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PAPER, ASPHALTUM, &c.

JOSEPH NICEPHORE NIEPCE.
From a Painting by L. Berger.

HENRY FOX TALBOT.
Front a Calotype.

SIR JOHN HERSCHEL,
From a Daguerreotype

THE EVOLUTION

PHOTOGKAPHY.

WITH A

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD

rUSOOVBHIES, INVENTIONS, ETC.,

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHOTOGRAPHIC LITERATURE,

AND

PERSONAL REMINISCENCES EXTENDING OVER FORTY YEARS.

I LLU ST RATED.

LONDON :
PIPER & CARTER, 5, FURNIVAL STREET, HOLBORN, E.G. ;

AND

JOHN WERGE, 11a, BERNERS STREET, OXFORD STREET, W.

1890.

Printed bt Piper & Carter, 5, Furnivai, Strket, Holbork, London, E.G.

PREFACE.

No previous history of photography, that I am aware
of, has ever assumed the form of a reminiscence, nor
have I met with a photographic work, of any description,
tliat is so strictly built upon a chronological foundation
as the one now placed in the hands of the reader. I
therefore think, and trust, that it will prove to be an
acceptable and readable addition to photographic
literature.

It was never intended that this volume should be a
text-book, so I have not entered into elaborate descrip-
tions of the manipulations of this or that process, but
have endeavoured to make it a comprehensive and
agreeable summary of all that has been done in the
past, and yet convey a perfect knowledge of all the
processes as they have appeared and effected radical
changes in the practice of photography.

The chronological record of discoveries, inventions,
appliances, and publications connected with the art will,
it is hoped, be received and considered as a useful and
interesting table of reference ; while the reminiscences,
extending over forty years of unbroken contact with
every phase of photography, and some of its pioneers,
will form a vital link between the long past and
immediate present, which may awaken pleasing recol-
lections in some, and give encouragement to others to

IV.

enter the field of experimentj and endeavour to continue
the work of evolution.

At page 10 it is stated, on the authority of the late
Kobert Hunt, that some of Niepce's early pictures may
be seen at the British Museum. That was so, but
unfortunately it is not so now. On making application,
very recently, to examine these pictures, I ascertained
that they were never placed in the care of the curator
of the British Museum, but were the private property
of the late Dr. Robert Brown, who left them to his
colleague, John Joseph Bennett, and that at the latter's
death they passed into the possession of his widow. I
wrote to the lady making enquiries about them, but have
not been able to trace them further ; there are, however,
two very interesting examples of Niepce's heliographs,
and one photo-etched plate and print, lent by Mr. H. P.
Robinson, on view at kSouth Kensington, in the Western
Gallery of the Science Collection.

For the portrait of Thomas We.dgwood, I am indebted
to Mr. Godfrey WedgAvood ; for that of Joseph Nice-
phore Niepce, to the Mayor of Chalons-sur-Soane ; for
the Rev. J. B. Reade's, to Mr. Fox ; for Sir John
Herschel's, to ^h: H. H. Cameron ; for John Frederick
Goddard's, to Dr. .Jabez Hogg ; and for Frederick Scott
Archer's, to Mr. Alfred Cade ; and to all those gentlemen
I tender my most grateful acknowledgments. Also to
the Autotype Company, for their care and attention in
carrying out my wishes in the reproduction of all the
illustrations by their beautiful Collotype Process.

JOHN WERGE.
London^ June^ 1890.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION 1

FIRST PERIOD.
The Dark Ages 3

SECOND PERIOD.

PCBLICITY AND PROGBESS 27

THIRD PERIOD.
Collodion Triumphant 58

FOURTH PERIOD.
-Gelatinb Successful 95

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD.
Inventions, Discoveries, etc 126

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHOTOGRAPHIC LITERATURE. ... 140

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Frontispiece

27
2?
27
58
58
95
95

PoRTBAiT OF Thomas Wedgwood.
Portrait of Joseph Nicephore Niepce,
Portrait of Rev. J. B. Reade.
Portrait of Henry Fox Talbot.
Portrait of Sir John Herschel.
Portrait of L. J. M. Daguerre.
Portrait of John Frederick Goddakd»
Copt of Instantaneous Daguerreotype .
Portrait of Frederick Scott Archer.
Hever Castle, Kent.
Portrait or Dr. R. L. Maddox.
Portrait of Richard Kennett.

INDEX.

Archer, Frederick Scott, 58-69
Argentic Gelatino-Bromide Paper,

106
Abney's Translation of Pizzighelli

and Hubl's Booklet, 109
A String of Old Beads, 309

Bacon, Roger, 3
Bennett, Charles, 102
Boston, 51

Bromine Accelerator, 29
Bingham, Robert J., 87
Burgess, J., 93

Cabinet Portraits, 84
Camera Obscura, 3
Chronological Record, 126-139
Convention of 1889, 122
Claudet, A. F. J., 29, 86
Chlorine Accelerator, 29
Collodion Process (Archer's), 68
Collodio- Chloride Printing Process,
81

Davy, Sir H., 9
Daguerre, L. J. M., 9, 43
Daguerreotype Process, 23, 24, 25

Apparatus Imported, 29

Diaphanotypes, 71
Dolland, J., 4
Donkin, W. F., 120
Draper, Dr., 107
Dublin Exhibition, 205-226

Eburneum Process, 82
Elliott iS; Fry, 96
Eosine, &c., 109

Errors in Pictorial Backgrounds,
231

First Photographic Portrait, 107
Fizeau, M., 6, 28
Flash-light Pictures, 118

Gelatino-Bromide Experiments, 91

Globe Lens, 78

Goddard, John Frederick, 28, 79

Harrison, W. H., 87
Heliographic Process, 11, 12, 13
Heliochromy, SS
Herschel, Dr., 6
Herschel, Sir John, 94
Hillotypes, 71
Hughes, Jabez, 55, 75
Hunt, Robert, 117

International Exhibitions, 42, 77,
82, 111

Johnson, J. R., 107

Kennett, R., 96

Lambert, Leon, 98

Laroche, Sylvester, 116

Lea, Carey, 101

" Lux Graphicus " on the Wing,

273-299
Lights and Lighting, 311

Maddox, Dr. R. L., 91
Magic Photographs, 83
Mawson, John, 85
Mayall, J. E., 54
Macbeth, Norman, 120
Montreal, 51
Morgan and Kidd, 106

Vlll.

Newton, Sir Isaac, 3
New York, 48, 71
Niagara, 60

Niepce, J. Nicephore, 9, 11
Niepce de St. Victor, 88
Niagara, Pictures of, 140-158
Notes on Pictures in National
Gallery, 245

Orthochromatic Plates, 115

Panoramic Lens and Camera, 76

Pistolgraph, 76

Pensions to Daguerre and Niepce,

33
Philadelphia, 49
Ponton, Mungo, 22, 103
Poitevin, M., 85, 108
Porta, Baptista G., 3
Potash Bichromate, 22
Pouncy Process, 78
Pictures of the St. Lawrence, 158-

169
Pinhole Camera, 117
Pizzighelli's Platinum Printing, 118
Pictures of the Potomac, 183-19B
Photography in the North, 226-231
Perspective, 237-244
Photography and the Immured

Pompeiians, 303

Rambles among Studios, 196-204
Reade, Rev. J. B., 15-22, 90
Rejlander, 0. G., 98
Ritter, John Wm., 5
Rumford, Count, 5
Russell, Col., 117

Sable Island, 47
Salomon, Adam, 84

Sawyer, J. R., 121

Scheele, C. W., 4, 5

Senebier, 5

Simpson, George Wharton, 75, 103

Soda Sulphite, 109

Swan's Carbon Process, 80

Stannotvpe, 107

Sutton, Thomas, 100

Spencer, J. A., 102

Stereoscopic Pictures, 119

Sharpness and Softness v. Hardness,

249
Simple Mode of Intensifying

Negatives, 307

Talbot, Henry Fox, 14, 101

Talbot versus Laroche, 54

Taylor, Professor Alfred Swaine,

104
The Hudson River, 169-183
The Society's Exhibition, 260
The Use of Clouds in Landscapes,

265
as Backgrounds in Portraiture,

269

Union of the North and South
London Societies, 253

Vogel, Dr. H. W., 109

Washington, 49

Wedgwood Controversy, 80

Wedgwood, Thomas, 7, 8, 9

Whipple Gallery, 52

Wolcott Reflecting Camera, 28

Wollaston's Diaphragmatic Shutter,

116
WoUaston, Dr., 6
Woodbury Process, 82
Wothlytype Printing Process, 81

INTRODUCTION.

Photogbai>ht, though young in. years, is sufficiently aged to be
in danger of having much of its early history, its infantile
gambols, and vigorous growth, obscured or lost sight of in the
gKtter and reflection of the brilliant success which surrounds its
maturity. Scarcely has the period of an average life psssed
away since the labours of the successful experimentalists began ;
yet, how few of the present generation of workers can lay their
fingers on the dates of the birth, christening, and phases of the
delightful vocation they pursue. Many know little or nothing
of the long and weary travail the minds of the discoverers
suffered before their ingenuity gave birth to the beautiful art-
science by which they live. "\\'hat form the infant art assumed
in the earlier stages of its life ; or when, where, and how, it
passed from one phase to another until it arrived at its present
state of mature and profitable perfection. Born with the art, as
I may say, and having graduated in it, I could, if I felt so dis-
posed, give an interesting, if not amusing, description of its rise
and progress, and the many difficulties and disappointments
that some of the early practitioners experienced at a time when
photographic A B C's were not printed; its "principles and
practice" anything but familiarly explained; and when the
" dai'k-room " was as dark as the grave, and as poisonous as a
chamel-house, and only occasionally illumined by the glare of
a " bull's-eye." But it is not my intention to enter the domain
of romance, and give highly coloured or extraTagant accounts of

tlie growth of so beautiful and fascinating an art-science.
Photography is sufficiently facetious in itself, and too versatile
in its powers of delineation of scenes and character, to require
any verboae effort of mine to make it attractive. A record of
bare facts is all I aim at. Whatever is doubtful I shall leave
to the imagination of the reader, or the invention of the romance
writer. To arrange in chronological order the various discoveries,
inventions, and improvements that have made photography what
it is ; to do honour to those who have toiled and given, or sold,
the fruits of their labour for the advancement of the art ; to set
at rest, as far as dates can succeed in doing so, any questionable
point or order of precedence of merit in invention, application,
or modification of a process, and to enable the photographic
student to make himself acquainted with the epochs of the art,
is the extent of my ambition in compiling these records.

With the hope of rendering this work readily referable and
most comprehensive, I shall divide it into four periods. The first
will deal broadly and briefly with such facts as can be ascer-
tained that in any way bear on the accidental discovery, early
researches, and ultimate success of the pioneers of photography.

The second will embrace a fuller description of their successes
and results. The third will be devoted to a consideration of
patents and impediments ; and the fourth to the rise and deve-
lopment of photographic literature and art. A strict chrono-
logical arrangement of each period will be maintained, and it is
lioped that the advantages to be derived from travelling some of
the same ground over again in the various divisions of the sub-
ject will fully compensate the reader, and be accepted as
sufficient excuse for any unavoidable repetition that may appear
in the work. With these few remarks I shall at once enter
upon the task of placing before the reader in chronological order
the origin, rise, progress, and development of the science and art
of photography.

FIRST PERIOD.

THE DARK AGES.

U^OBE than three hundred years have elapsed since the influence
and actinism of light on chloride of silver was observed by
the alchemists of the sixteenth century. This discovery was
unquestionably the first thing that suggested to the minds of
succeeding chemists and men of science the possibility of
obtaining pictures of solid bodies on a plane surface previously
coated with a silver salt by means of the sun's rays ; but the
alchemists were too much absorbed in their vain endeavours to
convert the base metals into royal ones to seize the hint, and
they lost the opportunity of turning the silver compounds with
which they were acquainted into the mine of wealth it
eventually became in the nineteenth century. Curiously
enough, a mechanical invention of the same period was after-
wards employed, with a very trifling modification, for the
production of the earliest sun-pictures. This was the camera-
obscura invented by Eoger Bacon in 1297, and improved by
a physician in Padua, Giovanni Baptista Porta, about 1500,
and afterwards remodelled by Sir Isaac Newton.

Two more centuries passed away before another step was
taken towards the revelation of the marvellous fact that Nature
possessed within herself the power to delineate her own
T)eauties, and, as has recently been proved, that the sun could

depict his own terrible majesty "with a rapidity and fidelity the
hand of man could never attain. The second step towards this
grand achievement of science was the construction of the double
achromatic combination of lenses by J, DoUand. "With single
combinations of lenses, such pictures as we see of ourselves
to-day, and such portraits of the sun as the astronomers obtained
during the late total eclipse, could never have been produced.
J. Dolland, the eminent optician, was born in London 1706,
and died 1762; and had he not made that important improve-
ment in the construction of lenses, the eminent photographic
opticians of the present day might have lived and died unknown
to wealth and fame.

The observations of the celebrated Swedish chemist, Scheele,
formed the next interesting link between the simple and
general blackening of a lump of chloride of silver, and
the gradations of blackening which ultimately produced the
photographic picture on a piece of paper possessing a prepared
surface of nitrate of silver and chloride of sodium in combination.
Scheele discovered in 1777 that the blackening of the silver
compound was due to the reducing power of light, and that the
black deposit was reduced silver ; and it is precisely the same
effect of the action of light upon chloride of silver passing
through the various densities of the negative that produces the
beautiful photographic prints with which we are all familiar
at the present time. Scheele was also the first to discover and
make known the fact that chloride of silver was blackened or
reduced to various depths by the varying action of the prismatic
colours. He fixed a glass prism in a window, allowed the
refracted sunbeams to fall on a piece of paper strewn with
luna cornua — fused chloride of silver — and saw that the violet
ray was more active than any of the other colours. Anyone,
with a piece of sensitized paper and a prism, or piece of a
broken lustre, can repeat and see for themselves Scheele's
interesting discovery j and anyone that can draw a head or

a flower may catcli a sunbeam in a small magnifying glass, and
make a drawing on sensitized paper with a pencil, as long as the
sun is distant from the earth. It is the old story of Columbus
and the egg — easy to do when you are shown or told how.

Charles William Scheele was born at Stralsund, Sweden,
December 19tb, 1742, and died at Koeping, on lake Moeler,
May 21st, 1786. He was the real father of photography, for
he produced the first photographic picture on record without
camera and without lens, with the same chemical compound
and the same beautiful and wonderful combination of natural
colours which we now employ. Little did he dream what was
to follow. But photography, like everything else in this world,
is a process of evolution.

Senebier followed up Scheele's experiments with the solar
spectrum, and ascertained that chloride of silver was darkened
by the violet ray in fifteen minutes, while the red rays were
sluggish, and required twenty minutes to produce the same
result.

John "Wm. Eitter, born at Samitz, in Selesia, corroborated
the experiments of Scheele, and discovered that chloride of
silver was blackened beyond the spectrum on the violet side.
He died in 1810 ; but he had observed what is now called the
fluorescent rays of the spectrum — invisible rays which un-
questionably exert themselves in the interests and practice of
photography.

Many other experiments were made by other chemists and
philosophers on the influence of light on various substances, but
none of them had any direct bearing on the subject under
consideration until Count Rumford, in 1798, communicated to
the Royal Society his experiments with chloride of gold.
Count Rumford wetted a piece of taffeta ribbon with a solution
of chloride of gold, held it horizontally over the clear flame of
a wax candle, and saw that the heat decomposed the gold
solution, and stained the ribbon a beautiful purple. Though

no revived gold was visible, the ribbon appeared to be coated
with a rich purple enamel, which showed a metallic lustre of
great brilliancy when viewed in the sunlight ; but its photo-
graphic value lay in the circumstance of the hint it. afterwards
afforded M, Fizeau in applying a solution of chloride of gold,
and, by means of heat, depositing a fine film of metallic gold on
the surface of the Daguerreotype image, thereby increasing the
brilliancy and permanency of that form of photographic picture.
A modification of M. Fizeau's chloride of gold " fixing process "
is still used to tone, and imparts a rich purple colour to photo-
graphic prints on plain and albumenized papers.

In 1800, Dr. Herschel's " Memoirs on the Heating Power of
the Solar Spectrum " were published, and out of his observations
on the various effects of difi'erently coloured darkening glasses
arose the idea that the chemical properties of the prismatic
colours, and coloured glass, might be as different as those which
related to heat and light. His suspicions were ultimately
verified, and hence the use of yellow or ruby glass in the windows
of the "dark-room," as either of those coloured glasses admit
the luminous ray and restrain the violet or active photographic
ray, and allow all the operations that would otherwise have to
be performed in the dark, to be seen and done in comfort, and
without injury to the sensitive film.

The researches of Dr. WoUaston, in 1802, had very little
reference to photography beyond his examination of the chemical
action of the rays of the spectrum, and his observation that the
yellow stain of gum guaiacum was converted to a green colour
in the violet rays, and that the red rays rapidly destroyed the
green tint the violet rays had generated.

1802 is, however, a memorable year in the dark ages of photo-
graphy, and the disappointment of those enthusiastic and in-
defatigable pursuers of the sunbeam must have been grievous
indeed, when, after years of labour, they found the means of
catching shadows as they fell, and discovered that they could
not keep them.

Thomas "Wedgwood, son of the celebrated potter, was not
only the first that obtained photographic impressions of objects,
but the first to make the attempt to obtain sun pictures in the true
sense of the word. Scheele had obtained the first photographic
picture of the solar spectrum, but it was by accident, and while
pursuing other chemical experiments; whereas Wedgwood
went to work avowedly to make the sunbeam his slave, to enlist
the sun into the service of art, and to compel the sun to illus-
trate art, and to depict nature more faithfully than art had ever
imitated anything illumined by the sun before. How far he
succeeded everyone should know, and no student of photography
should ever tire of reading the first published account of his
fascinating pastime or delightful vocation, if it were but to
remind him of the treasures that surround him, and the value of
hyposulphite of soda. What would Thomas Wedgwood not
have given for a handful of that now common commodity?
There is a mournfulness in the sentence relative to the evanes-
cence of those sun pictures in the Memoir by Wedgwood and
Davy that is peculiarly impressive and desponding contrasted
with our present notions of instability. We know that sun
pictures will, at the least, last for years, while they knew that
at the most they would endure but for a few hours. The
following extracts from the Memoir published in June, 1802,
will, it is hoped, be found sufficiently interesting and in place
here to justify their insertion.

" White paper, or white leather moistened with solution of
nitrate of silver, undergoes no change when kept in a dark
place, but on being exposed to the daylight it speedily changes
colour, and after passing through different shades of grey and
brown becomes at length nearly black. ... In the direct
beams of the sun, two or three minutes are sufficient to
produce the full effect, in the shade several hours are required,
and light transmitted through different coloured glasses acts
upon it with different degrees of intensity. Thus it is found

that red rays, or the common sunbeams passed through red
glass, have very little action upon it ; yelloTr and green are
more efficacious, but blue and violet light produce the most

decided and powerful effects "When the shadow

of any figure is thrown upon the prepared surface, the part
concealed by it remains white, and the other parts speedily
become dark. For copying paintings on glass, the solution
should be applied on leather, and in this case it is more readily
acted on than when paper is used. After the colour has been
once fixed on the leather or paper, it cannot be removed by the
application of water, or water and soap, and it is in a high
degree permanent. The copy of a painting or the profile,
immediately after being taken, must be kept in an obscure
place ; it may indeed be examined in the shade, but in this case
the exposure should be only for a few minutes ; by the light
of candles or lamps as commonly employed it is not sensibly
affected.

No attempts that have been made to prevent the uncoloured
parts of the copy -or profile from being acted upon by the light
have as yet been successful. They have been covered by a
thin coating of fine varnish, but this has not destroyed their
susceptibility of becoming coloured, and even after repeated
washings, sufficient of the active part of the saline matter will
adhere to the white parts of leather or paper to cause them to
become dark when exposed to the rays of the sun. . . .

The images formed by means of a camera-obscura have been
found to be too faint to produce, in any moderate time, an
effect upon the nitrate of silver. To copy these images was
the fijst object of Mr. "Wedgwood, in his researches on the
subject, and for this purpose he first used the nitrate of sUver,
which was mentioned to him by a friend, as a substance very
sensible to the influence of light ; but all his numerous
experiments as to their primary end proved unsuccessful."

From the foregoing extracts from the first lecture on

photography that ever was delivered or published, it vrill be
seen that those two eminent philosophers and exprimentalists
despaired of obtaining pictures in the camera-obscura, and of
rendering the pictures obtained by superposition, or cast
shadows, in any degree permanent, and that they were utterly
ignorant and destitute of any fixing agents. No wonder, then,
that all further attempts to pursue these experiments should,
for a time, be abandoned in England. Although Thomas
"Wedgwood's discoveries were not published until 1802,
he obtained his first results in 1791, and does not appear to
have made any appreciable advance during the remainder of
his life. He was born in 1771, and died in 1805. Sir
Humphrey Davey was born at Penzance 1778, and died at
Geneva in 1828, so that neither of them lived to see the
realization of their hopes.

From the time that "Wedgwood and Davy relinquished their
investigation, the subject appears to have lain dormant until
1814, when Joseph Nicephore Mepce, of Chalon-sur-Saone,
lommcnced a series of experiments with various resins, with the
object of securing or retaining in a permanent state the pictures
produced in the camera-obscura, and in 1824, L. J. M. Daguerre
turned his attention to the same subject. These two investi-
gators appear to have carried on their experiments in different
ways, and in total ignorance of the existence and pursuits of the
other, until the year 1826, when they accidentally became
acquainted with each other and the nature of their investigations.
Their introduction and reciprocal admiration did not, however,
induce them to exchange their ideas, or reveal the extent of
their success in the researches on which they were occupied,
and which both were pursuing so secretly and guardedly. They
each preserved a marked reticence on the subject for a consider-
able time, and it was not until a deed of partnership was
■executed between them that they confided their hopes and
fears, their failures with this substance, and their prospects of

success with that ; and eyen after the execution of the deed of
partnership they seem to have jealously withheld as much of
their knowledge as they decently could under the circumstances.

Towards the close of 1827 M. Mepce visited England, and
we receive the first intimation of his success in the production
of light-drawn pictures from a note addressed to Mr. Bauer, of
Kew. It is rather curious and flattering to find that the earliest
intimation of the Frenchman's success is given in England. The
note which M. Niepce wrote to Mr. Bauer is in French, but the
following is a translation of the interesting announcement : —
' ' Kew, 1 9th November, 1827. Sir,— When I left France to reside
here, I was engaged in researches on the way to retain the image
of objects by the action of light. I have obtained some results
which make me eager to proceed . . . Nicephore Mepce."
This is the first recorded announcement of his partial success.

In the following December he communicated with the Royal
Society of London, and showed several pictures on metal plates.
Most of these pictures were specimens of his successful experi-
ments with various resins, and the subjects were rendered visible
to the extent which the light had assisted in hardening portions
of the resin-covered plates. Some were etchings, and had been
subjected to the action of acid after the design had been impressed
by the action of light. Several of these specimens, I believe, are
still extant, and may be seen on application to the proper official
at the British Museum. M. IS'iepce named these results of his
researches Heliography, and Mr. Bobert Hunt gives their
number, and a description of each subject, in his work entitled,
"Besearches on Light." M. Kiepce met with some disappoint-
ment in England on account of the Boyal Society refusing to
receive his communication as a secret, and he returned to France
rather hurriedly. In a letter dated " Chalons-sur-Saone, 1st
March, 1828," he says, "We arrived here 26th February";
and, in a letter written by Daguerre, February 3rd, 1828, we
find that savant consoling his brother experimentalist for his-
lack of encourasjement in England.

In December, 1829, the two Frencli investigators joined
issue by executing a deed of co-partnery, in which, they agreed
to prosecute their researches in future in mutual confidence and
for their joint advantage ; but their interchange of thought and
experience does not appear to have been of much value or advan-
tage to the other ; for an examination of the correspondence
between MM. iNiepce and Daguerre tends to show that the one
somewhat annoyed the other by sticking to his resins, and the
other one by recommending the use of iodine. M. Xiepce
somewhat ungraciously expresses regret at having wasted so
much time in experimenting with iodine at M. Daguerre's
suggestion, but ultimate results fully justified Daguerre's
recommendation, and proved that he was then on the right track,
"while M. ^N^iepce's experiments with resins, asphaltum, and
other substances terminated in nothing but tedious manipula-
tions, lengthy exposures, and unsatisfactory results. To
M. ^iepce, most unquestionably, is due the honour of having
produced the first permanent sun pictures, for we have seen that
those obtained by Wedgwood and Davy were as fleeting as a
shadow, while those exhibited by M. Xiepce in 1827 are still
in their original condition, and, imperfect as they are, they are
likely to retain their permanency for ever. Their fault lay in
neither possessing beauty nor commercial applicability.

As M. Xiepce died at Chalons-sur-Saone in 183'i, and doesnot
appear to have improved his process much, if any, after entering
into partnersliip with M. Daguerre, and as I may not have occa-
sion to allude to him or his researches again, I think this will
be the most fitting place to give a brief description of his pro-
cess, and his share in the labours of bringing up the wonderful
baby of science, afterwards named Photography, to a safe and
ineffaceable period of its existence.

The Heliographic process of M, iN'iepce consists of a solution
of asphaltum, bitumen of Judea, being spread on metal or glass
plates, submitted to the action of light either by superposition

or in the camera, and the unaiFected parts dissolved away after-
wards by means of a suitable solvent. But, in case any student
of photography should like to produce one of the first form of
permanent sun pictures, I shall give here the details of M.
ISiepce's own modus operandi for preparing the solution of bitu-
men and coating the plate : —

' ' I about half fill a wine-glass with this pulverised bitumen ;
I pour upon it, drop by drop, the essential oil of lavender until
the bitumen is completely saturated. I afterwards add as much
more of the essential oil as causes the whole to stand about
three lines above the mixture, which is then covered and sub-
mitted to a gentle heat until the essential oil is fully impreg-
nated with the colouring matter of the bitumen. If this varnish
is not of the required consistency, it is to be allowed to evapo-
rate slowly, without heat, in a shallow dish, care being taken
to protect it from moisture, by which it is injured and at last
decomposed. In winter, or in rainy weather, the precaution is
doubly necessary. A tablet of plated silver, or well cleaned
and warm glass, is to be highly polished, on which a thin
coating of the varnish is to be applied cold, with a light roll of
very soft skin ; this will impart to it a fine vermilion colour,
and cover it with a very thin and equal coating. The plate is
then placed upon heated iron, which is wrapped round with
several folds of paper, from which, by this method, all moisture
had been previously expelled. When the varnish has ceased to
simmer, the plate is withdrawn from the heat, and- left to cool
and dry in a gentle temperature, and protected from a damp
atmosphere. In this part of tlie operation a light disc of metal,
with a handle in the centre, should be held before the mouth,
in order to condense the moisture of the breath."

In the foregoing description it will be observed how much
importance M. Niepce attached to the necessity of protecting
the solution and prepared plate from moisture, and that no
precautions are given concerning the effect of white light. It

must be remembered, however, that the material employed was
very insensitive, requiring many hours of exposure either in
the camera or under a print or drawing placed in contact with
the prepared surface, and consequently such precaution might
not have been deemed necessary. Probably M. Niepce worked
in a subdued light, but there can be no doubt about the neces-
sity of conducting both the foregoing operations in yellow light.
Had M. Niepce pei-formed his operations in a non-actinic light,
the plates would certainly have been more sensitive, and the
unacted-on parts would have been more soluble ; thus rendering
both the time of exposure and development more rapid.

After the plate was prepared and dried, it was exposed in the
camera, or by superposition, under a print, or other suitable
subject, that would lie flat. For the latter, an exposure of
two or three hours in bright sunshine was necessary, and the
former required six or eight hours in a strong light. Even
those prolonged exposures did not produce a visible image, and
the resultant picture was not revealed to view until after a tedi-
ous process of dissolving, for it could scarcely be called develop-
ment. M. Mepce himself says, " The next operation then is to
disengage the shrouded imagery, and this is accomplished by a
solvent." The solvent consisted of one measure of the essential
oil of lavender and ten of oil of white petroleum or benzole. On
removing the tablet from the camera or other object, it was
plunged into a bath of the above solvent, and left there until the
parts not hardened by light were dissolved. "When the picture
was fully revealed, it was placed at an angle to drain, and
finished by washing it in water.

Except for the purpose of after-etching, M. Niepce's process
was of little commercial value then, but it has since been of
some service in the practice of photo-lithography. That, I think,
is the fullest extent of the commercial or artistic advantages
derived from the utmost success of M, Niepce's discoveries ;
but what he considered his failures, the fact that he employed

copper plates coated witli silver for his heliograpliic tablets, and
endeavoured to darken the clean or clear parts of the silvered plates
with the fumes of iodine for the sake of contrast only, may be
safely accepted as the foundation of Daguerre's ultimate success
in discovering the extremely beautiful and workable process
known as the Daguerreotype.

M. Niepce appears to have done very little more towards
perfecting the heliographic process after joining Daguerre ; but
the latter effected some improvements, and substituted for the
bitumen of Judea the residuum obtained by evaporating the
essential oil of lavender, without, however, attaining any
important advance in that direction. After the death of M.
Nicephore Niepce, a new agreement was entered into by his son,
M. Isidore Niepce, and M. Daguerre, and we must leave those
two experimentalists pursuing their discoveries in France while
we return to England to pick up the chronological links that
unite the history of this wonderful discovery with the time that
it was abandoned by Wedgwood and Davy, and the period of
its startling and brilliant realisation.

In 1834, Mr. Henry Fox Talbot, of Lacock Abbey, Wilts,
" began to put in practice," as he informs us in his memoir read
before the Royal Society, a method which he "had devised
some time previously, for employing to purposes of utility the
very curious property which has been long known to chemists
to be possessed by the nitrate of silver — namely, to discolouration
wlien exposed to the violet rays of light." The statement just
quoted places us at once on the debateable ground of our subject,
and compels us to pause and consider to what extent photo-
graphy is indebted to Mr. Talbot for its further development at
this period and five years subsequently. In the first place, it
is not to be supposed for a moment that a man of Mr. Talbot's
position and education could possibly be ignorant of what had
been done by Mr. Thomas Wedgwood and Sir Humphrey Davy.
Their experiments were published in the Journal of the Royal

Institution of Great Britain in June, 1802, and Mr. Talbot or
some of his friends could not have failed to have seen or heard
of those published details ; and, in the second place, a comparisoD
between the last records of "Wedgwood and Davy's experiments,
and the first published details of Mr. Talbot's process, shows not
only that the two processes are identically the same, but that
Mr, Talbot published his process before he had made a single
step in advance of Wedgwood and Davy's discoveries ; and that
his fixing solution was not a fixer at all, but simply a retardant
that delayed the gradual disappearance of the picture only a
short time longer. Mr. Talbot has generally been credited with,
the honour of producing the first permanent sun-pictures on
paper ; but there are grave reasons for doubting the justice of
that honour being entirely, if at all, due to him, and the
following facts and extracts will probably tend to set that
question at rest, and transfer the laurel to another brow.

To the late Rev. J. B. Reade is incontestably due the honour
of having first applied tannin as an accelerator, and hyposulphite
of soda as a fixing agent, to the production and retention of
light-produced pictures ; and having first obtained an inefface-
able photograph upon paper. Mr. Talbot's gallate of silver
process was not patented or published till 1841 ; whereas the
Rev. J. B. Reade produced paper negatives by means of gallic
acid and nitrate of silver in 1837. It will be remembered that
Mr. Wedgwood had discovered and stated that the chloride of
silver was more sensitive when applied to white leather, and
Mr. Reade, by inductive reasoning, came to the conclusion that
tanned paper and silver would be more sensitive to light than
ordinary paper coated with nitrate of silver could possibly be.
As the reverend philosopher's ideas on that subject are probably
the first that ever impregnated the mind of man, and as his
experiments and observations are the very earliest in the pursuit
of a gallic acid accelerator and developer, I will give them in his
own words: — ''No one can dispute my claim to be the first to

suggest the use of gallic acid as a sensitizer for prepared paper,
and hyposulphite of soda as a fixer. These are the keystones
of the arch at which Davy and Young had laboured— or, as I
may say in the language of another science, we may vary the
tones as we please, but here is the fundamental base. My use
of gallate of silver was the result of an inference from "Wedg-
wood's experiments with leather, ' which is more readily acted
upon than paper ' {Journal of the Royal Institution, vol. i.,
p. 171). Mrs. B-eade was so good as to give me a pair of light-
coloured leather gloves, that I might repeat Wedgwood's
experiment, and, as my friend Mr. Ackerman reminds me, her
little objection to let me have a second pair led me to say,
' Then I will tan paper.' Accordingly I used an infusion of galls
in the first instance in the early part of the year 1837, when I
was engaged in taking photographs of microscopic objects. By
a new arrangement of lenses in the solar microscope, I produced
a convergence of the rays of light, while the rays of heat, owing
to their different refractions, were parallel or divergent. This
fortunate dispersion of the calorific rays enabled me to use
objects mounted in balsam, as well as cemented achromatic
object glasses; and, indeed, such was the coolness of the
illumination, that even infusoria in single drops of water were
perfectly happy and playful {vide abstracts of the ' Philosophical
Transactions,' December 22nd, 1836). The continued expense
of an artist — though, at first, I employed my friend. Lens
Aldons — to copy the pictures on the screen was out of the
question. I therefore fell back, but without any sanguine
expectations as to the result, upon the photographic process
adopted by "Wedgwood, with which I happened to be well
acquainted. I was a weary while, however, before any satis-
factory impression was made, either on chloride or nitrate paper.
I succeeded better with the leather ; but my fortunate inability
to replenish the little stock of this latter article induced me to
apply the tannin solution to paper, and thus I was at once

placed, by a very decided step, in advance of earlier experi-
menters, and I had the pleasure of succeeding where Talbot
acknowledges that he failed.

" Naturally enough, the solution which I used at first was
too strong, but, if you have ever been in what I may call the
agony of a find, you can conceive my sensations on witnessing the
unwilling paper become in a few seconds almost as black
as my hat. There was just a passing glimpse of outline, ' and
in a moment all was dark.' It was evident, however, that I
was in possession of all, and more than all, I wanted, and that
the dilution of so powerful an accelerator would probably give
successful results. The large amount of dilution greatly sur-
prised me ; and, indeed, before I obtained a satisfactory picture,
the quantity of gallic acid in the infusion must have been
quite homoeopathic ; but this is in exact accordance with modern
I)ractice and known laws. In reference to this point, Sir John
Herschel, writing from Slough, in April, 1840, says to Mr.
Eedman, then of Peckham (where I had resided), * I am surprised
at the weak solution employed, and how, with such, you have
been able to get a depth of shadow sufficient for so very sharp a
re-transfer is to me marvellous.' I may speak of Mr. Redmond
as a photographic pupil of mine, and at my request, he communi-
cated the process to Sir John, which, * on account of the
extreme clearness and sharpness of the results,' to use Sir John's
words, much interested him.

*'Dr. Diamond also, whose labours are universally appre-
ciated, first saw my early attempts at Peckham in 1837, and
heard of my use of gallate of silver, and was thus led to adopt
what Admiral Smyth then called ' a quick mode of taking bad
pictures ' ; but, as I told the Admiral in reply, he was born a
haby. "Whether our philosophical baby is ' out of its teens '
may be a question ; at all events, it is a very fine child, and
handles the pencil of nature with consummate skill.

*'£ut of all the persons who heard of my new accelerator, it is

most important to state that my old and valued friend, the late
AndrewRoss, told Mr. Talbot how first of all, bymeans of the solar
microscope, I threw the image of the object on prepared paper,
and then, while the paper was yet wet, washed it over with the
infusion of galls, when a sufficiently dense negative was quickly
obtained. In the celebrated trial, " Talbot t;5?-SMsLaroche," Mr.
Talbot, in his cross-examination, and in an almost breathless court,
acknowledged that he had received this information from Ross,
and from that moment it became the unavoidable impression that
he was scarcely justified in taking out a patent for applying my
accelerator to any known photogenic paper.

" The three known papers were those impregnated with the
nitrate, chloride, and the iodide of silver — the two former used
by "Wedgwood and Young, and the latter by Davy. It is true
that Talbot says of the iodide of silver that it is quite insensitive
to light, and so it is as he makes it ; but when he reduces it to
the condition described by Davy — viz., affected by the presence
of a little free nitrate of silver — then he must acknowledge, with
Davy, that * it is far more sensitive to the action of light than
either the nitrate or the muriate, and is evidently a distinct
compound.' In this state, also, the infusion of galls or gallic
acid is, as we all know, most decided and instantaneous, and so
I found it to be in my early experiments. Of course I tried the
effects of my accelerator on many salts of silver, but especially
upon the iodide, in consequence of my knowledge of Davy's
papers on iodine in the 'Philosophical Transactions.T li se
I had previously studied, in conjunction with my chemical
friend, Mr, Hodgson, then of Apothecaries' Hall. I did not,
however, use iodised paper, which is well described by Talbot in
the Philosophical Magazine iov "M-arch, 1838, as a subsiitute for
other sensitive papers, but only as one among many experiments
alluded to in my letter to Mr. Brayley.

" My pictures were exhibited at the Royal Society, and also at
Lord Northampton's, at his lordship's request, in April, 1839,

■when Mr. Talbot also exhibited his. In my letter to Mr.
Brayley, I did not describe iodised pictures, and, therefore, it
was held that exhibition in the absence of description left the
process legally unknown. Mr. Talbot consequently felt justified
in taking out a patent for uniting my known accelerator with
Davy's hioivn sensitive silver compound, adopting my method
(already communicated to him) with reference to "Wedgwood's
papers, and adding specific improvements in manipulation.
Whatever varied opinion may consequently be formed as to the
defence of the patent in court, there can be but one as to the
skill of the patentee.

"It is obvious that, in the process so conducted by me with
the solar microscope, I was virtually w/f^m my camera, standing
between the object and the prepared paper. Hence the exciting
and developing processes were conducted under one operation
(subsequently patented by Talbot), and the fact of a latent image
being brought out was not forced upon my attention. I did,
however, perceive this phenomenon upon one occasion, after I
had been suddenly called away, when taking an impression of the
Trientalis Europcea^oMdi surprised enough I was, and stood in
astonishment to look at it. But with all this, I was only, as
the judge said, " vertj hoty I did not realise the master fact
that the latent image which had been developed was the basis
of photographic manipulation. The merit of this discovery is
Talbot's, and his only, and I honour him greatly for his skill
and earlier discernment. I was, indeed, myself fully aware
that the image darkened under the influence of my sensitiser,
while I placed my hand before the lens of the instrument to
stop out the light ; and my solar mezzotint, as I then termed
it, was, in fact, brought out and perfected under my own eye
by the agency of gallic acid in the infusion, rather than by
the influence of direct solar action. But the notion of develop-
ing a latent image in these microscopic photographs never
crossed my mind, even after I had witnessed such development

in the Trientalis Europoea. My original notion \ras that the
infusion of galls, added to the wet chloride or nitrate paper
■while the picture was thrown upon it, produced only a new and
highly sensitive compound ; whereas, by its peculiar and con-
tinuous action after the first impact of light on the now sensi-
tive paper, I was also, as Talbot has shown, employing its pro-
perty of development as well as excitement. My ignorance of
its properties was no bar to its action. However, I threw the
lall, and Talbot caught it, and no man can be more willing than
myself to acknowledge our obligations to this distinguished
photographer. He compelled the world to listen to him, and
he had something worth hearing to communicate ; and it is a
sufficient return to me that he publicly acknowledged his obli-
gation to me, with reference to what Sir David Brewster calls
* an essential part of his patent ' {^vide Eorth British, Review f
Iso. 14 article — 'Photography').

" Talbot did not patent my valuable fixer. Here I had the
advantage of having published my use of hyposulphite of soda,
which Mr. Hodgson made for me in 1837, when London did
not contain an ounce of it for sale. The early operators had no
fixer ; that was their fix ; and, so far as any record exists, they
got no further in this direction than * imagining some experi-
ments on the subject ! ' I tried ammonia, but it acted too
energetically on the picture itself to be available for the pur-
pose. It led me, however, to the ammonia nitrate process of
printing positives, a description of which process (though
patented by Talbot in 1843) I sent to a photographic brother in
1839, and a quotation from my letter of that date has already
appeared in one of my communications to Notes and Queries.
On examining Brande's Chemistry, under the hope of still find-
ing the desired solvent which should have a greater affinity for
the simple silver compound on the uncoloured part of the pic-
ture than for the portion blackened by light, I happened to see
it stated, on Sir John Herschel's authority, that hyposulphite

of soda dissolves chloride of silver. I need not now say that
I used this fixer with success. The world, however, would not
have been long without it, for, when Sir John himself became
a photographer in the following year, he first of all used hypo-
sulphite of ammonia, and then permanently fell back upon the
properties of his other compound. Two of my solar microscope
negatives, taken in 1837, and exhibited with several others by
Mr. Bray ley in 1839 as illustrations of my letter and of his
lecture at the London Institution, are now in the possession of
the London Photographic Society. They are, no doubt, the
earliest examples of the agency of two chemical compounds
which will be co-existent with photography itself, viz., gallate
of silver and hyposulphite of soda, and my use of them, as above
described, will sanction my claim to be the first to take paper
pictures rapidly, and to fix them permanently.

" Such is a short account of my contribution to this interest-
ing branch of science, and, in the pleasure of the discovery, I
have a sufiicient reward."

These lengthy extracts from the Rev. Mr. Eeade's published
letter render further comment all but superfluous, but I cannot
resist taking advantage of the opportunity here afforded of
pointing out to all lovers of photography and natural justice
that the progress of the discovery has advanced to a far greater
extent by Mr. Eeade's reasoning and experiments than it was
by Mr. Talbot's ingenuity. The latter, as Mr. Reade observes,
only " caught the ball " and threw it into the Patent Office,
with some improvements in the manipulations. Mr. Reade
generously ascribes all honour and glory to Mr. Talbot for his
shrewdness in seizing what he had overlooked, viz., the develop-
ment of the latent image ; but there is a quiet current of rebuke
running all through Mr. Reade' s letter about the justice of patent-
ing a known sensitizer and a known accelerator, which he alone
had combined and applied to the successful production of a negative
on paper. Mr. Talbot's patent process was nothing more, yet he

endeavoured to secure a monopoly of what was in substance the
discovery and invention of another. Mr. Talbot was either very
precipitate, or i]l -advised, to rush to the Patent Office with
his modification, and even at this distant date it is much to
be regretted that he did so, for his rash act has, unhappily
for photography, proved a pernicious precedent. Mr. Eeade
gave his discoveries to the world freely, and the "pleasure
of the discovery" was "a sufficient reward." All honour to
such discoverers. They, and they only, are the true lovers
of science and art, who take up the torch where another laid
it down, or lost it, and carry it forward another stage
towards perfection, without sullying its brightness or dimming
the flame with sordid motives.

.The llev. J. B. Eeade lived to see the process he discovered
and watched over in its embryo state, developed with wondrous
rapidity into one of the most extensively applied arts of this
marvellous age, and died, regretted and esteemed by all who
knew him, December 12th, 1870. Photographers, your
occupations are his monument, but let his name be a tablet on
your hearts, and his unselfishness your emulation !

The year 1838 gave birth to another photographic discovery,
little thought of and of small promise at the time, but out of
which have flowed all the various modifications of solar and
mechanical carbon printing. This was the discovery of Mr.
Mungo Ponton, who first observed and announced the effects of
the sun's rays upon bichromate of potash. But that gentleman
was unwise in his generation, and did not patent his discovery,
so a whole host of patent locusts fell upon the field of research in
after years, and quickly seized the manna he had left, to spread on
their own bread. Mr. Mungo Ponton spread a solution of bichrom-
ate of potash upon paper, submitted it under a suitable object
to the sun's rays, and told all the world, without charge, that the
light hardened the bichromate to the extent of its action, and that
the unacted-upon portions could be dissolved away, leaving the

object white upon a yellow or orange ground. Other experi-
menters played variations on Mr. Ponton's bichromate scale,
and amongst the performers were M. E. Becquerel, of France, and
our own distinguished countryman, JMr. Robert Hunt.

During the years that elapsed between the death of M. Niepce
and the period to which I have brought these records, little was
heard or known of the researches of M. Daguerre, but he was
not idle, nor had he abandoned his iodine ideas. He steadily
pursued his subject, and worked with a continuity that gained
him the unenviable reputation of a lunatic. His persistency
created doubts of his sanity, but he toiled on solus, confident
that he was not in pursuit of an impossibility, and sanguine of
success. That success came, hastened by lucky chance, and
early in January, 1839, M. Daguerre announced the interesting
and important fact that the problem was solved. Pictures in
the camera-obscura could be, not only seen, but caught and
retained. M. Daguerre had laboured, sought, and found, and
the bare announcement of his wonderful discovery electrified
the world of science.

The electric telegraph could not then flash the fascinating
intelligence from Paris to London, but the news travelled fast,
nevertheless, and the unexpected report of M. Daguerre's
triumph hurried Mr. Talbot forward with a similar statement
of success. Mr. Talbot declared his triumph on the 31st of
January, 1839, and published in the following month the details
of a process which was little, if any, in advance of that already
known.

Daguerre delayed the publication of his process until a pen-
sion of six thousand francs per annum had been secured to him-
self, and four thousand francs per annum to M. Isidore Niepce
for life, with a reversion of one half to their widows. In the
midst of political and social struggles France was proud of the
glory of such a marvellous discovery, and liberally rewarded
her fortunate sons of science with honourable distinction and

substantial emolument. She was proud and generous to a
chivalrous extent, for she pensioned her sons that she might
have the " glory of endowing the world of science and of art with
one of the most surprising discoveries " that had been made on
her soil ; and, because she considered that '' the invention did
not admit of being secured by patent ;" but avarice and cupidity
frustrated her noble and generous intentions in this country,
and England alone was harassed with inj unctions and prosecu-
tions, while all the rest of the world participated in the pleasure
and profits of the noble gift of France.

