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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. EDITED BY T- C- HEPWORTH, F-C.S. Vol. XXXV. No. 1729.—October 23, 1891. CONTENTS. PAGE On Photographing Criminals r 729 Photolytic Action in Relation to Solution 730 Reviews 732 The Fixing Bath. By J. J. Higgins, A.M., M.D 732 Slow Combustion of Gaseous Mixtures 733 On the Intensification and Reduction of Gelatine Negatives. By Roland Whiting 734 New Process for Toning Blue Prints. By W. P. Jenney, E.M., 735 Notes 736 ON PHOTOGRAPHING CRIMINALS. It has often, been said, and still more often printed, that one half of the world does not know how the other half lives. Surely we may parody this sentence, and say that one half the people who visit the photographer’s studio have not the least idea under what circumstances the “ seamy side ” of life is photographed, and has its pictures taken without charge. On one side we have the lady of fashion, or the butterfly of fortune, driving up to the sumptuously furnished studio of the West- End photographer, bent on looking their best, and thinking what an impression their portraits will pre sently make on an admiring public. On the other, the wretched criminal who hates the sight of the camera, and who will do his best, by sundry contortions of his features, to render the likeness as little I ke him as possible. As everyone knows, photography is practised in all our prisons, and every criminal, whether he likes it or not—-it is generally not— has his portrait taken as a means of future identification. It is difficult to get a view of these criminal photographs—perhaps we should say it is impossible—although why this should be the case it is hard to say. To the unofficial mind it would seem that, to make these pictures really valuable in advertising the countenances of those who prey upon their fellow mortals, they should be open to the public— of course, under certain restrictions. But to keep them locked up in the privacy of a prison or police office is ridiculous. One exception to this rule was made, we remember, some years ago, when a number of criminal photographs were shown at the Pall Mall exhibition, but we fancy that this was initiated by the photo grapher and not by the authorities. These pictures were good ones, but we believe that the majority of such works, which are photographed at a very low contract price, are far from being works of art, and may be called diagrams rather than pictures. And in point of fact, these portraits need not be pictures. To be of use in identification, they merely require to portray The Pall Mall Exhibition 737 Exhibition at Hackney 733 Nitrate of Uranium Toning Paper. By M. Mercier 738 Art versus Photography in New Zealand 739 Photography in Germany. By Hermann E. Gunther 740 Further Notes on Silver Printing. By Lyonel Clark 741 Patent Intelligence 742 Correspondence 743 Proceedings of Societies 743 Answers to Correspondent 744 the leading characteristics of the face, and to bring into prominence any marks, such as scars, moles, or slight malformations. It has been often pointed out, but we do not know whether the suggestion has been acted upon in this country, that a criminal’s hand, both back and front, should be photographed as well as his face. On no two hands are the surface markings identical, while slight malformations of the digits or nails will often show that a man follows some particular trade. There are few men, too, who go through existence without having at some time cut or otherwise maimed their hands, and, as is well known, these scars persist through life. The prison photographer has by no means an easy task before him, for many of his models, knowing the use to which the coming picture is to be put, will try their hardest either to prevent it being taken at all, by kicking and plunging while the exposure is being made, or they will, by “ making faces,” endeavour to render the portrait unrecognisable. A case of this kind came up the other day, and gave the Daily Telegraph an opportunity of a jocose paragraph on the subject. A man named William Howes, who had distinguished himself by nearly killing a policeman, and had given other indications which made his friends believe that he was qualifying himself for the attentions of the common hangman, objected, while in gaol, to having his photograph taken, when, in order to make him obedient, he was pinioned and held by half a dozen warders before the camera; but it was no use, and the work had to be left undone. This is by no means a solitary case. In a very interesting volume, called “Professional Criminals of America,” by Inspector Byrnes, of New York, there are many such cases re corded ; indeed, the frontispiece of the book represents a man struggling in the hands of four warders while seated before the camera. Very few of our readers, possibly, have ever heard of this volume, for there are not many copies in this country. The book contains about three hundred por traits of men and women who have made themselves
