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554 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. | August 7, 1891. printed the advantages to be obtained from a military life; not, indeed, conceived in such a spirit as might have animated them had the late Mr. Bright been their parent, but in such liberal terms as might have been penned by some martial Pindar on the occasion of an exceptionally vinous mess. These cartes acted as very efficient auxiliaries to the huge coloured posters which have proved so attractive on so many occasions to agricolous folk as to lead them up to London, and afterwards—well, into all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war. Another instance of the photographic puff is only too familiar. It meets us at home and abroad, in the secluded hamlet and the roaring Strand, in the refresh ment room, the railway carriage, and the City omnibus; were it not that it is as yet happily excluded from our places of worship, it would be indeed ubiquitous. This omnipresent photographic energy consists in the portraiture of well-known persons in some ingenious connection with an article which it is the life-long purpose of its astute vendor to noise into notoriety and fame. Some time back this puff attained such alarming and offensive proportions on America’s congenial soil, that its growth had to be checked in one of the States by the iron clamps of legislative interference. One of those amiable gentlemen, whom we are accustomed to treat with gross ingratitude or careless indifference, who are for ever beseeching us to come to them and be cured of all our bodily and mental ills, what time we with strange, nay, lunatic perversity eye them askance, turn an adder’s ear to their invitations, and insist in their despite in remaining sick—in a word, a patent medicine vendor—had introduced, without any authority, the photograph of Mrs. Cleveland, the wife of the President, into his medicinal bundle. The lady appears to have resented, very naturally, this impudent insertion, and one of the American States thereupon passed a law making it a penal offence to use any photographic or other portrait for a purpose of this nature without express permission. How far the faces of those ladies who smile down upon us from the roofs of our metropolitan vehicles—a smile in harmony with the praise they are represented as uttering of a certain toilet requisite and detergent— how far these simpering faces are paid for is not, per haps, generally known, nor is it, indeed, in any way material to the public weal. We are content to bask in the sunshine of their beauty, and to ask no questions. But the matter is otherwise when the advertising photograph represents, not a blushing Hebe, but some decrepit and hideous old harridan, snatched from the gaping jaws of death by the timely aid of Peters’ Pulmonary Pills. Such a picture as this bears too commonly, in addition to the repulsive nature of the subject, the stamp of unskilful execution. The ghastly portrait is too often a corrupted enlargement of an originally vicious carte. In this photograph, the lady represented is supposed to have been preserved for the light of this world by the all-potent action of certain medicaments. There is, therefore, some raison d'etre for the exhibition of her portrait; but this reason in photographic pictorial advertisement is not always to be found. Por instance, there appears to be no essen tial connection between the pretty little girl who is manipulating a certain well-known hand-camera, and the camera itself; the work might have been effected as well—or perhaps better, for the purposes of the advertisement—by the failing power of a sexagenarian invalid. Such a picture would show how little phy sical force was necessary for the management of the machine ; but, on the other hand, it would have been destitute of the seductive attraction of adolescent feminine loveliness. This matter of adscititious loveliness constitutes the chief feature in many advertisements by photographs, as in the notorious example of the girl and the cigarettes. Alien, indeed, from its subject is an advertisement con sisting of a photograph of two persons, male and female, standing by the shore of the ocean, with the following printed announcement on the reverse side of the picture : “What are the wild waves saying, sister? Listen, brother, and you will hear. The wild waves are saying that John Smith is making the very best photographs that can be made anywhere in the wide world at the following prices.” A list of prices of carte and cabinet follows. “Do not be deceived by egg-shell finish. Listen to what the wild waves are saying. I positively assert, &c.” The announcement becomes at the conclusion somewhat profane. “Remember, wo arc open Sunday—always have been, and always will be—as it is a great accom modation to the public. The churches are also open on Sunday for the accommodation of those that cannot attend during the week. Furthermore, I have made pictures of ministers on Sunday, and delivered the pictures to them on their way from church.” Photographs on Silk.—Those chemists who are practical photographers can well utilise silk for presenting their customers with souvenirs—satchets, almanacs, &c.—at Christmas time. Sensitised silk can now be obtained commercially, but there is not much difficulty in preparing it. China silk we have found to be the best, and there is a great variety of ground tints to choose from. The silk must be well washed to free it from dressing, and then immersed in the following solution :— ; Common salt ... ... ... ... 4 grammes Arrowroot ... ... ... ... 4 ,, Acetic acid ... ... ... ... 15 c.c. Distilled water... ... ... ... 100 ,, The arrowroot is dissolved in the water by the aid of a gentle heat, and then the other ingredients added ; and finally— Tannin ... ... ... ... ... 4 grammes dissolved in— Distilled water... ... ... ... 100 c.c. are also added, and the mixture filtered. The silk is allowed to lie in this salting bath for three minutes, hung up to dry, and afterwards sensitised on a silver bath as follows :— Nitrate of silver ... ... ... 3 grammes Distilled water... ... ... ... 25 c.c. Nitric acid ... ... ... ... } drop The silk is floated on this for one minute, then hung up till surface dry, and finally pinned out on a board till thoroughly dry. It is printed in the usual way, and washed and toned as usual, though we have found the mixed acetate and sulpho cyanide bath give the best tones.—Scientific American.