In July, 1839, M. Daguerre divulged his secret at the request
and expense of the French Government, and the process which
bore his name was found to be totally different, both in manipula-
tion and effect, from any sun pictures that had been obtained in
England. The Daguerreotype was a latent image produced by
light on an iodised silver plate, and developed, or made visible,
by the fumes of mercury ; but the resultant picture was one
of the most shimmering and vapoury imaginable, wanting in
solidity, colour, and firmness. In fact, photography as intro-
duced by M. Daguerre was in every sense a wonderfully
shadowy and all but invisible thing, and not many removes from
the dark ages of its creation. The process was extremely
delicate and difficult, slow and tedious to manipulate, and too
insensitive to be applied to portraiture with any prospect of
success, from fifteen to twenty minutes' exposure in bright
sunshine being necessary to obtain a picture. The mode of pro-
ceeding was as follows : — A copper plate with a coating of silver
was carefully cleaned and polished on the silvered side, that was
placed, silver side downwards, over a vessel containing iodine
in crystals, until the silvered surface assumed a golden-yellow
colour. The plate was then transferred to the camera-obscura,
and submitted to the action of light. After the plate had
received the requisite amount of exposure, it was placed over a
box containing mercury, the fumes of which, on the application

of a gentle heat, developed the latent image. The picture was
then washed in salt and water, or a solution of hyposulphite of
soda, to remove the iodide of silver, washed in clean water
afterwards, and dried, and the Daguerreotype was finished
according to Daguerre's first published process.

The development of the latent image by mercury subliming
was the most marvellous and unlooked for part of the process,
and it was for that all-important thing that Daguerre was
entirely indebted to chance. Having put one of his apparently
useless iodized and exposed silver plates into a cupboard con-
taining a pot of mercury, Daguerre was greatly surprised, on
visiting the cupboard some time afterwards, to find the blank
looking plate converted into a visible picture. Other plates
were iodized and exposed and placed in the cupboard, and the
same mysterious process of development was repeated, and it
was not until this thing and the other thing had been removed
and replaced over and over again, that Daguerre became aware
that quicksilver, an article that had been used for making
mirrors and refiecting images for years, was the developer of the
invisible image. It was indeed a most marvellous and unex-
pected result. Daguerre had devoted years of labour and made
numberless experiments to obtain a transcript of nature drawn
by her own hand, but all his studied efforts and weary
hours of labour had only resulted in repeated failures and
disappointments, and it appeared that Nature herself had
grown weary of his bungling, and resolved to show him the
way.

The realization of his hopes was more accidental than infer-
ential. The compounds with which he worked, neither produced
a visible nor a latent image capable of being developed with
any of the chemicals with which he was experimenting. At
last accident rendered him more service than reasoning, and
occult properties produced the effect his mental and inductive
faculties failed to accomplish ; and here we observe the great

difference between the two successful discoverers, Eeade and
Daguerre. At this stage of the discovery I ignore Talbot's
claim in toto. Reade arrived at his results by reasoning, experi-
ment, observation, and judiciously weakening and controlling
the re-agent he commenced his researches with. He had the
infinite pleasure and disappointment of seeing his first picture
flash into existence, and dissappear again almost instantly, but
in that instant he saw the cause of his success and failure,
and his inductive reasoning reduced his failure to success ;
whereas Daguerre found his result, was puzzled, and utterly
at a loss to account for it, and it was only by a process of blind-
man's buff in his chemical cupboard that he laid his hands on
the precious pot of mercury that produced the visible image.

That was a discovery, it is true ; but a bungling one, at best.
Daguerre only worked intelligently with one-half of the elements
of success ; the other was thrust in his way, and the most
essential part of his achievement was a triumphant accident.
Daguerre did half the work — or, rather, one-third — light did
the second part, and chance performed the rest, so that Daguerre's
share of the honour was only one-third. Eeade did two-third»
of the process, the first and third, intelligently ; therefore to
him alone is due the honour of discovering practical photo-
graphy. His was a successful application of known properties,
equal to an invention ; Daguerre's was an accidental result
arising from unknown causes and effects, and consequently a
discovery of the lowest order. To England, then, and not to
France, is the world indebted for the discovery of photography,
and in the order of its earliest, greatest, and most successful
discoverers and advancers, I place the Eev. J. B. Reade first
and highest.

SECOND PERIOD.

DAGUERREOTYPE.

L. J, M. DAGUERRE.
Used Iodine, 'Sjg.

JOHN FREDERICK GODDARD
Applied Bromine, 1S40.

NEW YORK.
Copy of Instantaneous Daguert-eotype, 18^4.

SECOND PERIOD,

PUBLICITY AND PROGRESS.

1839 has generally been accepted as the year of the birth of
Practical Photography, but that may now be considered an
error. It was, however, the Year of Publicity, and the pro-
gress that followed with such marvellous rapidity may be freely
received as an adversely eloquent comment on the principles of
secresy and restriction, in any art or science, like photography,
"which requires the varied suggestions of numerous minds and
many years of experiment in different directions before it can
be brought to a state of workable certainty and artistic and
commercial applicability. Had Eeade concealed his success
and the nature of his accelerator, Talbot might have been
bungling on with modifications of the experiments of Wedg-
wood and Davy to this day ; and had Daguerre not sold the
secret of his iodine vapour as a sensitiser, and his accidentally
discovered property of mercury as a developer, he might never
have got beyond the vapoury images he produced. As it was,
Daguerre did little or nothing to improve his process and make
it yield the extremely vigorous and beautiful results it did in
after years. As in Mr. Reade's case with the Calotype process,
Daguerre threw the ball and others caught it. Daguerre's
advertised improvements of his process were lamentable failures
and roundabout ways to obtain sensitive amalgams — exceedingly

ingenious, but excessively bungling and impractical. To make
the plates more sensitive to light, and, as Daguerrc said, obtain,
pictures of objects in motion and animated scenes, he suggested
that the silver plate should first be cleaned and polished in the
usual way, then to deposit successively layers of mercury, and
gold, and platinum. But the process was so tedious, unwork-
able, and unsatisfactory, no one ever attempted to employ it
either commercially or scientifically. In publishing his first
process, with its working details, Daguerre appears to have
surrendered all that he knew, and to have been incapable of
carrying his discovery to a higher degree of advancement.
"Without Mr. Goddard's bromine accelerator and M. Fizeau's
chloride of gold fixer and invigorator, the Daguerreotype would
never have been either a commercial success or a permanent
production.

1840 was almost as important a period in the annals of pho-
tography as the year of its enunciation, and to the two valuable
improvements and one interesting importation, the Daguerreo-
type process was indebted for its success all over the world ;
and photography, even as it is practised now, is probably
indebted for its present state of advancement to Mr. John
Frederick Goddard, who applied bromine, as an accelerator, to
the Daguerreotype process this year. In the early part of the
Daguerreotype period it was so insensitive there was very little
prospect of being able to take portraits with it through a lens.
To" meet this difficulty Mr. Wolcott, an American optician, con-
structed a reflecting camera and brought it to London. It was
an ingenious contrivance, but did not fully answer the expecta-
tions of the inventor. It certainly did not require such a long
exposure with this camera as when the rays from the image or
sitter passed through a lens ; but, as the sensitised plate was
placed between the sitter and the reflector, the picture was neces-
sarily small, and neither very sharp nor satisfactory. This was
a mechanical contrivance to shorten the time of exposure, which

partially succeeded, but it was chemistry, and not mechanics,-
that effected the desirable result. Both Mr. Goddard and M.
Antoine F. J. Claudet, of London, employed chlorine as a means
of increasing the sensitiveness of the iodised silver plate, but it
was not sufficiently accelerative to meet the requirements of
the Daguerreotype process. Subsequently Mr. Goddard dis-
covered that the vapour of bromine, added to that of iodine,
imparted an extraordinary degree of sensitiveness to the pre-
pared plate, and reduced the time of sitting from minutes to
seconds. The addition of the fumes of bromine to those of
iodine formed a compound of bromo-iodide of silver on the sur-
face of the Daguerreotype plate, and not only increased the
sensitiveness, but added to the strength and beauty of the
resulting picture, and M. Fizeau's method of precipitating a
film of gold over the whole surface of the plate still further
increased the brilliancy of the picture and ensured its perma-
nency. I have many Daguerreotypes in my possession now
that were made over forty years ago, and they are as brilliant
and perfect as they were on the day they were taken. I fear
no one can say the same for any of Fox Talbot's early prints, or
even more recent examples of silver printing.

Another important event of this year was the importation of
the first photographic lens, camera, &c., into England. These
articles were brought from Paris by Sir Hussey Yivian, present
M.P. for Glamorganshire (1889). It was the first lot of such
articles that the Custom House officers had seen, and they were
at a loss to know how to classify it. Finally they passed it
under the general head of Optical Instruments. Sir Hussey
told me this, himself, several years before he was made a
baronet. AYhat changes fifty years have wrought even in the
duties of Custom House officers, for the imports and exports of
photographic apparatus and materials must now amount to
many thousands per annum !

Having described the conditions and state of progress photo-

graphy had attained at the time of my first contact with it, I
think I may now enter into greater details, and relate my own
personal experiences from this period right up to the end of its
jubilee celebration.

I was just fourteen years old when photography was made
practicable by the publication of the two processes, one by
Daguerre, and the other by Fox Talbot, and when I heard or
read of the wonderful discovery I was fired with a desire to
obtain a sight of these " sun pictures," but the fire was kept
smouldering for some time before my desire was gratified.
I^othing travelled very fast in those days. Eailroads had not
long been started, and were not very extensively developed.
Telegraphy, by electricity, was almost unknown, and I was a
fixture, having just been apprenticed to an engraving firm
hundreds of miles from London. But at last I caught sight
of one of those marvellous drawings made by the sun in the
window of the Post Ofiice of my native town. It was a
small Daguerreotype which had been sent there along with a
notice that a licence to practise the "art " could be obtained of
the patentee. I forget now what amount the patentee demanded
for a licence, but I know that at the time referred to it was so
far beyond my means and hopes that I never entertained the
idea of becoming a licencee. I believe some one in the neigh-
bourhood bought a licence, but either could not or did not make
use of it commercially.

Some time after that, a Miss "Wigley, from London, came to
the town to practise Daguerreotyping, but she did not remain
long, and could not, I think, have made a profitable visit. If
so, it could scarcely be wondered at, for the sun pictures of that
period were such thin, shimmering reflections, and distortions
of the human face divine, that very few people were impressed
either by the process or the newest wonder of the world. At
that early period of photography, the plates were so insensitive,
the sittings so long, and the conditions so terrible, it was not

easy to induce anyone either to undergo the ordeal of sitting, or
to pay the sum of twenty-one shillings for a very small and
unsatisfactory portrait. In the infancy of the Daguerreotype
process, the sitters were all placed out of doors, in direct sun-
shine, which naturally made them screw up or shut their
eyes, and every feature glistened, and was painfully revealed.
Many amusing stories have been told about the trials, mishaps,
and disappointments attending those long and painful sittings,
but the best that ever came to my knowledge was the following.
In the earliest of the forties, a young lady went a considerable
distance, in Yorkshire, to sit to an itinerant Daguerreotypist for
her portrait, and, being limited for time, could only give one
sitting. She was placed before the camera, the slide drawn,
lens uncapped, and requested to sit there until the Daguerreo-
typist returned. He went away, probably to put his " mercury
box " in order, or to have a smoke, for it was irksome — both to
sitter and operator — to sit or stand doing nothing during those
necessarily long exposures. When the operator returned,
after an absence of fifteen or twenty minutes, the lady was
sitting where he left her, and appeared glad to be relieved from
her constrained position. She departed, and he proceeded with
the development of the picture. The plate was examined from
time to time, in the usual way, but there was no appearance of
the lady. The ground, the wall, and the chair whereon she
sat, were all visible, but the image of the lady was not ; and
the operator was completely puzzled, if not alarmed. He left
the lady sitting, and found her sitting when he returned, so he
was quite unable to account for her mysterious non-appearance
in the picture. The mystery was, however, explained in a few
days, when the lady called for her portrait, for she admitted
that she got up and walked about as soon as he left her, and only
sat down again when she heard him returning. The necessity
•of remaining before the camera was not recognised by that
sitter. I afterwards reversed that result myself by focussing

the chair, drawing the slide, uncapping the lens, sitting down,
and rising leisurely to cap the lens again, and obtained a good
portrait without showing a ghost of the chair or anything else.
The foregoing is evidence of the insensitiveness of the plates at
that early period of the practice of photography ; but that
state of inertion did not continue long, for as soon as the
accelerating properties of bromine became generally known, the
time of sitting was greatly reduced, and good Daguerreotype
views were obtained by simply uncapping the lens as quickly as
possible. I have taken excellent views in that manner myself
in England, and, when in America, I obtained instantaneous
views of Niagara Falls and other places quite as rapidly and as
perfect as any instantaneous views made on gelatine dry plates,
one of which I have copied and enlarged to 12 by 10 inches, and
may possibly reproduce the small copy in these pages.

In 1845 I came into direct contact with photography for the
first time. It was in that year that an Irishman named McGhee
came into the neighbourhood to practise the Daguerreotype
process. He was not a licencee, but no one appeared to inter-
fere with him, nor serve him with an injunction, for he carried
on his little portrait business for a considerable time without
molestation. The patentee was either very indifferent to his
vested interests, or did not consider these intruders worth going
to law with, for there were many raids across the borders by
camera men in those early days. Sever?! circumstances
combined to facilitate the inroads of Scotch operators into the
northern counties of England. Firstly, the patent laws of
England did not extend to Scotland at that time, so there was-
a far greater number of Daguerreotypists in Edinburgh and
other Scotch towns in the early days of photography thau in any
part of England, and many of them made frequent incursions
into the forbidden land without troubling themselves about
obtaining a licence, but somehow they never remained long at a
time ; they were either afraid of consequences, or did not meet

with patronage sufficient to induce them to continue their
sojourns beyond a few of the summer weeks. For many years
most of the early Daguerreotypists were birds of passage,
frequently on the wing. Among the earliest settlers in London,
were Mr. Beard (patentee), Mr. Claudet, and Mr. J. E. Mayall
— the latter is still alive, 1889 — and in Edinburgh, Messrs.
Koss and Thompson, Mr. Howie, Mr. Poppawitz, and Mr. Tunny
— the latter was a Calotypist — with most of whom it was my good
fortune to become personally acquainted in after years.

Secondly, a great deal of ill-feeling and annoyance were
caused by the incomprehensible and somewhat underhanded
way in which the English patent was obtained, and these
feelings induced many to poach on photographic preserves,
and even to defy injunctions; and, while lawsuits were pend-
ing, it was not uncommon for non-licencees to practise the
new art with the impunity and feelings common to smugglers.
VtT. Beard, the English patentee, brought many actions at
law against infringers of his patent rights, the most memorable
of which was that where Mr. Egerton, 1, Temple Street, "VNTiite-
friars, the first dealer in photographic materials, and agent for
Yoightlander's lenses in London, was the defendant. During
that trial it came out in evidence that the patentee had earned
as much as forty thousand pounds in one year by taking
portraits and fees from licencees. Though the judgment of the
Court was adverse to Mr. Egerton, it did not improve the
patentee's moral right to his claim, for the trial only made
it all the more public that the French Government had allowed
M. Daguerre six thousand francs (£240), and M. Isidore
Niepce four thousand francs (£160) per annum, on condition
that their discoveries should be published, and made free to all
the world. This trial did not in any way improve Mr. Beard's
financial position, for eventually he became a bankrupt, and
his establishments in King William Street, London Bridge, and
the Polytechnic Institute, in Eegent Street, were extin-

guished. Mr. Beard, who was the first to practise Daguerreo-
typing commercially in this country, was originally a coal
merchant. I think Mr. Claudet practised the process in
London without becoming a licencee, either through previous
knowledge, or some private arrangement made with Daguerre
before the patent was granted to Mr. Beard. It was while
photography was clouded with this atmosphere of dissatisfaction
and litigation, that I made my first practical acquaintance with
it in the following manner : —

Being anxious to obtain possession of one of those marvellous
sun pictures, and hoping to get an idea of the manner in whicJi
they were produced, I paid a visit, one sunny morning, to
Mr. McGhee, the Daguerreotypist, dressed in my best, with
clean shirt, and stiff stand-up collar, as worn in those days.
I was a very young man then, and rather j)articular aboiit the
set of my shirt collar, so yon may readily judge of my horror
when, after making the financial arrangements to the satisfaction
of Mr. McGhee, he requested me to put on a blue cotton
quasi clean "dickey," with a limp collar, that had evidently
done similar duty many times before. You may be sure I
protested, and inquired the reason why I should cover up my
white shirt front with such an objectionable article. I was
told if I did not put it on my shirt front would be solarized,
and come out blue or dirty, whereas if I put on the blue
"dickey" my shirt front would appear white and clean.
What "solarized" meant, I did not know, nor was it further
explained, but, as I very naturally wished to appear with a
clean shirt front, I submitted to the indignity, and put on the
limp and questionably clean " dicky." While the Daguerreo-
typist was engaged with some mysterious manipulations in a
cupboard or closet, I brushed my hair, and contemplated my
singular appearance in the mirror somewhat ruefully. 0, ye
■sitters and operators of to-day ! congratulate yourselves on
the changes and advantages that have been wrought in the

practice of photograpliy since then. "When Mr. McGhee

appeared again with something Kke two wooden books in his

hand, he requested me to follow him into the garden; which

was only a back yard. At the foot of the garden, and against

a brick wall with a piece of grey cloth nailed over it, I was

requested to sit down on an old chair ; then he placed before

me an instrument which looked like a very ugly theodolite on a

tripod stand — that was my first sight of a camera — and, after

putting his head under a black cloth, told me to look at a

mark on the other side of the garden, without winking or

moving till he said ''done." How long I sat I don't know,

but it seemed an awfully long time, and I have no doubt it

was, for I know that I used to ask people to sit five and ten

minutes, afterwards. The sittings over, I was requested to

re-enter the house, and then I thought I would see something

of the process ; but no. Again Mr. McGhee went into the

mysterious chamber, and shut the door quickly. In a little

time he returned and told me that the sittings were satisfactory

— he had taken two — and that he would finish and deliver them

next day. Then I left without obtaining the ghost of an idea

of the modus operandi of producing portraits by the sun, beyond

the fact that a camera had been placed before me. Xext day

the portraits were delivered according to promise, but I confess

I was somewhat disappointed at getting so little for my money.

It was a very small picture that could not be seen in every

light, and not particularly like myself, but a scowling-looking

individual, with a limp collar, and rather dirty looking face.

"Wliatever would mashers have said or done, if they had gone to

be photographed in those days of photographic darkness ? I

was, however, somewhat consoled by the thought that I, at last,

possessed one of those wonderful sun pictures, though I was

ignorant of the means of production.

Soon after having my portrait taken, 3Ir. Me Ghee dis-
appeared, and there was no one left in the neighbourhood who

tnew anything of the mysterious manipulations of Daguerreo-
typing. I had, nevertheless, resolved to possess an apparatus
and obtain the necessary information, but there was no one to-
tell me what to buy, where to buy it, nor what to do with it.
At last an old friend of mine who had been on a visit to Edin-
burgh, had purchased an apparatus and some materials with
the view of taking Daguerreotypes himself, but finding that he
could not, was willing to sell it to me, though he could not tell
me how to use it, beyond showing me an image of the house
opposite upon the ground glass of the camera. I believe my
friend let me have the apparatus for what it cost him, which
was about £15, and it consisted of a quarter-plate portrait lens
by Slater, mahogany camera, tripod stand, bufi sticks, coating
and mercury boxes of the roughest description, a few chemicals
and silvered plates, and a rather singular but portable dark
room. Of the uses of the chemicals I knew very little, and of
their nature nothing which led to very serious consequences,
which I shall relate in the proper place. Having obtained
possession of this marvellous apparatus, my next ardent aspira-
tion was to make a successful use of it. I distinctly remember,,
even at this distant date, with what nervous curiosity I
examined all the articles when I unpacked them in my father's
house, and with what wonder, not unmixed with apprehension,
my father looked upon that display of unknown, and to him
apparently nameless and useless toys. " More like a lot of
conjuror's traps than anything else," he exclaimed, after I had
set them all out. And a few days after he told one of my young
friends that he thought I had gone out of my mind to take up
with that "Daggertype" business; the name itself was a-
stumbling block in those days, for people called the process
" dagtype, docktype, and daggertype " more frequently than by
its proper name. Daguerreotype. "What a contrast now-a-days,
when almost every father is an amateur photographer, and
encourages both his sons and daughters to become the same»

My father -was a very good parent, in his ^vay, and encouraged
me, to the fullest extent of his means, in the study of music
and painting, and even sent me to the Government School of
Design, where I studied drawing under W. B. Scott ; but the
new-fangled method of taking portraits did not harmonise with
his conservative and practical notions. One cause of his dis-
approbation and dissatisfaction was, doubtless, my many failures ;
in fact, I may say, inability to show him any result. I had
acquired an apparatus of the roughest and most primitive con-
struction, but no knowledge of its use or the behaviour of the
<;hemicals employed, beyond the bare numerical order in which
they were to be used, and there was no one within a hundred
miles of where I lived, that I knew of, who could give me les-
sons or the slightest hint respecting the process. I had worn out
the patience of all my relations and friends in fruitless sittings.
I had set fire to my singular dark room, and nearly set fire to the
"house, by attempting to refill the spirit lamp while alight, and I
was ill and suffering from salivation through inhaKng the fumes of
mercury in my blind, anxious, and enthusiastic endeavours to
■obtain a sun picture. It is not long since an eminent photo-
grapher told me that I was an enthusiast, but if he had seen
me in those days he would, in all probability, have told me
that I was mad. Though ill, I was not mad ; I was only deter-
mined not to be beaten. I was resolved to keep pegging away
until I obtained a satisfactory result. ITy friends laughed at
me when I asked them to sit for a trial, and they either refused,
or sat with a very bad grace, as if it really were a trial to them ;
but fancy, fair and kindly readers, what it must have been to me !
Finding that my living models fought shy of me and my trials,
I then thought of getting a lay figure, and borrowed a large doll
— quite as big as a baby — of one of my lady friends. I stuck it
up in a garden and pegged away at it for nearly six months.
At the end of that time I was able to produce a portrait of the
doll with tolerable certainty and success. Then I ventured to

ask my friends to sit again, but my process was too slow for life
studies, and my live sitters generally moved so much., their
portraits were not recognisable. There were no head-rests in
those days, at least I did not possess one, or it might have been
pleasanter for my sitters and easier for myself. What surprised
me very much — and I thought it a singular thing at the time —
was my success in copying an engraving of Thorburn's Miniature
of the Queen. I made several good and beautiful copies of that
engraving, and sent one to an artist friend, then in Devonshire,
who wrote to say that it was beautiful, and that if he could get
a Daguerreotype portrait with the eyes as clear as that, he would
sit at once; but all the "Dagtypes" he had hitherto seen had
only black holes where the eyes should be. Unfortunately, that
was my own experience. I could copy from the flat well enough,
but when I went to the round I went wrong. Ultimately I
discovered the cause of all that, and found a remedy, but oh !
the weary labour and mental worry I underwent before I
mastered the difficulties of the most troublesome and uncertain,
yet most beautiful and permanent of all the photographic
processes that ever was discovered or invented ; and now it is a
lost art. No one practises it, and I don't think that there are
half-a-dozen men living — myself included — that could at this
day go through all the manipulations necessary to produce a good
Daguerreotype portrait or picture ; yet, when the process was
at the height of its popularity, a great number of people pursued
it as a profession in all parts of the civilized world, and in the
United States of America alone it was estimated in 1854 that
there were not less than thirty thousand people making their
living as Daguerreans. Few, if any, of the photographers of
to-day — whether amateur or professional — know anyting of the
forms or uses of plates, buffs, lathes, sensitizing or developing
boxes, gilding stands, or other Daguerreotype appliances ; and I
am quite certain that there is not a dealer in all England that can
furnish at this date a complete set of Daguerreotype apparatus.

It was in 1849 that I gilded my first picture — a portrait of
one of my friends playing a guitar. I possess that picture no-w,
and, after a lapse of forty years, it is as good and bright as it
was on the day that it was taken. It was not a first-class pro-
duction, but I hoped to do better soon, and on the strength of
that hope determined to commence business as a professional
Daguerreotypist. "While I was considering whether I should
pitch my tent permanently in my native town, or take to a
nomadic kind of life, similar to what other Daguerreotypists
were pursuing, I was helped to a decision by the sudden appear-
ance of a respectable and experienced Daguerreotypist who came
and built a " glass house " — the first of its kind — in my native
town. This somewhat disarranged my plans, but on the whole
it was rather opportune and advantageous than otherwise, for it
afforded me an unexpected opportunity of gaining a great deal
of practical experience on easy terms. The new comer was Mr.
Greorge Brown, who had been an " operator" for Mr. Beard, in
London, and as he exhibited much finer specimens of the
Daguerreotype process than any I had hitherto seen, I engaged
myself to assist him for six months at a small salary. I showed
him what I had done, and he showed and told me all that he
knew in connection with photography, and thus commenced a
business relation that ripened into a friendship that endured as
long as he lived.

At the end of the six months' engagement I left Mr. Brown,
to commence business on my own account, but as neither of us
considered that there was room for two Daguerreotypists in a
town with a population of one Inmdred and twenty tliousand, I
was driven to adopt the nomadic mode of life peculiar to the
itinerant photographer of the period. That was in 1850. Up
to that time I had done nothing in Calotype work. Mr. Brown
was strictly a Daguerreotypist, but Mr. Parry, at that time a
glass dealer and amateur photographer, was working at the Calo-
type process, but not very successfully, for nearly a^^ his efforts

were spoiled by decomposition, wMch he could not then account
for or overcome, but he eventually became one of the best Calo-
typists in the neighbourhood, and I became the possessor of
some of the finest Calotype negatives he ever produced, many of
which are still in my possession. Mr. Parry relinquished his
glass business, and became a professional photographer soon after
the introduction of the collodion process. Another amateur
photographer that I met in those early days was a flute player
in the orchestra of the theatre. He produced very good Calo-
type negatives with a single lens, and was very enthusiastic,
but extremely reticent on all photographic matters. About this
period I made the acquaintance of Mr. J. AV. Swan : I had
known him for some time previously when he was apprentice
and assistant to Mr. Mawson, chemist, in Mosley Street, New-
castle-on-Tyne. Neither Mr. Mawson nor Mr. Swan were
known to the photographic world at that time. Mr. Mawson
was most popular as a dealer in German yeast, and I think it
was not until after Archer published his process that they began
to make collodion and deal in photographic materials — at any
rate, I did not buy any photographic goods of them until 1852,
when I first began to use Mawson's collodion. In October,
1850, 1 went to Hexham, about twenty miles west of Newcastle-
on-Tyne, to make my first appearance as a professional
Daguerreotypist. I rented a sitting-room with a good window
and clear view, so as to take "parlour portraits." I could only
take small pictures — two and a half by two inches — for which
I charged half a guinea, and was favoured with a few sittings ;
but it was a slow place, and I left it in a few weeks.

The next move I made was to Seaham Harbour, and there I
did a little better business, but the place was too small and the
people too poor for me to continue long. Half guineas were not
plentiful, even among the tradespeople, and there were very
few gentlefolk in the neighbourhood. Some of the townspeople
were very kind to me, and invited me to their homes, and

althougli my sojourn was not very profitable, it was very plea-
sant. I had many pleasant rambles on the sands, and often
looked at Seabam Hall and thougbt of Byron and bis matri-
monial disappointment in bis marriage witb Miss Milbank.

From Seabam Harbour I went to Middlesborougb, hoping to
do more business among a larger population, but it appeared as
if I were only going from bad to worse. At that date the popu-
lation was about thirty thousand, but chiefly people of the
working classes, employed at Balchow and Vaughn's and kindred
works. I made portraits of some of the members of Mr. Bal-
chow's family, Mr. Geordison, and some of the resident Quakers,
but altogether I did not do much more than pay expenses. I
managed, however, to stay there till the year 1851, when I
<3aught the World's Fair fever, so I packed up my apparatus and
other things I did not require immediately, and sent them to
my father's house, and with a few changes in my carpet-bag,
and a little money in my pocket, I started off to see the Great
Exhibition in London. I went by way of York and Hull, with
the two-fold object of seeing some friends in both places, and to
prospect on the business chances they might afford. At York I
iound Mr. Pumphrey was located, but as he did not appear to
be fully occupied with sitters — for I found him trying to take a
couple of boys fighting in a back yard — I thought there was
not room for another Dagaerreotypist in York. In a few days
I went to Hull, but even there the ground was preoccupied, so
I took the first steamer for London. "We sailed on a Saturday
night, and after a pleasant voyage arrived at the wharf below
London Bridge early on Sunday evening. I put up at the
"Yorkshire Grey," in Thames Street, where I met several
people from the North, also on a visit to London to see the Great
Exhibition. This being my first visit to London, I was anxious
to get a sight of the streets and crowds therein, so, after obtain-
ing some refreshment, I strolled out with one of my fellow-

passengers to receive my first impressions of the great metro-
poKs. The evening was fine, and, being nearly the longest day,
there was light enough to enable me to see the God-forsaken
appearance of Thames Street, the dismal aspect of Fish Street
Hill, and the gloomy column called "The Monument" that
stands there to remind citizens and strangers of the Great Fire
of 1666 ; but I was both amazed and amused with the life and
bustle I saw on London Bridge and other places in the immediate
neighbourhood, but my eyes and ears soon became fatigued with
the sights and sounds of the lively and noisy thoroughfares.
After a night's rest, which was frequently broken by cries of
" Stop thief ! " and the screams of women, I arose and made an.
early start for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Of all the won-
derful things in that most wonderful exhibition, I was most in-
terested in the photographic exhibits and the beautiful specimens
of American Daguerreotypes, both portraits and landscapes,
especially the views of Niagara Falls, which made me determine
to visit America as soon as ever I could make the necessary
arrangements.

AVhile examining and admiring those very beautiful
Daguerreotypes, I little thought that I was standing, as it
were, between the birth of one process and the death of another ;
but so it was, for the newly-born collodion process very soon
annihilated the Daguerreotype, although the latter process had.
just reached the zenith of its beauty. In the March number of
the Chemist, Archer's Collodion Process was published, and that
was like the announcement of the birth of an infant Hercules,
that was destined to slay a beautiful youth whose charms had
only arrived at maturity. But there was really a singular and
melancholy coincidence in the birth of the Collodion Process
and the early death of the Daguerreotype, for Daguerre himself
died on July 10th, 1851, so that both Daguerre and his process
appeared to receive their death blows in the same year. I don't

suppose that Daguerre died from a shock to his system, caused
by the publication of a rival process, for it is not likely that he
knew anything about the invention of a process that -svas des-
tined, in a very few years, to abolish his own — living as he was
in the retirement of his native village, and enjoying his well-
earned pension.

As Daguerre was the first of the successfal discoverers of
photography to be summoned by death, I will here give a brief
sketch of his life and pursuits prior to his association with
Nicephore iXiepce and photography. Louis Jacques llando
Daguerre was bom at Cormeilles, near Paris, in 1787, of poor and
somewhat careless parents, who appear to have bestowed upon
him more names than attention. Though they did not endow
him with a good education, they had the good sense to observe
the bent of his mind and apprentice him to a theatrical scene
painter. In that situation he soon made his mark, and his
artistic and mechanical abilities, combined with industry, pains-
taking, and boldness of conception, soon raised him to the front
rank of his profession, in which he gained both honour and
profit. Like all true artists, he was fond of sketching from
nature ; and, to save time and secure true proportion, he
employed such optical appliances as were then at his command.
Some of his biographers say that he, like Fox Talbot, employed
the camera lucida ; others the camera obscura ; as there is a con-
siderable difference between the two it would be interesting to
know which it really was. At any rate it was one of these
instruments which gave him the notion and created the desire
to secure the views as they were presented by the lens or
reflector. Much of his time was devoted to the painting and
construction of a diorama which was first exhibited in 1822,
and created quite a sensation in Paris. As early as 1824 he
commenced his photographic experiments, with very little
knowledge on the subject; but with the hope and determina-
tion of succeeding, by some means or other, in securing the

pictures as Nature painted them on the screen or receiver.
Doubtless he was sanguine enough then to hope to be able to
obtain colours as well as drawings, but he died without seeing
that accomplished, and so will many others. "What he did suc-
ceed in accomplishing was marvellous, and quite entitled him to
all the honour and emolument he received, but he only lived
about twelve years after his discovery. He was, however,
saved the mortification of seeing his beautiful discovery dis-
carded and cast away in the hey-day of its beauty and perfec-
tion.

After a few weeks sojourn in London, seeing all the sights
and revisiting all the Daguerreotype studios, I turned my back
•on the great city and my footsteps homewards again. As soon
as I reached home I unpacked my apparatus and made arrange-
ments for another campaign with the camera at some of the
sea-side resorts, with the hope of making up for lost time and
imoney through visiting London.

I had looked at Scarborough and found the Brothers Holroyd
located there ; at Whitby, Mr. Stonehouse ; and I did not like
the appearance of B,edcar, so I settled upon Tynemouth, and
did fairly well for a short season. About the end of October I
went on to Carlisle, but a Scotchman had already preceded me
there, and I thought one Daguerreotypist was quite enough for so
small a place, and pushed on to Penrith, where I settled for the
winter and gradually worked up a little connection, and formed
some life-long friendships. I was the first Daguerreotypist who
had visited the town of Penrith, and while there I made
Daguerreotypes of Sir George and Lady Musgrave and family,
and some members of the Lonsdale family. It was through the
kindness of Miss Lowther that I was induced to go to White-
haven, but I did not do much business there, so, after a bad
winter, I resolved to go to America in the spring, and made
arrangements for the voyage immediately. Thinking that I
would find better apparatus and appliances in America, I dis-

posed of my " Tent and Kit," closed up my affairs, bid adieu to
my relatives and friends, and departed.

To obtain the benefit and experience of a long sea voyage, I
secured a cabin passage in a sailing ship named tbe Amazon, and
sailed from Shields towards the end of April, 1853, We crossed
the Tyne bar late in the evening -svith a fair wind, and sailed
away for the Pentland Frith so as to gain the Atlantic by sailing
all round the North of Scotland. I was rather upset the first
night, but recovered my appetite next morning. "We entered
the Pentland Frith on the Saturday afternoon, and were running
through the Channel splendidly, when the carpenter came to
report water in the well — I forget how many feet — but he
thought it would not be safe to attempt crossing the Atlantic.
I was a little alarmed at this, but the captain took it very coolly,
and ordered the ship to be pumped every watch. Being the
only passenger, I became a kind of chum and companion to the
captain, and as we sat over our grog that night in the cabin
our conversation naturally turned upon the condition of the ship,
when he remarked that he was disappointed, and that he
"expected he had got a sound ship under his feet this time."
These words did not make much impression upon me then, but I
had reason to comprehend their meaning afterwards. I was
awoke early on the Sunday morning by the noise caused by the
working of the pumps, and on going on deck found that we were
becalmed, lying off' the coast of Caithnesshire, and the water
pouring out of the pump-hole in a continuous stream. After
breakfast, and while sitting on the taffrail of the quarterdeck
along with the captain, waiting for a breeze, I asked him if he
intended to cross the Atlantic in such a leaky vessel. He
answered *' Tes, and the men are all willing." So I thought if
tbese men were not afraid of the ship foundering, I need not be ;
but I had reasons afterwards for coming to an opposite con-
clusion.

Towards evening the breeze sprang up briskly, and away we

went, the ship heading "W.N.W., as the captain said he wanted
to make the northern passage. jS^ext morning we were in a
rather rough sea, and a gale of wind blowing. One of the yards
was broken with the force of the wind, and the sail and broken
-yard dangled about the rigging for a considerable time before
the sail could be hauled in and the wreckage cleared up. "We
had several days of bad weather, and one morning when I got
xip I found the ship heading East. I naturally concluded that
we were returning, but the captain said that he had only turned
the ship about to enable the men to stop a leak in her bows.
The carpenter afterwards told me that the water came in there
like a river during the night. Thus we went on through
variable weather until at last we sighted two huge icebergs, and
then Newfoundland, when the captain informed me that he
intended now to coast up to New York. We got out of sight of
land occasionally, and one day, after the captain had taken his
observations and worked out the ship's position, he called my
attention to the chart, and observed that he intended to sail
between an island and the mainland, but as the Channel was
subject to strong and variable currents, it was a rather dangerous
experiment. Being in such a leaky ship, I thought he wanted
to hug the land as much as possible, which I considered a very
wise and safe proceeding; but he had ulterior objects in view,
which the sequel will reveal.

On the night of the 31st of May, after a long yarn from the
captain about how he was once wrecked on an iceberg, I turned
in with a feeling of perfect safety, for the sea was calm, the
night clear, and the wind fair and free ; but about daylight next
morning I was awoke with a shock, a sudden tramping on deck,
and the mate shouting down the companion stairs, " Captain, the
ship's ashore." Both the captain and I rushed on deck just as
we jumped out of our berths, but we could not see anything of
the land or shore, for we were enveloped in a thick fog. We
heard the breakers and felt the thud of the waves as they broke

upon the ship, but -whether we had struck on a rock or
grounded on a sandy beach we could not then ascertain. The
captain ordered the sails to be " slewed back," and a hawser
to be thrown astern, but all efforts to get the ship off were in
vain, for with every wave the ship forged more and more on to
the shore.

As the morning advanced, the fog cleared away a little, which
enabled us to see dimly through the mist the top of a bank of
yellow sand. This sight settled the doubt as to our whereabouts,
and the captain immediately gave the order *' Prepare to abandon
the ship." The long boat was at once got ready, and lowered
with considerable difficulty, for the ship was then more among
the breakers. After a good deal of delay and danger, we all
succeeded in leaving the ship and clearing the breakers. We
were exposed in the open boats all that day and night, and
about ten o'clock next morning we effected a landing on the lee
side of the island, which we ascertained to be Sable Island, a
bald crown of one of the banks of ^Newfoundland. Here we
received help, shelter, and provisions, all provided by the Home
and Colonial Governments, for the relief of shipwrecked people,
for this island was one of the places where ships were both
accidentally and wilfully wrecked. We were obliged to stay
there sixteen days before we could get a vessel to take us to
Halifax, Nova Scotia, the nearest port, and would possibly have
had to remain on the island much longer, but for a mutiny
among the crew. I could describe some strange and startling
incidents in connection with the wreck and mutiny, but I will
not allow myself to be tempted further into the vale of divergence,
as the chief object I have in view is my reminiscence of
photography.

On leaving Sable Island I was taken to Halifax, where I
waited the arrival of the cunard steamer Niagara, to take
me on to Boston; thence I proceeded by rail and steamer
to New York, where I arrived about the end of June, 1853.

On landing in New York I only knew one individual, and,
not knowing how far I should have to go to find him I put
up at an hotel on Broadway, hut soon found that too expensive
for my means, and went to a private hoarding house as soon as
I could.

Visiting all the leading Daguerreotypists on Broadway, I
was somewhat astonished at their splendid reception rooms,
and the vast number of large and excellent specimens exhibited.
Their plain Daguerreotypes were all of fine quality, and free
from the "bu£E lines" so noticeable in English work at that
period ; but all their attempts at colouring were miserable
failures, and when I showed one of my coloured specimens to
Mr. Gurney, he said, "Well, if you can colour one of my
pictures like that I'll believe you ; " which I soon did, and
very much to his astonishment. In those days I prepared my
own colours, and Mr. Gurney bought a box immediately. The
principal Daguerreotypists in New York at that time were
Messrs. Brady, Gurney, Kent, Lawrence, Mead Brothers,
and Samuel Root, and I called upon them all before I entered'
into any business arrangements, finally engaging myself to
Messrs. Mead Brothers as a colourist and teacher of colouring
for six months, and while fulfilling that engagement I gave
lessons to several " Daguerreans," and made the acquaintance of
men from all parts of the Union, for I soon obtained some
notoriety throughout the States in consequence of a man named
Humphrey attacking me and my colouring process in a photo-
graphic journal which bore his name, as well as in the New
York Tribune. I replied to his attack in the columns of the
Tribune, but I saw that he had a friend on the staff, and I did
not feel inclined to continue the controversy. Mr. Humphrey
knew nothing about my process, but began and continued the
discussion on his knowledge of what was known as the
** Isinglass Process," which was not mine. After completing
my engagements with Messrs. Mead Brothers, I made arrange-

ments to supply the stock dealers with my prepared colours, and
travel the States myself to introduce them to all the Daguerreans
residing in the towns and cities I should visit.

In the principal cities I found all the Daguerreans quite equal
to the best in New York, and all doing good business, and I
gave lessons in colouring to most of them. In j^ewark I met
ilessrs. Benjamin and Poison ; in Philadelphia, ^Marcus Eoot and
Dr. Bushnel. I encountered a great many doctors an^ professors
in the business in America. In Baltimore, Maryland — then a
slave State — many of the Daguerreans owned slaves. In "Washing-
ton D.C., I renewed my acquaintance with Mr. George Adams,
one of the best Daguerreans in the City ; and while visiting him
a very curious thing occurred. One of the representatives of the
South came in to have his portrait taken, and the first thing he
did was to lay a revolver and a bowie knife on the table beside
him. He had just come from the House of Representatives.
His excuse for such a proceeding was that he had bought some
slaves at the market at Alexandria, and was going to take them
home that night. He was a very tall man, and when he stood
up against the background his head was above it. As he wanted
to be taken standing, this put Mr. Adams into a dilemma, and he
asked what he should do. I thought the only thing that could be
done was to move the background up and down during exposure,
which we did, and so obviated the appearance of a line crossing
the head.

"While staying in "Washington I attended one of the levees at
the "White House, and was introduced to President Pearce.
There was no fuss or difficulty in. gaining admission. I had
only to present my card at the door, and the City Marshall
at once led me into the room where the President, surrounded
by some of his Cabinet, was waiting to receive, and I was
introduced. After a cordial shake of his hand, I passed on
to another saloon where there was music and promenading in
mixed costumes, for most of the men were dressed as they liked^

and some of the ladies wore bonnets. It was the weekly sans
€eremonie reception. Finding many of the people of Washington
very agreeable and hospitable, I stayed there a considerable
time. When I started on the southern journey I did intend to
go on to New Orleans, but I stayed so long in Philadelphia and
Washington the summer was too far advanced, and as a rather
severe outbreak of yellow fever had occurred, I returned to Now
York and took a journey northward, visiting Niagara Falls, and
going on to Canada. I sailed up the Hudson River, stopping at
Albany and Troy. At the latter place I met an Englishman,
named Irvine, a Daguerrean who treated me hospitably, and for
-whom I coloured several Daguerreotypes. He wanted me to
stay with him, but that I declined. Thence I proceeded to
Rochester, and there found that one of my New York pupils had
been before me, representing himself as Werge the colourist, for
when I introduced myself to the principal Daguerrean he told me
that Werge — a very different man — had been there two or three
weeks ago. I discovered who the fellow was, and that he had
practised a piece of Yankee smartneps for which I had no redress.
From Rochester I proceeded to Buffalo, where I met with
another instance of Yankee smartness of a different kind. I had
sold some colours to a man there who paid me in dollar bills, the
usual currency of the country, but when I tendered one of these
bills for payment at the hotel, it was refused. I next offered it
on board a steamboat, but there it was also declined. When I
had an opportunity I returned it to the man who gave it to me,
and requested him to send me a good one instead. He was
honest enough to do that, and impudent enough to tell me that
he knew it was bad when he gave it to me, but as I was a
stranger he thought I might pass it off easily.

I next went to Niagara Falls, where it was my good fortune
to encounter two very different specimens of American character
in the persons of Mr. Easterly and Mr, Babbitt, the former a
Tisitor and the latter a resident Daguerrean, who held a monopoly

from General Porter to Daguerreotype the Falls and visitors.
He had a pavilion on the American side of the Falls, under
which his camera was in position all day long, and when a
group of visitors stood on the shore to survey the Falls from
that point, he took the group — without their knowledge —
and showed it to the visitors before they left. In almost
every instance he sold the picture at a good price ; the people
were generally delighted to be taken at the Falls. I need hardly
say that they were all taken instantaneously, and embraced a
good general view, including the American Fall, Goat Island, the
Horse Shoe Fall, and the Canadian shore. Many of these views
I coloured for Mr. Babbitt, but there was always a beautiful
green colour on the brink of the Horse Shoe Fall which I never
could match. For many years I possessed one of Mr. Babbitt's
Daguerreotype views, as well as others taken by Mr. Easterly
and myself, but I had the misforture to be deprived of them all
by fire. Some years after I lent them to an exhibition in
Glasgow, which was burnt down, and all the exhibits destroyed.
After a delightful sojourn of three weeks at Magara Falls, I
took steamer on the lower Kiagara Eiver, sailed down to
Lake Ontario, and down the River St. Lawrence, shooting the
Lachine Rapids, and on to Montreal.

