all photographers who have commissions of this kind entrusted to them would welcome an imitation of the plan adopted in the Austrian Parliament, in order to comply with the request of the Emperor Francis Joseph for photographs of all the members. The president, during a full sitting of a House, simply said first to one representative and then to another, just as it was necessary, “Herr So-and-So, do not move,” and the photographer secured the necessary portrait. We should like to see this experiment tried by the Speaker of the House of Commons; it would serve to enliven many a dull sitting, and would certainly highly amuse the “strangers” present.