In the Canadian City I did not find business very lively, so
after viewing the fine Cathedral of IS'otre Dame, the mountain,
and other places, I left Montreal and proceeded by rail to Boston.
The difference between the two cities was immense. Montreal
was dull and sleepy, Boston was all bustle and life, and the
people were as unlike as the cities. On my arrival in Boston,
I put up at the Quincy Adams Hotel, and spent the first few
days in looking about the somewhat quaint and interesting old
city, hunting up Franklin Associations, and revolutionary land-
marks, Bunker Hill, and other places of interest. Having
satisfied my appetite for these things, I began to look about me
with an eye to business, and called upon the chief Daguerreans

and photographers in Boston. Messrs. Southworth and Hawe&
possessed the largest Daguerreotype establishment, and did an
excellent business. In their "Saloon" I saw the largest and
finest revolving stereoscope that was ever exhibited. The
pictures were all whole-plate Daguerreotypes, and set vertically
on the perpendicular drum on which they revolved. The drum
was turned by a handle attached to cog wheels, so that a person
sitting before it could see the stereoscopic pictures with the
utmost ease. It was an expensive instrument, but it was a
splendid advertisement, for it drew crowds to their saloon to see
it and to sit, and their enterprise met with its reward.

At Mr. "Whipple's gallery, in "Washington Street, a dual
photography was carried on, for he made both Daguerreotypes
and what he called " crystallotypes," which were simply plain
silver prints obtained from collodion negatives. Mr. Whipple
was the first American photographer who saw the great commer-
cial advantages of the collodion process over the Daguerreotype,
and he grafted it on the elder branch of photography almost as
soon as it was introduced. Indeed, Mr. Whipple's establish-
ment may be considered the very cradle of American photography
as far as collodion negatives and silver prints are concerned, for
he was the very first to take hold of it with spirit, and as early
as 1853 he was doing a large business in photographs, and
teaching the art to others. Although I had taken collodion
negatives in England with Mawson's collodion in 1852, I paid
Mr. Whipple fifty dollars to be shown how he made his collodion,
sivler bath, developer, printing, &c., &c., for which purpose he
handed me over to his active and intelligent assistant and newly-
made partner, Mr. Black. This gave me the run of the establish-
ment, and I was somewhat surprised to find how vast and varied
were his mechanical appliances for reducing labour and expediting
■work. The successful practice of the Daguerreotype art greatly
depended on the cleanness and highly polished surface of the
silvered plates, and to secure these necessary conditions, Mr.

Whipple had, with characteristic and Yankee-like ingenuity,
obtained the assistance of a steam engine which not only "drove"
all the circular cleaning and buffing wheels, but an immense
circular fan which kept the studio and sitters delightfully cool.
Machinery and ingenuity did a great many things in Mr.
"Whipple's establishment in the early days of photography.
Long before the Ambrotype days, pictures were taken on glass
and thrown upon canvas by means of the oxyhydrogen light for
the use of artists. At that early period of the history of photo-
graphy, Messrs. Whipple and Black did an immense "printing
and publishing " trade, and their facilities were " something
considerable." Their toning, fixing, and washing baths were
almost worthy the name of vats.

Messrs. Masury and Silsby were also early producers of photo-
graphs in Boston, and in 1854 employed a very clever operator,
Mr. Turner, who obtained beautiful and brilliant negatives by
iron development. On the whole, I think Boston was ahead of
New York for enterprise and the use of mechanical appliances
in connection with photography. I sold my colours to most of
the Daguerreotypists, and entered into business relations with
two of the dealers, Messrs. French and Cramer, to stock them,
and then started for New York to make arrangements for nay
return to England.

When I returned to New York the season was over, and
everyone was supposed to be away at Saratoga Springs, Niagara
Palls, Eockaway, and other fashionable resorts ; but I found the
Daguerreotype galleries all open and doing a considerable stroke
of business among the cotton planters and slave holders, who
had left the sultry south for the cooler atmosphere of the more
northern States. The Daguerreotype process was then in the
zenith of its perfection and popularity, and largely patronised
by gentlemen from the south, especially for large or double
whole-plates, about 16 by 12 inches, for which they paid fifty
-dollars each. It was only the best houses that made a feature

of these large pictures, for it was not many of tlieDaguerreans-
that possessed a " mammoth tube and box " — i.e., lens and camera
— or the necessary machinery to *' get up " such large surfaces,
but all employed the best mechanical means for cleaning and
polishing their plates, and it was this that enabled the Americans
to produce more brilliant pictures than we did. Many people
used to say it was the climate, but it was nothing of the kind.
The superiority of the American Daguerreotype was entirely due
to mechanical appliances. Having completed my business
arrangements and left my colours on sale with the principal
stock dealers, including the Scovill Manufacturing Company,
Messrs. Anthony, and Levi Chapman.

I sailed from Kew York in October 1854, and arrived in
England in due time without any mishap, and visiting London
again as soon as I could, I called at Mr. Mayall's gallery in
Begent Street to see Dr. Bushnell, whom I knew in Philadelphia,
and who was then operating for Mr. Mayall. AVhile there Mr.
Mayall came in from the Guildhall, and announced the result of
the famous trial, " Talbot versics Laroche," a verbatim report of
which is given in the Journal of the Photographic Society for
December 21st, 1854. Mr. Mayall was quite jubilant, and well
he might be, for the verdict for the defendant removed the
trammels which Mr. Fox Talbot attempted to impose upon the
practice of the collodion process, which was Frederick Scott
Archer's gift to photographers. That was the first time that
I had met Mr. Mayall, though I had heard of him and followed
him both at Philadelphia and Xew York, and even at ISTiagara
Falls. At that time Mr. Mayall was relinquishing the Daguerreo-
type process, though one of the earliest practitioners, for he was
in business as a Daguerreotypist in Philadelphia from 1842 to
1846, and I know that he made a Daguerreotype portrait of
James Anderson, the tragedian, in Philadelphia, on Sunday,.
May 18th, 1845. During part of the time that he was in
Philadelphia he was in partnership with Marcus Eoot, and the

name of the firm was "Highschool and Eoot," and about the
end of 1846 Mr. Mayall opened a Daguerreotype studio in the
Adelaide Gallery, King William Street, Strand, London, under
the name of Professor Highschool, and soon after that he opened
a Daguerreotype gallery in his own name in the Strand, which
establishment he sold to Mr. Jabez Hughes in 1855. The
best Daguerreotypists in London in 1854 were Mr. Beard,
King "William Street, London Bridge ; Messrs. Kilburn, T. R.
"Williams and Claudet, in Eegent Street ; and "W. H. Kent, in
Oxford Street. The latter had just returned from America, and
brought all the latest improvements with him. Messrs.
Henneman and Malone were in Regent Street doing calotype
portraits. Henneman had been a servant to Fox Talbot, and
worked his process under favourable conditions. Mr. Lock was
also in Regent Street, doing coloured photographs. He offered
me a situation at once, if I could colour photographs as well
as I could colour Daguerreotypes, but I could not, for the
processes were totally diff'erent. M. Manson, an old Frenchman,
was the chief Daguerreotype colourist in London, and worked
for all the principal Daguerreotypists. I met the old gentle-
man first in 1851, and knew him for many years afterwards.
He also made colours for sale. Xot meeting with anything to
suit me in London, I returned to the Korth, calling at
Birmingham on my way, where I met Mr. "Whitlock, the chief
Daguerreotypist there, and a Mr. Monson, who professed to
make Daguerreotypes and all other types. Paying a visit to
Mr. Elisha Mander, the well-known photographic case maker,
I learnt that Mr. Jabez Hughes, then in business in Glasgow,
was in want of an assistant, a colourist especially. Having
met Mr. Hughes in Glasgow in 1852, and knowing what kind
of man he was, I wrote to him, and was engaged in a few days.
1 went to Glasgow in January, 1855, and then commenced
business relations and friendship with Mr. Hughes that lasted
unbroken until his death in 1884. My chief occupation was to

colour the Daguerreotypes taken by Mr. Hughes, and
occasionally take sitters, when Mr. Hughes was busy, in another
studio. I had not, however, been long in Glasgow, when Mr.
Hughes determined to return to London. At first he wished
me to accompany hiai, but it was ultimately arranged that I
should purchase the business, and remain in Glasgow, which I
did, and took possession in June, Mr. Hughes going to Mr.
Mayall's old place in the Strand, London. Mr. Hughes had
been in Glasgow for nearly seven years, and had done a very
good business, going first as operator to Mr. Bernard, and
succeeding to the business just as I was doing. While Mr.
Hughes was in Glasgow he was very popular, not only as a
Daguerrerotypist, but as a lecturer. He delivered a lecture on
photography at the Literary and Philosophical Society,
became an active member of the Glasgow Photographic
Society, and an enthusiastic member of the St. Mark's Lodge
of Freemasons. Only a day or two before he left Glasgow,
he occupied the chair at a meeting of photographers, com-
prising Daguerreotypists and collodion workers, to consider
what means could be adopted to check the downward tendency
of prices even in those early days. I was present, and
remember seeing a lady Daguerreotypist among the company,
and she expressed her opinion quite decidedly. Efforts were
made to enter into a compact to maintain good prices, but
nothing came of it. Like all such bandings together, the band
^vas quickly and easily broken.

I had the good fortune to retain the best of Mr. Hughes's
customers, and make new ones of my own, as well as many
staunch and valuable friends, both among what I may term
laymen and brother Masons, while I resided in Glasgow.
Most of my sitters were of the professional classes, and the
€lite of the city, among whom were Sir Archibald Alison,
the historian. Col. (now General) Sir Archibald Alison, Dr.
Arnott, Professor Ramsey, and many of the princely merchants

and manufacturers. Some of my other patrons — for I did all
kinds of photographic work — were the late Norman Macbeth,
Daniel Mc^N'ee (afterwards Sir Daniel), and President of the
Scottish Academy of Art, and also Her Majesty the Queen,
for she bought two of my photographs of Glasgow Cathedral,
and a copy of my illustration of Hood's " Song of the Shirt,"
copies of which I possess now, and doubtless so does Her
Majesty. One of the most interesting portraits I remember
taking while I was in Glasgow was that of John Robertson,
who constructed the first marine steam engine. He was
associated with Henry Bell, and fitted the "Comet" with her
engine. Mr. Napier senr., the celebrated engineer on the Clyde,
brought Robertson to sit to me, and ordered a great many copies.
I also took a portrait of Harry Clasper, of rowing and
boat-building notoriety, which was engraved and published in
the Illustrated London News. Several of my portraits were
engraved both on wood and steel, and published. At the
photographic exhibition in connection with the meeting of the
British Association held in Glasgow, in 1855, I saw the
largest collodion positive on glass that ever was made to my
knowledge. The picture was thirty-six inches long, a view of
Gourock, or some such place down the Clyde, taken by Mr.
Kibble. The glass was British plate, and cost about £1. I
thought it a great evidence of British pluck to attempt such a
size, "When I saw Mr. Kibble I told him so, and expressed an
opinion that I thought it a waste of time, labour, and money
not to have made a negative when he was at such work. He
took the hint, and at the next photographic exhibition he
showed a silver print the same size. Mr. Kibble was an
undoubted enthusiast, and kept a donkey to drag his huge
camera from place to place. My pictures frequently appeared
at the Glasgow exhibition, but at one, which was burnt down, I
lost all my Daguerreotype views of Niagara Falls, Whipple's
views of the moon, and many other valuable pictures, portraits,
and views, which could never be replaced.

THIRD PERIOD.

COLLODION TRIUMPHANT.

In 1857 I abandoned the Daguerreotype process entirely, and'
took to collodion solely ; and, strangely enough, that was the
year that Frederick Scott Archer, the inventor, died. Like
Daguerre, he did not long survive the publication and popularity
of his invention, nor did he live long enough to see his process
superseded by another. In years, honouis, and emoluments, he
fell far short of Daguerre, but his process had a much longer
existence, was of far more commercial value, benefitting private
individuals and public bodies, and creating an industry that
expanded rapidly, and gave employment to thousands all over
the world ; yet he profited little by his invention, and when he
died, a widow and three children were left destitute. Fortunately
a few influential friends bestirred themselves in their interest,
and when the appeal was made to photographers and the public
to the Archer Testimonial, the following is what appeared in the
pages oi Punch, June 13th, 1857: —

"To THE Sons of the Sun.
"The inventor of collodion has died, leaving his invention
unpatented, to enrich thousands, and his family unportioned to
the battle of life. Now, one expects a photographer to be almost
as sensitive as the collodion to which Mr. Scott Archer helped
him. A deposit of silver is wanted (gold will do), and certain
faces, now in the dark chamber, will light up wonderfully, with

THIRD PERIOD.

COLLODION.

FREDERICK SCOTT ARCHER.
From Glass Positi7\- by R. Catic, Ipswich, iSjs

HEVER CASTLE, KENT.
Co/>y of Glass Positive taken by F. Scott Archer in i84<)

an effect never before equalled by photography. A respectable
ancient writes that the statue of Fortitude was the only one
admitted to the Temple of the Sun. Instead whereof, do you,
photographers, set up Gratitude in your little glass temples of
the sun, and sacrifice, according to your means, in memory of
the benefactor who gave you the deity for a household god.
Now, answers must not be negatives."

The result of that appeal, and the labours of the gentlemen who
so generously interested themselves on behalf of the widow and
orphans, was highly creditable to photographers, the Photo-
graphic Society, Her Majesty's Ministers, and Her Majesty the
Queen. What those labours were, few now can have any con-
ception ; but I think the very best way to convey an idea of
those labours and their successful results will be to reprint a
copy of the final report of the committee.

The Repoet of the Committee of the Akcher Testimonial.

" The Committee of the Archer Testimonial, considering it
necessary to furnish a statement of the course pursued towards
the attainment of their object, desire to lay before the sub-
scribers and the public generally a full report of their pro-
ceedings.

" Shortly after the death of Mr. F. Scott Archer, a preliminary
meeting of a few friends was held, and it was determined that
a printed address should be issued to the photographic world.

"Sir "William Newton, cordially co-operating in the movement,
at once made application to Her Most Gracious Majesty. The
Queen, with her usual promptitude and kindness of heart, for-
warded a donation of £20 towards the Testimonial. The Photo-
graphic Society of London, at the same time, proposed a grant
of £50, and this liberality on the part of the Society was fol-
lowed by an announcement of a list of donations from indi-
vidual members, which induced your Committee to believe that
if an appeal were made to the public, and those practising the

photographic art, a sum might be raised sufficiently large, not
only to relieve the immediate wants of the widow and children,
but to purchase a small annuity, and thus in a slight degree
compensate for the heavy loss they had sustained by the prema-
ture death of one to whom the photographic art had already
become deeply indebted.

" To aid in the accomplishment of this design, !Mr. Mayall
placed the use of his rooms at the service of a committee then
^bout to be formed. Sir "William iS'ewton and Mr. Roger
Penton consented to act as treasurers to the fund, and the
Union, and London and "Westminster Banks kindly undertook
to receive subscriptions.

"Your Committee first met on the 8th day of June, 1857,
Mr. Digby "Wyatt being called to the chair, when it was resolved
to ask the consent of Professors Delamotte and Goodeve to
become joint secretaries. These duties were willingly accepted,
and subscription lists opened in various localities in furtherance
of the Testimonial.

" Your Committee met on the 8th day of July, and again oa
the 4th day of September, when, on each occasion, receipts
wore announced and paid into the bankers.

"The Society of Arts having kindly offered, through their
Secretary, the use of apartments in the house of the Society
ior any further meetings, your Committee deemed it expedient
to accept the same, and passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Mayall
for the accommodation previously afforded by that gentleman.

"Your Committee, believing that the interests of the fund
would be better served by a short delay in their proceedings,
resolved on deferring their next meeting until the month of
jS'ovember, or until the Photographic Society should resume its
meetings, when a full attendance of members might be antici-
pated; it being apparent that individually and collectively
persons in the provinces had withheld their subscriptions until
the grant of the Photographic Society of London had been.

formally sanctioned at a special meeting convened for the pur-
pose, and that their object — the purchase of an annuity for
Mrs. Archer and her children — could only be effected by the
most active co-operation among all classes.

"Your Committee again met on the 26th of November, when
it was resolved to report progress to the general body of sub-
scribers, and that a public meeting be called for the purpose,
at which the Lord Chief Baron Pollock should be requested to
preside. To this request the Lord Chief Baron most kindly
and promptly acceded ; and your Committee determined to»
seek the co-operation of their photographic friends and the public
to enable them to carry out in its fullest integrity the immedi-
ate object of securing some small acknowledgment for the
eminent services rendered to photography by the late Mr. Archer.

" At this meeting it was stated that an impression existed,
which to some extent still exists, that Mr. Archer was not the
originator of the Collodion Process ; your Committee, there-
fore, think it their duty to state emphatically that they are
fully satisfied of the great importance of the services rendered
by him, as an original inventor, to the art of photography.

" Professor Hunt, having studied during twenty years the
beautiful art of photography in all its details, submitted to
the Committee the following explanation of Mr. Archer's just
right : —

** ' As there appears to be some misconception of the real
claim of Mr. Archer to be considered as a discoverer, it is thought
desirable to state briefly and distinctly what we owe to him.
There can be no doubt that much of the uncertainty which has
been thought by some persons to surround the introduction of
collodion, has arisen from the unobtrusive character of Mr,
Archer himself, who deferred for a considerable period the pub-
lication of the process of which he was the discoverer.

" * When Professor Schonbein, of Basle, introduced gun-
cotton at the meeting of the British Association at Southampton

in 1846, the solubility of this curious substance in ether was
alluded to. "Within a short time collodion was employed in
our hospitals for the purposes of covering with a film imper-
vious to air abraded surfaces on the body ; its peculiar electrical
condition was also known and exhibited by Mr. Hall, of Dart-
ford, and others.

" 'The beautiful character of the collodion film speedily led
to the idea of using it as a medium for receiving photographic
agents, and experiments were made by spreading the collodion
on paper and on glass, to form with it sensitive tablets. These
experiments were all failures, owing to the circumstance that
the collodion was regarded merely as a sheet upon which the
photographic materials were to be spread ; the dry collodion
film being in all cases employed.

" ' To Mr. Archer, who spent freely both time and money in
experimental research, it first occurred to dissolve in the
collodion itself the iodide of potassium. By this means he
removed every difficulty, and became the inventor of the collo-
dion process. The pictures thus obtained were exhibited, and
some of the details of the process communicated by Mr. Scott
Archer in confidence to friends before he published his process.
This led, very unfortunately, to experiments by others in the
same direction, and hence there have arisen claims in opposition
to those of this lamented photographer. Everyone, however,
acquainted with the early history of the collodion process freely
admits that Mr. Archer was the sole inventor of iodized collodion,
and of those manipulatory details which still, with very slight
modifications, constitute the collodion process, and he was the
first person who published any account of the application of this
remarkable accelerating agent, by which the most important
movement has been given to the art of photography.'

"Your committee, in May last, heard with deep regret of
the sudden death of the widow, Mrs. Archer, which melancholy
event caused a postponement of the general meeting resolved

upon in November last. Sir Wm. Xewton thereupon resolved
to make ano1;her effort to obtain a pension for the three orphan
children, now more destitute than ever, and so earnestly did ho
urge their claim upon the Minister, Lord Derby, that a reply
came the same day from his lordship's private secretary, saying,
' The Queen has been pleased to approve of a pension of fifty
pounds per annum being paid from the Civil List to the children
of the late Mr. Frederick Scott Archer, in consideration of the
scientific discoveries of their father,' his lordship adding his
regrets ' that the means at his disposal have not enabled him to
do more in this case.' Your committee, to mark their sense of
the value of the services rendered to the cause by Sir "William
Newton, thereupon passed a vote of thanks to him. In
conclusion, your committee have to state that a trust deed has
been prepared, free of charge, by Henry "White, Esq., of
7, Southampton Street, which conveys the fund collected to
trustees, to be by them invested in the public securities for the
sole benefit of the orphan children. The sum in the "LTnion
Bank now amounts to £549 lis. 4d., exclusive of interest,
and the various sums — in all about £68 — paid over to Mrs.
Archer last year. Thus far, the result is a subject for con-
gratulation to the subscribers and your committee, whose labours
have hitherto not been in vain. Tour committee are, neverthe-
less, of opinion that an appeal to Parliament might be productive
of a larger recognition of the claim of these orphan children —
a claim not undeserving the recognition of the Legislature,
when the inestimable boon bestowed upon the country is duly
considered. Since March 1851, when Mr. Archer described his
process in the pages of the Chemist, how many thousands must
in some way or other have been made acquainted with the
immense advantages it offers over all other processes in the arts,
and how many instances could be adduced in testimony of its
usefulness ? For instance, its value to the Government during
the last war, in the engineering department, the construction

of field works, and in recording observations of historical and
scientific interest. Your committee noticed that an attractive
feature of the Photographic Society's last exhibition was a
series of drawings and plans, executed by the Royal Engineers,
in reduction of various ordnance maps, at a saving estimated at
£30,000 to the country. The non-commissioned officers of this
corps are now trained in this art, and sent to different foreign
stations, so that in a few years there will be a network of
photographic stations spread over the world, and having their
results recorded in the "War Department, and, in a short time,
all the world will be brought under the subjugation of art.

"Mr. "Warren De la Rue exhibited to the Astronomical Society^
November, 1857, photographs of the moon and Jupiter, taken
by the collodion process in five seconds, of which the Astronomer-
Royal said, 'that a step of very great importance had been
made, and that, either as regards the self-delineation of clusters
of stars, nebulae, and planets, or the self-registration of observa-
tions, it is impossible at present to estimate the value.' "When
admiring the magnificent photographic prints which are now
to be seen in almost every part of the civilised world, an
involuntary sense of gratitude towards the discoverer of the
collodion process must be experienced, and it cannot but be felt
how much the world is indebted to Mr. Archer for having
placed at its command the means by which such beautiful
objects are presented. How many thousands amongst those
who owe their means of subsistence to this process must have
experienced such a feeling of gratitude? It is upon such
considerations that the public have been, and still are, invited
to assist in securing for the orphan children of the late Mr.
Archer some fitting appreciation of the service which he
rendered to science, art, his country — nay, to the whole world.
" M. DiGBT "Wtatt, Chairman,
" Jabez Hogs, Secretary to Committee^
''Society of Arts, July, 1858."

After reading that report, and especially Mr. Hunt's remarks,
it will appear evident to all that even that act of charity, grati-
tude, and justice could not be carried through without someone
raising objections and questioning the claims of Frederick Scott
Archer as the original inventor of the Collodion process. iN'early
all the biographers and historians of photography have coupled
other names with Archer's, either as assistants or co-inventors,
but I have evidence in my possession that will prove that neither
Fry nor Diamond afforded Archer any assistance whatever, and
that Archer preceded all the other claimants in his application
of coUoflion. In support of the first part of this statement, I
shall give extracts from Mrs. Archer's letter, now in my pos-
session, which, I think, will set that matter at rest for ever.
Mrs. Archer, writing from Bishop Stortford on December 7th,
1857, says, " When Mr. A. prepared pupils for India he always
taught the paper process as well as the Collodion, for fear the
chemicals should cause disappointment in a hot climate, as I
believe that the negative paper he prepared differed from
that in general use. I enclosed a specimen made in our glass
house.

"In Mr. Hunt's book, as well as Mr. Home's, Mr. Fry's name
is joined with Mr. Archer's as the originators of the Collodion
process.

" Should Mr. Hunt seem to require any corroboration of what
I have stated respecting Mr. Fry, I can send you many of Mr.
Fry's notes of invitation, when Mr. A. merely gave him lessons
in the application of collodion, and Mr. Brown gave me the
correspondence which passed between him and Mr. Fry on the
subject at the time Mr. Home's book was published. I did not
send up those papers, for, unless required, it is useless to dwell
on old grievances, but I should like such a man as Mr. Hunt to
understand how the association of the two names originated."

As to priority of application, the following letter ought to
settle that point : —

"Alma Cottage, Bishop Stortford.
"9th December, 1857.

*' Sib, — My hunting has at length proved successful. In the
■enclosed book you will find notes respecting the paper pulp,
albumen, tanno -gelatine, and collodion. You will therein see
Mr. Archer's notes of iod-collodion in 1849. You may wonder
that I could not find this note-book before, but the numbers of
papers that there are, and the extreme disorder, defy description.
My head was in such a deplorable state before I left that I could
arrange nothing. Those around me were most anxious to des-
troy all the papers, and I had great trouble to keep all witli
Mr. Archer's handwriting upon them, however dirty and rub-
bishing they might appear, so they were huddled together, a
complete chaos. I look back with the greatest thankfulness
that my brain did not completely lose its balance, for I had not
a single relative who entered into Mr. Archer's pursuits, so that
they could not possibly assist me.

" Mr. Archer being of so reserved a character, I had to find out
where everything was, and my search has been amongst differ-
ent things. I need not tell you that I hope this dirty enclosure
will be taken care of.

" The paper pulp occupied much time ; in fact, notes were only
made of articles which had been much tried, which might pro-
bably be brought into use. — I am, sir, yours faithfully,

"J. Bogg, Esq. F. G. Akchee."

If the foregoing is not evidence sufficient, I have by me a
very good glass positive of Hever Castle, Kent, which was
taken in the spring of 1849, and two collodion negatives made
by Mr. Archer in the autumn of 1848 ; and these dates are all
Touched for by Mr. Jabez Hogg, who was Mr. Archer's medical
attendant and friend, and knew him long before he began his
experiments with collodion — whereas I cannot find a trace even
of the suggestion of the application of collodion in the practice

of photography eitlier by Gustave Le Gray or J. R. Bingham
prior to 1849 ; while Mr. Archer's note-book proves that he
■was not only iodizing collodion at that date, but making experi-
ments with paper pulp and gelatine ; so that Mr. Archer was
not only the inventor of the collodion process, but was on the
track of its destroyer even at that early date. He also
published his method of bleaching positives and intensifying
negatives with bichloride of mercury.

Frederick Scott Archer was born at Bishop Stortford in 1813,
but there is little known of his early life, and what little there
is I will allow Mrs. Archer to tell in her own way.

" Deae Sik, — I do not know whether the enclosed is what
you require ; if not, be kind enough to let me know, and I
must try to supply you with something better. I thought you
merely required particulars relating to photography. Other-
wise Mr. Archer's career was a singular one : Losing his parents
in childhood, he lived in a world of his own ; I think you know
he was apprenticed to a bullion dealer in the city, where the
most beautiful antique gems and coins of all nations being con-
stantly before nim, gave him the desire to model the figures, and
led him to ''he study of numismatics. He worked so hard at
nights at these pursuits that his master gave up the last two
years of his time to save his life. He only requested him to be
on the premises, on account of his extreme confidence in him.

" Many other peculiarities I could mention, but I dare say you
know them already.

" I will send a small case to you, containing some early speci-
mens and gutta-percha negatives, with a copy of Mr. A.'s por-
trait, which I found on leaving Great Eussell Street, and have
had several printed from it. It is not a good photograph, but
I think you will consider it a likeness. I am, yours faithfully,

" J. Eogg, Esq. F. G. Aechek."

Frederick Scott Archer pursued the double occupation of

sculptor and photographer at 105, Great Eussell Street. It was
there he so persistently persevered in his photographic experi-
ments, and there he died in May, 1857, and was interred in
Kensal Green Cemetery. A reference to the report of the Com-
mittee will show what was done for his bereaved family — a
widow and three children. Mrs. Archer followed her husband
in March, 1858, and two of the children died early ; but one,
Alice (unmarried), is still alive and in receipt of the Crown
pension of fifty pounds per annum.

"While the collodion episode in the history of photography is
before my readers, and especially as the process is rapidly
becoming extinct, I think this will be a suitable place to insert
Archer's instructions for making a soluble gun-cotton, iodizing
collodion, developing, and fixing the photographic image.

Gun-Cotto7i {or Pyroxaline, as it was afterwards named).
Take of dry nitre in powder ... ... ... 40 parts

Sulphuric acid ... ... ... ... 60 ,,

Cotton 2 ,,

The sulphuric acid and the nitre were mixed together, and
immediately the latter was all dissolved, the gun-cotton was
added and well stirred with a glass rod for about two minutes ;
then the cotton was plunged into a large bowl of water and well
washed with repeated changes of water until the acid and nitre
were washed away. The cotton was then pressed and dried,
and converted into collodion by dissolving 30 grains of gun-
cotton in 18 fluid ounces of ether and 2 ounces of alcohol —
putting the cotton into the ether first, and then adding the
alcohol ; the collodion allowed to settle and decanted prior to
iodizing. The latter operation was performed by adding a
sufficient quantity of iodide of silver to each ounce of the plain
collodion. Mr. Archer tells how to make the iodide of silver,
but the quantity is regulated by the quantity of alcohol in the
collodion. When the iodized collodion was ready for use, a

glass plate was cleaned and coated mth it, and then sensitized
by immersion in a bath of nitrate of silver solution — 30 grains
of nitrate of silver to each ounce of distilled water. From three
to five minutes' immersion in the silver bath was generally
sufficient to sensitize the plate. This, of course, had to be done
in what is commonly called a darh-room. After exposure in the
camera, the picture was developed by pouring over the surface
of the plate a solution of pyrogallic acid of the following pro-
portions : —

Pyrogallic acid 5 grains

Distilled water 10 ounces

Glacial acetic acid 40 minims

After the development of the picture it was washed and fixed in
a solution of hyposulphite of soda, 4 ounces to 1 pint of water.
The plate was then washed and dried. This is an epitome of
the whole of Archer's process for making either negatives or
positives on glass, the difference being effected by varying the
time of exposure and development. Of course the process was
somewhat modified and simplified by experience and commercial
enterprise. Later on bromides were added to the collodion, an
iron developer employed, and cyanide of potassium as a fixing
agent ; but the principle remained the same from first to last.

"When pyrogallic acid was first employed in photography, it
was quoted at 2 Is. per oz., and, if I remember rightly, I paid 3s.
ior the first drachm that I purchased. On referring to an old
price list I find Daguerreotype plates, 2 J by 2 inches, quoted at
12s. per dozen; nitrate of silver, 5s. 6d. per oz. ; chloride of
gold, 5s. 6d. for 15 grains ; hyposulphite of soda at 5s. per lb. ;
and a half -plate rapid portrait lens by Voightlander, of Vienna,
at £60. Those were the days when photography might well be
considered expensive, and none but the wealthy could indulge in
its pleasures and fascinations.

"While I lived in Glasgow, competition was tolerably keen,

even then, and amongst the best " glass positive men " vs^ere-
Messrs. Bibo, Bowman, J. TPrie, and Young and Sun, as the
latter styled himseli ; and in photographic portraiture, plain and
coloured, by the collodion process, were Messrs. Macnab and
J. Stuart. From the time that I relinquished the Daguerreo-
type process, in 1857, I devoted my attention to the production
of high- class collodion negatives. I never took kindly to glass
positives, though I had done some as early as 1852. They were
never equal in beauty and delicacy to a good Daguerreotype, and
their low tone was to me very objectionable. I considered the
Ferrotype the best form of collodion positive, and did several of
them, but my chief work was plain and coloured prints from
collodion negatives, also small portraits on visiting cards.

Early in January, 1860, my home and business were destroyed.
by fire, and I lost all my old and new specimens of Daguerreo-
types and photographs, all my Daguerreotype and other appa-
ratus, and nearly everything I possessed. As I was only
partially insured, I suffered considerable loss. After settling
my affairs I decided on going to America again and trying my
luck in New York. Family ties influenced this decision con-
siderably, or I should not have left Glasgow, where I was both
prosperous and respected. To obtain an idea of the latest and
best aspects of photography, I visited London and Paris.

The carte-de-visite form of photography had not exhibited
much vitality at that period in London, but in Paris it was
beginning to be popular. While in London I accompanied
Mr. Jabez Hughes to the meeting of the Photographic
Society, Feb. 7th, 1860, the Eight Honorable the Lord Chief
Baron Pollock in the chair, when the report of the Collodion
Committee was delivered. The committee, consisting of
F. Bedford, P. Delamotte, Dr. Diamond, Eoger Fenton, Jabez
Hughe s, T. A. Malone, J. H. Morgan, H. P. Eobinson, Alfred
Eos ling, W. Eussell Sedgefield, J. Spencer, and T. E. Williams,
strongly recommended Mr. Hardwich's formula. That was my

first visit to the Society, and I certainly did not think then that
I should ever see it again, or become and be a member for
twenty-two years.

I sailed from Liverpool in the ss. City of Baltimore in
March, and reached JS'ew York safely in April, 1860. I took
time to look about me, and visited all the " galleries " on
Broadway, and other places, before deciding where I should
locate myself. Many changes had taken place during the six
years I had been absent. Nearly all the old Daguerreotypists
were still in existence, but all of them, with the exception of
Mr. Brady, had abandoned the Daguerreotype process, and Mr.
Brady only retained it for small work. Most of the chief
galleries had been moved higher up Broadway, and a mania of
magnificence had taken possession of most of the photographers.
Mx. Anson was the first to make a move in that direction by
opening a "superb gallery" on the ground floor in Broadway
right opposite the Metropolitan Hotel, filling his windows with
life-sized photographs coloured in oil at the back, which he
called Diaphanotypes. He did a large business in that class of
work, especially among visitors from the Southern States ; but
that was soon to end, for already there were rumours of war, but
few then gave it any serious consideration.

Messrs. Gurney and Sons' gallery was also a very fijie one,
but not on the ground floor. Their "saloon" was upstairs.
This house was one of the oldest in JS'ew York in connection
with photography. In the very early days, Mr. Gurney, senr.,
was one of the most eminent " professors " of the Daguerreotype
process, and was one of the committee appointed to wait upon
the Kev. AVm. Hill, a preacher in the Catskills, to negotiate
with the reverend gentlemen (?) for his vaunted secret of photo-
graphy in natural colours. As the art progressed, or the
necessity for change arose, Mr. Gurney was ready to introduce
every novelty, and, in later years, in conjunction with Mr.
Fredericks, then in partnership with Mr. Gurney, he introduced

the "Hallotype," not Hillotype, and the "Ivorytype." Both
these processes had their day. The former was photography
spoiled by the application of Canada balsam and very little art ;
the latter was the application of a great deal of art to spoil a
photograph. The largest of all the large galleries on Broadway
was that of Messrs. Fredericks and Co. The whole of the
ground and first floor were thrown into one " crystal front," and
made a very attractive appearance. The windows were filled
with life-sized portraits painted in oil, crayons,and other styles,
and the walls of the interior were covered with life-sized
portraits of eminent men and beautiful women. The floor was
richly carpeted, and the furnishing superb. A gallery ran round
the walls to enable the visitors to view the upper pictures, and
obtain a general view of the "saloon," the iout ensemble of
which was magnificent. From the ground floor an elegant
staircase led to the galleries, toilet and waiting rooms, and thence
to the operating rooms or studios. Some of the Parisian galleries
were fine, but nothing to be compared with Fredericks', and the
finest establishment in London did not bear the slightest
comparison.

Mr. Brady was another of the early workers of the Daguerreo-
type process, and probably the last of his confreres to abandon it.
He commenced business in the early forties in Fulton Street, a
long way down Broadway, but as the sea of commerce pressed
on and rolled over the strand of fashion, he was obliged to move
higher and higher up Broadway, until he reached the comer of
Tenth Street, nearly opposite Grace Church. Mr. Brady
appeared to set the Franklin maxim, " Three removes as bad as
a fire," at defiance, for he had made three or four moves to my
knowledge — each one higher and higher to more elegant and
expensive premises, each remove entailing the cost of more and
more expensive furnishing, until his latest effort in upholstery
culminated in a superb suite of black walnut and green silk
velvet; in short, Longfellow's "Excelsior" appeared to be the
motto of Mr. Brady.

Messrs. Mead Brothers, Samuel Root, James Cady, and George
Adams ought to receive "honourable mention" in connection
with the art in iN'ew York, for they were excellent operators in
the Daguerreotype days, and all were equally good manipulators
of the collodion process and silver printing.

After casting and sounding about, like a mariner seeking a
haven on a strange coast, I finally decided on buying a half
interest in the gallery of Mead Brothers, 805, Broadway ; Harry
Mead retaining his, or his wife's share of the business, but
leaving me to manage the " uptow^n " branch. This turned out
to be an unfortunate speculation, which involved me in a law-
suit with one of Mead's creditors, and compelled me to get rid
of a very unsatisfactory partner in the best way and at any cost
that I could. Mead's creditor, by some process of law that I
could never understand, stripped the gallery of all that belonged
to my partner, and even put in a claim for half of the fixtures.
Over this I lost my temper, and had to pay, not the piper, but
the lawyer. I also found that Mrs. Henry Mead had a bill of
sale on her husband's interest in the business, which I ended by
buying her out. Husband and wife are very seldom one in
America. Soon after getting the gallery into my own hands,
refurnishing and rearranging, the Prince of "Wales's ^-isit to New
York was arranged, and as the windows of my gallery com-
manded a good view of Broadway, I let most of them very
advantageously, retaining the use of one only for myself and
family. There were so many delays, however, at the City Hall
and other places on the day of the procession, that it was almost
dark when the Prince reached 805, Broadway, and all my guests
were both weary of waiting so long, and disappointed at seeing
50 little of England's future lung.

"When I recommenced business on Broadway on my own account
there was only one firm taking cartes-de-visite, and I introduced
that form of portrait to my customers, but they did not take
very kindly to it, though a house not far from me was doing a

very good "business in that style at tliree dollars a dozen, and
Messrs. Rockwood and Co. appeared to be monopolising all the
carte-de-visite business that was being done in New York ; but
eventually I got in the thin edge of the wedge by exhibiting
four for one dollar. This ruse brought in sitters, and I began
to do very well until Abraham Lincoln issued his proclamation
calling for one hundred thousand men to stamp out the Southern
rebellion. I remember that morning most distinctly. It was
a miserably wet morning in April, 1861, and all kinds of business
received a shock. People looked bewildered, and thought of
nothing but saving their money and reducing their expenses.
It had a blighting effect on my business, and I, not knowing,
like others, where it might land me, determined to get rid of
my responsibilities at any cost, so I sold my business for a great
deal less than it was worth, and at a very serious loss. The
outbreak of that gigantic civil war and a severe family
bereavement combined, induced me to return to England as
soon as possible. Before leaving America, in all probability for
ever, I went to "Washington to bid some friends farewell, and
while there I went into Virginia with a friend on Sunday
morning, July 21st, and in the afternoon saw the smoke and
heard the cannonading of the first battle of Bull Run, and
witnessed, next morning, the rout and rush into Washington
of the demoralised fragments of the Federal army. I wrote
and sent a description of the stampede to a friend in Glasgow,
which he handed over to the Glasgow Herald for publication,
and I have reason to believe that my description of that memor-
able rout was the first that was published in Great Britain.

As soon as I could settle my aflfairs I left New York with my
family, and arrived in London on the 15th of September, 1861.
It was a beautiful sunny day when I landed, and, after all the
trouble and excitement I had so recently seen and experienced,
London, despite its business and bustle, appeared like a heaven-
of peace.

Mr. Jabez Hughes was about the last to wish me " God-
speed " when I left England, so he was the first I went to see
when I returned. I found, to my disappointment, that he was
in Paris, but Mrs. Hughes gave me a hearty welcome. After a
few days' sojourn in London I went to Glasgow with the view
of recommencing in that city, where I had many friends ; but
while there, and on the very day that I was about to sign for
the lease of a house, Mr. Hughes wrote to offer me the manage-
ment of his business in Oxford Street. It did not take me long
to decide, and by return post that same night I wrote accepting
the offer. I concluded all other arrangements as c[uickly as
possible, returned to London, and entered upon my managerial
duties on the 1st November, 1861. I had long wished and
looked out for an opportunity to settle in London and enlarge
my circle of photographic acquaintance and experience, so I put
on my new harness with alacrity and pleasure.

Among the earliest of my new acquaintances was George
"WTiarton Simpson, Editor of the Photogkaphic ]S"ews. He
called at Oxford Street one evening while I was the guest of
Mr. Hughes, by whom we were introduced, and we spent a long,
chatty, and pleasant evening together, talking over my Ameri-
can experience and matters photographic ; but, to my surprise,
much of our conversation appeared in the next issue of his
journal (^?^'(?e Photographic News, October 11th, 1861, pp. 480-1).
But that was a power, I afterwards ascertained, which he pos-
sessed to an eminent degree, and which he utilized most suc-
cessfully at his "Wednesday evenings at home," when he
entertained his photographic friends at Canonbury Ptoad, N.
Very delightful and enjoyable those evenings were, and he
never failed to cull paragraphs for the Photogkapbic News from
the busy brains of his numerous visitors. He was a genial host,
and his wife was a charming hostess ; and his daughter Eva,
now the wife of "William Black the novelist, often increased
the charm of those evenings by the exhibition of her musical

abilities. It is often a wonder to me that other editors of photo-
graphic journals don't pursue a similar plan, for those social
re-unions were not only pleasant, but profitable to old friend
Simpson. Through Mr. Simpson's " at homes," and my con-
nection with Mr. Hughes, I made the acquaintance of nearly
all the eminent photographers of the time, amongst whom may
be mentioned W. G. Lacy, of Eyde, I.W. The latter was a
very sad and brief acquaintanceship, for he died in Mr. Hughes's
sitting-room oa the 21st November, 1861, in the presence of
G. Wharton Simpson, Jabez Hughes, and myself, and, strangely
enough, it was entirely through this death that Mr. Hughes
went to Kyde, and became photographer to the Queen. Mr.
Lacy made his will in Mr. Hughes's sitting-room, and Mr. Simp-
son sole executor, who sold Mr. Laey's business in the Arcade,
Eyde, I."W., to Mr. Hughes, and in the March following he took
possession, leaving me solely in charge of his business in Oxford
Street, London.

About this time Mr. Skaife introduced his ingenious pistol-
graph, but it was rather in advance of the times, for the dry-
plates then in the market were not quite quick enough for
"snap shots," though I have seen some fairly good pictures
taken with the apparatus.

At this period a fierce controversy was raging about lunar
photography, but it was all unnecessary, as the moon had
photographed herself under the guidance of Mr. "Whipple, of
Boston, U.S., as early as 1853, and all that was required to
obtain a lunar picture was sufficient exposure.

On December 3rd, 1861, Thomas Ross read a paper and
exhibited a panoramic lens and camera at a meeting of the
Photographic Society, and on the 15tli October, 1889, I saw
the same apparatus, in perfect condition, exhibited as a curiosity
at the Photographic Society's Exhibition, l^o wonder the appa-
ratus was in such good condition, for I should think it had
.never been used but once. The plates were 10 inches long,

and curved like tlie crescent of a new moon. Cleaning boards
dark slide, and printing-frame, were all curved. Fancy the
expense and trouble attending tbe use of such an apparatus ; I
should think it had few buyers. Certainly I never sold one,
and I never met with any person who had bought one.

Amateurs have ever been the most restless and discontented
disciples of the "Fathers of Photography," always craving for
something new, and seeking to lessen their labours and increase
their facilities, and to these causes we are chiefly indebted for
the marvellous development and radical changes of photography.
No sooner was the Daguerreotype process perfected than it was
superseded by wet collodion, and that was barely a workable pro-
cess when it became the anxiety of every amateur to have a dry
collodion process, and multitudes of men were at work endeavour-
ing to make, modify, or invent ameans that would enable them to
use the camera as a sort of sketch-book, and make their finished
picture at home at their leisure. Hence the number of Dry
Plate processes published about this period, and the contro-
versies carried on by the many enthusiastic champions of the
various methods. Beer was pitted agaiust tea and coffee, honey
against albumen, gin against gum, but none of them were equal
to wet collodion.

The International Exhibition of 1862 did little or nothing in •
the interests of photography. It is true there was a scattered
and skied exhibition at the top of a high tower, but as there
was no "lift," I suspect very few people went to see the
exhibits. I certainly was not there more than once myself.
Among the exhibitors of apparatus were the names of Messrs.
McLean, Melhuish and Co., Murray and Heath, P. Meagher,
T. Ottewill and Co., but there was nothing very remarkable
among their exhibits. There was some very good workman-
ship, but the articles exhibited were not beyond the quality of
the everyday manufacture of the best camera and apparatus
makers.

The chief contributors to the exhibition of photographs were
Messrs. Mayall, T. E. "Williams, and Herbert Watkins in por-
traiture ; and in landscapes, &c., Messrs. Francis Bedford, E,e]-
lander, Rouch, Stephen Thompson, James Mudd, "William May-
land, H. P. Robinson, and Breeze. By some carelessness or
stupidity on the part of the attendants or constructors of the
Exhibition, nearly all Mr. Breeze's beautiful exhibits — stereo-
scopes and stereoscopic transparencies — were destroyed by the
fall of a skylight. Perhaps the best thing that the International
Exhibition did for photography was the issue of the Jurors'
Heport, as it was prefaced with a brief History of Photography
up to date, not perfectly correct regarding theHev. J. B. Reade's
labours, but otherwise good, the authorship of which I attribute
to the late Dr. Diamond ; but the awards — ah ! well, awards
never were quite satisfactory. Commendees thought they
should have been medalists, and the latter thought something
else. Thomas Ross, J. H. Dallmeyer, and Negretti and Zambra
were the English recipients of medals, and Voigtlander and Son
and C. Dietzler received medals for their lenses.

Early in 1862 the Harrison Globe Lens was attracting atten-
tion, and, as much was claimed for it both in width of angle
and rapidity, I imported from "New York a 5 by 4 and a whole
plate as samples. The 5 by 4 was an excellent lens, and
embraced a much wider angle than any other lens known, and
Mr. Hughes employed it to photograph the bridal bed and suite
of apartments of the Prince and Princess of "Wales at Osborn,
Isle of Wight, and I feel certain that no other lens would have
done the work so well. I have copies of the photograph by me
now. They are circular pictures of five inches in diameter,
and every article and decoration visible in the chambers are as
sharp and crisp as possible. I showed the lens to Mr. Dall-
meyer, and he thought he could make a better one ; his "Wide-
Angle Rectilinear was the result.

Mr. John Pouncy, of Dorchester, introduced his "patent

process for permanent printing " this year, but it never made
much headway. It was an oleagenous process, mixed with
bichromate of potash, or bitumen of Judea, and always smelt of
bad fat. I possessed examples at the time, but took no care of
them, and no one else did in all probability ; but it appeared to
me to be the best means of transferring photographic impressions
to wood blocks for the engraver's purpose. Thomas Sutton, B.A.,
published a book on Pouncy's process and carbon printing, but
the process had inherent defects which were not overcome, so
nothing could make it a success. Sutton's " History of Carbon
Printing " was sufficiently interesting to attract both readers and
buyers at the time.

I have previously stated that Daguerre introduced and left
his process in an imperfect and uncommercial condition, and
that it was John Frederick Goddard, then lecturer at the
Adelaide Gallery, London, and inventor of the polariscope, who
discovered the accelerating properties of bromine, and by which,
with iodine, he obtained a bromo-iodide of silver on the surface
of the silvered plate employed in the Daguerreotype process,
thereby reducing the time of exposure from twenty minutes to
twenty seconds, and making the process available for portraiture
with an ordinary double combination lens. Somehow or other,
this worthy gentleman had fallen into adverse circumstances,
and was obliged to eat the bread of charity in his old age. The
facts of this sad case coming to the knowledge of Mr. Hughes
and others, an appeal, written by Mr. Hughes, was published in
the Phoiogeaphic ISTews, December 11th, 1863. As Mr. Hughes
and myself had benefited by Mr. Goddard's improvement in the
practice of the Daguerreotype, we took an active interest in the
matter, and, by canvassing friends and customers, succeeded in
obtaining a considerable proportion of the sum total subscribed
for the relief of Mr. Goddard. Enough was obtained to make
him independent and comfortable for the remainder of his life.
Mr. T. R. "Williams was appointed almoner by the committee,

but his office -u^as not for long, as Mr. Gocldard died Dec. 28tli,
1866.

On the 5th of April, 1864, I attended a meeting of the Photo-
graphic Society at King's College, and heard Mr. J. W. Swan
read a paper on his new patent carbon process. It was a crowded
meeting, and an intense interest pervaded the minds of both
members and visitors. The examples exhibited were very
beautiful, but at that early stage they began to show a
weakness, which clung to the collodion support as long as it was
employed. Some of the specimens which I obtained at the time
left the mounting boards, and the films were torn asunder by
opposing forces, and the pictures completely destroyed. I
have one in my possession now in that unsatisfactory condition.
Mr. Swan's process was undoubtedly an advance in the right
direction, but it was still imperfect, and required further
improvement. Many of the members failed to see where the
patent rights came in, and Mr. Swan himseK appeared to have
qualms of conscience on the subj ect, for he rather apologetically
announced in his paper, that he had obtained a patent, though his
first intention was to allow it to be practised without any
restriction. I think myself it would have been wiser to have
adhered to his original intention ; however, it was left to others
to do more to advance the carbon process than he did.

During this year (1865) an effort was made to establish a
claim of priority in favour of Thomas "Wedgwood for the honour
of having made photographs on silver plates, and negatives on
paper, and examples of such alleged early works were submitted
to the inspection of members of the Photographic Society, but it
was most satisfactorily determined that the photographs on the
silver plates were weak Daguerreotypes of a posterior date, and
ttiat the photographic prints, on paper, of a breakfast-table were
from a calotype negative taken by Fox Talbot. Messrs.
Henneman and Dr. Diamond proved this most conclusively.
Other prints then exhibited, and alleged to be photographs, were

nothing but prints from metal plates, produced by some process of
engraving, probably Aquatint. I saw some of tbe examples at the
time, and, as recently as Kov. 1st, 1889, I have seen some of
them again, and I think the " Breakfast Table " and a view of
" "Wedgwood's Pottery " are silver prints, though very much
faded, from calotype negatives. The other prints, such as the
"Piper" and "A Vase," are from engraved plates. No one
can desire to lessen Thomas Wedgwood's claims to pre-eminence
among the early experimentalists with chloride of silver, but
there cannot now be any denial to the claims of the Rev. J. B.
Eeade in 1837, and Fox Talbot in 1840, of being the earliest
producers of photographic negatives on paper, from which
numerous prints could be obtained.

The Wothlytype printing process was introduced to the
notice of photographers and the public this year : first, by a
blatant article in the Times, which was both inaccurate and
misleading, for it stated that both nitrate of silver and hypo-
sulphite of soda were dispensed with in the process ; secondly,
by the issue of advertisements and prospectuses for the formation
of a Limited Liability Company. I went to the Patent Office
and examined the specification, and found that both nitrate of
silver and hyposulphite of soda were essential to the practice
of the process, and that there was no greater guarantee of
permanency in the use of the Wothlytype than in ordinary silver
printing.

On March 14th, 1865, George Wharton Simpson, editor and
proprietor of the Photographic News, read a paper at a meeting
of the Photographic Society on a new printing process with
collodio-chloride of silver on paper. Many beautiful examples
were exhibited, but the method never became popular, cliiefly
on account of the troubles of toning with sulpho-cyanide of
ammonium. The same or a similar process, substituting gelatine
for collodion, is known and practised now under the name of
Aristotype, but not very extensively, because of the same

defects and difficulties attending tlie Simpsontype. Another
new method of positive printing was introduced this year by
Mr. John M. Burgess, of Xorwich, which he called '' Eburneum."
It was not in reality a new mode of printing, but an ingenious
application of the collodion transfer, or stripping process. The
back of the collodion jjositive print was coated with a mixture
of gelatine and oxide of zine, and when drj' stripped from the
glass. The finished picture resembled a print on very fine
ivory, and possessed both delicate half-tones and brilliant
shadows. I possess some of them now, and they are as
beautiful as they were at first, after a lapse of nearly quarter
of a century. It was a veiy troublesome and tedious process,
and I don't think many people practised it. Certainly 1 don't
know any one that does so at the present time.

This was the year of the Dublin International Exhibition.
I went to see it and report thereon, and my opinions and
criticisms of the photographic and other departments will be
found and may be perused in '' Contributions to Photographic
Literature." On the whole, it was a very excellent exhibition,
and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

A new carbon process by M. Carey Lea was published this
year. The ingredients were similar to those employed by
Swan and others, but differently handled, ^o pigment was
mixed with the gelatine before exposure, but it was rubbed
on after exposure and washing, and with care any colour or
number of colours might be applied, and so produce a poly-
chromatic picture, but I don't know any one that ever did so.
I think it could easily be applied to making photographic
transfers to blocks for the use of wood engravers.

December 5th, 1865, Mr. "Walter Woodbury demonstrated
and exhibited examples of the beautiful mechanical process that
bears his name to the members of the Photographic Society.
The process was not entirely photographic. The province of
photography ceased on the production of the gelatine relief.

All that followed was strictly mechanical. It is somewhat
singular that a majority of the inventions and modifications
of processes that were introduced this year related to carbon
and permanency.

Thursday, January 11th, 1866, I read, at the South London
Photographic Society, a paper on "Errors in Pictorial Back-
grounds." As the paper, as well as the discussion thereon, is
published in extenso in the journals of the period, it is not
necessary for me to repeat it here, but I may as well state
briefly my reasons for reading the paper. At that time
pictorial backgrounds and crowded accessories were greatly in
use, and it was seldom, if ever, that the horizontal line of the
painted background, and the horizontal line indicated by the posi-
tion of the camera, coincided. Consequently the photographic
pictures obtained under such conditions invariably exhibited
this incongruity, and it was with the hope of removing these
defects, or violations of art rules and optical laws, that I
ventured to call attention to the subject and suggest a remedy.
A little later, I wrote an article, " Notes on Pictures in the
National Gallery," which was published in the Photographic
News of March 29th, in support of the arguments already
adduced in my paper on " Errors in Pictorial Backgrounds," and
I recommend every portrait photographer to study those pictures.

February 13th I was elected a member of the Photographic

Society of London.

Quite a sensation was created in the Spring of this year by
the introduction of what were termed " Magic Photographs."
Some one was impudent enough to patent the process, although
it was nothing but a resurrection of what was published in
1840 by Sir John Herschel, which consisted of bleaching an
ordinary siher print to invisibilty with bichloride of mercury,
and restoring it by an application of hyposulphite of soda.
I introduced another form of magic photograph, in various
monochromatic colours, similar to Sir John Herschel' s cyano-

type, and I have several of these pictures in my possession
now, both blue, purple, and red, dated 1866, as bright and
beautiful as they were the day they were made. But the
demand for these magic photographs was suddenly stopped by
some one introducing indecent pictures. In all probability
these objectionable pictures came from abroad, and the most
scrupulous of the home producers suffered in consequence, as
none of the purchasers could possibly know what would appear
when the developer or redeveloper was applied.

On June 14th Mr. P. W. Hart read a paper, and demonstrated
before the South London Photographic Society, on his method
of rendering silver prints permanent. ' ' A consummation devoutly
to be wished," but unfortunately some prints in my possession
that were treated to a bath of his eliminator show unmistakable
signs of fading. In my opinion, there is nothing so eflScacious
as warm water washing, and some prints that I toned, fixed,
and washed myself over thirty years ago, are perfect.

The "cabinet" form of portrait was introduced this year by
Mr. F. R. Window, and it eventually became the fashionable size,
and almost wiped out the carte-de-visite. The latter, however,
had held its position for about nine years, and the time for change
had arrived. Beyond the introduction of the cabinet portrait,
nothing very novel or ingenious had been introduced, but a
very good review of photography up to date appeared in the
October issue of the British Quarterly Review. This was a
very ably written article from the pen of my old friend, Mr.
George Wharton Simpson,

No radical improvement or advance in photography was made
in 1867, but M. Adam-Salomon created a little sensation by
exhibiting some very fine samples of his work in the Paris
Exhibition. They were remarkable chiefly for their pose,
lighting, retouching, and tone. A few of them were afterwards
seen in London, and that of Dr. Diamond was probably the most
satiafactory. M. Salomon was a sculptor in Paris, and his art

training and feeling in that branch of the Fine Arts naturally-
assisted him in photography.

The Due de Luynes' prize of 8,000 francs for the best mechani-
cal printing process -^as this year awarded to M. Poitevin. In
making the award, the Commission gave a very excellent resume
of all that had previously been done in that direction, and en-
deavoured to show why they thought M. Poitevin entitled to the
prize ; but for all that I think it will be difficult to prove that
any of M. Poitevin's mechanical processes ever came into use.

On June 13th, in the absence of Mr. Jabez Hughes, I read
his paper, "About Lepto graphic Printing," before the South
London Photographic Society. This Leptographic paper was
claimed to be the invention of two photographers in Madrid, but
it was evidently only a modification of Mr. Simpson's collodio-
chloride of silver process.

About this period I got into a controversy — on very different
subjects, it is true — but it made me determine to abandon for the
future the practice of writing critical notices under the cover of
a. tiom de plume. I had, under the nom de plume of "Union
Jack," written in favour of a union of all the photographic
societies then in London. This brought Mr. A. H. "Wall down
on me, but that did not affect me very much, nor -was I
personally distressed about the other, but I thought it best to
abandon a dangerous practice. Under the nom de plume of " Lux
■Graphicus" I had contributed a great many articles to the
Photographic News, and, in a review of the Society's exhibition,
published I^ov. 22nd, 1867, I expressed an honest opinion on
Mr. Eobinson's picture entitled " Sleep." It was not so
favourable and flattering, perhaps, as he would have liked, but
it was an honest criticism, and ■written without any intention of
giving pain or offence.

The close of this year was marked by a very sad catastrophe
intimately associated with photography, by the death of Mr.
Mawson at Newcastle-on-Tyne ; he was killed by an explosion

of nitro-glycerine. Mr. Mawson, in conjunction with Mr. J".
W. Swan, was one of the earliest and most successful manu-
facturers of collodion, and, as early as 1852, I made negatives
with that medium, though I did not employ collodion solely
until 1857, when I abandoned for ever the beautiful and
fascinating Daguerreotype.

On Friday, December 27th, Antoine Jean Francois Claudet,
F.E.S., &c., &c., died suddenly in the 71st year of his age.
He was one of the earliest workers and improvers of the
Daguerreotype process in this country, and one of the last to
relinquish its practice in London. Mr. Claudet bought a share
of the English patent of Mr. Berry, the agent, while he
was a partner in the firm of Claudet and Houghton in 1840,
and commenced business as a professional Daguerreotypist
soon afterwards. Before the introduction of bromine as
an accelerator by Mr. Groddard, Mr. Claudet had discovered
that chloride of iodine increased the sensitiveness of the
Daguerreotype plate, and he read a paper on that subject
before the Eoyal Society in 1841. He was a member of the
council of the Photographic Society for many years, and a copious
contributor to its proceedings, as well as to photographic
literature. In his intercourse with his confreres he was always
courteous, and when I called upon him in 1851 he received me
most kindly. I met him again in Glasgow, and many times in
London, and always considered him the best specimen of a
Frenchman I had ever met. Towards his clients he was firm,
respectful, and sometimes generous, as the following characteristic
anecdote will show. He had taken a portrait of a child, which,
for some reason or other, was not liked, and demurred at. He
said, "Ah! well, the matter is easily settled. I'll keep the
picture, and return your money" ; and so he thought the case
was ended ; but by-and-bye the picture was asked for, and he
refused to give it up. Proceedings were taken to compel him
to surrender it, which he defended. In stating the case, the

counsel remarked that the child was dead. Mr. Claudet
immediately stopped the counsel and the case by exclaiming,
"Ah! they did not tell me that before. Now, I make the
parents a present of the portrait." I am happy to say that I
possess a good portrait of Mr. Claudet, taken in November, 1867,
with his Topaz lens, f-inch aperture. Strangely enough, Mr.
Claudet's studio in Kegent Street was seriously damaged by fire
within a month of his death, and all his valuable Daguerreotypes,
negatives, pictures, and papers destroyed.

On April 9th, 1868, I exhibited, at the South London Photo-
graphic Society, examples of nearly all the types of photography
then known, amongst them a Daguerreotype by Daguerre, many
of which are now in the Science Department of the South
Kensington Museum, and were presented by me to form the
nucleus of a national exhibition of the rise and progress of
photography, for which I received the "thanks of the Lords of
the Council on Education," dated April 22nd, 1886.

There was nothing very remarkable done in 1868 to forward
the interests or development of photography, yet that year
narrowly escaped being made memorable, for Mr. "W. H,
Harrison, now editor of the Photographic News, actually
prepared, exposed, and developed a gelatino-bromide dry plate,
but did not pursue the matter further. 1869 also passed
without adding much to the advancement of photography, and I
fear the same may be said of 1870, with the exception of the
publication, by Thos. Sutton, of Gaudin's gelatino-iodide
process.

On February 21st, 1870, Eobert J. Bingham died in Brussels.
"When the Daguerreotype process was first introduced to this
country, Mr. Bingham was chemical assistant to Prof. Faraday
at the Royal Institution. He took an immediate interest in the
wonderful discovery, and made an improvement in the application
of bromine vapour, which entitled him to the gratitude of all
Daguerreotypists. When Mr. Goddard applied bromine to the

process, he employed *' bromine water," but, in very hot
weather, the aqueous vapour condensed upon the surface of the
plate, and interrupted the sensitising process. Mr. Bingham
obviated this evil by charging hydrate of lime with bromine
vapour, which not only removed the trouble of condensation,
but increased the sensitiveness of the prepared plate. This was
a great boon to all Daguerreotypists, and many a time I thanked
him mentally long before I had the pleasure of meeting him in
London. Mr. Bingham also wrote a valuable manual on the
Daguerreotype and other photographic processes, which was pub-
lished by Geo. Knight and Sons, Foster Lane, Cheapside. Some
years before his death, Mr. Bingham settled in Paris, and became
a professional photographer, but chiefly as a publisher of photo-
graphic copies of paintings and drawings.

Abel Niepce de St. Victor, best known without the Abel,
died suddenly on April 6th, 1870. Born at St. Cyr, July 26th,
1805. After passing through his studies at the Military School
of Saumur, he became an officer in a cavalry regiment. Being
studious and fond of chemistry, he was fortunate enough to
effect some saving to the Government in the dyeing of fabrics
employed in making certain military uniforms, for which he
received compensation and promotion. His photographic
fame rests upon two achievements : firstly, his application of
iodized albumen to glass for negative purposes in 1848, a process
considerably in advance of Talbot's paper negatives, but it was
quickly superseded by collodion ; secondly, his researches on
"heliochromy," or photography in natural colours. Mepce de
St. Victor, like others before and since, was only partially
successful in obtaining some colour reproductions, but totally
unsuccessful in rendering those colours permanent. In proof of
both these statements I will quote from the Juror's lleport, on
the subject, of the International Exhibition, 1862: — "The
obtaining of fixed natural colours by means of photography still
remains, as was before remarked, to be accomplished ; but the

jurors have pleasure in recording that some very striking results
of experiments in this direction were forwarded for their
inspection by a veteran in photographic research and discov^y,
M. Niepce de St. Victor. These, about a dozen in number,
8-1- by 2^ inches, consisted of reproductions of prints of figures
with parti- coloured draperies. Each tint in the pictures
exhibited, they were assured, was a faithful reproduction of the
original. Amongst the colours were blues, yellows, reds, greens,
&c., all very vivid. Some of the tints gradually faded and
disappeared in the light whilst under examination, and a few
remained permanent for some hours. The possibility of pro-
ducing natural colour thus established is a fact most interesting
and important, and too much praise cannot be awarded to the
skilful research which has been to this extent crowned with
success. The jury record their obligations to their chairman,
Baron Gross, at whose personal solicitation they were enabled
to obtain a sight of these remarkable pictures." Such was the
condition of photography in natural colours towards the close
of 1862, and so it is now after a lapse of twenty-eight years.
In 1870 several examples of jS'icpce de St. Victor's helio-
chromy were sent to the Photographic Society of London, and
I had them in my hands and examined them carefully in gas-
light ; they coiild not be looked at in daylight at all. I certainly
saw faint traces of colour, but whether I saw them in their
original vigour, or after they had faded, I cannot say. All I
can say is that the tints were very feeble, and that they had
not been obtained through the lens. They were, at their best,
only contact impressions of coloured prints obtained after many
hours of exposure. The examples had been sent to the Photo-
graphic Society with the hope of selling them for the benefit of
the widow, but the Society was too wise to invest in such
evanescent property. However, a subscription was raised both
in England and France for the benefit of the widow and
orphans of Niepce de St. Victor.

December, 1870, was marked by the death of one of the
eminent pioneers of photography. On the 12th, the Eev. J.
B, Eeade passed away at Bishopsbourne Rectory, Canterbury,
in the sixty-ninth year of his age. I have already, I think,
established Mr. Reade's claim to the honour of being the first
to produce a photograpnic negative on paper developed with
gallic acid, and I regret that I am unable to trace the existence
of those two negatives alluded to in !Mr. Beade's published
letter. Mr. Eeade told me himself that he gave those two
historic negatives to Dr. Diamond, when Secretary to the Photo-
graphic Society, to be lodged with that body for safety, proof,
and reference ; but they are not now in the possession of the
Photographic Society, and what became of them no one knows.
Several years ago I caused enquiries to be made, and Dr.
Diamond was written to by Mr. H. Baden Pritchard, then
Secretary, but Dr. Diamond's reply was to the effect that he
liad no recollection of them, and that Mr. Eeade was given to
hallucinations. Considering the positions that Mr. Eeade held,
both in the world and various learned and scientific societies,
I don't think that he could ever have been afflicted with such a
mental weakness. He was a clergyman in the Church of
England, an amateur astronomer and microscopist, one of the
fathers of photography, and a member of Council of the
Photographic Society, and President of the Microscopical
Society at the time of his death. I had many a conversation
with him years ago, and I never detected either weakness or
wandering in his mind ; therefore I could not doubt the truth
of his statement relative to the custodianship of the first paper
negative that was taken through the lens of a solar microscope.
Mr. Eeade was a kind and aftable man ; and, though a great
sufferer on his last bed of sickness, he wrote loving, grateful?
and Christian like letters to many of his fiiends, some of which
I have seen, and I have photographed his signature to one of
them to attach to his portrait, which I happily possess.

In 1871 the coming revolution in photography was faintly-
heralded by Dr. E. L. Maddox, publishing in the British
Journal of Photography, "An Experiment with Gelatino-
Bromide." Successful as the experiment was it did not lead to
any extensive adoption of the process at the time, but it did
most unqestionably exhibit the capabilities of gelatino-bromide.

As that communication to the British Journal of Photography
contained and first made public the working details of a
process that was destined to supersede collodion, I will here
insert a copy of Dr. Maddox's letter in extenso.

"An Experiment with Gela.tino-Bkomide.

" The collodio-bromide processes have for some time held a
considerable place in the pages of the British Journal of
Photography, and obtained such a prominent chance of being
eventually the process of the day in the dry way, that a few
remarks upon the application of another medium may perhaps
not be uninteresting to the readers of the journal, though little
more can be stated than the result of somewhat careless
experiments tried at first on an exceedingly dull afternoon.
It is not for a moment supposed to be new, for the chances of
novelty in photography are small, seeing the legion of ardent
workers, and the ground already trodden by its devotees, so-
that for outsiders little remains except to take the result of
labours so industriously and largely circulated through these
pages, and be thankful.

" Gelatine, which forms the medium of so many piinting
processes, and which doubtless is yet to form the base of many
more, was tried in the place of collodion in this manner : —
Thirty grains of N'elson's gelatine were washed in cold water,
then left to swell for several hours, when all the water was
poured ofi", and the gelatine set in a wide-mouthed bottle, with
the addition of four drachms of pure water, and two small
drops of aqua regia, and then placed in a basin of hot water

for solution. Eight grains of bromide of cadmium dissolved
in half a drachm of pure water were now added, and the
solution stirred gently. Fifteen grains of nitrate of silver
were next dissolved in half a drachm of water in a test tube,
and the whole taken into the dark room, when the latter was
added to the former slowly, stiixing the mixture the whole time.
This gave a fine milky emulsion, and was left for a little while to
settle. A few plates of glass well cleaned were next levelled on a
metal plate put over a small lamp ; they were, when fully
warmed, coated by the emulsion spread to the edges by a glass
rod, then returned to their places, and left to dry. When dry,
the plates had a thin opalescent appearance, and the deposit of
bromide seemed to be very evenly spread in the substance of the
substratum.

"These plates were printed from, in succession, from different
negatives, one of which had been taken years since on albumen
with oxgall and diluted phosphoric acid, sensitised in an acid
mitrate, and developed with pyrogallic acid, furnishing a beauti-
ful warm brown tint.

" The exposure varied from the first plate thirty seconds to a
minute and a-half, as the light was very poor. No vestige of an
outline appeared on removal from the printing-frame. The
plates were dipped in water to the surface, and over them w?s
poured a plain solution of pyrogallic acid, four grains to the
ounce of water. Soon a faint but clean image was seen, which
gradually intensified up to a certain point, then browned all
over ; hence, the development in the others was stopped at an
early stage, the plate washed, and the development continued
with fresh pyro, with one drop of a ten-grain solution of nitrate
of silver, then re-washed and cleared by a solution of hypo-
sulphite of soda.

"The resulting tints were very delicate in detail, of a colour
varying between a bistre and olive tint, and after washing dried
with a brilliant surface. The colour of the print varied greatly

according to the exposure. From the colour and delicacy it
struck me that with care to strain the gelatine, or use only the
clearest portion, such a process might be utilised for transpar-
encies for the lantern, and the sensitive plates be readily prepared.

Some plates were fumed with ammonia ; these fogged under
the pyro solution. The proportions set down were only taken
at random, and are certainly not as sensitive as might be pro-
cured under trials. The remaining emulsion was left shut up
in a box in the dark-room, and tried on the third day after pre-
paration; but the sensibility had, it seems, greatly diminished,
though the emulsion, when rendered fluid by gently warming,
appeared creamy, and the bromide thoroughly suspended. Some
of this was now applied to some pieces of paper by means of a
glass rod, and hung up to surface dry, then dried fully on the
warmed level plate, and treated as sensitised paper.

One kind of paper, that evidently was largely adulterated by
some earthy base, dried without any brilliancy, but gave, under
exposure of a negative for thirty seconds, very nicely toned
prints when developed with a weak solution of pyro. Some old
albumenised paper of Marion's was tried, the emulsion being
poured both on the albumen side, and, in other pieces, on the
plain side; but the salting evidentlygreatly interfered, the result-
ing prints being dirty-looking and greyed all over.

These papers, fumed with ammonia, turned grey under
development. They printed very slowly, even in strong sun-
light, and were none of them left long enough to develop into
a full print. After washing they were cleared by weak hypo
solution. It is very possible the iron developer may be employed
for the glass prints, provided the acidification does not render
the gelatine soft under a development.

The slowness may depend in part on the proportions of bro-
mide and nitrate not being correctly balanced, especially as the
ordinary, not the anhydrous, bromide was used, and on. the
quantities being too small for the proportion of gelatine.

Whether the plates would be more sensitive if used when only
surface dry is a question of experiment; also, whether other
bromides than the one tried may not prove more advantageous
in the presence of the neutral salt resulting from the decompo-
sition, or the omission or decrease of the quantity of aqua regia.
Tery probably also the development by gallic acid and acetate
of lead developer may furnish better results than the plain pyro.
"As there will be no chance of my being able to continue these
experiments, they are placed in their crude state before the
readers of the Journal, and may eventually receive correction
and improvement under abler hands. So far as can be judged,
the process seems quite worth more carefully conducted experi-
ments, and, if found advantageous, adds another handle to the
photographer's wheel. R. L. Maddox, M.D."

After perusing the above, it will be evident to any one that
Dr. Maddox very nearly arrived at perfection in his early experi-
ments. The slowness that he complains of was caused entirely
by not washing the emulsion to discharge the excess of bromide,
and the want of density was due to the absence of a restrainer
and ammonia in the developer. He only made positive prints
from negatives; but the same emulsion, had it been washed,
would have made negatives in the camera in much less time.
Thus, it will be seen, that Dr. Maddox, like the Rev. J. B.
Reade, threw the ball, and others caught it ; for the gelatine
process, as given by Dr. Maddox, is only modified, not altered,
by the numerous dry-plate and gelatino-bromide paper manu-
facturers of to-day.

Meanwhile collodion held the field, and many practical men
thought it would never be superseded.

In this year Sir John Herschel died at a ripe old age, seventy-
nine. Photographers should revere his memory, for it was he
who made photography practical by publishing his observation
that hyposulphite of soda possessed the power of dissolving
chloride and other salts of silver.

r>jun ! n t- crii\j u .

GELATINE.

Dr. R. L. MADDOX.

From Photograph by J . Thomson.
GELATINO-BROMIDE EMULSION 1871

R. KENNETT.
From Photograph by J . U'erge, 18S7.

GELATINO-BROMIDE PELLICLE 1873 DRV PLATES 1874

FOURTH PERIOD.

GELATINE SUCCESSFUL.

In 1873, Mr. J. Burgess, of Peckham, London, adrertised his
gelatino-broraide emulsion, but as it would not keep in conse-
quence of decomposition setting in speedily, it was not com-
mercial, and therefore unsuccessful. It evidently required the
addition of some preservatiye, or antiseptic, to keep it in a work-
able condition, and Mr. J. Traill Taylor, editor of the British
Journal of Photography, made some experiments in that direction
by adding various essential oils ; but Mr. Gray — afterwards the
well-known dry-plate maker — was most successful in preserving
the gelatine emulsion from decomposition by the addition of a
little oil of peppermint, but it was not the emulsion form of
gelatino-bromide of silver that was destined to secure its universal
adoption and success.

At a meeting of the South London Photographic Society, held
in the large room of the Society of Arts, John Street, Adelphi,
Mr. Burgess endeavoured to account for his emulsion decom-
posing, but he did not suggest a remedy, so the process ceased to
attract further attention. Mr. Kennett was present, and it was
probably Mr. Burgess's failure with emulsion that induced him
to make his experiments with a sensitive pellicle. Be that as it
may, Mr. Kennett did succeed in making a workable gelatine-

bromide pellicle, and obtained a patent for it on the 20tb of
November, 1873. I procured some, and tried it at once. It
gave excellent results, but preparing the plates was a messy and
sticky operation, wbicli I feared would be prejudicial to its
usefulness and success. This I reported to Mr. Kennett imme-
diately, and found that his own experience corroborated mine,
for he had already received numerous complaints of this objection*
while others failed through misapprehension of his instruction ;
and very comical were some of these misinterpretations. One
attempted to coat the plates with the end of the stirring-rod,
while another set them to drain in a rack, and those that did
succeed in coating the plates properly, invariably spoiled them
by over-exposure or in development. He was overwhelmed
with correspondence and visitors, and to lessen his troubles I
strongly advised him to prepare the plates himself, and sell them
in that form ready for use. He took my advice, and in March,
1874, issued his first batch of gelatino-bromide dry-plates ; but
even that did not remove his vexation of spirit, nor lessen his
troublesome correspondence. Most of his clients were sceptical,
and exposed the plates too long, or worked under wet-plate con-
ditions in their dark-rooms, and fog and failure were the natural
consequences. Most, if not all, of his clients at that time were
amateurs, and it was not until years after, that professional
photographers adopted the dry and abandoned the wet process.
In fact, it is doubtful if the profession ever tried Mr. Kennett's
dry plates at all, for it was not until J. W. Swan and Wratten
and Wainwright issued their dry plates, that I could induce any
professional photographer to give these new plates a trial, and I
have a very vivid recollection of the scepticism and conservatism
exhibited by the most eminent photographers on the first
introduction of gelatino-bromide dry plates.

For example, when I called upon Messrs. Elliott and Fry to
introduce to their notice these rapid plates, I saw Mr. Fry, and
told him how rapid they were. He was incredulous, and

smilingly informed me that I was an enthusiast. It was a dull
K'ovember morning, 1878, and I challenged him, not to fight,
but to give me an opportunity of producing as good a picture in
quarter the time they were giving in the studio, no matter what
that time was. This rather astonished him, and he invited me
up to the studio to prove my statement- I ascertained that
they were giving ninety seconds — a minute and a-half ! — on a
wet collodion plate, 10 by 8. I knew their size, and had it
with me, as well as the developer. Mr. Fry stood and told the
operator, Mr. Benares, to take the time from me. Looking at
the quality of the light, I gave twenttj seconds, but Mr. Benares
was disposed to be incredulous also, and, after counting twenty,
went on with " one for the plate, and one more for Mr. "Werge,"
but I told him to stop, or I would have nothing more to do with
the business. The plate had twenty-two or three seconds'
exposure, and when I developed in their dark room, it was just
those two or three seconds over-exposed. Nevertheless, Mr.
Pry brought me a print from that negative in a few days, and
acknowledged that it was one of the finest negatives he had ever
seen. They were convinced, and adopted the new dry plates
immediately. But it was not so with all, for many of the most
prominent photographers would not at first have anything to do
with gelatine plates, and remained quite satisfied with collodion ;
but the time came when they were glad to change their opinion,
and give up the wet for the dry plates ; but it was a long time,
for Mr. Kennett introduced his dry plates in 1874, and it was
not until 1879 and 1880 that professional photographers had
adopted and taken kindly to gelatine plates generally.

With amateurs it was very different, and many of their
exhibits in the various exhibitions were from gelatine negatives
obtained upon plates prepared by themselves, or commercial
makers. In the London Photographic Society's exhibition of
1874, and following, several prints from gelatine negatives were
exhibited, and in 1879 they were pretty general. Among the

many exhibited that year was Mr. Gale's swallow-picture,
which created at the time a great deal of interest and contro-
versy, and Mr. Gale was invited over and over again to
acknowledge whether the appearance of the bird was the result
of skill, accident, or " trickery ; " but I don't think that he ever
gratified anyone's curiosity on the subject. I can, however,
state very confidently that he was innocent of any "trickery "
in introducing the bird by double printing, for the late Mr.
Dudley EadclifFe told me at the time that he (Mr. Radcliffe)
not only prepared the plate, but developed the negative, and
was surprised to see the bird there. This may have been the
reason why Mr. Gale was so reticent on the subject ; but I am
anticipating, and must go back to preserve my plan of chrono-
logical progression.

In 1875 a considerable impetus was given to carbon printing,
both for small work and enlarging by the introduction of the
Lambertype process. Similar work had been done before, but,
as Mr. Leon Lambert used to say, he made it "facile"; and
he certainly did so, and induced many photographers to adopt
his beautiful, but troublesome, chromotype process. There
were two Lamberts in the tent — one a very clever manipulator,
the other a clever advertiser — and between the two they
managed to sell a great many licences, and carry away a
considerable sum of money. T was intimate with them
both while they remained in England, and they were both
pleasant and honourable men.

On January 18th, 1875, 0. G. Rejlander died, much to the
regret of all who took an interest in the art phase of photo-
graphy. Eejlander has himself told us how, when, and
where he first fell in love with photography. In 1851 he
was not impressed with the Daguerreotypes at the great exhibi-
tion, nor with "reddish landscape photographs" that he saw in
Eegent Street; but when in Rome, in 1852, he was struck with
the beauty of some photographs of statuary, which he bought

and studied, and made up his mind to study photography as soon
as he returned to England. How he did that will he best told
by himself : — " In 1853, having inquired in London for the best
teacher, I was directed to Henneman. We agreed for so much
for three or five lessons ; but, as I was in a hurry to get back to
the country, I took all the lessons in one afternoon ! Three
hours in the calotype and waxed-paper process, and half-an-hour
sufficed for the collodion process ! ! He spoke, I wrote ; but I
was too clever. It would have saved me a year or more of
trouble and expense had I attended carefully to the rudiments
of the art for a month." His first attempt at " double printing"
was exhibited in London in 1855, and was named in the cata-
logue, group printed from three negatives. Again, I must allow
Mr. Eejlander to describe his reasons for persevering in the art
of "double printing": — "I had taken a group of two. They
were expressive and composed well. The light was good, and
the chemistry of it successful, A very good artist was staying
in the neighbourhood, engaged on some commission. He called ;
saw the picture ; was very much delighted with it, and so was I.
Before he left my house he looked at the picture again, and
said it was "marvellous," but added, "Now, if I had drawn
that, I should have introduced another figure between them, or
some light objec**, to keep them together. You see, there is
where you photographers are at fault. Good morning ! " I
snapped my fingers after he left — but not at him — and exclaimed
aloud, ' I can do it ! ' Two days afterwards I called at my
artist-friend's hotel as proud as — anybody. He looked at my
picture and at me, and took snuff twice. He said, ' This is
another picture.' ' No,' said I, ' it is the same, except with
the addition you suggested.' ' Never,' he exclaimed ; * and how
is it possible ? You should patent that ! '" Eejlander was too
much of an artist to take anything to the Patent Office.

"When I first saw his celebrated composition picture, "The
Two Ways of Life," in the Art Treasures Exhibition at

100

Manchester in 1857, 1 wondered how he could have got so manj-
men and women to become models, and be able to sit or stand in
such varied and strained positions for the length of time then
required by the wet collodion process ; but my wonder ceased
when I became acquainted with him in after years, and ascer-
tained that he had the command of a celebrated troupe, who
gave tableaux vivants representations of statues and groups from
paintings under the direction and name of "Madame "Wharton's
pose plastique troupe." What became of the original " Two
Ways of Life " I do not know, but the late Henry Greenwood
possessed it at the time of Eej lander's death, for I remember
endeavouring to induce Mr. Greenwood to allow it to be offered
as a bait to the highest contributor to the Eej lander fund ; but
Mr. Greenwood's characteristic reply was, " Take my purse, but
leave me my ' Two Ways of Life.' " Mr. Rejlander kindly gave
me a reduced copy of his " Two Ways of Life," and many other
examples of his works, both in the nude and semi-nude.
Fortunately Rejlander did not confine himself to such produc-
tions, but made hundreds of draped studies, both comic and
serious, such as " Ginx's Baby," "Did She?" "Beyond the
Bible," and "Homeless." Where are they all now? I fear
most of them have faded away, for Rejlander was a somewhat
careless operator, and he died before the more permanent process
of platinum printing was introduced. When Rejlander died,
his widow tried to make a living by printing from his negatives,
but I fear they soon got scattered. Rejlander was a genial soul
and a pleasant companion, and he had many kind friends among
members of the Solar Club, as well as other clubs with which he
was associated.

There is one more death in this year to be recorded, that of
Thomas Sutton, B.A., the founder and for many years editor of
Photographic Notes, and the inventor of a panoramic camera
of a very clumsy character that bore his name, and that was all.
Mr. Sutton was a very clever man with rather warped notions^

101

and in the management of his Photographic Notes he
descended to the undignified position of a caricaturist, and
published illustrations of an uncomplimentary description, some
of which were offensive in the extreme, and created a great deal
of irritation in some minds at the time.

In 1877 Carey Lea gave his ferrous-oxalate developer to the
■world, but it was not welcomed by many English photographers
for negative development, though it possessed many advantages
over alkaline pyro. It was, however, generally employed by
foreign photographers, and is now largely in use by English
photographers, especially for the development of bromide paper,
either for contact printing or enlargements. In the early part
of this year, Messrs. Wratten and "Wainwright commenced to
make gelatino-bromide dry plates, and during the hot summer
months Mr. Wratten found it necessary to precipitate the
gelatine emulsion with alcohol. This removed the necessity of
dialysing, and helped to lessen the evils of decomposition and
'' frilling."

The most noticeable death in the photographic world of
this year was that of Henry Fox Talbot. He was born on
February the 11th, 1800, and died September l7th, 1877,
thus attaining a ripe old age. I am not disposed to deny his
claims to the honour of doing a great deal to forward the
advancement of photography, but what strikes me very much is
the mercenary spirit in which he did it, especially when I
consider the position he occupied, and the pecuniary means at his
command. In the first place, he rushed to the Patent Office with
his gallo-nitrate developer, and then every little improvement or
modification that he afterwards made was carefully protected by
patent rights. "With a churlishness of spirit and narrow-minded-
ness it is almost impossible to conceive or forgive, he tried his
utmost to stop the formation of the London Photographic Society,
and it was only after pressing solicitations from Sir Charles
Eastlake, President of the Royal Academy, and first President

102

of the London Photographic Society, that he withdrew his
objections. The jlate Peter le Neve Poster, Secretary of the
Society of Arts, told me this years after, and when it was
proposed to make Fox Talbot an honoraiy member of the Photo-
graphic Society, Mr. Poster was opposed to the proposition.
Then the action that he brought against Silvester Laroche was
unjustifiable, for there really was no resemblance between the
collodion and calotype means of making a negative, except in
the common use of the camera, and the means of making prints
was the same as that employed by Thomas "Wedgwood, while
the fixing process with hyposulphite of soda was first resorted
to by the Eev. J. B. Eeade, on the published information of Sir
John Herschel.

On March 29th, 1878, Mr. Charles Bennett published his
method of increasing the sensitiveness of gelatino-bromide plates.
It may be briefly described as a prolonged cooking of the gelatine
emulsion at a temperature of 90 '\ and, according to Mr. Bennett's
experience, the longer it was cooked the more sensitive it
became, with a corresponding reduction of density when the
prepared plates were exposed and developed.

April 20th of this year Mr. J. A. Spencer died, after a linger-
ing illness, of cancer in the throat. Mr. Spencer was, at one
period in the history of photography, the largest manufacturer
of albumenised paper in this country, and carried on his business
at Shepherd's Bush. In 1866 he told me that he broke about
2,000 eggs daily, merely to obtain the whites or albumen. The
yolks being of no use to him, he sold them, when he could, to
glove makers, leather dressers, and confectioners, but they could
not consume all he offered for sale, and he buried the rest in his
garden until his neighbours complained of the nuisance, so that
it became ultimately a very difficult thing for him to dispose of
his waste yolks in any manner. After the introduction of
Swan's improved carbon process, he turned his attention to the
manufacture of carbon tissue, and in a short time he became one

103

of the partners in the Autotype Company, and the name of the
firm at that period was Spencer, Sawyer, and Bird ; but he ceased
to be a partner some time before his death.

At the South London Technical Meeting, held in the great
hall of the Society of Arts, I exhibited my non-actinic develop-
ing tray, and developed a gelatine diy plate in the full blaze
of gas-light. A short extract from a leader in the Photographic
Netcs of November 14th, 1879, will be sufficient to satisfy all
who are interested in the matter. " Amongst the many
ingenious appliances exhibited at the recent South London
meeting, none excited greater interest than the developing tray
of Mr. Werge, in which he developed in the full gas-light of
the room a gelatine plate which had been exposed in the morning,
and exhibited to the meeting the result in a clean transparency,
without fog, or any trace of the abnormal action of light. . •
"We can here simply record the fact, interesting to many, that
the demonstration before the South London meeting was a
perfect success."

1880 had a rather melancholy beginniug, for on January the
15th, Mr. George Wharton Simpson died suddenly, which was
a great shock to every one that knew him. I had seen him
only a few days before in his usual good health, and he looked
far more like outliving me than I him ; besides, he was a year
my junior. The extract above quoted was the last time he
honoured me by mentioning my name in his writings, though
he had done so many times before, both pleasantly and in
defending me against some ill-natured and unwarrantable
attacks in the journal which he so ably conducted for twenty
years.

Mungo Ponton died August 3rd, 1880. Though his discovery
did little or nothing towards the development of photography
proper, it is impossible to allow him to pass out of this world
without honourable mention, for his discovery led to the crea-
tion and development of numerous and important photo-

104

mechanical industries, ■which give employment to numbers of
men and women. "When Mungo Ponton announced his discovery
in the Edinhurgh JS/ew Pldlosophical Journal in 1839, he pro-
bably never dreamt that it ■would be of any commercial value,
or he might have secured rights and royalties on all the patent
processes that gre-w out of it; for Poitevin's patent, 1855,
Beauregard's, 1857, Pouneey's, 1858 and 1863, J. W. Swan's,
1864, Woodbury's, 186G, all the Autotype and Lambertype and
kindred patents, as well as all the forms of Collotype printing, are
based on Ponton's discovery. But so it is : the originator of
anything seldom seeks any advantage beyond the honour attached
to the making of a great invention or discovery. It is generally
the petty improvers that rush to the Patent Office to secure
rights and emoluments, regardless of the claims of the founders
of their patented processes.

On March 2nd, 1880, I delivered a lecture on " The Origin,
Progress, and Practice of Photography " before the Lewisham
and Blackheath Scientific Association, in which 1 reviewed the
development of photography from its earliest inception up to
date, exhibited examples, and gave demonstrations before a very
attentive and apparently gratified audience.

On the 27th May, 1880, Professor Alfred Swaine Taylor died
at his residence, 15, St. James's Terrace, Regent's Park, in his
seventy-fourth year. He was born on the 11th December, 1806,
at Northfleet in Kent, and in 1823 he entered as a student the
united hospitals of Guy's and St. Thomas's, and became the
pupil of Sir Astley Cooper and Mr. Joseph Henry Green. His
success as a student and eminence as a professor, lecturer, and
author are too well known to require any comment from me on
those subjects, but it is not so generally known how much pho-
tography was indebted to him at the earliest period of its birth.
In 1838 Dr. Taylor published his celebrated work, " The Ele-
ments of Medical Jurisprudence," and in 1840 he published a
pamphlet " On the Art of Photogenic Drawing," in which he

105

advocated the superiority of ammonia nitrate of silver over
■chloride of silver as a sensitiser, and hyposulphite of lime over
hyposulphite of soda as a fixer, and the latter he advocated
up to the year of his death, as the following letter will
show : —

" St. Jameses Terrace, February lOth, 1880.
"Mfi, Wekge.

" Dear Sir, — I have great pleasure in sending you for the
purpose of your lecture some of my now ancient photographs.
They show the early struggles which we had to make. Tlie
mounted drawings were all made with the ammonia nitrate of
silver ; I send samples of the paper used. In general the paper
selected contained chloride enough to form ammonia chloride. I
send samples of unused paper, procured in 1839 — some salted
afterwards.

" All these drawings (which are dated) have been preserved
by the hyposulphite of lime (not soda). The hypo of lime does
not form a definite compound with silver, like soda ; hence it is
easily washed away, and this is why the drawings are tolerably
preserved after forty years. All are on plain paper. Ammonia
nitrate does not answer well on albumenized paper. The art of
toning by gold was not known in those ancient days, but the
faded drawings on plain paper, as you will see, admit of restora-
tion, in dark purple, by placing them in a very dilute solution
of chloride of gold, and putting them in the dark for twenty-
four hours. The gold replaces the reduced silver and sulphide
of silver. I send you the only copy I have of my photogenic
drawing. Five hundred were printed, and all were sold or
given away. Please take care of it. The loose photographs in
red tape are scenes in Egypt and Greece, taken about 1850 from
wax paper negatives (camera views) made by Mr. D. Colnaghi,
now English Consul at Florence. If you can call here I shall
be glad to say more to you on the matter. — Yours truly,

"Alfred S. TAYLort."

106

The above was the last of many letters on photographic mat-
ters that I had received from Dr. Taylor, and the last time I
had the pleasure of seeing him was when I returned the photo-
graphs and pamphlet alluded to therein, only a short time be-
fore his death. Dr. Taylor never lost his interest in photo-
graphy, and was always both ■« illing and pleased to enter into
conversation on the subject. He had worked at photography
through all its changes, despite his many professional engage-
ments, from its dawn in 18"^9, right up to the introduction of
gelatino-bromide dry plates, and in 1879 he came and sat to me
for his portrait on one of what he called "these wonderful dry
plates," and watched the process of development with as much
interest as any enthusiastic tjro would have done, and I am
proud to say that I had the pleasure of taking the portrait
and exhibiting the process of development of the latest aspect
of photography to one of its most enthusiastic and talented
pioneers.

Dr. Taylor was a man of remarkable energy and versatility.
He was a prolific writer and an admirable artist. On his walls
were numerous beautiful drawings, and his windows were filled
with charmingly illusive transparencies, all the work of his own
hands ; and once, when expressing my wonder that he could
find time to do so many things, he remarked that "a man could
always find time to do anything he wished if his heart was with
his work." Doubtless it is so, and his life and what he did in
it were proofs of the truth and wisdom of his observation.

Hydroquinone as a developer was introduced this year by
Eder and Toth, but it did not mpke much progress at first. It
is more in use now, but I do not consider it equal to oxalate of
iron.

A considerable fillip was, this year, given to printing on
gelatino-bromide paper by the issue of " The Argentic Gelatino-
Bromide "\\"orker's Guide," published by "W. T. Morgan and Co.
The work was written by John Burgess, who made and sold a

107

bromide emulsion some years before, and it contained some
excellent ■n-orking instructions. In the book is a modification
and simplification of J. M. Burgess's Eburneum Process, though
that process was the invention of ^r. J. Burgess, of Xorwieh ;
but a recent application of the gelatino-bromide emulsion to
celluloid slabs by !Mr. Fitch has made the Ivorytype process as
simple and certain as the exposure and development of gelatino-
bromide paper.

On January 30th, 1881, died Mr. J. R. Johnson, of panto-
scopic celebrity. Mr. Johnson was the inventor of many
useful things, both photographic and otherwise. He was the
chief promoter of the Autotype Company, in which the late
Mr. Winsor was so deeply interested; and his double transfer
process, published in 1869, contributed greatly to the successful
development and practice of the Carbon process. The invention
of the Pantoscopic Camera, and what he did to forward the
formation of the Autotype Company and simplify carbon print-
ing, may be considered the sum total of his claim to photo-
graphic recognition.

The chief photographic novelty of 1881 was Mr. Woodbury's
Stannotype process, a modification and simplification of what is
best known as the Woodburytype. Instead of forcing the gela-
tine relief into a block of type-metal by immense pressure to
make the matrix, he " faced " a reversed relief with tin foil,
thus obtaining a printing matrix in less time and at less expense.
I have seen some very beautiful examples of thio process, but
somehow or other it is not much employed.

The man who unquestionably made the first photographic
portrait died on the 4th of January, 1882, and I think it is
impossible for me to notice that event without giving a brief
description of the circumstance, even though I incur the risk of
telling to some of my readers a tale twice told. When Daguerre's
success was first announced in the Academy of Science in 1839,
M. Arago stated that Daguerre had not yet succeeded in taking

108

portraits, but that he hoped to do so soon. The details of the
process were not published until July, and in the autumn of
that year Dr. Draper succeeded in obtaining a portrait of his
assistant, and that was the first likeness of a human being ever
known to have been secured by photography. It would be
interesting to know if that Daguerreotype is in existence now.
Dr. Draper was Professor of Chemistry in the University of
"New York, and as soon as the news of the discovery
reached Xew York he fitted an ordinary spectacle lens into a
cigar case, and commenced his experiments first by taking views
out of a window, and afterwards by taking portraits. To
shorten the time of exposure for the latter, he whitened the
faces of his sitters. In April, 1840, Dr. Draper and Professor
Morse opened a portrait gallery on the top of the Tniversity
Buildings, IS'ew York, and did a splendid business among the
very best people of the City at the minimum price of five
dollars a portrait, and they would be very small even at that
price.

One more of the early workers in photography died this year
on the 4th of March. Louis Alphonse Poitevinwas not a father
of photography in a creative sense, but, like Walter Woodbury,
an appropriater of photography in furthering the development of
^hoto-mechanical printing. His first effort in that direction
was to obtain copper plates, or moulds, from Daguerreotype
pictures by the aid of electrical deposits, and he discovered a
method of photo-chemical engraving, for which he was awarded
a silver medal by the Societe d' Encouragement des Arts, but
the process was of no practical value. His chief and most valu-
able experiments were with gelatine and bichromates, and his
labours in that direction were rewarded by the receipt of a con-
siderable portion of the Due de Luynes' prize for permanent
photographic printing processes, which consisted of photo-litho-
graphy and Collotype printing. Born in 1819, he was sixty-
three years old when he died.

109

A useful addition to the pyrogallic acid developer -was this
year given by Mr. Herbert B. Berkeley. Hitherto, nearly all
pyro-developed gelatine plates were stained a deep yellow colour
by the action of ammonia, but the use of sulphite of soda, as
suggested by ^r. Berkeley, considerably lessened this evil.

In 1883, Captain Abney rendered a signal service to the
members of the Photographic Society, and photographers in
general, by publishing in the Journal of the Society a transla-
tion of Captain Pizzighelli and Baron A. Hubl's booklet on
platinotype. After giving a resume of the early experiments
with platinum by Herschel. Hunt, and others, the theory and
practice of platinotype printing are clearly explained, and it was
undoubtedly due to the publication of this translation that
platinotype printing was very much popularised. In proof of
the accuracy of this opinion, every following photographic exhi-
bition showed an increasing number of exhibits in platinotype.

Xo great novelty was brought into the world of photography
in 1884, but there were signs of a steady advance, and an
increasing number of workers with dry plates. I should not,
however, neglect allusion to the publication of Dr. H. W. Yogel's
experiments with eosine, cyanocine, and other kindred bodies by
which he increased the sensitiveness of both wet collodion and
gelatine plates to the action of the yellow rays considerably
{vide Journal of Society, May 30th). The Berlin Society for
the Advancement of Photography acquired and published these
experiments for the general good, and yet Tailfer and Clayton
obtained patent right monopolies for making eosine gelatine
plates in France, Austria, and England. This proceeding seems
very much akin to the sharp practice displayed by Mr. Beard in
securing a patent right monopoly in the Daguerreotype process
which was gtven to the xcorJd by the French Government in 1839.
Germany very properly refused to grant a patent under these
•ircumstances.

On April 14th, 1885, Mr. Walter Bird read a paper at the

110

meeting of the Photographic Society of Great Britain, " On the
Photographic Eeproductions of Pictures in the National Gallery,"
by A. Braun et Cie. I was present, and it appeared to me that
the "effects" in some of the pictures exhibited were not pro-
duced by any chemical mode of translation of colour, but by
some method of after-treatment of the negative which was more
likely to be by skilled labour than by any chemical process.
This belief induced me to read a paper at the next meeting —
May 12th — "On the After-Treatment of Negatives," in which
I showed what could be done both by chemical means and art-
labour to assist photography in translating the monographic
effects of colour more in accordance with the scale of luminosity
adopted and adhered to by the most eminent engravers both in
line and mezzotint.

At the next meeting — June 9th — Mr. J. K. Sawyer reopened
the discussion on the above subject by reading a paper and
■exhibiting examples of his own experiments, and Mr. Sawyer
admitted that he was " bound to confess that while every effort
should be made to discover chemical combinations which will
give the utmost value that can be practicably obtained in the
reproduction (?) of colours, yet that, in all probability, art —
and art not inferior to that of a competent engraver — will be
necessary to assist photography in rendering the very subtle
combinations of colour that present themselves in a fine painting; "
and Colonel H. Stuart Wortley proved that the copy of Turner's
"Old Temeraire " was not only "retouched," but wrongly
translated, as the various shades of yellow in the original picture
were represented in the copy as if they had been all of the same
tint. Mr. Sawyer made use of the phrase "reproduction of
colours," but that was an error. He should have said — and
undoubtedly meant — translation of colours, for photography is,
unfortunately, incapable of reproducing colours. Among Mr.
Sawyer's examples was a curious and contradictory evidence that
isochromatic plates translated yellow tints better than ordinary

Ill

bromide plates, yet wrongly, for three different shades of yellow
were translated as if they had been all one tint. I had noticed
this myself when copying paintings and coloured prints, but in
photographing the natural colours of fruits and flowers the
result was different, and I attributed the mal-translation of
pigment yellows to the amount of white with which they had
been mixed by the painter. Be that as it may, I always obtained
the best translation from natural colours, and a group of flowers
which contained a beautiful sulphur coloured dahlia illustrates
and confirms this statement in a most remarkable and satisfac-
tory manner. It is, therefore, the more to be regretted that
there is any restriction placed upon the individual experiment
and development of this interesting aspect of photography.

This was the year of The International Inventions Exhibition,
and the photographic feature of which was the historical collec-
tion exhibited by some of the members of the Photographic
Society of Great Britain, and I think that collection was
sufficiently interesting to justify my giving, in these pages, the
entire list as published in the PJioiographic Journal : —

** We subjoin a full and complete statement of the whole of
the exhibits, with the names of the contributors : —

" Capt. Abney, R.E., F.R.S. — Papyrotype process, executed
at the School of Military Engineering, Chatham.

" "W. Andrews — "Wet collodion negatives, intensified by the
Schlippes salt method.

" T. and R. Annan — Calotype process (negative and print),
taken by D. 0. Hill.

" F. Beasley, jun. — CoUodio-albumen negatives.

" W. Bedford — One of Archer's first cameras for collodion
process, stereoscopic arrangement by Archer to fit a larger camera.

"Valentine Blanchard — Instantaneous views, wet collodion,
1856-65. Illustrations of a method of enlargement, as proposed
by V. Blanchard, 1873. Modification of the Brewster stereo-
scope by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

112

"Bullock (Bros.)— Photo-lithograpliy, 1866 (Bullock's-
patent).

"T.Bolas, F.C.S.— Detective camera, 1876. Kegative
photograph on bitumen, made insoluble by the action of light.
Carbon negatives stripped by "Wenderoth's process.

" E. Clifton — Portrait of Daguerre. Crystalotype by J. R.
"Whipple, 1854. Specimens from "Pretsch" photo-galvano-
graphic plates, 1856.

" T. S. Davis, F.C.S. — A combined preparation and wash
bottle for gelatine emulsion. Adjustable gauge for cutting
photographic glasses.

"De la Eue and Co. — Surface printing from blocks executed
by Paul Pretsch, 1860.

""W. England — Old Daguerreotype developing box. Old
ditto sensitizing box. Old camera, 1860, with rapid inside
shutter. Instantaneous views in Paris, wet collodion, 1856-65.

"Edinburgh Photographic Society — Archer's water lens.

" James Glaisher, F.R.S. — Nature printing, taken over thirty
years ago.

G. Powler Jones — Prints from negatives by Le Gray's cero-
line process.

"R. Kennett — Scaife's pistolgraph. Globe lens.

"Dr. Maddox — Some of the earliest gelatine-bromide nega-
tives, by the originator of the process, 1871.

"Mudd and Son — CoUodio-albumen negatives.

"R. C. Murray — Early Talbotype photographs, 1844-45.

"H. Neville — Camera with Sutton's patent panoramic lens.

"Mrs. H. Baden Pritchard — Impressions from pewter plates
of heliographic drawing, by Mcephore Niepce, 1827. Original
letter, by Nicephore Niepce, sent to the Royal Society, 1827.
View of Kew, taken by Nicephore Niepce, 1827.

" H. P. Robinson — Heliographic picture, by Nicephore Niepce,
1826. Photo-etched plate (from a print), by Niepce in 1827.
Heliograph (from a print), by Niepce, 1827. One of the

113

earliest printing frames, made for Fox Talbot's photogenic
drawing, 1839. The first nitrate of silver hath used by Scott
Archer in his discovery of the collodion process, 1850.

"Ross and Co. — One of Archer's earliest fluid lenses. The
first photographic compound portrait lens, made by Andrew
Eoss, 1841. Photographic camera, believed to be the first made
in England.

" Sands and Hunter — Old lens, with adjustable diaphragm,
by Archer, 1851. Old stereoscopic camera, with mechanical
arrangement for transferring plates to and from the dark slide.

" T, L. Scowen — Parallel bar stereoscopic camera. Latimer
Clarke.

"John Spiller, F.C.S., F.I.C— The first preserved plates
(three to twenty-one days), 1854. Illustrations of the French
Pigeon Post.

"J. W. Swan, F.C.S. — Electro intaglios from carbon reliefs
(Thorwalsden's " Night and Morning "). Photo-mezzotints were
taken from these in gelatinous inks, 1860, by J. W. Swan, by
the process now known as "Woodburytype. Plaster cast from a
carbon print of Kenilworth, showing the relief, taken in 1864,
by J. W. Swan. Carbon prints twenty years old (photographed
and printed in various colours by J. "W. Swan). Old print (in
red) by T. and R. Annan, by Swan's process. Carbon print,
twenty years old (printed in 1864) by double transfer.

" B. B. Turner — Talbotype. 'N'egatives and prints from same.
Single lens made by Andrew Ross, 1851.

"J. Werge — Examples of printing with various metals on
plain paper, 1839-42. The Fathers of Photography. Examples
and dates of the introduction of early photographs. Daguerreo-
type, 1839. Collodion positive, 1851. Ambrotype, 1853.
Ferrotype, 1855,

""W.Willis, Jun. — Specimen of aniline process. Historical
illustrations of the development of the platinotype process.

" "W. B. "Woodbury — Photo-relief printing process. "Wood-

114

bury mould and Woodbury type print from same, 1866. Stanno-
type printing press, with mould. Macbine for measuring
reliefs. Woodbury lantern slides. Early Daguerreotype on
copper. Positive pbotograpb on glass. Woodbury balloon
camera. Microscopical objects in plaster from gelatine reliefs.
Woodbury collograpbic process. Woodbury pboto-cbromograpb
system, coloured from the back, 1869. Woodbury actinometer.
Despatch-box camera. Watermark or photo-filigrain process.
Transparency on gelatine. The first specimen of Woodbury
printing exhibited, including the first mould printed from, and
also proofs backed with luminous paint.

"ColonelH. Stuart Wortley — Earlyphoto-zincographs, 1861-2.
Experimental prints with uranium collodion, 1867 (modifica-
of Wothly's process). Set of apparatus complete for making
gelatine emulsion, and preparing gelatine plates, 1877-8. No. 1.
Apparatus for cutting gelatine plates either by hand-turning
or treadle. No. 2. Stove for keeping emulsion warm for any
time at a fixed temperature in pure air, and for the final drying
of the plates. No. 3. Apparatus for squeezing emulsion out
into water. No. 4. Apparatus for mixing emulsion. Instan-
taneous shutter, with horizontal motion by finger or pneumatic
tube; adjustable wings for cutting off sky, and varying length
of exposure."

It is a very remarkable circumstance that none of the con-
tributors to that historical collection could include among their
interesting exhibits portraits of either Nicephore Niepce or
Frederick Scott Archer. Among my " Fathers of Photography "
were portraits of Daguerre, Rev. J. B. Eeade, Fox Talbot, Dr.
Alfred Swaine Taylor, and Sir John Herschel. It was suggested
that those historical exhibits should be left at the close of the
exhibition to form a nucleus to a permanent photographic
exhibition in Kensington Museum. I readily contributed my
exhibits towards such a laudable object. They were accepted,
and these exhibits may be seen at any time in the West

115

GaUeiy of the Science Department of the South Kensington
Museum.

At the exhibition of the Photographic Society of Great Britain
this year, I exhibited "Wollaston's Diaphragmatic Shutter,"
in my opinion the best snap shutter that ever was invented, but
it had two very serious drawbacks, for it was both heavy
and expensive.

In 1886 more than usual interest was exhibited by photo-
graphers in what was misnamed as the isoehromatic, or ortho-
chromatic process, and this interest was probably created by the
papers read and discussions that followed at the meetings of the
Photographic Society in the previous year. "Messrs. Dixon and
Gray — the latter a young man in the employ of Messrs. Dixon
and Son — commenced a series of experiments with certain dyes
with the hope of obtaining a truer translation of colour when
copying oil paintings or water-colour drawings, a class of work
in which they were largely interested, and had obtained a
considerable reputation for such reproductions as photography
was then capable of rendering, and one of the results of these
experiments was exhibited, and obtained a medal, at the
exhibition of the Photographic Society in October. Messrs.
Dixon and Sons' exhibit was a very surprising one, and created
quite a sensation, as nothing equal to it had ever been shown
before. The subject was a drawing of a yellow flower and green
leaves against a blue ground — the yeUow the most luminous,
the green next, and the blue the darkest. In ordinary wet
or dry-plate photography these effects would have been reversed,
but by Dixon and Gray's process the relative luminosities of
these three colours were almost perfectly translated. Messrs.
Dixon and Gray did not publish their process, but prepared
existing gelatine dry plates by their method, and sold them at
an enhanced price. They were not, however, permitted to supply
anyone long, for B. J. Edwards, who had obtained a monopoly of
TailEer and Clayton's patent rights in England, served them with

116

an injunction, or threatened them with legal proceedings, so
they discontinued preparing their orthochromatic plates for sale.
By some special arrangement they were allowed to prepare
plates for their own use, provided they used Edwards' XL dry
plates.

It so happened, however, that this proviso was not a hardship,,
for Mr. Dixon told me himself that he had found Edwards'
plates the most suitable for their process. The hardship lay in
not being able to apply their own discovery or preparation to
any dry plates for sale for the public use and benefit. This
prohibition was the more to be regretted because no other
commercial isochromatic or orthochromatic plates had or have
appeared to possess the same qualities of translation. The
suppression of the Dixon and Gray preparation of plates is the
more sui-prising when I find eosine is mentioned in the Clayton
and Tailfer claim, whereas Mr. Dixon assured me that eosine
was not employed by them. Mr. Edwards only acquired his
monopoly and right to interfere with the commercial application
of an independent discovery on Nov. 18th, 1886, and there is
little to be gained in England by the publication of the experi-
ments of such men as Yogel, Eder, Ives, and Abney, if one man
can prevent all others making use of them.

This year death removed from our midst one, and perhaps the
greatest, of the martyrs of photography — Sylvester Laroche.
This was the man that fought the battle for freedom from the
shackles of monopoly. He won the fight, but lost his money,
and the photographers of the day failed to make him a suitable
recompense. There was one honourable exception, and Mr.
Sylvester told me himself that Mr. J. E. Mayall gave him £100
towards his legal expenses. Laroche's surname was Sylvester,
but as there was a whole family of that name photographers, he
added Laroche to distinguish himself from his brothers.
Sylvester Laroche was an artist, and worked very cleverly in
pastel, but somehow or other he never appeared to prosper.

117

Nothing particular marked the photographic record of 1887,
but death was busy in removing men who had made their mark
both in the early and later days of photography. First, on
March 19th, Robert Hunt, the most copious writer on photo-
graphy in its earlier period. As early as 1844 he published the
first edition of his " Researches on Light," in which he was
considerably assisted by Sir John Herschel, and it is astonishing
to find what a mine of photographic information that early work
contains.

The next was Colonel Eussell, better known, pliotographically,
as Major Russell. He was bom in 1820, and died on May 16th,
1887. He was best known for his tannin process and alkaline
developer, with a bromide solution as a restrainer. For a long
time his tannin process was very popular among collodion dry-
plate workers, and very beautiful pictures were taken on
Russell's Tannin Plates, but it is many years since they were
ruthlessly brushed aside, like all other collodion dry-plates,
by the now universally employed gelatino-bromide plates or
£lms.

A revival of interest in pinhole photography was awakened
"this year, and several modes of constructing a pinhole camera
were published ; but I remember seeing a wonderful picture by
2i.'key}iole camera long before I became a photographer. I had
called to see an old lady who lived opposite a mill and farm. It
was a bright, sunny afternoon, and, when I was leaving, I was
astonished to see a beautiful picture of the mill and farm on the
wall of the haU. "Ah!" said the old lady; "that's my
camera-obscura. "When the sun shines on the mill at this time
of day, I am sure to have a picture of the mill brought through
the keyhole." It was something like this that suggested the
camera-obscura to Roger Bacon and Baptista Porta. So it is not
necessary to have such a small hole to obtain a picture, but it
is necessary to have the smallest hole possible to obtain the
■sharpest picture.

118

Pizzighelli's visible platinotype printing paper was introduced
this year, and I welcomed it as a boon, for the double reasons
of its simplicity and permanency. I had been longing for years
for such a process, for I, like Koger Teuton, had come to the
conclusion that there was no future for photography, in conse-
quence of the instability of silver prints. They would be much
more durable than they are if they were only washed in several
changes of warm water, but few people will be at the trouble to
do that, some because they don't know the efficacy of warm
water, and others because it lowers the tone. An eminent
photographer once asked me how to render silver prints
permanent ; but when I told him there was nothing equal to
warm water washing, he exclaimed, " Oh ! but that spoils the
tone." When a photographer sacrifices durability to tone, he
is scarcely acting honestly towards his customers. Admitted
that there is nothing so beautiful in photography as a good
silver print when it has its first bloom on it, neither is there
anything so grievously disappointing as a silver print in its last
stage of decay. It is quite time that the durahility of a photo-
graph should be the first consideration of every photographer,.
as well as the amateur. Years ago I proposed and published a
plan of raising a fund to induce chemists and scientists to
consider the subject, but not a single photographer responded
by subscribing his guinea.

A very simple and interesting means of making photographs
at night was introduced this year by Dr. Piff'ard, an amateur
photographer of IS'ew York, and the extreme simplicity and
efficacy of his method was surprising. For good portraiture it
is not equal to the electric light, but for family groups, at
home occupations or amusements, it is superior, and I have
taken such groups with Pifi'ard's magnesium flash light, which
no other means of lighting would have enabled me to produce.
I have taken groups of people playing at cards, billiards, and
other games in their own homes with the simplest of apparatus^

119

the ordinary lens and camera, plus an old tea tray — but to obtain
the best results, the quickest lens and the quickest dry plates
should be employed, and I have always found the best position
for the light to be on the top of the camera.

1888 is chiefly remarkable for the attempted revival of
the stereoscope, and ATr. "W. F. Donkin read an interesting
and instructive paper on the subject, in which he endeavoured
to account for its disappearance, explain its principles, and
give an historical account of its early construction, and
modern or subsequent improvements. As to its immense
popularity thirty to thirty-five years ago, that was due to
its novelty, and the marvellous effect of solidity the pictures
assumed when viewed in the stereoscope ; but it soon ceased
to be popular when the views became stale, and people grew
tired of looking at them ; to keep up the interest they had to
be continually buying fresh ones, and of this they soon got tired
also ; and when hosts saw that their guests were bored with
sights so often seen, they put them out of sight altogether, and
I fear that nothing will, for the same reasons, bring about a
revival of the revolving or any other form of stereoscopes, for
views. It is becoming much the same now with lantern slides —
possessors and their friends grow weary of the subjects seen so
frequently, and hiring instead of buying slides is becoming the
practice of those who own an optical lantern.

With stereoscopic portraits it was not so, for there was
always a personal and family interest attached to them, and
I made a great many stereoscopic portraits by the Daguerreo-
type process; but even they were somewhat ruthlessly and
precipitately displaced when the carte-de-visite mania took
possession of the public mind. However, I see no reason
why stereoscopic portraiture should not be revived if good
pictures were produced on ivoryine, and it appears to me that
substance is most suitable for the purpose, as the pictures can be
examined either by reflected or transmitted light. Every one

120

interested in stereoscopic photography should "read, mark, learn,
and inwardly digest," the late Mr. Donkin's able and instructive
paper on "Stereoscopes and Binocular Vision," published in the
journal of the Photographic Society, January 27th, 1888.
This was unhappily the last paper that Mr. Donkin read at the
Photographic Society, for he was unfortunately lost in the
Caucasus the following autumn. W. F. Donkin, M.A., F.C.S.,
P. I.e., was for several years Honorary Secretary of the
Photographic Society and of the Alpine Club, and, at the
November meeting of the Photographic Society, the President,
James Glaisher, F.E.S., made the following remarks on the
melancholy event : — " There is, I am sure, but one feeling in
regard to the fact that the gentleman who usually sits on my
right is not here to-night. Our Secretary, "W. F. Donkin, is, I
fear, irretrievably lost in the Caucasus. The feeling of every
member of this Society is one of respect and esteem towards
him. During the time he held the post of Secretary, his
uniform courtesy won him the respect of all. I fear we shall
see him no more." This fear was afterwards confirmed by
the search party, which was headed by Mr. C. T. Dent,
President of the Alpine Club. The late Mr. Donkin was both
an expert Alpine climber and photographer, and many of
his photographs of Alpine scenery have been published and
admired.

Every year compels me to record the death of some old and
experienced photographer, or some artist associated with photo-
graphy from its earliest introduction. Among the latter was
Norman Macbeth, R.S.A., an eminent portrait painter, who was
quick to see and ready to avail himself of the invaluable
services of a new art, or means of improving art, both in
drawing and detail, and make the newly-discovered power a
help in his own labours, and an economiser of the time of his
sitters. The first time I had the pleasure of meeting him was
in Glasgow in 1855, when he brought one of his sitters to me to

121

T)e Daguerreotyped, and he preferred a Daguerreotype as long
as he could get one, on account of its extreme delicacy and
details in the shadows ; but he could not obtain any more
Daguerreotypes after 1857, for at that time I abandoned
the Daguerreotype for ever, and was the last to practise
the process in Glasgow, and probably throughout Great
Britain.

From the time that Mr. Macbeth commenced taking photo-
graphs himself, he took a keen interest in photography to the
last, and only about a month before he died, he read an able,
instructive, and interesting paper on the " Construction and
Requirements of Portrait Art " before the members of the
London and Provincial Photographic Association ; and that
paper should be in the possession, and frequent perusal, of
every student of photographic portraiture. Although an artist
in feeling and by profession, Mr. Macbeth was no niggard in
his praises of artistic photography, and I have frequently
heard him expatiate lovingly on the artistic productions of
Eejlander, Robinson, and Hubbard ; but, like all artists, he
abominated retouching, and denounced it in the strongest
terms, and regretted its prevalence and practice as destructive
of truth, and "truth in photography," he used to say, "was
its greatest recommendation."

The annals of 1889 — the jubilee year of published and
commercial photography — commence with the record of death.
On the 21st of January, Mr. John Robert Sawyer died at Naples
in the 61st year of his age. Mr. Sawyer had been for many
years a member of the Autotype Company, and his foresight and
indefatigability were largely instrumental in making that
Company a commercial success. It was anything but a success
from the time that it was commenced by the late Mr. "NYinsor
and Mr. J. R. Johnson, but from the moment that Mr. J. R.
■Sawyer became " director of works," the company rapidly became
a flourishing concern, and possesses now a world-wide reputation .

122

Mr. Sawyer was one of the early workers in photography, and
for several years conducted a photographic business in the city
of Norwich. It was there that circumstances induced him to
give his attention to some form of permanent photography with
the view of employing it to illustrate a work on the carving
and sculpture in Norwich Cathedral, particularly the fine work
in the roof of the nave. Mr. Sawyer naturally turned his
attention, in the first place, to the autotype process, but it was
then in its infancy, and the price prohibitory. The collotype
process then became his hope and refuge, but that also was in
its infancy, and not practised in England. Mr. Sawyer there-
fore started for Berlin early in 1869, and there met a certain
Herr Ghemoser, a clever expert in the collotype process, from
whom he obtained valuable information and working instructions.
On his return home, Mr. Sawyer laboured at the collotype
process until he overcame most of its difficulties, and on
January 1st, 1871, he entered into partnership with Mr. "Walter
Bird, and removed to London with the intention of making the
collotype process a feature in the business. Messrs. Sawyer
and Bird commenced their London experiences in Eegent Street,
but on January 1st, 1872, they entered into an agreement with
the Autotype Fine Art Company to work the collotype process
as a branch of their business. Meanwhile, another partner, Mr.
John Spencer, had joined the finn, and at the end of that year
Messrs. Spencer, Sawyer, Bird and Co. purchased the Autotype
patents, plant, and stock at Ealing Dene, and all its interest in the
wholesale trade ; and, in 1874, they bought up the whole of the
Fine Art business, including the stock in Eathbone Place,
and became the Autotype Company.

The great photographic feature of this year was the Convention
held on August 19th in St. James's Hall, Regent Street, London,
in celebration of the jubilee of practical photography, which
was inaugurated by the delivery of an address by the president,
Mr. Andrew Pringle. The address was a fairly good resume of

123

all that had been done for the advancement of photography
during the past fifty years.

The exhibition of photographs was somewhat of a failure ;
little was shown that possessed any historical interest, and that
little was contributed by myself. There was a considerable
display of apparatus of almost every description, but there was
nothing that had not been seen, or could have been seen, in the
shops of the exhibitors.

The papers that were read were of considerable interest, and
imparted no small amount of information, especially Mr. Thos.
E. Dallmeyer's on "False Rendering of Photographic Images
by the Misapplication of Lenses " ; Mr. C. H. Bothamley's on
" Ortho chromatic Photography with Gelatine Plates"; Mr.
Thomas Bolas's on "The Photo-mechanical Printing Methods
as employed in the Jubilee Year of Photography " ; but by far
the most popular, wonderful, and instructive, was Professor E.
Muybridge's lecture, with illustrations, on " The Movements
of Animals." The sight of ^ the formidable batteries of lenses
was startling enough, but when the actions of the horse, and
other animals, were shown in the "Zoopraxiscope," the effect
on the sense of sight was both astounding and convincing, and I
began to marvel how artists could have lived and laboured in the
wrong direction for so many years, especially when the lecturer
showed that a prehistoric artist had scratched on a bone a rude
but truthful representation of an animal in motion. Both the
sight and intelligence of that prehistoric artist must have been
keener than the senses of animal painters of the nineteenth
century.

Taking it all in all, the Jubilee Convention was an immense
success, and brought photographers and amateurs to London
from the most distant parts of the country. Looking round the
Hall on the opening night, and scanning the features of those
present, I was coming to the conclusion that I was the oldest
photographer present, when I espied Mr. Baynham Jones, a

124

man of eighty-three winters, and certainly the oldest amateur
photographer living ; so I willingly ceded the honour of seniority
to him, and as soon as he espied me he clambered over the rails
to come and sit at my side and talk over the past, and quite
unknown to many present, aspects and difficulties of photography.
Mr. "Baynhara Jones was an enthusiastic photographer from the
very first, for in 1839, as soon as Daguerre's process was
published, he made himself a camera out of a cigar-box and the
lens of his opera glass, and, being unable to obtain a Daguerreo-
type plate in the country, he cut up a silver salver and worked
away on a solid silver plate until he succeeded in making a
Daguerreotype picture. Mr. Baynham Jones was not the first
photographer in this country, for the Rev. J. B. Beade preceded
him by about two years ; but I have not the slightest doubt of
his being the first Bagiierreotypist in England, and in that
jubilee year of 1889 he was working with gelatine plates and
films, and enthusiastic enough to come all the way from
Cheltenham to London to attend the meetings of the Jubilee
Convention of Photography.

"With this brief allusion to the doings and attractions of the
Jubilee Convention, I fear I must bring my reminiscences of
photography to a close ; but before doing so I feel it incumbent
on me to call attention to the fact that two years after celebrating
the jubilee of photography we should, paradoxical as it may
appear, celebrate its centenary, for in 1791 the first photo-
graphic js/ciw^-e that ever was made, seen, or heard tell of, was
produced by Thomas "Wedgwood, and though he was unable to
fix it and enable us to look upon that wonder to-day, the honour
of being the first photographer, in its truest sense, is unquestion-
ably due to an Englishman. Thomas Wedgwood made photo-
graphic pictures on paper, and there they remained until light
or time obliterated them ; whereas J. H. Schulze, a German
physician, only obtained impressions of letters on a semi-liquid
chloride of silver in a bottle, and at every shake of the hand

125

the meagre impression was instantly destroyed. If we consider
such men as Mepce, Reade, Daguerre, and Fox Talbot the fathers
of photography, we cannot but look upon Thomas Wedgwood
as the Grand Father, and the centenary of his first achievement
should be celebrated with becoming honour as the English
centenary of photography.

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD

INVENTIONS, DISCOVERIES, PUBLICATIONS, AND
APPLIANCES, FOEMING FACTORS IN THE INCEP-
TION, DISCOVERY, AND DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTO-
GRAPHY.

1432 B.C. Iron said to have been first discovered.

424 B.C. Lenses made and used by the Greeks. And a lens
has been found in the ruins of Nineveh.

79 A.D. Glass known and used by the Romans.

697. Glass brought to England.

1100. Alcohol first obtained by the alchemist, Abucasis.

1287. Nitric acid first obtained by Raymond LuUy. Present
properties made known by Dr. Priestley, 1785.

1297. Camera-obscura constructed by Roger Bacon.

1400. Chloride of gold solution known, to Basil Valentine.

1500. Camera-obscura improved by Baptista Porta.

1555. Chloride of silver blackening by the action of light.
Doubtless it was the knowledge of this that induced Thomas
"Wedgwood and Sir Humphrey Davy to make their experi-
ments.

1590. Paper first made in England, at Dartford, Xent, by
Sir John Speilman. It is said that the Chinese made paper
170 years b.c.

1646. Magic lantern invented by Athanasius Kircher.

127

1666. Sir Isaac I^ewton divided a sunbeam into its seven
component parts, and re-constructed the camera-obscura.

1670. Salt mines of Staffordshire discovered.

1727. J. H. Schulze, a German physician, observed that
light blackened chalk impregnated with nitrate o£ silver solution
and gold chloride.

1737. Solution of nitrate of silver applied to paper, by Hellot.

1739. Chloride of mercury made by K. Neumann.

1741. Platinum first known in Europe: M. H. St. Claire
Deville's new method of obtaining it from the ore, 1859.

1750. J. Dollond, London, first made double achromatic com-
pound lenses.

1757. Chloride of silver made by J. B. Beccarius.

1774. Dr. Priestley discovered ammonia to be composed of
nitrogen and hydrogen; but ammonia is as old as the first
decomposition of organic matter.

1777. Charles "William Scheele observed that the violet end
of the spectrum blackened chloride of silver more rapidly than
the red end. Chlorine discovered.

1779. Oxalate of silver made by Bergmann.

1789. Uranium obtained from pitch-blende by Klaproth.

1791. Thomas Wedgwood commenced experiments with a
solution of nitrate of silver spread upon paper and white leather,
and obtained impressions of semi-transparent objects and cast
shadows. Sir Humphry Davy joined him later.

1797. Nitrate of silver on silk by Fulhame.

1799. Hyposulphite of soda discovered by M. Chaussier.

1800. John William Bitter, of Samitz, in Silesia, observed
that chloride of silver blackened beyond the violet end of
the spectrum, thus discovering the action of the ultra violet
ray.

1801. Potassium discovered by Sir Humphry Davy.

1802. Examples of Heliotypes, by Wedgwood and Davy,
exhibited at the Eoyal Institution, and the process published.

128

1803. Palladium discovered in platinum by Dr. Wollaston.
1808. Strontium obtained from carbonate of strontia by Sir
Humphry Davy.

1812. Iodine discovered by M. D. Curtois, of Paris.

— Nitrate of silver and albumen employed by D. Fischer.

1813. Ditto investigated by M. Clement.

1814. Joseph Mcephore de !Niepce commenced experiments
with the hope of securing the pictures as seen in the camera-
obscura.

— Iodide of silver made by Sir H. Davy.

1819. Sir John Herschel published the fact that hyposulphite
of soda dissolved chloride and other salts of sLlver.

1824. Niepce obtained pictures in the camera-obscura upon
metal plates coated with asphaltum, or bitumen of Judea.

— L. Gr. M. Daguerre commenced his researches.

— Permanganate of potash. Promenkerz.

1826. Bromine discovered in sea- water by il. Balard.

— Bromine of silver made.

1827. Xiepce exhibited his pictures in England, and left one
or more, now in the British Museum.

1829. Kiepce and Daguerre entered into an alliance to pursue
their researches mutually.

1832. Evidence of Daguerre employing iodine.

1837. Eev. J. B. Reade, of Clapham, London, obtained a
photograph in the solar microscope, and employed tannin as an
accelerator and hyposulphite of soda as a fixer for the first time
in photography.

1838. Eeflecting stereoscope exhibited by Charles "Wheat-
stone.

— Mungo Ponton observed that light altered and hardened
bichromate of potash, and produced yellow photographs with
that material. This discovery led to the invention of the
Autotype, Woodburytype, Collotype, and other methods of
photo-mechanical printing.

129

1839. Daguerre's success communicated to the Academy of
Science, Paris, by M. Arago, January 7th.

— Electrotype process announced.

— Professor Faraday described Fox Talbot's new method of
photogenic drawing to the members of the Eoyal Institution,
January 25th.

— Fox Talbot read a paper, giving a full description of] his
process, before the Royal Society, January 31st.

— Sir John Herschel introduced hyposulphite of soda as a
fixing agent, February 14th.

— Dr. Alfred Swaine Taylor employed ammonia-nitrate of
silver in preference to chloride of silver for making photogenic
drawings, and employed hyposulphite of lime in preference to
hyposulphite of soda for fixing.

— Daguerre's process published in August, and patent, for
England, granted to Mr. Beard, London, August 14th.

— " History and Practice of Photogenic Drawing " ; L. S.
M. Daguerre. Published September.

— First photographic portrait taken on a Daguerreotype
plate by Professor J. "S7. Draper, New York, U.S., in the
autumn of this year.

1840. '-On the Art of Photogenic Drawing," by Alfred S.
Taylor, lecturer on chemistry, &e., at Guy's Hospital. Pub-
lished by Jeffrey, George Yard, Lombard Street, London.

— The Handbook of Heliography, or the Art of "Writing or
Drawing by the Effect of Sunlight, with the Art of Dioramic
Painting, as practised by M. Daguerre." Anon.

— "Wolcott's reflecting camera brought from America to
England and secured by Mr. Beard, patentee of the Daguerreo-
type process.

— The moon photographed for the first time by Dr. J. "W.
Draper, of New York, on a Daguerreotype plate.

— John Frederic Goddard, of London, inventor of the polari-
scope and lecturer on chemistry, employed chlorine added to

130

iodine, and afterwards bromine, as accelerators in the Daguerreo-
type process.

1840. Antoine F. J. Claudet, F.R.S., of London, employed
chlorine for the same purpose.

— M. Fizeau, of Paris, deposited a film of gold over the
Daguerreotype picture after the removal of the iodine, which
•imparted increased brilliancy and permanency.

— Chloride of platinum employed by Herschel.

— Fox Talbot's developer published September 20th.

1841. Calotype process patented by Fox Talbot, September
■:20th.

— First photographic compound portrait lens made by
Andrew Ross, London.

— Towson, of Livei'pool, noted that chemical and visual foci
did not coincide. Defect corrected by J. Petzval, of Vienna,
for Voightlander.

— "A Popular Treatise on the Art of Photography, including
Daguerreotype and all the New Methods of Producing Pictures
by the Chemical Agency of Light," by Robert Hunt, published
by R. Griffin, Glasgow.

— Daguerre announced an instantaneous process, but it was
not successful.

1842. Sir John Herschel exhibited blue, red, and purple
photographs at the Royal Institution.

— "Photography Familiarly Explained," by W. R. Baxter,
London.

1843. "Photogenic Manipulation," by G. T. Fisher Knight,
Jtf'oster Lane.

— Treatise on Photography by N. P. Lerebours, translated
hy J. Egerton.

1844. Fox Talbot issued " The Pencil of Nature," a book of
silver prints from calotype negatives.

— C. Cundell, of London, employed and published the use of
bromide of potassium in the calotype process.

131

1844. " Researches on Light and its Chemical Relations," by
Robert Hunt. First edition; second ditto, 1854.

— Robert Hunt recommended proto-sulphate of iron as a
developer for Talbot's calotype negatives ; also oxalate of iron
and acetate of lead for other purposes.

— A. F. J. Claudet patented a red light for "dark-room,"
but at that date a red light was not necessary, so the old photo-
graphers continued the use of yeUow lights.

1845. "Photogenic ^Janipulations :" Part 1, Calotype, &c. ;
Part 2, Daguerreotype. By George Thomas Fisher, jun. Pub-
lished by George Knight and Sons, London.

— "Manual of Photography," including Daguerreotype,
Calotype, &c., by Jabez Hogg. First edition. Second ditto,
including Archer's collodion process, bichloride of mercury
bleaching and intensifying, and gutta-percha transfer process,
1856,

1845, "Practical Hints on the Daguerreotype ; "Willat's Scien-
tific Manuals."

— " Plain Directions for Obtaining Photographic Pictures
by the Calotype and other processes, on paper ; "Willat's Scien-
tific Manuals." Published by "Willats, 98, Cheapside ; and
Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, Paternoster Row.

1846. Gun-cotton made known by Professor Schbnbein, of
Basel.

1847, Collodion made by dissolving gun-cotton in ether and
alcohol, by Mr. Maynard, of Boston, U.S.

1848. " Photogenic Manipulation :" Part II., Daguerreotye,
by Robert Bingham. Published by George Knight and Sons,
London,

— Albumen on glass plates first employed for making nega-
tives byM. jS'iepce de Saint Victor. Process published June 13th,

— Frederick Scott Archer experimented with paper pulp,
tanno- gelatine, and iodised collodion, and made collodion nega-
tives in the autumn.

132

1849. Collodion positive of Hever Castle, Kent, made by
Prederick Scott Archer early in the year.

— M. Gustave Le Gray suggested the application of collodion
to photography.

1850. "A Practical Treatise on Photography upon Paper and
Glass," by Gustave Le Gray. Translated from the French by
Thomas Cousins, and published by T. and R. Willats. This
book is said to contain the first printed notice of collodion being
used in photography.

— E. J. Bingham, London, suggested the use of collodion
and gelatine in photography.

— M. Poitevin's gelatine process, published January 25th.

1851. Frederick Scott Archer published his collodion process
in the March number of The Chemist, and introduced pyrogallic
acid as a developer December 20th.

— Fox Talbot announced his instantaneous process, and
obtained, at the Royal Institution, a copy of the Times news-
paper, while revolving rapidly, by the light of an electric spark.

— Mepce de St. Victor's heliochromic process, published
June 22nd. Examples sent to the judges of the International
Exhibition of 1862. See Jurors' Report thereon, pp. 88-9.

— Sir David Brewster's improved stereoscope applied to
photography.

1851. " Photography, a Treatise on the Chemical Changes
produced by Solar Radiation, and the Production of Pictures
from Nature, by the Daguerreotype, Calotype, and other Photo-
graphic Processes," by Robert Hunt. Published by J. J. Griffin
and Co., London and Glasgow.

1852. "Archer's Hand-Book of Collodion Process." Pub-
lished May 14th. Second edition, enlarged ; published 1854.

— "Archer's Collodion Positive Process." Published July
20th.

— Fox Talbot's photo- engraving on steel process ; patented
October 29th.

133

1853. A Manual of Photography, by Hobert Hunt, published.

— Photographic Society of London founded. Sir Charles
Eastlake, P.E..A., President ; Roger Fenton, Esq., Secretary.
First number of the Society's Journal published March 3rd.

— Cutting's American patent for use of bromides in collo-
dion obtained June 11th, and his Ambrotype process introduced
in America.

— "The Waxed-Paper Process," by Gustave Le Gray.
Translated from the French with a supplement, by James How.
Published by G. Knight and Co., Foster Lane, Cheapside.

— Frederick Scott Archer introduced a triple lens to shorten
the focus of a double combination lens.

1854. E. E., of Tavistock, published directions for the use of
isinglass as a substitute for collodion.

— First series of photographic views of Kenilworth Castle,
&c., from collodion negatives, published by Frederick Scott
Archer.

— Liverpool Photographic Journal, first published by Henry
Greenwood, bi-monthly.

— First roller-slide patented by Messrs. Spencer and Mel-
huish, May 22nd.

— Fox Talbot first applied albumen to paper to obtain a
finer surface for photographic printing.

— Photo-Enamel process ; first patent December 13th.

— Dry collodion plates first introduced.

1855. M. Poitevin's helioplastic process patented February
20th.

— Dr. J. M. Taupenot's dry plate process introduced.

— Photo-galvanic process patented June 5th.

— "Hardwich's Photographic Chemistry." First edition,
published March 12th.

— Ferrotype process introduced in America by Mr. J. "W.
Griswold.

1856. "Photographic Notes." Edited by Thomas Sutton.
Commenced January 1 bt ; bi-monthly.

134

1856. Sutton's Calotype process, published March.
1856 Dr. Hill Norris's dry plate process. Patented Septem-
her 1st.

1856. Caranza published method of toning silver prints
with chloride of platinum.

1857. Moule's photogen, artificial light for portraiture.
Patented February 18th.

— Carte-de-visite portraits introduced by M. Ferrier, of Xice.

— Kinnear Camera introduced. Made by Bell, Edinburgh.

1858. Pouncy's Carbon process patented April 10th.

— Skaife's Pistolgraph camera intotrodueed.

1858. J. C, Burnett exposed the back of the carbon paper
and obtained half-tones.

— Fox Talbot's photo-etching process, patented April 20th.

— Paul Pretsch's photo-engraving process introduced.

— " Sutton's Dictionary of Photography," published
August 17th.

— The Photographic News, founded, weekly. First number
published September 10th, by Cassell, Petter , and Galpin, London.

— "Fothergill Dry Process," by Alfred Keene, published
August.

1859. Sutton's panoramic camera patented, September 28th.

— Photo-lithographic Transfer process patented by Osborne,
in Melbourne, Australia.

— "Wm. Blair, of Perth, secured half-tone in carbon printing
by allowing the light to pass through the back of the paper on
which the pigment was spread.

— Asser, of Amsterdam, also invented a photo-lithographic
transfer process about this time.

1860. " Principles and Practice of Photography," by Jabez
Hughes. First edition published ; fourteenth edition, 1887.

— Fargier coated carbon surface with collodion, exposed, and
transferred to glass to develop.

— Spectroscope invented by Kertchoff and Bunsen.

135

1860. "Year-Book of Photography," edited by G. Wharton
Simpson, first published.

— Improved Kimiear camera with swing front and back by
Meagher.

1861. Captain Dixon's iodide emulsion process patented,
April 29th.

— M, Gaudin, of Paris, employed gelatine in his photogene,
and published in La Lumiere his coUodio-iodide and collodio-
chloride processes.

— H. Anthony, Xew York, discovered that Tannin dry
plates could be developed by moisture and ammonia vapour.

1862. "Alkaline Development," published by Major Russell.

— Meagher's square bellows camera, with folding bottom
board, exhibited at the International Exhibition. Noticed in
Jurors' Report.

— Parkesine, the forerunner of celluloid films, invented by
Alexander Parkes, of Birmingham.

1863. Pouncy's fatty ink process ; patented January 29th.

— Toovey's photo-lithographic process ; patented June 29th.

— " Tannin Process," published by Major Russell.

— " Popular Treatise on Photography," by D. Van Monck-
hoven. Translated from the French by W. H. Thornthwaite,
London.

1864. Swan's improved carbon process; patented August 27th.

— " Collodio-Bromide Emulsion," by Messrs. B. J. Sayce
and "W. B. Bolton ; published September 9th.

— Collodio- Chloride Emulsion," by George "Wharton
Simpson ; published in The Photographic News, October 28th.

— Willis's aniline process ; patented November 11th.

— Obernetter's chromo-photo process ; published.

— Instantaneous dry collodion processes by Thomas Sutton,
B.A. Sampson, Low, Son, and Marston, London.

1865. Paper read on " Collodio-Chloride Emulsion," by
George Wharton Simpson, at the Photographic Society,
March 14th.

136

1865. Photography, a lecture, by the Hon. J. W. Stnitt, now
Lord Rayleigh, delivered April 18th ; and afterwards published.

— Eburneum process ; published by J. Burgess, Norwich, in
The Photographic News, May 5th.

— Bromide as a restrainer in the developer ; published by
Major Eussell.

1865. Interior of Pyramids of Egypt, photographed by Pro-
fessor Piazzi Smyth with the magnesium light.

— "W. H. Smith patented a gelatino-bromide or gelatino-
chloride of silver process for wood blocks, &c.

1866. Magic photographs revived and popularised.

— "Woodburytype process patented by Walter Bentley
Woodbury, of Manchester, July 24th.

— Photography reviewed, in British Quarterly Eeview, by
George Wharton Simpson, October 1st.

1867. M. Poitevin obtained the balance of the Due de Luyne's
prize for permanent printing.

— Cabinet portraits introduced by F. E. Window, photo-
grapher, Baker Street, London.

1868. W. H. Harrison experimented with gelatino-bromide
of silver and obtained results, though somewhat rough and
unsatisfactory.

1869. John Robert Johnson's carbon process double transfer
patented.

— " Pictorial Effect in Photography," by H. P. Robinson,
first edition. London : Piper and Carter.

1870. Thomas Sutton described Gaudin's gelatino-iodide
process,

— Jabez Hughes toned collodion transfers with chloride of
palladium.

— John Robert Johnson's single transfer process for carbon
printing patented.

1871. Dr. R. L. Maddox, of Southampton, published his
experiments with gelatino-bromide of silver in the British
Journal of Photography, September 8th.

137

1872. '^Emaux Photograpliiques " (photographic enamels),
■second edition, by Geymet and Alker, Paris.

1873. J. Burgess, of Peckham, advertised his gelatine-bromide
of silver emulsion, but it would not keep, so had to be withdrawn.

— Ostendo non Ostento published a gelatino-bromide of
silver formula with alcohol.

— Platinotype process patented by W. "Willis, junior,
June 1st.

1873. K. Kennet's gelatino-bromide of silver pellicle patented
^November 20th.

— "The Ferrotypers' Guide" published by Scovill Manu-
facturing Company, K'ew York.

1874. K. Kennett issued his gelatino-bromide of silver dry
plates in March.

— Gelatino-bromide of silver paper first announced by Peter
Mawdsley, of Liverpool Dry Plate Company.

— "Backgrounds by Powder Process" published by J.
"Werge, London.

— Plcxible supports in carbon printing patented by John
Robert Sawyer, of the Autotype Company.

— Leon Lambert's carbon printing process patented.

1875. Demonstrations in carbon printing by L. Lambert given
in Lonlon and elsewhere.

— Eder and Totli intensified collodion negatives and toned
lantern sliles with chloride of platinum.

1876. "Practical Treatise on Enamelling and Retouching,"
by P. Piquepe. Piper and Carter, London.

1877. Ferrous oxalate developer published June 29th.

— "Wratten precipitated the gelatine emulsion with alcohol,
and so avoided the necessity of dialysing.

1878. Improvement in platinotype patented by W. Willis,
junior, July.

— Abney's "Treatise on Photography " published.

— Abney's " Emulsion Process " published.

138

1879, J. Werge's non-actinic developing tray introduced at
the South London Photographic Society.

1880. "Principles and Practice of Photography," by Jabez
Hughes, comprising instructions to make and manipulate
gelatino dry plates, by J". AVerge. London : Simpkin and
Marshall, and J. Werge.

— Gelatino-bromide of silver paper introduced by Messrs.
Morgan and Kidd.

— Platinotype improvement patent granted.

— Iodides added to gelatino-bromide of silver emulsions by"
Captain "W. de W. Abney.

1880. "Warnerke's sensitometer introduced.

— "The Argentic Gelatino-Bromide Workers' Guide," by
John Burgess. "W. T. Morgan and Co., Greenwich.

— "Photography; its Origin, Progress, and Practice," by J.
"Werge. London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.

— Hydroquinone developer introduced by Dr. Eder and
Captain Toth.

1881. Stannotype process introduced by "Walter "Woodbury.

— Photographers in Great Britain and Ireland 7,614 as per
census returns.

— "Modern Dry Plates; or Emulsion Photography," by
Dr. J. M. Eder, translated from the German by H. Wilmer,
edited by H. B. Pritchard. London : Piper and Carter.

— "Pictorial Effect in Photography," by H. P. Eobinson
(cheap edition). Piper and Carter.

— "The Art and Practice of Silver Printing," by H. P.
Eobinson and Captain Abney. Piper and Carter.

1882. Herbert B. Berkely recommended the use of sulphite of
soda with pyrogallic acid to prevent discolouration of film.

— " Eecent Advances in Photography " (Cantor Lectures,
Society of Arts), Captain Abney. London : Piper and Carter.

1882. "The A B C of Modern Photography," comprising
practical instructions for working gelatine dry-plates, by W. K»
Burton. London : Piper and Carter.

139

1882. " Elementary Treatise on Photograpliic Chemistry," by
A. Spiller. London : Piper and Carter.

1883. Translation of Captain Pizzighelli and Baron A. Hubl's
booklet on " Platinotype ; " published in The Photographic
Journal.

— Orthochromatic dry plates ; English patent granted to
Tailfer and Clayton, January 8th.

— "The Chemical Efifect of the Spectrum," by Dr. J. M.
Eder. (Translated from the German by Captain Abney). Lon-
don : Harrison and Sons.

1883. " The Chemistry of Light and Photography," by Dr. H.
Vogel. London : Kegan Paul.

1884. " Recent Improvements in Photo-Mechanical Printing
Methods," by Thomas Solas, Society of Arts, London.

— ** Picture-Making by Photography," by H, P. Robinson.
London : Piper and Carter.

1885. " Photography and the Spectroscope," by Capt. Abney^
Society of Arts.

— "The Spectroscope and its Relation to Photography," by
C. Ray "Woods. London : Piper and Carter.

— "Photo-Micrography," by A. C. Malley ; second edition.
London : H. K. Lewis.

1886. Orthochromatic results exhibited by Dixon and Sons at
the photographic exhibition in October.

— English patent rights of Tailfer and Clayton's ortho-
chromatic process secured by R. J. Edwards and Co., Nov. 18th.

1887. Platinotype improvements ; two patents.

1888. Pizzighelli's visible platinotype printing paper put on
the market in June.

1889. Eikonogen developer patented by Dr. Andresen, of
Berlin, Germany, March 26th.

— Wire frames and supports in camera extensions patented
by Thomas Rudolph Dallmeyer and Francis Beauchamp,
November 6th.

COSTRIBUTIONS TO PHOTOGRAPHIC LITERATURE.

JOHN WERGE.

Originally published in the "Photographic News" ^^ British Journal

of Photography" Photographic Year-Book, and

Photographic Almanac.

PICTUEES OF NIAGARA.
Taken with Cameha, Pen, and Pencil.
Many very beautiful and interesting photographic views of
Niagara Falls, and other places of romantic and marvellous inte-
rest, have been taken and exhibited to the world. Indeed, they
are to be seen now in almost every print-seller's window ; and in
the albums, stereoscopes, or folios of almost every private col-
lector. But I question very much, if it ever occurred to the
mind of anyone, while looking at those pictures, what an amount
of labour, expense, and danger had to be endured and encoun-
tered to obtain them — " the many hairbreadth 'scapes by flood
and field," of a very "positive" character, which had to be
risked before some of the "negatives" could be "boxed."
Doubtless Mr. England, Mr. Stephen Thompson, and Mr. Wilson
have many very vivid recollections of the critical situations they
have been in while photographing the picturesque scenery of
the Alpine passes of Switzerland, and the Highlands and glens
of Scotland.

Mr. Stephen Thompson has narrated to me one or two of his
"narrow escapes" while photographing his "Swiss scenes,"
and I am sure Mr. England did not procure his many and

141

beautiful *' points of view " of Niagara Falls without exposing
himself to considerable risk.

I had the good fortune to be one of the earliest pioneers, in
company with a Yankee friend, ilr. Easterly, in taking photo-
graphs of the Falls ; and my recollections of the manner in which
"we " went about," poised ourselves and cameras on " points of
rock" and ''ledges of bluffs," and felled trees, and lopped off
branches overhanging precipices, to " gain a point," even at
this distant date are somewhat thrilling. To take a photograph
of what is called " Visitors' View " is safe and easy enough.
You might plant a dozen cameras on the open space at the brink
of the #" American Fall, " and photograph the scene, visitors and
all, as they stand, " fixed " with wonder, gazing at the Falls,
American, Centre, and Horseshoe, Goat Island, and the shores
of Canada included, for this point embraces in one view all those
subjects. But to get at the out-of-the-way places, to take the
Falls in detail, and obtain some of the grandest views of them,
is a very different matter.

I remember, when we started, taking a hatchet with us, like
backwoodsmen, to take a view of Prospect Tower, on the
American side of the great Horseshoe Fall, how we had to hew
down the trees that obstructed the light ; how we actually hung
over the precipice, holding on to each other's hands, to lop off a
branch still in sight where it was not wanted. The manner in
which we accomplished this was what some bystanders pro-
nounced " awful." I hugged a sapling of a silver birch, grow-
ing on the brink of the precipice, with my left arm, while friend
Easterly, holding my right hand with one of the Masonic grips
— I won't say which — hung over the precipice, and stretching
out as far as he could reach, lopped off the offending branch.
Yet in this perilous position my lively companion must crack
his joke by punning upon my name, and a Cockney weakness at
the same time, for he " guessed he was below the t^erge of the
precipice." The branch down, and we had resumed our perpen-

142

dicular positions, he simply remarked, if tliat was not holding
on to a man's hand in friendship, he did not know what was.

But the work was not done yet ; to get the view of the Tower
we wanted, we had to make a temporary platform over the pre-
cipice. This we managed by laying a piece of " lumber " across
a fallen tree, and, unshipping the camera, shoved it along the
plank until it was in position, balancing the shore end of the
plank with heavy stones. "When all was ready for exposure, I
went round and stood on the point of a jutting rock to give
some idea of the great depth of the Fall, but I very nearly
discovered, and just escaped being myself the plummet. In the
excitement of the moment, and not thinking that the rock would
be slimy and slippery with the everlasting spray, I went too
rapidly forward, and the rock having a slight decline, I slipped,
but was fortunately brought up by a juniper bush growing
within a foot of the edge. For a second or two I lay on my
back wondering if I could slide out of my difficulty as easily as
I had slidden into it. In a moment I determined to go back-
wards on my back, hands, and feet, until I laid hold of another
bush, and could safely assume a perpendicular position. After
giving the signal that " all was right," the plate was exposed,
and I cautiously left a spot I have no desire to revisit. But it is
astonishing how the majesty and grandeur of the scene divest
the mind of all sense of fear, and to this feeling, to a great
extent, is attributed the many accidents and terrible deaths that
have befallen numerous visitors to the Falls.

The Indians, the tribe of the Iroquois, who were the aboriginal
inhabitants of that part of the country, had a tradition that the
" Great Spirit " of the " Mighty Waters " required the sacrifice
of two human lives every year. To give rise to such a tradition,
doubtless, many a red man, in his skifi", had gone over the Falls,
centuries before they were discovered by the Jesuit missionary.
Father Hennepin, in 1678 ; and, even in these days of Christian
civilization, and all but total extirpation of the aboriginals, the
** Great Spirit " does not appear to be any less exacting.

143

I^early every year one or more persons are swept over those
awful cataracts, making an average of at least one per annum.
Many visitors and local residents have lost their lives under the
most painful and afflicting circumstances, the most remarkable
of which occurred just before my visit. One morning, at
daylight, a man was discovered in the middle of the rapids, a
little way above the brink of the American Fall. He was
perched upon a log which was jammed between two rocks.
One end of the log was out of the water, and the poor fellow
was comparatively dry, but with very little hope of being
rescued from his dreadful situation. No one could possibly
reach him in a boat. The foaming and leaping waters were
Tushing past him at the rate of eighteen or twenty miles an hour,
and he knew as well as anyone that to attempt a rescue in a
boat or skiff would be certain destruction, yet every effort was
made to save him. Rafts were made and let down, but they
were either submerged, or the ropes got fast in the rocks. The
life-boat was brought from Buffalo, Lake Erie, and that was let
down to him by ropes from the bridge, but they could not
manage the boat in that rush of waters, and gave it up in
despair. One of the thousands of agonized spectators, a Southern
planter, offered a thousand dollars reward to anyone that would
save the " man on tbe log." Another raft was let down to him,
and this time was successfully guided to the spot. He got on
it, but being weak from exposure and want, he was unable to
make himself fast or retain his hold, and the doomed man was
swept off the raft and over the Falls almost instantly, before
the eyes of thousands, who wished, but were powerless and
unable, to rescue him from his frightful death. His name was
Avery. He and another man were taking a pleasure sail on the
Upper Niagara river, their boat got into the current, was sucked
into the rapids, and smashed against the log or the rock. The
-other man went over the Falls at the time of the accident ; but
Avery clung to the log, where he remained for about eighteen

144

hours in such a state of mind as no one could possibly imagine,
None could cheer him with a word of hope, for the roar of the
rapids and thunder of the cataracts rendered all other sounds
inaudible. Mr. Babbitt, a resident photographer, took several
Daguerreotypes of the "man on the log," one of which he
kindly presented to me. Few of the bodies are ever recovered.
One or two that went over the Great Horse Shoe Fall were
found, their bodies in a state of complete nudity. The
weight or force of the water strips them of every particle of
clothing ; but that is not to be wondered at, considering the
immense weight of water that rolls over every second, the
distance it has to fall, and the depth of the foaming cauldron
below. The fall of the Horse Shoe to the surface of the
lower river is 158 feet, and the depth of the cauldron into
which the Upper Niagara leaps about 300 feet, making a
total of 458 feet from the upper to the lower bed of the
Niagara Eiverat the Great Horse Shoe Fall. It has been
computed that one hundred million, two hundred thousand
tons of water pass over the Falls every hour. The depth of
the American Fall is 164 feet ; but that falls on to a mass
of broken rocks a few feet above the level of the lower river.

Our next effort was to get a view of the Centre Fall, or
" Cave of the Winds," from the south, looking at the Centre
and American Falls, down the river as far as the Suspension
Bridge, about two miles below, and the Lower or Long Rapids,
for there are rapids both above and below the Falls. In this
we succeeded tolerably well, and without any difficulty. Then,
descending the " Biddle Stairs " to the foot of the two American
cataracts, we tried the "Cave of the Winds" itself; but, our
process not being a "wet" one, had no sympathy with the
blinding and drenching spray about us. However, I secured
a pencil sketch of the scene we could not photograph, and
afterwards took one of the most novel and fearful shower-baths
to be had in the world. Dressed — or, rather, undressed — for

145

the purpose, and accompanied by a guide, I passed down by the
foot of the precipice, under the Centre Fall, and along a wet
and slippery pole laid across a chasm, straddling it by a process
I cannot describe — for I was deaf with the roar and blind with
the spray — we reached in safety a flat rock on the other side,
and then stood erect between the two sheets of falling water.
To say that I saw anything while there would be a mistake ;
but I know and felt by some demonstrations, other than ocular,
that I was indulging in a bath of the wildest and grandest
description. liecrossing the chasm by the pole, we now entered
the " Cave of the Winds," which is immediately under the
Centre Fall. The height and width of the cave is one hundred
feet, and the depth sixty feet. It takes its name from the great
rush of wind into the cave, caused by the fall of the waters
from above. Standing in the cave, which is almost dry, you
can view the white waters, like avalanches of snow, tumbling
over and over in rapid succession. The force of the current of
the rapids above shoots the water at least twenty feet from the
rock, describing, as it were, the segment of a circle. By this
circumstance only are you able to pass under the Centre Fall,
and a portion of the Horse Shoe Fall on the Canadian side. To
return, we ascended the " Biddle Stairs," a spiral staircase of
115 steps, on the west side of Goat Island, crossed the latter,
and by a small bridge passed to Bath Island, which we left by
the grand bridge which crosses the rapids about 250 yards above
the American Fall. Reaching the American shore again in
safety, after a hard day's «vork, we availed ourselves of
Mr. Babbitt's kindness and hospitality to develop our plates in
his dark room, and afterwards developed ourselves, sociably and
agreeably, refreshing the inner man, and narrating our day's
adventures.

I shall now endeavour to describe our next trip, which was
to the Canadian side — how we got there, what we did, and
what were the impressions produced while contemplating those

•ff-onderful works of nature. In the first place, to describe how
we descended to the "ferry" and crossed the river. On the
north side of the American Fall a railway has been constructed
\)j an enterprising American, where the " cars " are let down
a steep decline by means of water-power, the proprietor of the
railway having utilized the very smallest amount of the
immense force so near at hand. Placing our "traps" in the
car, and seating ourselves therein, the lever was moved by the
" operator,"' and away we went down the decline as if we were
going plump into the river below ; but at the proper time the water
was turned off, and we were brought to a standstill close by
the boat waiting to ferry us across. Shifting our traps and
selves into the boat and sitting down, the ferryman bent to the
oars and off we dashed into the dancing and foaming waters,
keeping her head well to the stream, and drawing slowly up
until we came right abreast of the American Fall ; then letting
her drop gently down the stream, still keeping her head to
the current, we gained the Canadian shore ; our course on the
river describing the figure of a cone, the apex towards the
" Horse Shoe." Ascending the banks by a rather uphill road,
we reached the Clifton Hotel, where we took some refreshments,
and then commenced our labours of photographing the Grand
Rapids and the Falls, from Table Eock, or what remained of it.
On arriving at the spot, we set down our traps and looked
about bewildered for the best point. To attempt to describe
the scene now before us would be next to folly, nor could the
camera, from the limited angle of our lens, possibly convey an
adequate idea of the grandeur and terrific beauty of the Grand
Rapids, as you see them rushing and foaming, white with
rage, for about two and a half miles before they make their
final plunge over the precipice. Many years ago an Indian
was seen standing up in his canoe in the midst of these fearful
rapids. Nearing the brink of the terrible Fall, and looking
«bout him, he saw that all hope was lost, for he had passed Gull

147

Island, his only chance of respite ; waving his hand, he was
seen to lie down in the bottom of his canoe, which shot like
an arrow into the wild waters below, and he was lost for ever.
Neither he nor his canoe was ever seen again. In 1829 the
ship Detroit, loaded with a live bufialo, bear, deer, fox, &c.,
was sent over the Falls. She was almost dashed to pieces in
the rapids, but many persons saw the remains of the ship rolled
over into the abyss of waters. jS'o one knew what became of
the animals on board. And in 1839, during the Canadian
Eebellion, the steamer Caroline was set fire to in the night and
cast adrift. She was drawn into the rapids, but struck on Gull
Island, and was much shattered by the collision. The bulk of
the burning mass was swept over the Falls, but few witnessed
the sight. Doubtless no fire on board a ship was ever extin-
guished so suddenly. The view fi'om Table Rock is too extensive
to be rendered on one plate by an ordinary camera ; but the
pantascopic camera would give the very best views that could
possibly be obtained.

Taking Table Rock as the centre, the entire sweep of the
Fail is about 180 degrees, and stretching fi'om point to point
for nearly three-quarters of a mile — from the north side of the
American Fall to the termination of the Horse Shoe Fall on the
west side. The American and Centre Falls present a nearly
straight line running almost due north and south, while the
Great Horse Shoe Fall presents a line or figure resembling a
sickle laid down with the left hand, the convex part of the
bow lying direct south, the handle lying due east and west,
with the point or termination to the west ; the waters of the
two American Falls rushing from east to west, and the waters
of the Canadian Fall bounding towards the north. By this
description it will be seen that but for the intervention of
Goat and Luna Islands the three sheets of water would embrace
each other like mighty giants locked in a death struggle, before
they fell into the lower river. The whole aspect of the Falls

148

from Table Rock is panoramic. Turning to the left, you see
the American rapids rushing down furiously under the bridge,
between Bath Island and the American shore, with a force and
Telocity apparently great enough to sweep away the bridge
and four small islands lying a little above the brink, and pitch
them all down on to the rocks below. Turning slowly to the
right, you see the Centre Fall leaping madly down between
Luna and Goat Islands, covering the Cave of the Winds from
view. A little more to the right, the rocky and precipitous
face of Goat or Iris Island, with the "Biddle Stairs" like a
perpendicular line running down the precipice ; and to the
extreme right the immense sweeps of the Great Horse Shoe.

Doubtless this fall took its name from its former resemblance
to the shape of a horse shoe. It is, however, nothing like that
now, but is exactly the figure of a sickle, as previously described.
Looking far up the river you observe the waters becoming
broken and white, and so they continue to foam and rush and
leap with increasing impetuosity, rushing madly past the
" Three Sisters " — three islands on the left — and " Gull Island "
in the middle of the rapids, on which it is supposed no man has
ever trodden, until, with a roar of everlasting thunder, which
shakes the earth, they fall headJong into the vortex beneath. At
the foot of this Fall, and for a considerable distance beyond,
the river is as white as the eternal snows, and as troubled as
an angry sea. Indeed, I never but once saw the Atlantic in
such a state, and that was in a storm in which we had to " lay
to" for four days in the Gulf Stream.

The colours and beauty of J^iagara in sunlight are indescrib-
able. You may convey some idea of its form, power, and
majesty, by describing lines and giving figures of quantity and
proportion, but to give the faintest impression of its beauty and
colours is almost hopeless. The rich, lovely green on the very
brink of the Horse Shoe Fall is beyond conception. All the
emeralds in the world, clustered together and bathed in sunlight..

149

would fall far short of the beauty and brilliancy of that pure
and dazzling colour. It can only be compared to an immense,
unknown brilliant of the emerald hue, in a stupendous setting of
the purest frosted, yet sparkling silver. Here, too, is to be seen
the marvellous beauty of the prismatic colours almost daily-
Here you might think the "Covenant" had been made, and
set up to shine for ever and ever at the Throne of the Most
Mighty, and here only can be seen the complete circle of the
colours of the rainbow. I saw this but once, when on board
the Maid of the Mist, and almost within the great vortex at
the foot of the Falls. A brilliant sun shining through the
spray all round, placed us in a moment as it were in the very
centre of that beautiful circle of colour, which, with the
thunder of the cataract, and the sublimity of the scene, made
the soul feel as if it were in the presence of the " Great
Spirit," and this the sign and seal of an eternal compact.
Here, also, is to be seen the softer, but not the less beautiful
Lunar Rainbow. Whenever the moon is high enough in the
heavens, the lunar bow can be seen, not fitful as elsewhere,
but constant and beautiful as long as the moon is shedding her
soft light upon the spray. On one occasion I saw two lunar
bows at once, one on the spray from the American Fall, and
the other on the spray of the great Horse Shoe Fall. This I
believe is not usual, but an eddy of the wind brought the two
clouds of spray under the moon's rays. Yet these are not all
the " beauties of the mist." One morning at sunrise I saw one
the most beautiful forms the spray could possibly assume-
The night had been unusually calm, the morning was as still
as it could be, and the mist from the Horse Shoe had risen in a
straight column to a height of at least 300 feet, and then
spread out into a mass of huge rolling clouds, immediately
above the cataracts. The rising sun shed a red lustre on the
under edges of the cloud, which was truly wonderful. It
more resembled one huge, solitary column supporting a canopy

150

of silvery grey cloud, the edges of which were like burnished
copper, and highly suggestive of the Temple of the Most High,
where man must bow down and worship the great Creator of
all these wondrous works. It is not in a passing glance at
Niagara that all its marvellous beauties can been seen. You
must stay there long enough to see it in all its aspects — in
sunshine and in moonlight, in daylight and in darkness, in storm
and in calm. No picture of language can possibly convey a
just conception of the grandeur and vastness of these mighty
cataracts. No poem has ever suggested a shadow of their
majesty and sublimity. No painting has ever excited in the
mind, of one that has not seen those marvellous works of God,
the faintest idea of their dazzling beauties. Descriptive writers,
both in prose and verse, have failed to depict the glories of this
" Sovereign of the World of Floods." Painters have essayed
with their most gorgeous colours, but have fallen far short of
the intense beauty, transparency, and purity of the water, and
the wonderful radiance and brilliancy of the ' ' Rainbow in the
Mist." And I fear the beauties of Niagara in natural colours
can never be obtained in the camera; but what a glorious
triumph for photography if they were. Mr. Church's picture,
painted a few years ago, is the most faithful exponent of
nature's gorgeous colouring of Niagara that has yet been produced.
Indeed, the brilliant and harmonious colouring of this grand
picture can scarcely be surpassed by the hand and skill of man.

After obtaining our views of the Grand Rapids and the Falls
from Table Rock, we put up our traps, and leaving them in
charge of the courteous proprietor of the Museum, we prepared
to go imder the great Horse Shoe Fall. Clothing ourselves in
india-rubber suits, furnished by our guide, we descended the
stairs near Table Rock, eighty-seven steps, and, led by a negro,
we went under the great sheet of water as far as we could go to
Termination Rock, and standing there for a while in that vast
cave of watery darkness, holding on to the negro's hand, we felt

151

lost in wonder and amazement, but not fear. How long we
might have remained in that bewildering situation it would be
impossible to say, but being gently drawn back by our sable
conductor, we returned to the light and consciousness of our
position. The volume of water being much greater here than at
the Cave of the Winds, and the spray being all around, we could
not see anything but darkness visible below, and an immense
moving mass before, which we knew by feeling to be water.
There is some fascination about the place, for after coming out
into the daylight I went back again alone, but the guide, hurry-
ing after me, brought me back, and held my hand until we
reached the stairs to return to the Museum. On our way back
our guide told us that more than " twice-told tale " of Niagara
and Vesuvius. If I may be pardoned for mixing up the
ridiculous with the sublime, I may as well repeat the story, for
having just come from under the Falls we were prepared to
believe the truth of it, if the geographical difficulty could have
been overcome. An Italian visiting the Falls and going under
the Horse Shoe, was asked, on coming out, what he thought of
the sight. The Italian replied it was very grand and wonderful,
but nothing to the sight of Mount Vesuvius in a grand eruption.
The guide's retort was, "I guess if you bring your Vesuvius
here, our Niagara will roon put his fires out." I do not vouch
for the truth of the story, but giye it as nearly as possible as I
was told. Returning to the Museum and making ourselves '* as
we were," and comforting ourselves with something inside after
the wetting we had got out, wc took up our traps, and wending
our way back to the ferry, recrossed the river in much the same
manner that we crossed over in the morning ; and sending our
"baggage " up in the cars we thought we would walk up the
" long stairs," 290 steps, by the side of the railway. On near-
ing the top, we felt as if we must " cave in," but having trodden
so far the back of a " lion," we determined to see the end of his
tail, and pushing on to the top, we had the satisfaction of having

152

accomplislied the task we had set ourselves. Perhaps before
abandoning the Canadian side of IS'iagara, I should have said
something about Table Rock, which, as I have said, is on the
Canadian side, and very n6ar to the Horse Shoe Fall. It took
its name from the table-like form it originally presented. It
was formerly much larger than it is now, but has, from time to
time, fallen away. At one time it was very extensive and pro-
jected over the precipice fifty or sixty feet, and was about
240 feet long and 100 feet thick. On the 26th of June, 1850,
this tremendous mass of rock, nearly half an acre, fell into the
river with a crash and a noise like the sound of an earthquake.
The whole of that immense mass of rock was buried in the
depths of the river, and completely hidden from sight. No one
was killed, which was a miracle, for several persons had been
standing on the rock just a few minutes before it fell. The
vicinity is still called Table Eock, though the projecting part
that gave rise to the name is gone. It is, nevertheless, the best
point on the Canada side for obtaining a grand and comprehensive
view of Niagara Falls.

The next scenes of our photographic labours were Suspension
Bridge, the Long Rapids, The Whirlpool, and Devil's Hole.
These subjects, though not so grand as Niagara, are still interest-
ingly and closely associated with the topographical history and
legendary interest of the Falls. And we thought a few
"impressions " of the scenes, and a visit to the various places,
would amply repay us for the amount of fatigue we should have
to undergo on such a trip under the scorching sun of August in
America. Descending to the shore, and stepping on board the
steamer Maid of the Mist, which plies up and down the river
for about two miles, on the tranquil water between the Falls
and the Lower Rapids, we were " cast off," and in a little time
reached the landing stage, a short distance above the Long Rapids.
Landing on the American side, we ascended the steep road,
■which has been cut out of the precipice, and arriving at

153

Suspension Bridge, proceeded to examine that wonderful speci-
men of engineering skill. It was not then finished, but the
lower level was complete, and foot passengers and carriages
could go along. They were busy making the railway "track "
overhead, so that, when finished (which it is now), it would be
a bridge of two stories — the lower one for passengers on foot
and carriages, the upper one for the " cars." I did not see a
" snorting monster " going along that spider's- web-like structure,
but can very well imagine what must be the sensations of " rail-
way passengers " as they pass along the giddy height. The span
of the bridge, from bank to bank, is 800 feet, and it is 230 feet
from the river to the lower or carriage road. The estimated cost
was two hundred thousand dollars, about £40,000. A boy s
toy carried the first wire across the river. When the wind was
blowing straight across, a wire was attached to a kite, and thus
the connecting thread between the two sides was secured, and
afterwards by means of a running wheel, or traveller, wire after
wire was sent across until each strand was made thick enough to
carry the whole weight of the bridge, railway trains, and other
traffic which now pass along. "We went on to the bridge, and
looked down on the rapids below, for the bridge spans the river
at the narrowest point, and right over the commencement of the
Lower Eapids. It was more of a test to my nerves to stand at
the edge of the bridge and look down on those fearful rapids
than it was to go under the Falls. To us, it seemed a miracle
of ingenuity and skill how, from so frail a connection, a mere
wire, so stupendous a structure could have been formed ; and
yet, viewing it from below, or at a distance, it looked like a
bridge of threads. During' its erection several accidents
occurred. On one occasion, when the workmen were just
venturing on to the cables to lay the flooring, and before a plank
was made fast, one of those sudden storms, so peculiar to America,
came up and carried away all the flooring into the Rapids. Four
of the men were left hanging to the wires, which were swaying

154

backwards and forwards in the hurricane in the most frightful
manner. Their cries for help could scarcely be heard, from the
noise of the Eapids and the howling of the wind, but the work-
men on shore, seeing the perilous condition of their comrades,
sent a basket, with a man in it, down the wire to rescue them
from death. Thus, one by one, they were saved. Leaving the
Bridge, and proceeding to the vicinity of the Whirlpool, still
keeping the American side of the river, we pitched the camera,
not over the precipice, as I heard of one brother photographer
doing, but on it, and took a view of the Bridge and the Rapids
looking up towards the Falls, but a bend in the river prevented
them being seen from this point. Not very far above the angry
flood we saw the Maid of the Mist lying quietly at her moorings.
We next turned our attention to the great Whirlpool, which
is about a mile below Suspension Bridge. Photographically
considered, this is not nearly of so much interest as the Falls ;
but it is highly interesting, nevertheless, as a connecting link
between their present and past history. It is supposed that
ages ago — probably before the word went forth, "Let there he
light, and there was light" — the Falls were as low down as the
Whirlpool, a distance of over three miles below where they
now are, or even lower down the river still. Geological obser-
vation almost proves this ; and, that the present Whirlpool was-
once the great basin into which the Falls tumbled. In fact,
that this was, in former ages, what the vortex at the foot of the
Great Horse Shoe Fall is now. There seems to be no doubt
whatever that the Falls are gradually though slowly receding,
and they were just as likely to have been at the foot of the
Long Rapids before the deluge, as not ; especially when it is
considered that the general aspect of the Falls has changed
considerably, by gradual undermining of the soft shale and
frequent falling and settling of the harder rocks during the last
fifty years. Looking at the high and precipitous boundaries of
the Long Rapids, it is difficult to come to any other conclusion-

155

than that, ages before the red man ever saw the Falls of Niagara,
they rolled over a precipice between these rocky barriers in a
more compact, but not less majestic body. The same vast
quantity of water had to force its way through this narrower
outlet, and it doubtless had a much greater distance to fall, for the
precipices on each side of the river at this point are nearly 250
feet high, and the width of the gorge for a mile above and
below the Whirlpool is not more than 700 feet. Considering
that the Falls are now spread over an area of nearly three-
quarters of a mile, and that this is the only outlet for all the
superfluous waters of the great inland seas of Canada and
America — Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie — and the
hundreds of tributaries thereto, it may easily be conceived how
great the rush of waters through so narrow a defile must neces-
sarily be ; their turbulence and impatience rather aptly
reminding you of a spoilt child — not in size or form, but in
behaviour. They have so long had their own way, and done as
they liked on the upper river and at the Falls, they seem as if
they could not brook the restraint put upon them now by the
giant rocks and lofty precipices that stand erect, on either side,
hurling them back defiantly in tumultuous waves, seething, and
hissing, and roaring in anger, lashing themselves into foam, and
swelling with rage, higher in the middle, as if they sought an
unpolluted way to the lake below, where they might calm their
angry and resentful passions, and lay their chafed heads on the
soft and gently heaving bosom of their lovely sister Ontario.
It is a remarkable circumstance that the waters of the Rapids,
both above and below the Whirlpool, in this defile are actually
higher in the middle, by eight or nine feet, than at the sides, as
if the space afforded them by their stern sentinels on each side
were not enough to allow them to pass through in order and on
a level. They seem to come down the upper part of the gorge
like a surging and panic stricken multitude, until they are
stopped for a time by the gigantic precipice forming the lower

156

boundary of the Whirlpool, which throws them back, and there
they remain whirling and whirling about until they get away
by an under current from the vortex ; and, rising again in the
lower part of the gorge, which runs off at right angles to the
Tipper, they again show their angry heads, and rush madly and
tumultuously away towards Lake Ontario. The bed of these
rapids must be fearfully rugged, or the surface of the waters
could not possibly be in such a broken state, for the water is at
least 1 00 feet deep, by measurement made above and below the
Rapids. But nobody has ventured to ''heave the lead" either
in the Eapids themselves or in the AVhirlpool, the depth of
which is not known. There is not much picturesque beauty at
this point. Indeed, the Whirlpool itself is rather of a fearful
and horrible character, with little to see but the mad torrent
struggling and writhing in the most furious manner, to force its
way down between its rocky boundaries. I saw logs of wood
and other " wreck," probably portions of canal boats that had
come down the river and been swept over the Falls, whirling
around but not coming to the centre. When they are seen to
get to the vortex they are tipped up almost perpendicularly and
then vanish from sight, at last released from their continually
diminishing and circular imprisonment. It has sometimes hap-
pened that the dead bodies of people drowned in the upper part
of the river have been seen whirling about in this frightful
■pool for many days. In 1841, three soldiers, deserters from the
British army, attempting to swim across the river above these
rapids, were drowned. Their bodies were carried down to the
Whirlpool, where they were seen whirling about for nearly a
fortnight. Leaving this gloomy and soul-depressing locality we
'proceeded for about half a mile further down the river, and
visited that frightful chasm called Devil's Hole, or Bloody E,un.
The former name it takes from a horrible deed of fiendish and
savage ferocity that was committed there by the Indians, and
the latter name from the circumstance of that deed causing a

157

stream of human blood to run through the ravine and mingle
with the fierce water of the Rapids. Exactly one hundred
years ago, during the French and Canadian wars, a party of 250
officers, men, women, and children, were retreating from Fort
Schlosser, on the Upper Niagara River, and, being decoyed into
an ambush, were driven over into this dreadful chasm, and fell
to the bottom, a distance of nearly 200 feet. Only two escaped.
A drummer was caught by one of the trees growing on the side
of the precipice, and the other, a soldier named Steadman,
escaped during the conflict, at the commencement of the
treacherous onslaught. 'He was mounted, and the Indians sur-
rounding him, seized the bridle, and were attempting to drag
him off his horse ; but, cutting the reins, and giving his
charger the "rowels deep," the animal dashed forward, and
carried him back in safety to Fort Schlosser. The Indians
afterwards gave him all the land he encircled in his flight, and
he took up his abode among them. In after years he put the goats
on Goat Island — hence its name — by dropping carefully down the
middle of the upper stream in a boat. After landing the goats
he returned to the main land, pushing his boat up the stream
where the Rapids divide, until he reached safe water. The
events of the foregoing episode occurred in 1765, and it is to be
hoped that the Indians were the chief instigators and perpe-
trators of the massacre of Bloody Run.

While we were looking about the chasm to see if there were
any fossil remains in the place, an unlooked-for incident
occurred. I saw two men coming up from the bottom of the
ravine carrying Jish — and the oddest fish and the whitest fish
I ever saw. The idea of anyone fishing in those head-long
rapids had never occurred to us ; but probably these men knew
some fissures in the rocks where the waters were quiet, and
where the fish put into as a place of refuge from the stormy-
waters into which they had been drawn. No wonder the poor
finny creatures were white, for I should think they had been

158

frightened almost out of their lives before they were seized by
their captors. I don't think I should have liked to have partaken
of the meal they furnished, for they were very " shy-an'-hide "
looking fishes. But soon we were obliged to give up both our
geological studies and piscatorial speculations, for black clouds
were gathering over head, shutting off the light, and making
the dark ravine too gloomy to induce us to prolong our stay in
that fearful chasm, with its melancholy associations of dark
deeds of bloodshed and wholesale murder. Uefore we gained
the road the rain came down, the lightning flashed, and the
thunder clapped, reverberating sharp and loud from the rocks
above, and we hurried away from the dismal place. On
reaching the landing-stage, we took refuge from the storm and
rain by again going on board the Maid of the Mist. She soon
started on her last trip for the day, and we reached our hotel,
glad to get out of a "positive bath," and indulge in a "toning
mixture " of alcohol, sugar, and warm water. "We had no
■\/joM," but our " paper " being (/ood, we did not require any.

After a delightful sojourn of three weeks at the Falls, and
visiting many other places of minor interest in their neighbour-
hood, I bade adieu to the kind friends I had made and met,
with many pleasant recollections of their kindness, and a
never-to-be-forgotten remembrance of the charms and beauties,
mysteries and majesty, power and grandeur, and terror and
sublimity of Niagara. — Photographic News, 1865.

PICTURES OF THE ST. LAWRENCE.
Taken in AniuMN.
Photographs of the River St. Lawrence conveying an adequate
idea of its extent and varied aspects, could not be taken in a
week, a month, or a year. It is only possible in this sketch to
call attention to the most novel and striking features of this
great and interesting river, passing them hurriedly, as I did, in

159

the ■• express boat," by which I sailed from the Niagara River
to Montreal. Lake Ontario being the great head waters of the
St. Lawrence, and the natural connection between that river
and Niagara, I shall endeavour to illustrate, with pen and pen-
cil, my sail down the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St.
Lawrence. Stepping on board the steamer lying at Lewiston,
seven miles below Niagara, and bound for Montreal, I went to
the " clerk's office," paid seven and a haK dollars — about thirty
shillings sterling — and secured my bed, board, and passage for
the trip, the above small sum being all that is charged for a
first class passage on board those magnificent steamers. I don't
remember the name of "our boat," but that is of very little
consequence, though I dare say it was the lulton, that being in
steam-boat nomenclature what " Washington " is to men, cities,
and towns, and even territory, in America. But she was a
splendid vessel, nevertheless, with a handsome dining saloon, a
fine upper saloon running the whole length of the upper deck,
about two hundred feet, an elegant '* ladies' saloon," a state-
room cabin as well, and a powerful " walking engine." "All
aboard," and "let go;" splash went the paddle-wheels, and
we moved off majestically, going slowly down the river until
we passed Fort Niagara on the American side, and Fort George
on the British, at the foot of the river, and near the entrance to
the Lake. On Fort Niagara the " Star Spangled Banner" was
floating, its bright blue field blending with the clear blue sky
of an autumn afternoon, its starry representatives of each State
shining like stars in the deep blue vault of heaven, its red and
white bars, thirteen in number, as pure in colour as the white
clouds and crimson streaks of the west. The mingled crosses
of St. Andrew and St. George were waving proudly over the
fort opposite. Brave old flag, long may you wave ! These
forts played their respective parts amidst the din of battle during
the wars of 1812 and 1813; but with these we have neither
time nor inclination to deal ; we, like the waters of the Niagara,

1(50

are in a hurry to reach the bosom of Lake Ontario. Passing
the forts, we were soon on the expanse of waters, and being
fairly " at sea," we began to settle ourselves and " take stock,"
as it were, of our fellow travellers. It is useless to describe
the aspect of the Lake ; I might as well describe the German
Ocean, for I could not see much difference between that and
Lake Ontario, except that I could not sniff the iodine from the
weeds drying in the sun while we " hugged the shore," or taste
salt air after we were out in mid ocean — " the land is no longer
in view."

To be at sea is to be at sea, no matter whether it is on a
fresh water ocean or a salt one. The sights, the sensations, and
consequences are much the same. There, a ship or two in full
sail; here, a passenger or two, of both sexes, with the "wind
taken out of their sails." The "old salts" or " old freshes "
behave themselves much as usual, and so do the "green" ones
of both atmospheres — the latter by preparing for a "bath" of
perspiration and throwing everything down the " sink," or into
the sea ; and the former by picking out companions for the
voyage. Being myself an " old salt," and tumbling in with
one or two of a " fellow feeling wondrous kind," we were soon
on as good terms as if we had known each other for years.
After "supper," a sumptuous repast at 6 p.m., we went on to
the "hurricane deck" to enjoy the calm and pleasant evening
outside. There was a " gentle swell " on the Lake — not much,
but enough to upset a few. After dark, we went into the
" ladies' cabin " — an elegant saloon, beautifully furnished, and
not without a grand piano, where the " old freshes " of the
softer sex — young and pretty ones too — were amusing themselves
with playing and singing. An impromptu concert was soon
formed, and a few very good pieces of music well played and
sung. All went off very well while nothing but English, or, I
should more properly say, American and Canadian, were sung,
but one young lady, unfortunately, essayed one of the sweetest

161

and most plaintive of Scotch songs — " Annie Laurie." No'w^
fancy the love-sick " callant " for the sake of Annie Laurie
lying down to die ; just fancy Annie Laurie "without the Scotch ;
only fancy Annie Laurie in a sort of mixture of Canadianisms
and Americanisms; fancy "toddy" without the whisky, and
you have some idea of " Annie Laurie " as sung on board the
Fulton while splashing away on Lake Ontario, somewhere be-
tween America and Canada. There being little more to induce
us to remain there, and by the ship's regulations it was getting
near the time for "all lights out" in the cabins, we took an
early " turn in," with the view of making an early "turn out,"
so as to be alive and about when we should enter the St. Law-
rence, which we did at 6 o'clock a.m., on a fine bright morn-
ing, the sun just rising to light up and "heighten" all the
glorious tints of the trees on the Thousand and One Islands,
among which we were now sailing.

It is impossible to form a correct idea of the width of the
St. Lawrence at the head of the river. The islands are so large
and numerous, it is difficult to come to a conclusion whether you
are on a river or on a lake. Many of these islands are thickly
wooded, so that they look more like the main land on each side
of you as the steamer glides down " mid channel " between
them. The various and brilliant tints of the foliage of the trees
of America in autumn are gorgeous, such as never can be seen
in this country; and their " chromotones " present an insur-
mountable difficulty to a photographer with his double achromatic
lens and camera. Imagine our oaks clothed with leaves possess-
ing all the varieties of red tints, from brilliant carmine down to
burnt sienna — the brightest copper bays that grow in England
are cool intone compared with them; fancy our beeches, birches,
and ashes thick with leaves of a bright yellow colour, from
gamboge down to yeUow ochre ; our pines, firs, larches, and
spruces, carrying all the varieties of green, from emerald down
to terra vcrte ; in fact, all the tints that are, can be seen on the

162

trees when they are going into "the sere and yellow leaf" of
autumn, excepting blue, and even that is supplied by the blue-
birds (sialia "Wilsonii) flitting about among the leaves, and in
the deep cool tint of the sky, repeated and blended with the
reflection of the many coloured trees in the calm, still water of
the river. Some of the trees — the maples, for instance — exhibit
in themselves, most vividly, the brightest shades of red, green,
and yellow ; but when the wind blows these resplendent colours
about, the atmosphere is like a mammoth kaleidoscope that is
never allowed to rest long enough to present to the eye a
symmetrical figure or pattern, a perfect chaos of the most vivid
and brilliant colours too gorgeous to depict. Long before this
we had got clear of the islands at the foot of the lake and head
of the river, and were steaming swiftly down the broad St.
Lawrence. It is difficult to say how broad, but it varied from
three to five or six miles in width ; indeed, the river very much
resembles the Balloch End, which is the broadest of Lochlomond ;
and some of the passages between the islands are very similar to
the straits between the " Pass of Balmaha " and the island of
Inchcailliach. The river is not hemmed in with such mountains
as Ben Lomond and Ben Dhu, but, in many respects, the St.
Lawrence very much resembles parts of our widest lakes, Loch-
lomond and Windermere. Having enjoyed the sight of the
bright, beautiful scenery and the fresh morning air for a couple
of hours, we were summoned to breakfast by the sound of the
steward's " Big Ben." Descending to the lower cabin, we seated
ourselves at the breakfast table, and partook of a most hearty
meal. All the meals on board these steamers are served in the
most sumptuous style. During the repast some talked politics,
some dollars and cents, others were speculating on how we should
get down the Eapids, and when we should make them. Among
the latter was myself, for I had seen rapids which I had not the
slightest desire to be in or on ; and, what sort of rapids we were
coming to was of some importance to all who had not been on

163

them. But everybody seemed anxious to be "on deck," and
again "look out" for the quickening of the stream, or when
the first " white lippers," should give indication of their where-
abouts. ATy fellow passengers were from all parts of the Union ;
the Yankee " guessed, " the Southerner "reckoned," and the
"Western man "calculated" we should soon be among the
"jumpers." Each one every now and then strained his eyes
" a-head," down stream, to see if he could descry " broken water."
At last an old liver-man sung out, " There they are." There
are the Longue Sault Eapids, the first we reach. Having plenty
of " daylight," we did not feel much anxiety as we neared them,
which we quickly did, for "the stream runs fast." "We were
soon among the jumping waters, and it is somewhat difficult to
describe the sensation, somewhat difficult to find a comparison
of a suitable character. It is not Kke being at sea in a ship in
a " dead calm." The vessel does not " roll " with such solemn
dignity, nor does she " pitch " and rise again so buoyantly as an
Atlantic steamer (strange enough, I once crossed the Atlantic
in the steamship Niaga/ra), as she ploughs her way westward or
eastward in a "head wind," and through a head sea. She
rather kicks and jerks, and is let " down a peg " or two, with a
shake and a fling. Did you ever ride a spavined horse down a
hill ? If so, you can form some idea of the manner in which we
were let down the Longue Sault and Cedar Eapids and the St.
Louis Cascades. One of our fellow passengers — a Scotchman —
told that somewhat apropos and humorous story of the
" Hielandman's " first trip across the Frith of Forth in a " nasty
sea." Feeling a little uneasy about the stomach, and his bile
being rather disturbed, the prostrate mountaineer cried out to
the man at the " tiller " to " stop tickling the beast's tail — what
was he making the animal kick that way for ? " And so, telling
our stories, and cracking our jokes, we spent the time until our
swift vessel brought us to a landing, where we leave her and go
on board a smaller boat, one more suitable for the descent of the
more dangerous rapids, which we have yet to come to.

164

"All aboard," and away we go again as fast as steam and a
strong current can take us, passing an island here and there, a
town or a village half French and English, with a sprinkling of
the Indian tribes, on the banks of the river now and then. But
by this time it is necessary to go below again and dine. Bed,
board, and travelling, are all included in the fare, so everyone
goes to dinner. There is, however, so much to see during this
delightful trip, that nobody likes to be below any longer than
can be avoided. Immediately after dinner most are on deck again,
anxious to see all that is to be seen on this magnificent river.
The sights are various and highly interesting to the mind or
" objectives " of either artist or photographer. Perhaps one of
the most novel subjects for the camera and a day's photographing
would be "Life on a Raft," as you see them drifting down the
St. Lawrence. There is an immense raft — a long, low, flat,
floating island, studded with twenty or thirty sails, and half a
dozen huts, peopled with men, women, and children, the little
ones playing about as if they were on a "plank road," or in a
garden. It is " washing day," and the clean clothes are drying
in the sun and breeze — indicative of the strictest domestic
economy, and scrupulous cleanliness of those little huts, the
many-coloured garments giving the raft quite a gay appearance,
as if it were decked with the " flags of all nations." But what
a life of tedious monotony it must be, drifting down the river
in this way for hundreds of miles, from the upper part of Lake
Ontario to Montreal or Quebec. How they get down the rapids
of the St. Lawrence I do not know, but I should think they
run considerable risk of being washed off"; the raft seems too
low in the water, and if not extremely well fastened, might part
and be broken up. "We passed two or three of these rafts, one
a very large one, made up of thousands of timbers laid across
and across like warp and weft ; yet the people seemed happy
enough on these "timber island ;" we passed them near enough
to see their faces and hear their voices, and I regretted I could

165

not ''catch their shadows," or stop and have an hour or two's
"work among them with the camera or the pencil ; but we passed
them by as if they were a fixture in the river, and they gave
lis a shout of " God speed," as if they did not envy our better
pace in the least.

There is abundance of work for the camera at all times of the
year on the St. Lawrence ; I have seen it in summer and autumn,
and have attempted to describe some of its attractions. And I
"was told that when the river — not the rapids — is ice-bound, the
banks covered with snow, and the trees clad in icicles, they
present a beautiful scene in the sunshine. And in the spring,
w^hen the ice is breaking up, and the floes piling high on one
another, it is a splendid sight to see them coming down, hurled
about and smashed in the rapids, showing that the water in its
liquid state is by far the most powerful. But now we are
coming to the most exciting part of our voyage. The steam is
shut off, the engine motionless, the paddlewheels are still, and
we are gliding swiftly and noiselessly down with the current.
Yonder speck on the waters is the Indian coming in his canoe
to pilot us down the dangerous rapids. We near each other,
and he can now be seen paddling swiftly, and his canoe shoots
like an arrow towards us. Now he is alongside, he leaps lightly
on board, his canoe is drawn up after him, and he takes command
of the " boat." Everybody on board knows the critical moment
is approaching. The passengers gather "forward," the ladies
cling to the arms of their natural protectors, conversation is
stopped, the countenances of everyone exhibit intense excite-
ment and anxiety, and every eye is " fixed ahead," or oscillating
"between the pilot and the rushing waters which can now be
seen from the prow of the vessel. The Indian and three other
men are at the wheel in the "pilothouse," holding the helm
^' steady," and we are rushing down the stream unaided by any
other propelling power than the force of the current, at a rate
•of twenty miles an hour. Now we hear the rushing and plung-

106

ing sound of the waters, and in a moment the keen eye of the
Indian catches sight of the land mark, which is the signal for
putting the helm "hard a port;" the wheel flies round like
lightning, and we are instantly dropped down a perpendicular
fall of ten or twelve feet, the vessel careening almost on her
"beam ends," in the midst of these wild, white waters, an
immense rock or rocky island right ahead. But that is safely
"rounded," and we are again in comparatively quiet water.
The steam is turned into the cylinders, and we go on our course
in a sober, sensible, and steamboat-like fashion. When we wer&
safely past the rapids and round the rock, a gentleman remarked
to me that " once in a lifetime was enough of that." It was
interesting to watch the countenances of the passengers, and
mark the difference of expression before and after the passage of
the rapids. Before, it was all excitement and anxiety, mingled
with a wish-it-was-over sort of look ; and all were silent.
After, everybody laughed and talked, and seemed delighted at
having passed the Lachine Eapids in safety ; yet most people
are anxious to undergo the excitement and incur the risk and
danger of the passage. You can, if you like, leave the boat
above Lachine and proceed to Montreal by the cars, but I don't
think any of our numerous passengers ever thought of doing such
a thing. As long as ever this magnificent water way is free
from ice, and the passage can be made, it is done. I don't know
that more than one accident has ever occurred, but the risk
seems considerable. There is a very great strain on the tiller
ropes, and if one of them were to " give out" at the critical
time, nothing could save the vessel from being dashed to pieces
against the "rock ahead," and scarcely a life could be saved.
No one can approach the spot except from above, and then there
is no stopping to help others ; you must go with the waters,
rushing madly down over and among the rocks. The Indians
often took these rapids, in their canoes, to descend to the lower
part of the St. Lawrence ; and one of them undertook to pilot

167

the first steamer down in safety. His effort was successful,
and he secured for his tribe (the Iroquois) a charter endowing
them with the privileges and emoluments in perpetuity. I
wish I could have obtained photographic impressions of these
scenes and groups, but the only lens I could draw a " focus "
with was the eye, and the only ''plate" I had ready for use
was the retina. However, the impressions obtained on that
were so " vigorous and well defined," I can at any moment call
them up, like "spirits from the vasty deep," and reproduce
them in my mental camera.

The remaining nine miles of the voyage were soon accom-
plished. Passing the first abutment of the Victoria Bridget
which now crosses the St. Lawrence, at this point two miles
wide, we quickly reached the fine quay and canal locks at
Montreal, where we landed just as it was growing dark, after
a delightful and exciting voyage of about thirty hours' duration,
and a distance of more than four hundred miles. Quick work;
but it must be borne in mind how much our speed was accelerated
by the velocity of the current, and that the return trip by
the canal, past the rapids, cannot be performed in anything like
the time.

On reaching the quay I parted with my agreeable fellow
travellers, and sought an hotel, where once more, after a long
interval, I slept under a roof over which floated the flag which
every Englishman is proud of — the Union Jack.

Next morning I rose early, and, with a photographic eye,
scanned the city of Montreal. The streets are narrow, but
clean, and well bailt of stone. Most of the suburban streets
and villa residences are ''frame buildings," but there are many
handsome villas of stone about the base of the "mountain.'
I visited the principal buildings and the Cathedral of Notre
Dame, ascended to the top of the Bell Tower, looked dovS^n
upon the city, and had a fine view of its splendid quays
and magnificent river frontage, and across the country south-

168

•wards for a great distance, as far as the Adirondack Mountains,
where the Hudson Eiver bubbles into existence at Hendrick
Spring, whence it creeps and gathers strength as it glides and
falls and rushes alternately until it enters the Atlantic below
New York, over three hundred miles south of its source. Eut
the mountain at the back of Montreal prevented my seeing
anything beyond the city in that direction. I afterwards
ascended the mountain, from the summit of which I could see
an immense distance up the river, far beyond Lachine, and
across the St. Lawrence, and southwards into the " States."
Being homeward bound, and having no desire at that time to
prolong my stay in the western hemisphere, I did not wait to
obtain any photographs of Montreal or the neighbourhood ; but,
taking ship for old England, I leave the lower St. Lawence and
its beauties ; Quebec, with its glorious associations of Wolfe
and the plains of Abraham, its fortifications, which are now being
so fully described and discussed in the House of Commons, and
the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, where vessels have sometimes to
be navigated from the "masthead," in consequence of the low-
lying sea fog which frequently prevails there. A man is sent
up "aloft" where he can see over the fog, which lies like a
stratum of white cloud on the gulf, and pilot the ship safely
through tlie fleet of merchantmen which are constantly sailing
up and down while the river is open. The fog may not be much
above the "maintop," but is so dense it is impossible to see
teyond the end of the " bowsprit " from the deck of the ship you
are aboard ; but from the " masthead " the " look out " can see
the high land and the masts and sails of the other ships, and
avoid the danger of going " ashore " or coming into collision by
crying out to the man at the wheel such sea phrases as " Port,"
''Starboard," "Steady," &c. ; and when "tacking" up or
down the gulf, such as "luff," "higher," "let her off."
Indeed, the whole trip of the St. Lawrence — from Lake Ontario
to the Atlantic — is intensely exciting. While off the coast of

1d9

Newfoundland, I witnessed one of those beautiful sights of
nature in her sternest mood, which I think has yet to he
Tendered in the camera — icebergs in the sunlight. A great deal
has been said about their beauty and colour, but nothing too
much. Anyone who saw Church's picture of "The Icebergs,"
exhibited in London last year, may accept that as a faithful
xeflection of all their beautiful colours and dreadful desolation.
All sailors like to give them as wide a " berth" as possible, and
never admire their beauty, but shun them for their treachery.
Sometimes their base extends far beyond their perpendicular
lines, and many a good ship has struck on the shoal of ice under
water, when the Captain thought he was far enough away from
■it. The largest one I saw was above a hundred feet above the
water-line, and as they never exhibit more than one-third of
their ponderous mass of frozen particles, there would be over
two hundred feet of it below water, probably shoaling far out in
all directions. "We had a quick run across the Atlantic, and I
landed in Liverpool, in the month of November, amid fog, and
smoke, and gloom. "What a contrast in the light ! Here it was
all fog and darkness, and photography impossible. There —
the other side of the waters — the light is always abundant
both in winter and summer ; and it is only during a snow or
■rain storm that our transatlantic brother photographers are
brought to a stand-still. — Photographic News, 1865.

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMPRESSIONS.

The Hi7dsox, Developed on the Voyage.

" We'll have a trip up the Hudson," said a friend of mine, one
•of the best operators in Kew York ; ' ' we'll have a trip up the
Hudson, and go and spend a few days with the ' old folk ' in.
Termont, and then you will see us ' Yankees ' — our homes and
hospitalities — in a somewhat different light from what you see
"them in this Gotham."

170

So it was arranged, and on the day appointed we walked
down Broadway, turned down Courtland Street to the North
Kiver, and went on board the splendid river steamer Isaac
Newton, named, in graceful compliment, after one of England's
celebrities. Two dollars (eight and fourpence) each secured us
a first-class passage in one of those floating palaces, for a trip
of 144 miles up one of the most picturesque rivers in America.

Wishing for a thorough change of scene and occupation, and
being tired of " posing and arranging lights" and " drawing a
focus" on the faces of men, women, and children in a stifling
and pent-up city, we left the camera with its " racks and
pinions" behind, determined to revel in the beautiful and
lovely only of nature, and breathe the fresh and exhilarating
air as we steamed up the river, seated at the prow, and fanned
by the breeze freshened by the speed of our swift-sailing boat.

Leaving New York, with its hundred piers jutting out into
the broad stream, and its thousand masts and church spires on
the one side, and Jersey City on the other, we are soon abreast
of Hoboken and the "Elysian Fields," where the Germans
assemble to drink "lager beer" and spend their Sundays and
holidays. On the right or east side of the river is Spuyten
Duyvil Creek, which forms a junction with the waters of the
Sound or East River, and separates the tongue of land on which
New York stands from the main, making the island of Man-
hattan. This island is a little over thirteen miles long and two
and a-half miles wide. The Dutch bought the whole of it for
£4 16s., and that contemptible sum was not paid to the poor,
ignorant, and confiding Indians in hard cash, but in toys and
trumpery articles not worth half the money. Truly it may be
said that the " Empire City " of the United States did not cost
a cent, an acre not more than two hundred and fifty years ago,
and now some parts of it are worth a dollar a square foot. At
Spuyten Duyvil Creek Henry Hudson had a skirmish with the
Indians, while his ship, the Half Moon, was lying at anchor.

171

^Now we come to the picturesque and the beautiful, subjects
fit for the camera of the photographer, the pencil of the artist,
and the pen of the historian. On the -western side of the Hud-
son, above Hoboken, we catch the first glimpse of that singular
and picturesque natural river wall called the " Palisades," a
series of bold and lofty escarpments, extending for about thirty-
five miles up the river, and varying in an almost perpendicular
height from four to over six hundred feet, portions of them
presenting a very similar appearance to Honister Craig, facing the
Vale of Buttermere and Salisbury Craigs, near Edinburgh,

About two and a-half miles above Manhattan Island, on the
east bank of the Hudson, I noticed a castellated building of
considerable pretensions, but somewhat resembling one of those
stage scenes of Dunsinane in Macbeth, or the Castle of Ravens-
wood in the Bride of Lamtnennoor. On enquiring to whom this
fortified-looking residence belonged, I was told it was Fort Hill,
the retreat of Edwin Forest, the celebrated American tragedian.
It is built of blue granite, and must have been a costly fancy.

.Kow we come to the pretty village of Yonkers, where there
are plenty of subjects for the camera, on Sawmill River, and
the hills behind the village. Here, off Yonkers, in 1609, Henry
Hudson came to the premature conclusion, from the strong tidal
current, that he had discovered the north-west passage, which
was the primary object of his voyage, and which led to the
discovery of the river which now bears his name.

At Dobb's Ferry there is not much to our liking ; but passing
that, and before reaching Tarrytown, we are within the charm-
ing atmosphere of Sunnyside, where "Washington Irving lived
and wrote many of his delightful works. Tarrytown is the
next place we make, and here, during the war for independence,
the enthusiastic but unfortunate soldier, 3Iajor Andre, was cap-
tured; and at Tappan, nearly opposite, he was hung as a spy on
the 2nd of October, 1780.

All the world knows the unfortunate connection between

172

■Benedict Arnold, the American traitor, and Major Andre, the
frank, gallant, and enterprising British oflScer; so I shall leave
those subjects to the students of history, and pass on as fast as
our boat will carry us to the next place of note on the east bank
of the river, Sing Sing, which is the New York State prison,
where the refractory and not over honest members of State
society are sent to be "operated" upon by the salutary
treatment of confinement and employment. Some of them are
"doing time" in dark rooms, which are very unsuitable for
photographic operations, and where a little more light, no matter
■how yellow or non-actinic, would be gladly received. The
" silent cell" system is not practised so much in this State as
in some of the others ; but the authorities do their best to
improve the negative or refractory character of the subjects placed
under their care. It is, however, very questionable whether
their efforts are not entirely negatived, and the bad character of
the subject more fully developed and intensified by contact with
the more powerful reducing agents by which they are sur-
rounded. Their prison is, however, very pleasantly situated on
the banks of the Hudson, about thirty-three miles above New
York City.

Opposite Sing Sing is Rockland Lake, one hundred and fifty
feet above the river, at the back of the Palisades. This lake is
celebrated for three things — leeches and water lilies in summer,
and ice in winter. Kockland Lake ice is prized by the thirsty
idenizens of New York City in the sultry summer months, and
even in this country it is becoming known as a cooler and
' refresher."

Nearly opposite Sing Sing is the boldest and highest buttress
of the Palisades; it is called "Vexatious Point," and stands
six hundred and sixty feet above the water.

About eleven miles above Sing Sing we come to Peekskill,
which is at the foot of the Peekskill Mountains. Backed up by
those picturesque hills it has a pretty appearance from the river.

173

This was also a very important place during the wars. At this
point the Americans set fire to a small fleet rather than let it
fall into the hands of the British.

A little higher up on the west side is the important military-
station of West Point. This place, as well us being most charm-
ingly situated, is also famous as the great military training
school of the United States. Probably you have noticed, in
reading the accounts of the war now raging between North
and South, that this or that general or officer was a " West
Point man." General George M'Clellan received his military
education at West Point ; but, whatever military knowledge he
gained at this college, strengthened by experience and observa-
tion at the Crimea, he was not allowed to make much use of-
while he held command of the army of the Potomac. His great
opponent, General Lee, was also a "West Point man," and it
does not require much consideration to determine which of the
" Pointsmen " was the smarter. Washington has also made West
Point famous in the time of the war for independence. Bene-
dict Arnold held command of this point and other places in the
neighbourhood, when he made overtures to Sir Henry Clinton
to hand over to the British, for a pecuniary consideration of
£10,000, West Point and all its outposts.

A little higher up is Cold Spring, on the east side of the
Hudson ; but we will pass that by, and now we are off 'New-
burg on the west bank. This is a large and flourishing town
also at the foot of high hills — indeed, we are now in the high-
lands of the Hudson, and it would be difiicult to find a town or
a village that is not backed uj) by hills. At the time I first
visited these scenes there was a large photographic apparatus
manufactory at Newburg, where they made "coating boxes,"
"buff" wheels," "Pecks blocks," &c., on a very extensive scale,
for the benefit of themselves and all who were interested in
the " cleaning," " buifing," and "coating" of Daguerreotype
plates.

174

Opposite Newburg is Fishkill ; but we shall pass rapidly up
past Poughkeepsie on the rigbt, and other places right and
left, until we come to Hudson, on the east side of the river.
Opposite Hudson are the Catskill Mountains, and here the
river is hemmed in by mountains on all sides, resembling the
head of Ullswater lake, or the head of Loch Lomond or Loch
Katrine ; and here we have a photographic curiosity to descant
upon.

Down through the gorges of these mountains came a blast
like the sound from a brazen trumpet, which electrified the
photographers of the day. Among these hills resided the Rev.
Levi Hill, who lately died in Xew York, the so-called inventor
or discoverer of the Hillotype, or Daguerreotypes in natural
colours. So much were the " Daguerreans " of New York
startled by the announcement of this wonderful discovery, that
they formed themselves into a sort of company to buy up the
highly -coloured invention. A deputation of some of the most
respectable and influential Daguerreotypists of New York was
appointed to wait upon the reverend discoverer, and offer him I
don't remember how many thousand dollars for his discovery as
it stood ; and it is said that he showed them specimens of
" coloured Daguerreotypes," — but refused to sell or impart to
them the secret until he had completed his discovery, and made
it perfect by working out the mode of producing the only
lacking colour, chrome yellow. But in that he never succeeded,
and so this wonderful discovery was neither given nor sold to
the world. Many believed the truth of the man's statements —
whether he believed it himself or not, God only knows. One
skilful Daguerreotypist, in the State of New York, assured me
he had seen the specimens, and had seen the rev. gentleman at
work in his laboratory labouring and " buffing" away at a mass
of something like a piece of lava, until by dint of hard rubbing
and scrubbing the colours were said to " appear like spirits,"
one by one, until all but the stubborn chrome yellow showed

175

themselves on the surface. I could not help laughing ut my
friend's statement and evident credulity, but after seeing
"jumping Quakers," disciples of Joe Smith, and believers in
the doctrine of Johanna Southcote, I could not be much sur-
prised at any creed either in art or religion, or that men should
fall into error in the Hillotype faith as easily as into errors of
ethics or morality. I was assured by my friend (not my travel-
ling companion) that they were beautiful specimens of colouring.
Granted ; but that did not prove that they were not done by
hand. Indeed, a suspicion got abroad that the specimens shovv^n
by Mr. Hill were hand- coloured pictures brought from Europe.
And from all that I could learn they were more like the beauti-
fully coloured Daguerreotypes of M. Mansion, who was then
colourist to Mr. Beard, than anything else I could see or hear
of. Being no mean hand myself at colouring a Daguerreotype
in those days, I was most anxious to see one of those wonderful
specimens of "photography in natural colours," but I never
could ; and the inventor lived in such an out-of-the way place,
among the Catskills, that I had no opportunity of paying him a
visit. I have every reason to believe that the hand-coloured
pictures by M. Mansion and myself were the only Hillotypes
that were ever exhibited in America. Many of my coloured
Daguerreotypes were exhibited at the State Fair in Castle
Garden, and at the Great Exhibition at New York in 1853.
But perhaps the late Rev. Levi Hill was desirous of securing a
posthumous fame, and may have left something behind him after
all ; for surely, no man in his senses would have made such a
noise about Daguerreotypes in " natural colours " as he did if
he had not some reason for doing so. If so, and if he has left
anything behind him that will lead us into nature's hidden
mine of natural colours, now is the time for the "heirs and
administrators " of the deceased gentlemen to secure for their
deceased relative a fame as enduiing as the Catskill Mountains
themselves.

The KatzLergs, as the Dutch called the Catskill Mountains^
on account of the number of wild cats they found among them,
have more than a photographic interest. The late Washington
Irving has imparted to them an attraction of a romantic character
almost as bewitching as that conferred upon the mountains in
the vicinity of Loch Lomond and Loch Katiine by Sir Walter
Scott. It is true that the delicate fancy of Irving has not
peopled the Katzbergs with such " warriors true " as stood
" Along Benledi's living side ; "

nor has he *' sped the fiery cross " over " dale, glen, and valley ; "
neither has he tracked

"The autler'd monarch oE the waste "

from hill to hill ; but the war-whoop of the Mohegans has
startled the wild beasts from their lair, and the tawny hunters
of the tribe have followed up the trail of the panther until with
bow and arrow swift they have slain him in his mountain hiding
place. And Irving's quaint fancy has re-peopled the mountains
again with the phantom figures of Hendrick Hudson and his
crew, and put Rip van Winkle to sleep, like a big baby, in one
of nature's huge cradles, where he slept for twenty years, and
slept away the reign of good King George III. over the
colonies, and awoke to find himself a bewildered citizen of the
United States of America. And the place where he slept, and
the place where he saw the solemn, silent crew of the " Half
Moon " playing at ninepins, will be sought for and pointed out
in all time coaaing. And why should these scenes of natural
beauty and charming romance not be photographed on the spot?
It has not been done to my knowledge, yet they are well worthy
the attention of photographers, either amateur or professional.
W^e leave the Catskill Mountains with some regret, because of
the disappointment of their not yielding us the promised
triumph of chemistry, "photography in natural colours," and
because of their beauty and varying effects of chiaroscuro not

177

liaving been sufficiently rendered in the monocliromes we have
so long had an opportunity of obtaining in the camera.

Passing Coxackie, on tlie west bank of the Hudson, and many
pleasant residences and places on each side of the river, we
are soon at Albany, the capital of the State of Xew York, and
the termination of our voyage on the board the Isaac Newton.
And well had our splendid steamer performed her part of the
contract. Here we were, in ten hours, at Albany, 144 miles
from Xew York City. "^Tiat a contrast, in the rate of speed,
between the Isaac Newton and the first boat that steamed up
the Hudson I The Claremont took over thirty-six hours, wind
and weather permitting, to perform the voyage between Xew
York and Albany ; and we had done it in ten. "What a con-
trast, too, in the size, style, and deportment of the two boats!
The Claremont was a little, panting, puffing, half-clad, always-
out-of-breath sort of thing, that splashed and struggled and
groaned through the water, and threw its naked and diminutive
paddle wheels in and out of the river — like a man that can
neither swim nor is willing to be drowned, throwing his arms
in and out of the water in agony — and only reached her
destination after a number of stoppings-to-breathe and spasmodic
start-agains. The Isaac Newton had glided swiftly and smoothly
through the waters of the Hudson, her gigantic paddle-wheels
performing as many revolutions in a minute as the other's did
in twenty.

But these were the advanced strides and improvements brought
about by the workings and experiences of half a century. If
the marine steam engine be such a wonderfully-improved
machine in that period of time, what may not photography be
when the art-science is fifty years old ? "What have not the
thousands of active brains devoted to its advancement done for
it already ? "^^hat have not been the improvements and
wonderful workings of photography in a quarter of a century ?
"What improvements have not been effected in the lifetime of

178

any old Daguerreotypist ? When I first knew photography it
was a ghostly thing — a shimmering phantom — that was flashed
in and out of your eyes with the rapidity of lightning, as you
tried to catch a sight of the image between the total darkness
of the black poUsh of the silvered plate, and the blinding light
of the sky, which was reflected as from a mirror into your eyes.
But how these phantom figures vanished! How rapidly
"they changed from ghostly and almost invisible shadows to solid,
visible, and all but tangible forms under the magical influence
of Goddard's and Claudet's "bromine accelerator," andFizeau's
'* fixing " or gilding process ! How Mercury flew to the lovely
and joint creations of chemistry and optics, and took kindly to
the timid, hiding beauties of Iodine, Bromine, Silver, and
Light, and brought them out, and showed them to the world,
proudly, as "things of beauty," and " a joy for ever !" How
Mercury clung to these latent beauties, and " developed "
their charms, and became "attached" to them, and almost
immovable ; and consented, at last, to be tinted like a Gibson's
Venus to enhance the charms and witcheries of his proteges!
Anon was Mercury driven from Beauty's fair domain, and bright
shining Silver, in another form, took up with two fuming,
puffy fellows, who styled themselves Ether and Alcohol, with a
villainous taint of methyl and something very much akin to
gunpowder running through their veins. A most abominable
compound they were, and some of the vilest of the vile were
among their progeny; indeed, they were all a " hard lot," for
I don't know how many rods — I may say tons — of iron had to
be used before they could be brought into the civilised world
at all. But, happily, they had a short life. Now they have
almost passed away from off the face of the earth, and it is to
be hoped that the place that knew them once will know them
no more ; for they were a dangerous set — fragile in substance,
frightful abortions, and an incubus on the fair fame of photo-
graphy. They bathed in the foulest of baths, and what served

179

for one served for all. The poisonous and disgusting fluid
was used over and over again. Loathsome and pestiferous
vapours hovered about them, and they took up their abode in
the back slums of our cities, and herded with the multitude,
and a vast majority of them were not worth the consideration
of the most callous officer of the sanitary commission. Every-
thing that breathes the breath of life has its moments of agony,
and these were the throes that agonised Photography in that
fell epoch of her history.

From the ashes of this burning shame Photography arose.
Phoenix-like, and with Silver, seven times purified, took her
ethereal form into the hearts and ateliers of artists, who
welcomed her sunny presence in their abodes of refinement
and taste. They treated her kindly and considerately, and
lovingly placed her in her proper sphere ; and, by their kind
and delicate treatment, made her forget the miseries of her
degradation and the agonies of her travail. Then art aided
photography and photography aided art, and the happy, delightful
reciprocity has brought down showers of golden rain amidst
the sunshine of prosperity to thousands who follow with love
and devotion the chastened and purified form of Photography,
accompanied in all her thoughts and doings by her elder sister —
Art.

I must apologise for this seeming digression. However, as I
have not entirely abandoned my photographic impressions, I take
it for granted that I have not presumed too much on the good
nature of my readers, and will now endeavour to further
develop and redevelop the Hudson, and point out the many
phases of beauty that are fit subjects for the camera which
may be seen on the waters and highland boundaries of that
beautiful river in all seasons of the year.

Albany is the capital of the State. It is a large and flourishing
city, and one of the oldest, being an early Dutch settlement,
which is sufficiently attested by the prevalsnce of such cognomens

180

as " Vanderdonck " and " Onderdunk " over the doors of the
traders.

About six or eight railes above Albany the Hudson ceases tO'
be navigable for steamers and sailing craft, and the influence of
the tide becomes imperceptible. Troy is on the east bank of
the river; and about two miles above, the Mohawk Eiver joins
the Hudson, coming down from the Western part of the State
of New York. For about two hundred miles the Hudson runs
almost due north and south from a little below Fort Edward ;
but, from the Adirondack Mountains, where it takes its spring,
it comes down in a north-westerly direction by rushing rapids,,
cascades, and falls innumerable for about two hundred miles
more through some of the wildest country that can possibly be
imagined.

We did not proceed up the Upper Hudson, but I was told it
would well repay a trip with the camera, as some of the wildest
and most picturesque scenery would be found in tracking the
Hudson to its source among the Adirondack Mountains.

I afterwards sailed up and down the navigable part of the
Hudson many times and at all periods of the year, except when
it was ice-bound, by daylight and by moonlight, and a more
beautiful moonlight sail cannot possibly be conceived. To be
sailing up under the shade ^v of the Palisades on a bright
moonlight night, and see the eastern shore and bays bathed in
the magnesium-like light of a bright western moon, is in itself
enough to inspire the most ordinary mind with a love of all
that is beautiful and poetical in nature.

Moonlight excursions are frequently made from New York to
various points on the Hudson, and Sleepy Hollow is one of the
most favourite trips. I have been in that neighbourhood, but
never saw the " headless horseman" that was said to haunt the
place ; but that may be accounted for by the circumstance of
some superior officer having recently commanded the trooper
■without a head to do duty in Texas.

181

My next trip up the Hudson was in winter, when the surface
•of the river was in the state of " glacial," solid at 50'^ for two
or three feet down, but the temperature was considerably lower,
frequently IS'* and 20° below zero — and that was nipping cold
" and no mistake," making the very breath " glacial," plugging
up the nostrils with ''chunks" of ice, and binding the beard
and moustache together, making a glacier on your face, which
you had to break through every now and then to make a
breathing hole.

On this arctic trip the whole aspect of the river and its
boundaries is marvellously changed, without losing any of its
picturesque attractions. Instead of the clear, deep river having
its glassy surface broken by the splash of paddle wheels, it is
converted into a solid highway. Instead of the sound of the
" pilot's gong," and the cries of " a sail on the port bow," there
is nothing to be heard but the jingling sound of the sleigh bells,
and the merry laugh and prattle of the fair occupants of the
sleighs, as they skim past on the smooth surface of the ice,
wrapped cosily up in their gay buflfalo robes.

The great excitement of winter in Ctinada or the States is to
take a sleigh ride ; and I think there is nothing more delightful,
when the wind is still, than to skim along the ice in the bright,
winter sunshine, behind a pair of spanking "trotters." The
horses seem to enjoy it as much as the people, arching their
necks a little more proudly than usual, and stepping lightly to
the merry sound of the sleigh bells.

At this time of the year large sleighs, holding fifteen to
twenty people, and drawn by four horses, take the place of
steamers, omnibuses, and ferry boats. The steam ferries are
housed, except at New York, and there they keep grinding
their way through the ice "all winter," as if they would not
let winter reign over their destinies if they could help it.
Xarge sleighs cross and recross on the ice higher up the
Hudson, and thus keep up the connection between the various

182

points and opposite shores. As the mercury falls the spirits of
the people seem to rise, and they shout and halloo at each
other as they pass or race on the ice. These are animated
scenes for the skill of a Blanchard or any other artist equally
good in the production of instantaneous photographs.

Another of the scenes on the Hudson worthy of the camera
is " ploughing the ice." It is a singular sight to an English-
man to see a man driving a team of horses on the ice, and see
the white powder rising before the ice-plough like spray from
the prow of a vessel as she rushes through the water, cutting
the ice into blocks or squares, to stow away in " chunks," and
afterwards, when the hot sulty weather of July and August is
prostrating you, have them brought out to make those wonderful
mixtures called " ice-creams," sherry-cobblers," and "brandy-
cocktails."

The Hudson is beautiful in winter as well as in summer, and
I wonder its various and picturesque beauties have not been
photographed more abundantly. But there it is. Prophets
are never honoured in their own country, and artists and photo-
graphers never see the beauties of their country at home. I
am sure if the Hudson were photographed from the sea to its
source it would be one of the most valuable, interesting, and
picturesque series of photographs that ever was published. Its
aspects in summer are lovely and charming, and the wet process
can then be employed with success. And in winter, though the
temperature is low, the river is perfectly dry on the surface, the
hills and trees are glistening with snow and icicles, the people
are on the very happiest terms with one another, and frequently
exhibit an abundance of dry, good humour. This is the time
to work the "dry process" most successfully, and, instead of
the "ammonia developers," try the "hot and strong " ones.

With these few hints to my photographic friends, I leave the
beauties of the Hudson to their kind consideration. — British
Journal of Pho tography, 1865.

183

PICTIJEES OF THE POTOMAC IN PEACE
AND WAR.

"When first I visited that lovely region which has so recently-
been torn and trampled down — blackened and defaced by the
ruthlessness of war — peace lay in the valleys of the Potomac.
Nothing was borne on the calm, clear bosom of the broad and
listless river but the produce of the rich and smiling valleys of
Virginia. Its banks were peaceful, silent, and beautiful. The
peach orchards were white with the blossoms that promised a
rich harvest of their delicious fruit. The neat and pretty houses
that studded the sloping boundaries of the river were almost
blinding with their dazzling whiteness as the full blaze of the
sun fell upon them. Their inhabitants were happy, and dreamt
not of the storm so soon to overtake them. The forts were
occupied by only a few, very few soldiers. The guns were laid
aside, all rusty and uncared for ; and pilgrims to the tomb of
Washington, the good and great, stopped on their return at Fort
Washington to examine the fortifications in idleness and peaceful
curiosity. The Capitol at Washington echoed nothing but
the sounds of peace and good will. The senators of both North
and South sat in council together, and considered only the
welfare and prosperity of their great confederation.

The same harmonious fellowship influenced the appearance
and actions of all ; and at that happy conjuncture I made my first
acquaintance with Washington, the capital of the United States.
I shall not attempt a description of its geographical position :
everybody knows that it is in the district of Columbia, and on
the banks of the Potomac. It is a city of vast and pretentious
appearance, straggling over an unnecessary amount of ground,
and is divided into avenues and streets. The avenues are named
after the principal States, and take their spring from the Capitol,
running off in all directions in angular form, like the spokes of

184

a wheel, the Capitol heing the " angular point." The streets
running between and across the avenues rejoice in the euphonious
names of First, Second, and Third, and A, B, and C streets, the
straight lines of which are broken by trees of the most luxurious
growth all along the side-walks. These trees form a delightful
sun-shade in summer, and have a very novel and pleasing effect
at night, when their green and leafy arches are illuminated by
the gas lamps underneath.

Excepting the Capitol, "White House, Court House, Post
Office, Patent Office, and Smithsonian Institute, there is nothing
in the city of photographic interest. The "United States,"
the " JSTational," and "Willards," are large and commodious
hotels on Pennsylvania Avenue; but not worth a plate, photo-
graphically speaking, unless the landlords wish to illustrate
their bar bills. The Capitol is out of all proportion the largest
and most imposing structure in Washington — it may safely be
said in the United States. Situated on an elevated site, at the
top of Pennsylvania Avenue, it forms a grand termination to
that noble thoroughfare at its eastern extremity. The building
consists of a grand centre of freestone painted white, surmounted
by a vast dome of beautiful proportions. Two large wings of
white marble complete the grand facade. Ascending the noble
flight of marble steps to the principal entranca, the great portico
is reached, which is supported by about eighteen Corinthian
columns. The pediment is ornamented with a statue of America
in the centre, with the figures of Faith on her left, and Justice
on her right. On each side of the entrance is a group of
statuary. On one side an Indian savage is about to massacre a
mother and her child, but his arm is arrested by the figure of
Civilization. On the other side the group consists of a man
holding up a globe, representing Columbus and the figure of an
Indian girl looking up to it.

The large rotunda, immediately underneath the dome, is di-
vided into panels, which are filled with paintings, such as the

185

■" Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers," " The Baptism of the Indian
Princess Pocahontas," and other subjects illustrative of American
history. On either side of the Eotunda are passages leading to
the House of Representatives on the one side, and the Senate
Chamber on the other. Congress being assembled, I looked in
to see the collective wisdom of the " States" during a morning
sitting. In many respects the House of Representatives very
much resembled our own House of Commons. There was a
Mr. Speaker in the chair, and one gentleman had "the floor,"
and was addressing the House. Other members were seated in
their desk seats, making notes, or busying themselves with their
own bills. In one essential point, however, I found a difference,
and that was in the ease of access to this assembly. I^o
" member's order " was required. Strangers and "citizens"
are at all times freely admitted. There is also a magnificent
library, which is free to everyone.

During the Session there is Divine service in the Senate
Clhamber on Sunday mornings. On one occasion I attended,
and heard a most excellent discourse by the appointed chaplain.
The President and his family were there.

In some side offices, connected with the Capitol, I found a
government photographer at work, copying plans, and photo-
graphing portions of the unfinished building, for the benefit of
the architects and others whose duty it was to examine the
progress of the works. From this gentleman I received much
courteous attention, and was shown many large and excellent
negatives, all of which were developed with the ordinary iron
developer.

I next visited the Patent Office, and the museum connected
therewith, which contains a vast collection of models of all kinds
of inventions that have received protection— among them several
things, in apparatus and implements, connected with photo-
graphy. The American patent laws require a model of every
new invention to be lodged in this museum, which is of immense

186

value to inventors and intending patentees ; for they can there-
see what has already been protected ; and aa the Patent Office
refuses to grant protection to anything of a similar form, use,
or application, much litigation, expense, and annoyance are
saved the patentees. Our Government would do well to
take a leaf out of " Brother Jonathan's " book on this subject ;
for not only is there increased protection given to inventors,
but the fees are considerably less than in this country.

The presidential residence, called the AYhite House, was the
next interesting subject of observation. It is situated at the
west end of Pennsylvania Avenue, and a good mile from the
Capitol. The building is of white marble, and of very unpreter d-
ing size and architectural attractions, but in every respect
sufficient for the simple wants of the chief magistrate of the
United States, whose official salary is only twenty-five thousand
dollars per annum.

During congressional session the President holds weekly levees ^
and one of these I determined to attend, prompted as much by
curiosity to see how such things were done, as desire to pay my
respects. Accordingly, on a certain night, at eight o'clock
precisely, I went to the White House, and was admitted without
hesitation. On reaching the door of the reception room, I gave
my card to the district marshal, who conducted me to President
Pearce, to whom I was introduced. I was received with a
hearty welcome, and a shake of the hand. Indeed, I noticed
that he had a kindly word of greeting for all who came. Not
having any very important communication to make that would
be either startling or interesting to the President of the United
States, I bowed, and retired to the promenade room, where I
found numbers of people who had been "presented" walking
about and chatting in groups on all sorts of subjects — political,
foreign, and domestic, and anything they liked. Some were in
evening dress, others not ; but all seemed perfectly easy and
affable one with another. There was no restraint, and the only

187

passport required to these levees was decent behaviour and
respectability. There "was music also. A band was playing
in the vestibule, and everyone evidently enjoyed the reunion,
and felt perfectly at home. K'ever having been presented at
court, I am not able to make any comparison pro or con.

There is also an observatory at Washington, which I visited ;
but not being fortunate enough to meet the — what sholl I say ?
" astronomer- royal," comes readiest, but that is not correct:
well, then, the — " astronomer republic," I did not see the large
telescope and other astronomical instruments worked.

The photographic galleries were all situated on Pennsylvania
Avenue, and they were numerous enough. At that time they
rejoiced in the name of "Daguerrean Galleries ; " and the pro-
prietor, or operator, was called a ''Daguerrean." Their recep-
tion rooms were designated " saloons," which were invarinbly
well furnished — some of them superbly — and filled with speci-
mens. Their " studios " and workshops behind the scenes were
fitted with all sorts of ingenious contrivances for " buffing " and
"coating" and expediting the work. Although the greatest
number of mechanical appliances were employed in the Daguerreo-
type branch of photography, art was not altogether ignored in
its practice. One house made a business feature of very
beautifully-coloured Daguerreotypes, tinted with dry colours,
quite equal to those done in Europe. Another house made a
feature of "Daguerreotypes painted in oil;" and the likeness
was most admirably preserved. I saw one of the President,
and several of the members of Congress, which I knew to be
unmistakable portraits. Although the Daguerreotype was most
tenaciously adhered to as the best means of producing photo-
graphic portraits, the collodion process — or the " crystaltype,"
as they then called it — was not neglected. It was used by a
few for portraits, but chiefly for views.

Having seen all that was worth seeing in the city, I made

188

excursions into the country, in search of subjects for the camera
or pencil.

Georgetown, a little way from "Washington, and its picturesque
cemetery, offer several pretty bits for the camera. Arlington
Heights, the Long Bridge, and many nooks about there, are
sufficiently tempting; but of all the excursions about "Washing-
ton, Mount Vernon — a few miles down the Potomac, on the
Virginia side — is by far the most interesting. Mount Vernon is
the name of the place where General George "Washington lived
and died, and is the " Mecca " of the Americans. !N'early every
day there are pilgrims from some or all parts of the States to the
tomb of "Washington, which is in thq grounds of Mount Vernon.
They visit this place with a kind of religious awe and venera-
tion, and come from far and wide to say they have seen it.
For, in truth, there is little to see but the strangest-looking and
ugliest brick building I ever beheld, with open iron gates that
allow you to look into the darkness of the interior, and see
nothing. 1 took a view of the tomb, and here it is : — A red
brick building, squat and low, of the most unsightly design and
proportions imaginable — resembling one of our country "dead-
houses " more than anything else I could compare it to. It was
stuck away from the house among trees and brushwood, and in
an advanced state of dilapidation — a disgrace to the nation that
had sprung from that great man's honest devotion ! Over the
Gothic entrance is a white slab, with the following inscription
on it : —

' ' "Within this Enclosure

Eest

the remains of

Geneeal Geokge "Washington."

The remains of " Lady "Washington " lie there also ; and there
are several white obelisks about to the memory of other members
•of the family.

189

The house itself is a "frame building" of two storeys, with a
piazza running along the front of it, and is on the whole a mean-
looking edifice ; but was probably grand enough for the simple
tastes of the man who dwelt in it, and has hallowed the place
with the greatness and goodness of his life. The interior of the
house looked as if it had once been a comfortable and cozy
habitation. In the hall was put up a desk, with a "visitors'
book," wherein they were expected to enter their names; and
few failed to pay such a cheap tribute to the memory of the
father of their country.

The grounds, which were full of natural beauties, had been
allowed to run into a state of wild tangle-wood ; and I had some
trouble to pick my way over broken paths down to the river-
side again, where I took the "boat," and returned to the city,
touching at Fort Washington on the way. The day had been
remarkably fine ; the evening was calm and lovely ; the silence
of the river disturbed only by the splash of our paddles, and the
song of the fishermen on shore as they drew in their laden nets ;
and the moon shone as only she can shine in those latitudes.
'N'othing could denote more peace and quietude as I sailed on the
Potomac on that lovely evening. There was such a perfect
lull of the natural elements — such a happy combination of all
that was beautiful and promising — it seemed impossible for such
a hurricane of men's passions — such yells of strife and shouts of
victory, such a swoop of death as afterwards rushed down those
valleys — ever to come to pass.

Such sad reverse was, however, seen on my second visit to
the Potomac. The narration of the stirring scenes then presented
will form a picture less peaceful and happy, but unfortunately
intensely real and painfully true.

My second visit to the Potomac was paid after the lapse of
several years, and under very different circumstances. When
the Capitol echoed loudly the fierce and deadly sentiments of

190

the men of the North against the men of the South. When
both had shouted —

•'' Strike up the drums, and let the tongue of war
Plead for our int'rest."

When the deliberations of the senators were " war estimates,"
arming of troops, and hurrying them to the "front" with all
possible despatch. When the city of Washington presented all
the appearance of a place threatened with a siege. When every
unoccupied building was turned into barracks, and every piece
of unoccupied land was made a "camp ground." When the
inhabitants were in terror and dismay, dreading the approach
of an invading host. When hasty earth-works were thrown up
in front of the city, and the heights were bristling with cannon.
When the woods and peach orchards on the opposite side of the
Potomac were red with the glare of the camp fires at night,
and the flashing of bayonets was almost blinding in the hot sun
at noon. When the vessels sailing on the river were laden
with armed men, shot, shell, and "villainous saltpetre."
When the incessant roll of drums and rattle of musketry
deadened almost every other sound. When sentinels guarded
every road and access to the capital, and passports were required
from the military authorities to enable you to move from one
place to another. In short, when the whole atmosphere was
filled with sounds of martial strife, and everything took the form
of desolating war.

In spite of all these untoward events, I found photography
actively engaged in the city, in the camp, and on the field, ful-
filling a mission of mercy and consolation in the midst of carnage
and tumult — fulfilling such a mission of holy work as never
before fell to the lot of any art or art-science to perform. For
what aspect of life is photography not called upon to witness ?
— what phase of this world's weal or woe is photography not
required to depict? Photography has become a handmaiden to

the present generation — a ministering angel to all conditions of
l^'fe, from the cradle to the grave. Aq aide-de-camp of the love-
liest character to the great " light of the -world," humanizing
and elevating the minds of all, administering consolation to the
sorrowing, increasing the joy of the joyous, lessening the pangs
of separation caused hy distance or death, strengthening the ties
of immediate fellowship, helping the world to know its bene-
factors, and the world's benefactors to know the world. When
grim death stalks into the gilded palaces of the great and power-
ful, or into the thatched cottages and miserable dwellings of the
poor, photography is the assuager of the griefs of the sorrowing
survivors, and the ameliorator of their miseries, by preserving
to them so faithful a resemblance of the lost one. "When the
bride, in her youth and loveliness, is attired for the bridal, pho-
tography is the recorder of her trustful looks and April smiles,
the fashion of her dress, the wreath and jewels that she wore;
and, come what change in her appearance that may, the husband
•can look upon his bride whene'er he likes in after years, as
vividly and as distinctly as on that day, connecting the present
with the past with a kind of running chord of happy recollec-
tions. Photography is now the historian of earth and animated
nature, the biographer of man, the registrar of his growth from
childhood to " man's estate," the delineator of his physical,
moral, and social progress, the book of fashion, and' the mirror
of the times. The uses and applications of photography are
almost indescribable ; scarcely an art, or a science, or a trade or
profession that does not enlist photography into its service.
Photography does not merely pander to the gratification of
earthly vanity, but is an alleviator of human misery. Photo-
graphy enters our hospitals and registers faithfully the progress
of disease, its growth and change from day to day, until it is
cured, or ripe for the knife of the surgeon ; its pictures are les-
sons to the professor, and a book of study for the students, charts

192

for their guidance through the painful and tedious cases of others-
similarly afflicted, teaching them what to do and what to avoid,
to relieve the suffering of other patients. Photography is
dragged into our criminal law courts, and sits on the right
hand of Justice, giving evidence of the most undeniable charac-
ter, without being under oath, and free from the suspicion of
perjury, convicting murderers and felons, and acquitting the
innocent without prejudice ; and in our courts of equity, cases
are frequently decided by the truth-telling evidence of photo-
graphy.

Astronomers, geographers, and electricians freely acknowledge
how much they are indebted to photography in making their
celestial and terrestrial observations. Engineers, civil and mili-
tary, employ photography largely in their plans and studies.
Art, also, has recourse to photography, and is the only one of the
liberal professions that is half ashamed to admit the aid it gains
from the camera. If art admits it at all, it is done grudgingly,
apologetically, and thanklessly. But there it is the old, old
story of family quarrels and family jealousies. Old art might
be likened to an old aunt that has grown withered and
wrinkled, and peevish with disappointment, who, in spite of all
her long-studied rules and principles of light and shade, harmony
of colour, painting, " glazing," and "scumbling," has failed to
win the first prize — that prize which a woman's ambition pants
after from the moment she enters her teens until her dream is
realised — that living model, moulded after God's own image,
which, not having won in her mature age, she becomes jealous
of the growing graces, the fi-esh and rollicking chaims, the
unstudied and ingenuous truthfulness of form exhibited by her
niece. Old Art the aunt. Photography the niece. Eeaders,
draw the moral for yourselves.

I have digressed, but could not help it. Photography is so
young and lovely, so bewitchingly beautiful in all her moods, so

193

fascinating and enslaving — and she has enslaved thousands since
she first sprung from the source that gives her life. But to
return to my theme.

The practice of photography, like the aspects of the country
and condition of the people, was changed. " Old things had
passed away, and all things had become new." The shining
silver plates, buffing wheels, coating boxes, mercury pans, &c.,
of the old dispensation had given place to the baths, nitrate of
silver solutions, and iron developers of the new. Ambrotypes,
or glass positives, and photographs on paper, had taken the place
of the now antiquated Daguerreotype. Mammoth photographs
were the ambition of all photographers. The first full-length
life-sized photograph I ever saw was in Washington, and was
the work of Mr. Gardner, the manager of Mr. Brady's gallery.
But a more republican idea of photography, which, strange to
say, originated in an empire not remarkable for freedom of
thought, soon became the dominant power. Cartes-de-visite,
the many, ruled over mammoth, the few. The price of mammoth
photographs was beyond the reach of millions, but the prices of
cartes-de-visite were within the grasp of all ; and that, com-
bined with their convenient size and prettiness of form, made
them at once popular, and created a mania.

The carte-de-visite form of picture became the "rage" in
America about the time the civil war commenced, and as the
young soldiers were proud of their new uniforms, and those who
had been " in action " were prouder still of their stains and
scars, the photographers did a good business among them, both
in the city and in the camp. I saw a little of this " camp
work " and " camp life " myself, and some of the havoc of war
as well. Photographers are adventurous, and frequently getting
into odd kinds of ''positions," as well as their " sitters.''

It was my destiny, ujider the guidance of the Great Source o£
Light, to witness the results of the first great conflict between

194

the opposing armies of the Federals and Confederates ; to hear
the thunder of their artillery, and see the clouds of smoke
hovering over the battle field, without being in the battle itself.
To see the rout and panic of the Northern troops, who had so
recently marched proudly on to fancied victory ; to witness the
disgraceful and disastrous stampede of the Northern army from
the field of Bull Run ; to listen to the agonized groans of the
*' severely wounded " as they were hurried past to the temporary
hospitals in Washington and Georgetown ; to be an eye-witness
to the demoralized condition of men who, naturally brave, were
tinder the influence of a panic caused by the vague apprehension
of a danger that did not exist ; to hear the citizens exclaim,
"AVhat shall we do?" and "For God's sake don't tell your
people at home what you have seen ! " and comparing the
reverse of their national arms to a "regular Waterloo defeat,"
which was anything but a happy simile. To see the panic-
stricken men them selves, when they discovered their error, and
"began to realize their shame, weeping like women at the folly
they had committed. But they atoned for all this, afterwards,
by deeds of glorious valour which were never surpassed, and
which ended in restoring their country to peace and reunion.

The 21st of July, 1861, was a Sunday, and as calm and
beautiful a day as could be wished for. From its associations
it ought to have been a day of rest and peace to all ; but it was
not. There was terrible slaughter among men that Sunday in
Yirginia. Durin g the morning, I took advantage of an opportunity
off'ered me to go down to Alexandria, in Virginia, about five or six
miles below Washington, which, was then occupied by a portion
of the Federal Army. Everything in the place had the appear-
ance of war. There were more soldiers than civilians about.
Hotels were turned into barracks and military storehouses. The
hotel where Colonel Ellsworth, of the New York Fire Zouaves,
was shot by the proprietor for hauling down the Confederate
:flag — which the latter had hoisted over his house — had been

195

taken possession of by the military authorities, and the whole
place was under martial law. It was there I first heard rumours
of a battle being fought in the neighbourhood of Manassas
Junction. These rumours were soon confirmed by the roar of
cannon in the distance, and the hurrying of fresh troops from
Washington to the field of battle. But they were not needed.
Before they could reach the field the "stampede" had commenced,
and the retreating hosts came like a rushing tide upon the
advancing few, and carried them back, absorbed in theunshapen
mass of confusion.

The night came, and little was known by the inhabitants of
Washington of the rout and rush of terrified men towards the
city ; but the next morning revealed the fact.

Wet and wretched was the morning after the battle. The
heavens seemed to weep over the disgrace as the men poured
into the city, singly and in groups, unofficered, and without
their firearms, which many had lost, or thrown away in their
flight. The citizens gathered round them, anxious to learn all
about the defeat, and the whereabouts of the Confederate
army, and invited them into their houses to take refreshment
and rest. Several instances of this impromptu hospitality and
sympathy I witnessed myself ; and many of the weary and
wounded soldiers I talked to. They that were only slightly
wounded in the hands and arms had their wounds washed and
dressed by the wives and daughters of many of the residents.
The hotels were crowded, and the " bars" were besieged by the
drenched and fatigued soldiers, whom the curious and sympa-
thizing citizens invited to " liquor." The men all told wonderful
stories of the fight and of their own escape, but none could tell
satisfactorily what had created the panic. Some said that a few
" teamsters " took the alarm, and, riding to the rear in hot
haste, conveyed the impression that an exterminating pursuit by
the Confederates had commenced.

In a day or two the majority of the men were mustered

196

together again, and occupied their old camping grounds, where I
visited them, and heard many of their stories, and got some of th&
relics of the battle field. Fresh troops were raised, and placed
under the command of another general. But it was long before
another "onward march to Richmond " was attempted. The
North had learned something of the strength and prowess of the
South, and began to prepare for a longer and fiercer struggle
with " Secession."

Such are the two pictures of the Potomac which I have
endeavoured to reproduce, and which fell under my observation
during my professional peregrinations in connection with the
practice of photography.

E AMBLES AMONG THE STUDIOS OF AMERICA.

Boston".

Mt impressions of America, from a photographic point of
observation, were taken at two distinct periods — which I might
call the two epochs of photographic history — the dry and
the wet ; the first being the Daguerreotype, and the second
what may be termed the present era of photography, which
includes the processes now known and practised.

I take Boston as my starting point for several reasons. First,
because it was the first American city I visited ; secondly, it
was in Boston that the change first came over photography
which wrought such a revolution in the art all over the United
States ; thirdly and severally, in Boston I noticed many things
in connection with photography which difi'ered widely from
what I had known and practised in England.

Visiting the gallery of Mr. Whipple, then in Washington Street,
the busiest thoroughfare in Boston, I was struck with the very
large collection of Daguerreotype portraits there exhibited, but
particularly with a large display of Daguerreotypes of the moon

197

in various aspects. I had heard of Mr. Whipple's success ia
Daguerreotyping the moon before I left Europe, but had no idea
that so much had been achieved in lunar photography at that
early date until I saw Mr. Whipple's case of photographs of the
moon in many phases. Those Daguerreotypes were remarkable
for their sharpness and delicacy, and the many trying conditions
under which they were taken. They were all obtained at
Cambridge College under the superintendance of Professor Bond,
but in what manner I had better allow Mr. Whipple to speak
for himself, by making an extract from a letter of his, published
in The Photographic Art Journal of Xmevicsi, July, 1853. Mr.
Whipple says : " My first attempt at Daguerreotyping the moon
was with a reflecting telescope ; the mirror was five feet focus,
and seven inches diameter. By putting the prepared plate
directly in the focus of the reflector, and giving it an exposure
of from three to five seconds, I obtained quite distinct impres-
sions ; but owing to the smallness of the image, which was only
about five-eighths of an inch in diameter, and the want of clock-
work to regulate the motion of the telescope, the results were
very far from satisfactory.

''Having obtained permission of Professor Bond to use the
large Cambridge reflector for that purpose, I renewed my experi-
ments with high hopes of success, but soon found it no easy
matter to obtain a clear, well-defined, beautiful Daguerreotype
of the moon. Nothing could be more interesting than its
appearance through that magnificent instrument : but to transfer
it to the silver plate, to make something tangible of it, was quite
a different thing. The "governor," that regulates the motion
of the telescope, although sufficiently accurate for observing
purposes, was entirely unsuitable for Daguerreotyping ; as when
the plate is exposed to the moon's image, if the instrument does
not follow exactly to counteract the earth's motion, even to the
nicety of a hair's-breadth, the beauty of the impression is much
injured, or entirely spoiled. The governor had a tendency to

198

move the instrument a little too fast, then to fall slightly behind.
By closely noticing its motion, and by exposing my plates those
few seconds that it exactly followed between the accelerated and
retarded motion, I might obtain one or two perfect proofs in the
trial of a dozen plates, other things being right. But a more
serious obstacle to my success was the usual state of the atmos-
phere in the locality — the sea breeze, the hot and cold air
commingling, although its effects were not visible to the eye ;
but when the moon was viewed through the telescope it had the
same appearance as objects when seen through the heated air
from a chimney, in a constant tremor, precluding the possibility
of successful Daguerreotyping. This state of the atmosphere
often continued week after week in a greater or less degree, so
that an evening of perfect quiet was hailed with the greatest
delight. After oft-repeated failures, I finally obtained the
Daguerreotype from which the crystallotypes I send for your
journal were copies ; it was taken in March, 1851. The object
glass only of the telescope was used. It is fifteen inches in
diameter, and about twenty-three feet focal length ; the image
it gives of the moon varies but little from three inches, and the
prepared plate had an exposure of thirteen seconds."

Copies of several of these " crystallotypes " of the moon I
afterwards obtained and exhibited at the Photographic Exhibition
in connection with the British Association which met in Glasgow
in 1855. The " crystallotypes " were simply enlarged photo-
graphs, about eight or nine inches in diameter, and conveyed to
the mind an excellent idea of the moon's surface. The orange-
like form and the principal craters were distinctly marked.
Indeed, so much were they admired as portraits of the moon,
that one of the savans bought the set at the close of the
exhibition.

Mr. "Whipple is still a successful practitioner of our delightful
art in the " Athens of the "Western "World," and has reaped
the reward of his continuity and devotion to his favourite

199

art. The late decision of the American law courts on the
validity of Mr. Cutting's patent for the use of bromides in.
collodion must have laid Mr. "Whipple under serious liabilities^
for he used bromo-iodized negative collodion for iron develop-
ment as far back as 1853.

There were many other professional photographers in the
chief city of Massachusetts ; but I have described the charac-
teristics of the principal and oldest concerns. Doubtless there
are many new ones since I visited the city where Benjamin
Franklin served his apprenticeship as a printer; where the
" colonists" in 1773, rather than pay the obnoxious " tea tax,"
pitched all the tea out of the ships into the waters of Boston
Bay, and commenced that long struggle against oppression and
unjust taxation which eventually ended in severing the Xorth
American Colonies from the mother country. "With the know-
ledge of all this, it is the more surprising that they should now
so quietly submit to what must be an obnoxious and trouble-
some system of taxation ; for, not only have photographers to
pay an annual licence of about two guineas for carrying on
their trade, but also to affix a government stamp on each picture
sent out, which is a further tax of about one penny on each.
Surely the patience of our brother photographers on the other
side of the Atlantic must be sorely tried, what with the troubles
of their business, the whims and eccentricities of their sitters,
Mr. Cutting's unkind cut, and the prowling visitations of the
tax-collector.

New York.
"What a wonderful place New York is for photographic galleries I
Their number is legion, and their size is mammoth. Every-
thing is " mammoth." Their " saloons " are mammoth. Their
"skylights" are mammoth. Their "tubes," or lenses, are
mammoth. Their "boxes," or cameras, are mammoth;
and mammoth is the amount of business that is done in
some of those "galleries." The "stores" of the dealers in

200

photographic "stock" are mammoth; and the most mammoth,
of all is the "store" of Messrs. E. & H. T. Anthony, on
Broadway. This establishment is one of the many palaces of
commerce on that splendid thoroughfare. The building is of
iron, tall and graceful, of the Corinthian order, with Corinthian
pilasters, pillars, and capitals. It is five storeys high, with a
frontage of about thirty feet, and a depth of two hundred feet,
running right through the " block " from Broadway to the next
street on the west side of it. This is the largest store of the
kind in New York ; I think I may safely say, in either of the
two continents, east or west, containing a stock of all sorts of
photographic goods, from "sixpenny slides" to "mammoth
tubes," varying in aggregate value from one-hundred-and-fifty
thousand to two hundred thousand dollars. The heads of the
firm are most enterprising, one taking the direction of the com-
mercial department, and the other the scientific and experi-
mental. Nearly all novelties in apparatus and photographic
requisites pass through this house into the hands of our Ameri-
can confreres of the camera, and not unfrequently find their
way to the realms of Queen Victoria on both sides of the
Atlantic.

When the carte-de-visite pictures were introduced, the oldest
and largest houses held aloof from them, and only reluctantly,
and under pressure, took hold of them at last. Why, it is
difiicult to say, unless their very small size was too violent a
contrast to the mammoth pictures they were accustomed to handle.
Messrs. Eockwood and Co., of Broadway, were the first to make
a great feature of the carte-de-visite in New York. I'hey also
introduced the " Funnygraph," but the latter had a very short
life.

In the Daguerreotype days there was a "portrait factory" on
Broadway, where likenesses were turned out as fast as coining,
for the small charge of twenty-five cents a head. The arrange-
ments for such rapid work were very complete. I had a dollar's

201

worth of these "factory" portraits. At the desk I paid my
money, and received four tickets, which entitled me to as many
sittings when my turn came. I was shown into a waiting
room crowded with people. The customers were seated on
forms placed round the room, sidling their way to the entrance
of the operating room, and answering the cry of "the next"
in much the same manner that people do at our public baths. I
being "the next," at last went into the operating room, where
I found the operator stationed at the camera, which he never
left all day long, except occasionally to adjust a stupid sitter.
He told the next to " Sit down " and "Look thar," focussed,
and, putting his hand into a hole in the wall which communi-
cated with the "coating room," he found a dark slide ready
filled with a sensitised plate, and putting it into the camera,
"exposed," and saying " That will dew," took the dark slide
out of the camera, and shoved it through another hole in the
wall communicating with the mercury or developing room.
This was repeated as many times as I wanted sittings, which
he knew by the number of tickets I had given to a boy in the
room, whose duty it was to look out for " the next," and collect
the tickets. The operator had nothing to do with the prepara-
tion of the plates, developing, fixing, or finishing of the picture.
He was responsible only for the " pose " and " time, the " de-
veloper," checking and correcting the latter occasionally by
crying out " Short " or " Long " as the case might be. Having
had my number of "sittings," I was requested to leave the
operating room by another door which opened into a passage
that led me to the " delivery desk," where, in a few minutes, I
got all my four portraits fitted up in " matt, glass, and pre-
server,"— the pictures having been passed from the developing
room to the " gilding " room, thence to the " fitting room " and
the "delivery desk," where I received them. Thus they were
all finished and carried away without the camera operator ever
having seen them. Three of the four portraits were as fine

202

DagueiTGotypes as could be produced anywhere. Ambrotypes,.
or "Daguerreotypes on glass," as some called them, were after-
wards produced in much the same manufacturing manner.

There were many other galleries on Broadway : Canal Street ;.
the Bowery; the Avenues, 1, 2 and 3; A, B, and C, Water
Street ; Hudson Street, by the shipping, &c., the proprietors of
which conducted their business in the style most suited to their
"location" and the class of customers they had to deal with;
but in no case was there any attempt at that " old clothesman"
— that "Petticoat Lane" — style of touting and dragging
customers in by the collar. All sorts of legitimate modes of
advertising were resorted to — flags flying out of windows and
from the roofs of houses ; handsome show cases at the doors ;
glowing advertisements in the newspapers, in prose and verse ;
circulars freely distributed among the hotels, &c. ; but none of
that " have your picture taken," annoying, and disreputable
style adopted by the cheap and common establishments in
London.

Unhappily, " Sunday trading " is practised more extensively in
New York than in London. I^early all but the most respectable
galleries are open on Sundays, and evidently do a thriving trade.
The authorities endeavoured to stop it frequently, by summoning
parties and inflicting fines, but it was no use. The fines were
paid, and Sunday photography continued.

The " glass houses " of America differ entirely from what we
understand by the name here ; indeed, I never saw such a thing
there, either by chance, accident, or design — for chance has no
" glass houses " in America, only an agency ; there are no
accidental glass houses, and the operating rooms built by design
are not " glass houses " at all.

The majority of the houses in New York and other American
cities are built with nearly flat roofs, and many of them with
lessening storeys from front to back, resembling a flight of two
or three steps. In one of these roofs, according to circumstances,.

203

a large " skylight " is fixed, and pitched usually at an angle of
45*^, and the rooms, as a rule, are large enough to allow the
sitter to be placed anywhere within the radius of the light,
so that any effect or any view of the face can easily be
obtained.

The light is not any more actinic there than here in good
weather, but they have a very great deal more light of a good
quality all the year round than we have.

The operators work generally with a highly bromized
collodion, which, as a rule, they make themselves, but not
throughout. They buy the gun-cotton of some good maker —
Mr. Tomlinson, agent for Mr, Cutting, generally supplied the
best — then dissolve, iodize, and bromize to suit their working.

Pyrogallic acid as an intensifier is very little used by the
American operators, so little that it is not kept in stock by
the dealers. Requiring some once, I had quite a hunt for it,
but found some at last, stowed away as "Xot Wanted," in
Messrs. Anthony's store. The general intensifier is what they
laconically call " sulph.," which is sulphuret of potassium in
a very dilute solution, either flowed over the plate, or the
plate is immersed in a dipping bath, after fixing, which is by
far the pleasantest way to employ the ''sulph. solution."
Throwing it about as some of them do is anything but agreeable.
In such cases, "sulph." was the fijst thing that saluted
my olfactories on putting my head inside one of their ' ' dark
rooms."

Up to 1860 the American photographic prints were all on plain
paper, and obtained by the ammonia-nitrate of silver bath, and
toned and fixed with the hyposulphite of soda and gold. The
introduction of the cartes-de-visite forced the operators to make
use of albumenized paper ; but even then they seemed deter-
mined to adhere to the ammonia process if possible, for they
commenced all sorts of experiments with thai volatile accelerator.

204

both wet and dry, some by adding ammonia and ether to
an 80-grain silver bath, others by fuming, and toning
•with an acetate and gold bath, and fixing with hypo after-
wards.

With the following " musings " on " wrappers " (not *' spirit
rappers,"nor railway wrappers, but " carte-de-visite wrappers").
I shall conclude my rambles among the galleries of New York.
"Wrappers generally afford an excellent opportunity for orna-
mental display. Many of the wrappers of our magazines are
elegantly and artistically ornamented. Nearly every pack of
playing cards is done up in a beautiful wrapper. The French
have given their attention to the subject of " carte-de-visite
wrappers," and turned out a few unique patterns, which, how-
ever, never came much into use in this country. The Americans,
more alive to fanciful and tasteful objects of ornamentation, and
close imitators of the French in these matters, have made more
use of carte-de-visite wrappers than we have. Many wrappers
of an artistic and literary character are used by the photographers
in America — some with ornamental designs ; some with the
address of the houses tastefully executed ; others with poetical
effusions, in which the cartes-de-visite are neatly wrapped up,
and handed over to the sitter.

Surely a useful suggestion is here given, for wrappers are
useful things in their way, and, if made up tastefully, would
attract attention to the photographic establishments that issue
them. Photography is so closely allied to art that it is desirable
to have everything in connection with it of an elegant and
artistic description. The plain paper envelopes — gummed up at
the ends, and difficult to get open again — are very inartistic, and
anything but suitable to envelop such pretty little pictures as
cartes-de-visite. Let photography encourage art and art manu-
factures, and art will enter into a treaty of reciprocity for their
jnutual advancement. — Photographic News, 1865.

205

TO DUBLIN AND BACK, WITH A GLANCE AT THE

EXHIBITION.
The bell rings ; a shrill shriek ; puff, puff goes the engine, and
we dart away from the station at Euston Square, provided with
a return ticket to Dublin, issued by the London and North
Western Eailway, available for one month, for the very reason-
able charge of £3, first class and cabin ; £2 7s. 6d. second class
and cabin ; or forty shillings third class and steerage, via Holy-
head. These charges include steamboat fare and steward's fee.
The Exhibition Committee have made arrangements with the
raUway companies to run excursion trains once a fortnight at
still lower rates ; twenty-one shillings from London to Dublin
and back, and from other places in proportion. This ticket will
be good for a fortnight, and will entitle the holder to another
ticket, giving him two admissions to the Exhibition for one
shilling. With the ordinary monthly ticket, which is issued
daily, it is quite optional whether you go by the morning or
evening train ; but by all means take the morning train, so that
you may pass through North Wales and the Island of Anglesea
in daylight. Passing through England by Eugby, Stafford,
Crewe, and Chester, nothing remarkable occurs during our rapid
run through that part of the country. But an "Irish Gentle-
maQ," a fellow traveller, learning our destination, kindly
volunteered to enlighten us how we could best see Dublin and
its lions in the shortest possible time, and advised us by all
"manes" not to "lave" Dublin without seeing " Faynix
Park," and taking a car drive to Howth and other places
round the "Bee of Dublin." Accordingly we agreed to take
his advice ; but as our primary object in visiting Dublin
is to see the Exhibition, we will first attend to that on our
arrival in the Irish capital ; and if, after that, time will permit,
the extraneous lions will receive our attention. First of aU,
we must describe how we got there, what we saw on the way,
and what were our impressions on entering Dublin Bay.

206

As we said before, nothing particular occurred during our
journey tlirough England to excite our attention or curiosity;
but on passing into "Wales — Flintshire — our attention is at once
arrested by the difference of the scenery through which we pass.
Soon after leaving Chester, we get a sight of the river Dee on
our right, and continue to run down by its side past Flint,
Bagillt, Holywell, and Mostyn, then we take a bend to the left
and skirt a part of the Irish Channel past Rhyl, Abergele, and
Colwyn to Conway, with its extensive ruins of a once vast and
noble castle, through, under, and about the ruins of which the
double lines of iron rails twist and twine and sinuously encoil
themselves like a boa constrictor of civilisation and demolisher
of wrecks, ruins, and vestiges of the feudal ages and semi-
barbarism. Our iron charger dashes up to the very walls of
the ancient stronghold, close past the base of a tower, and right
under the hanging ruins of another, which is in truth a " base-
less fabric," but no " vision," for there it is suspended in mid
air, a fabric without a base, holding on to its surroundings by
the cohesive power of their early attachments. We rush into
the very bowels of the keep itself, snorting and puffing defiance
to the memoried sternness of the grim warriors who once held
the place against all intruders. Anyone who has not had an
opportunity before of visiting North Wales should keep a sharp
look-out right and left, and they will get a peep at most of the
principal places on the route : the Welsh mountains on the left,
their summits illuminated by the sun sinking towards the west,
and the mass of them thrown into shadow in fine contrast.

!N'ow we are at Penmcenmawr, that pretty little watering
place, with its neat-looking houses snugly nestHng in the laps of
the hills, and we pass along so close to the sea, we can feel the
spray from the waves as they break on the shore.

Passing Llanfairfechan and Aber we are at Bangor, and almost
immediately afterwards make a dive into the long, dark chamber
of the Tubular Bridge, with a shriek and rumbling rattle that is

207

almost startling. In a few seconds we are out into the daylight
again, and get a view of the Straits of Menai ; and on the right-
hand side, looking back, get an excellent sight of the Tubular
Bridge. At the moment of our passing, a ship in full sail was
running before the wind through the Straits, which added con-
siderably to the picturesque beauty of the scene. On the left a
fine view of the " Suspension Bridge " is obtained. "We are soon
past Llanfair, and across that bleak and desolate part of the island
of Anglesea between the Menai Straits and the Valley.
Arriving at Holyhead, we go on board the steamer which is to
carry us across the Channel to Dublin. The boat not starting
immediately, but giving us a little time to look around, we go on
shore again, and saunter up and down the narrow hilly streets
of Holyhead, listening in vain for the sound of a word spoken in
our mother tongue. Not a word could we hear, not a word of
English could we get without asking for it. The most of the
people can speak English with a foreign-like accent, but you
seldom hear it unless you address them in English. Even the
urchins in the streets carry on their games and play in the Welsh
and unintelligible sounds resembling language.

We also had time to examine the stupendous breakwater
which the Government is building at Holyhead to form a harbour
of refuge. The wall is a mile and three-quarters in length, and
of immense thickness, in the form of three terraces, the highest
towards the sea. At one place we noticed that the solid slatey
roeks were hewn and dressed into shape, and thus formed part
of the wall itself, a mixture of Nature's handiwork and the work
of man.

Time to go on board again, and as the wind was blowing
rather strong, we expected to have a rough voyage of it ;
and sure enough we had, for we were scarcely clear of the
sheltering kindliness of the sea wall and the '' north stack " till
our vessel began to "pitch and toss," and roll and creak, and
groan in agony ; and so highly sympathetic were we that we did

208

the same, and could not help it, do what we could. Strong tea^
brandy and water, were all no use. Down we went, like prostrate
sinners as we were, on our knees, with clasped hands, praying
for the winds and the waves " to be still ; " but they did not heed
our prayer in the least, and kept up their inhumane howling,
dancing, and jumbling until, by the time we reached the middle
of the Channel, we began to think that the captain had lost his
course, and that we were somewhere between Holyhead and
purgatory, if not in purgatory itself, being purged of our sins^
and becoming internally pure and externally foul. But we dis-
covered that we, and not the captain, had lost the course and the
even tenour of our way, for we fancied — perhaps it was only
fancy — that we could hear him humming snatches of old song,
among them " Oh ! steer my bark to Erin's Isle ! " and soon the
mountains of Wicklow are in sight. As we near, and get under
the lee of the land — for it was a stiff " sou' -wester " that
bothered us — our sensations and feelings begin to improve, and
we pick ourselves up out of the mire, and turn our eyes eagerly
and hopefully towards the Emerald Isle, and Dublin Bay more
particularly.

As we approach the Bay, the Carlingford Hills can be seen on
the right, and a little more southwards Lambay and Ireland's
Eye. The latter island is rugged and precipitous, seaward, in
the extreme — a barren and desolate-looking spot, possessing an
unenviable notoriety on account of the murder of a lady by her
husband having been committed there a few years ago : Howth,
the light-house, and the Bailey Eock, where the Queen Victoria
steamer was wrecked, now attract our attention. And, as nearly
as we can remember, these are the most striking features on the
north side of the Bay. On the south the Harbour of Kingstown
is distinctly visible, and we saw the mail steamer which crosses
from Holyhead to Kingstown, a distance of sixty miles, in three
and a-half hours, blowing off her steam. By paying a little
extra you can cross in the mail steamers, if you wish, but it is

209

not worth while paying the difference, as the ordinary steamers
cross from Holyhead to Dublin in about five and a-half hours.
All round the south side of the Bay we could trace the Kings-
town and Dublin railway, which is the oldest line but one in
the United Queendoms of Great Britain and Ireland. An obelisk
commemorates the visit of the last of the four Georges to Ireland
in 1821. Eight over Kingstown the Killinny Hills are to be seen^
and all along the water line the Bay is studded with pretty little
villas, and the scene is truly beautiful. If possible, arrange
your entrance into the Bay of Dublin in the early morning, for
then the sun, rising in the east, lights up the subjects to the
very best advantage, and throws a charm about them which
they do not exhibit at any other time of the day. By waiting
at Holyhead for the early morning boat you can easily manage
this. But now we are at the North Wall, and on landing are
besieged by carmen to have a " rowl," and jumping on to one of
those light, odd-looking, jaunting cars which are one of the
institutions of the country, we are "rowled" up the North
Wall for nearly a mile, past the Docks, over the drawbridges,
and past the Custom House — a large stone building, too large
for the business of the port — along Carlisle Bridge, down West-
moreland Street, past the Bank of Ireland — once the Houses of
Parliament — and up Dame Street, leaving the College on our
left, and passing King William's statue, representing a mounted
Roman with gilded laurels and ornamental toga, we arrive at
Jury's Hotel, a commercial and family house of superior arrange-
ments which was well recommended to us before we left London ;
and here we rest.

After breakfast, and having made ourselves internally and
externally comfortable, we start for the Exhibition, which is
within easy walking distance of the hotel ; but the car fares are
so very moderate that we prefer a " rowl." The fare is sixpence
a "set down ; " that is, you may ride from one end of the city
to the other for sixpence, but if you get off to poet a letter, or

210

"buy an umbrella to keep the rain off— for the cars have no
covering — that is a "set down;" and so every time you get
down and get up again you have sixpence to pay, no matter
how short the distance you are taken each time. So we hailed
a car at the door of the hotel, determined to be "rowled" to the
Exhibition for sixpence each. AVe go down Dame Street, across
College Green, up Grafton Street, along the west and south sides
of St. Stephen's Green or Square to Earlsfort Terrace and the
principal entrance to the Dublin Exhibition, which occupies the
site of what was formerly Coburg Gardens.

Arriving at the entrance-hall, we pay our admission fee, and
on passing the registering turnstiles we are at once in the
sculpture hall on the ground floor, the contents of which we
shall notice more particularly by-and-by. Passing through the
Sculpture Hall we are within the western transept, or winter
garden portion of the Exhibition. This transept is 500 feet
long and of lofty proportions, with galleries on each side, and
tastefully hung with the banners and flags of the nations
exhibiting. The northern court is about 300 feet long, also of
iron and glass, with galleries running round both sides similar to
the western transept. The ground floor and part of the galleries
of the northern court are devoted to the productions of the
United Kingdom. On the north side of the northern court is
the machinery department, both at rest and in motion. Here
machines of the most delicate and ponderous nature are at work.
There a forge-hammer daintily cracking nuts, or coming down
^vith a crushing force at the will of the attendant. In another
place a delicate curving-machine is at work ; and another can
be seen making steel pens. There are high pressure engines,
sewing machines, and photographic rolling-presses. Indeed,
-there is almost everything to be seen and everything going on
that is instructive, edifying, and amusing. The Exhibition
building is small, but well arranged and compact, and partakes
of the character of an art and industrial exhibition and place of

211

amusement and recreation, like our Crystal Palace at Sydenham,
with ornamental gardens and archery grounds attached. The
gardens are small — a little larger than the area of the building
itself — but most tastefully laid out. And there are fountains
and grottoes, and rockeries and cascades, with flowers growing
about them, which give the whole place a pleasant, healthy, and
delightful appearance. Stepping out of the western transept
into the gardens, we found the band of the 78th Highlanders
playing in the centre, and their pipers walking about the grounds
ready to take up the strains of music in another key, for
presently we saw them marching about, playing "Hielan'
•Skirls," and sounding the loud pibroch, with a five-bag power
that was more stunning than the nocturnal wailings of a dozen
or two Kilkenny cats. The directors furnish music and offer
other inducements to secure a good attendance, and their efforts
ought to be successful, and it is to be hoped they will be so.

On the first day of our visit there was a grand archery meeting,
and the turn-out of Dublin belles was double in numbers. There
was a large attendance of bowmen, too, and belles and beaux
were banging away at the targets most unmercifully in keen
■contest for the prize ; whether it was a medal, a ring, or an
heiress, we could not learn ; but if nothing more than the
privilege of entering the lists against such lovely competitors,
the bowmen ought to have been satisfied ; but we don't suppose
they were, for men are both ambitious and avaricious, and
probably some of them hoped to win a prize medal, kill a beauty,
and catch an heiress all at once, with one swift arrow sent
whizzing and quivering into the very heart and gilded centre of
the gaily-painted target.

Perched up on the top of the cascades we noticed a double
sliding-front stereoscopic camera, and doubtless Mr. York was
busy photographing the scene we have been describing —
impressions of which the London Stereoscopic Company will
probably issue ere long. We must, however, leave this gay

212

scene and turn our attention to other things, certainly not more
attractive ; but duty calls us away from beauty, and we must
submit.

Re-entering the Exhibition building, we seek the photo-
graphic department, which we readily find on the ground-floor,
between the music hall and the first class refreshment-room.
Entering from the Belgian department in the western transept,
we find three rooms in the main building devoted to the exhibition
of photographs, and a lobby between the rooms pretty well
filled with apparatus. To Sir J. Jocelyn Coghill are photo-
graphers indebted for obtaining so much space for their works,
and in such a get-at-able situation ; but it is a pity the rooms
are not better lighted. Many of the pictures on the screens are
very indistinctly seen, and some are in dark corners scarcely to
be seen at all.

The foreign department, which is the first room we enter, is
mainly made up of reproductions of old and modern engravings,
and copies of drawings and paintings. One very remarkable
photograph on the wall of this room is an immense magnification
of a flea, by A. Duvette. "What a subject for the camera ! — one
that suggests in sporting phraseology something more than the
"find," the "chase," and the "death."

A panoramic view of Rome, by M. Petagna, is a great
achievement in panoramic photography. There are seven
impressions from 15 by 12 plates, all carefully joined, and of
equal tone. The point of view is " Tasso's Oak," and the
panorama gives us an excellent idea of Rome at the present
day.

The British part of the Photographic Exhibition in Dublin
might be very properly denominated an enlargement of the
Society 's exhibition now open in Conduit Street, London. Nearly
all the principal exhibitors there have sent duplicates of their
chief works to the Dublin Exhibition. There is Robinson's
l)eautiful picture of "Brenda," his "May Gatherers," "Sun-

213

shine," " Autumn," " Somebody Coming," '* Bringing home the
May," &c., all old and familiar pictures, every one of which
we have seen before. Robinson himself in his study — a
beautiful piece of photography, even to his black velvet coat.
Blanchard also repeats his " Zealot," and other subjects, and
sends a frame full of his exquisite stereographs. England also
sends some of his charming stereoscopic pictures of Switzerland
and Savoy. Bedford's contribution is much the same as his
pictures in the London exhibition. Among them are his
lovely Warwickshire pictures. Wet- plate photography is well
represented, both in landscape, portraiture, and composition.
Among the latter, Rejlander is most prominent. One frame
containing some pictures showing the " expression " of the
hands, illustrates Re j lander's artistic knowledge and ability
more than many of his other pictures. None but a thoughtful
and accomplished artist could have disposed of those members in
such a skilful manner. His pictures of " Grief," " The Mote,"
" The Wayfarer," " 'Tis Light within— Dark without," and his
"Home, Sweet Home," reveal exquisite feeling in his treatment
of such subjects. Thurston Thompson also exhibits some of
his fine reproductions of Turner. There is " Crossing the
Brook," and " Childe Harold's Pilgrimage ; " but a much larger
collection of these beautiful copies of Turner's pictures are now
on view at Marion's, in Soho Square.

Dry-plate photography is exemplified in all its phases, from
the oldest form of albumen alone, to the latest modifications with
collodion, collodio-albumen, Fothergill, tannin, malt, &c. The
most prominent and largest contributor to this department is
Mr. Mudd. In addition to the duplicates in the London
Exhibition, he sends a few others, the most remarkable of
which is a large view of " Borrowdale," a noble picture,
exquisitely treated, showing masses of light and shade and
pleasing composition which stamp it at once as a work of art.

Mr. G. S. Penny exhibits some very fine examples of the

214

tannin and malt process. They are soft and delicate, and
possess sufficient force to give powerful contrasts when necessary^
Mr. Bull's tannin and malt pictures are also very good ; his
''Menai Bridge " particularly so.

The amateur photographers, both wet and dry, make a good
show. And among the Irish followers of our delightful art are
Sir J. J. Coghill, who exhibits twelve very pretty views of the
neighbourhood of Castletownsend. Dr. Hemphill, of Clonmel,
also exhibits a variety of subjects, many of them pretty com-
positions and excellent photography.

Dr. Bailey, of Monaghan, contributes both landscapes and
portraits of very good quality. Mr. T. M. Brownrigg shows
seventeen photographs all excellent examples of the wet
collodion process. Many of them are exquisite bits of photo-
graphy, and evince an amount of thought and care in selecting
the best point of view, arrangLng the lines of the subject, and
catching the best effect of light so as to make them pictures,
which is seldom attended to by professional photographers.

Amongst the Irish professional photographers in landscape
work, Mr. F. Mares, of Dublin, stands pre-eminent. His
pictures of Killarney, and views in the county of Wicklow, are
very beautiful, and give evidence of a cultivated eye and artistic
taste in the selection of his subjects and points of view. There
are other excellent views and architectural subjects by Irisk
photographers ; but we are sorry to observe some that really
ought not to have been admitted. They are not even average
photography, being utterly destitute of manipulative skill, and
as deficient in art-excellence as they can well be.

One branch of landscape, or, we should say, marine photo-
graphy, is without competition. "We refer to those exquisite
and charming transparencies by Mr, C. S, Breese. His moonlight
effect is wonderfully managed ; the water looks '* alive," and
the moonlight is dancing on the waves just as we have seen it
far away upon the sea. His " Breaking Wave " is marvellous,
coming to shore with its cavernous curl ; we almost fancy we

215

hear its angry howl as it clashes itself into foam on the beach.
We have seen such a wave sweep the deck of a ship before now,
and know well with what a ponderous weight and velocity it
comes ; and we wonder the more at Mr. Breese's success in
catching the wave in such a position. We cannot, however, speak
so highly of the "Sunlight" effects by the same artist. The
transparencies as photographs are inimitable ; but there is colour
introduced into the skies which ought to have been taken up by
the rocks, and so carried into the foregrounds of the pictures, to
be natural. Such warm skies and cold middle distances and
foregrounds are too antagonistic for the harmony of nature.

In portraiture, our Irish brethren of the camera contribute
somewhat liberally. In that branch we noticed the works of
Messrs. Robertson and Co., S. Lawrence, and G. Schroeder, of
Grafton Street; Millard and Eobinson, Nelson and Marshall, and
S. Chancellor, of Sackville Street, Dublin. T. Cranfield,
Grafton Street, also exhibits some photographs beautifully
coloured in oil.

The most eminent English photographers also show up well.
We saw the well-known works of Mayall, Silvy, Claudet,
Maull and Co., and others, eminent in plain photography.
Messrs. Lock and Whitfield exhibit a Royal case of exquisitely
coloured photographs of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and
Prince Albert Victor. Mr. G. Wharton Simpson also exhibits a
few specimens of his beautiful collodio-chloride of silver printing
process. There are some lovely specimens of that process with
such a frightfully ugly name, but which, in plain parlance, are
pictures on opal glass, though Mr. Helsby has christened them
" Helioaristotypia miniatures." As a set-off to this, the next dry
process that is discovered should be called " Hydrophobiatypia."

In amateur portraiture, Mr. H. Cooper, Jun., exhibits a
large number of his clever life studies, as well as those quiet
and charming representations of his friends in their habits as
they live.

21()

Solar camera enlargements are very numerously contributed.
Mr. Claudet sends some good pictures enlarged by solar camera,
and developed with gallic acid. Mr. Solomon also has some
very good examples of enlarging. Dr. D. Van Monckhoven is
an exhibitor of the capabilities of his direct printing camera.
Mr. Mayall exhibits two series of very interesting enlargements
by the Monckhoven camera, printed direct on albumenized
paper ; one is Tennyson, in eight different sizes, from a one-
ninth to a life-size head on a whole sheet of paper ; of the other,
€aptain Grant, there are seven similar pictures. These photo-
graphs are all bold and vigorous and uniform in colour, and
come nearer to our idea of what an enlargement should be than
anything we have yet seen. Of the two, that of the Poet-
Laureate is the best; the other is harsher, which is in all
probability due to the difference in the subjects themselves. We
can easily imagine that the face of Captain Grant, bronzed and
weather-beaten as it must be, will present more obstacles to the
obtaining of a soft negative than that of Tennyson. Specimens
of photo-sculpture are also to be seen at the Dublin Exhibition,
many of which are very pretty and life-like statuettes ; but
some of the figures seem much too large in the busts, and the
plinths on which the figures of ladies stand are in very bad
taste ; being diminishing beads of a circular form, they suggest
the idea of a huge crinoline just dropped.

^N'early all the denominations of photography have their
representative forms and impressions in this Exhibition ; and
the history of the art, from the early days of the Daguerreotype
to the latest vagary of the present day, may be traced in the
collection of photographs spread before you on the walls and
screens of the Dublin International Exhibition. There is the
Daguerreotype, the Ambrotype, and the collodiotype, which
ought to have been known as the Archertype ; for the wet
collodion process, although it is the most important of all the
discoveries in photography that have been made since the first

217

pictures "vrere obtained by Wedgwood, is without a name
conferring honour on the man who first applied collodion
to photography. Archer's name is generally associated with
it, but without taking that definite and appellative form it
ought to. We know that another claimant has been "cutting
in" for the honour, but unless that claim can be "backed
up " by data, we are not disposed to believe that it was
anterior to 1851 — the year of the first exhibition; at that
date we know that Mr. Archer took photographs on collo-
dionized glass plates. Then why should we not honour Archer
as the French honoured Daguerre, and call the wet collodion
process the Archertype ?

In printing and toning, there are samples of nearly all the
formulae that have been discovered since the days of printing on
plain salted paper and fixing in "hypo" only. There are
prints on plain paper and on albumenized paper, toned and fixed
in every conceivable way. There are prints on .glass, porcelain,
and ivory ; prints in carbon, from the negative direct ; and
impressions in printer's ink from plates, blocks, and lithographic
stones, which have had the subjects transferred to them by the
aid of photography. There are Wothlytypes, and Simpsontypes,
and Tooveytypes, and all the other types that have sprung from
a desire to introduce novelties into the art.

In graphs and the various forms and fanciful applications of
photography to portraiture, &c., there are stereographs and micro-
graphs, and the old-fashioned " sit-on-a-chair " graphs, .the
" stand-not-at-ease " graphs, the "small carte" graph, the
"large carte" graph, the " casket gem" graph, the "magne-
sium " graph, the " cameo " graph, the " double-stupid " graph,
and the latest of all novelties, the " turn-me-round " graph.
The latter is a great curiosity, and must have been suggested by
a recollection of that "scientific toy" of ancient manufacture
with which we used to awaken the wonder of our little brothers
and sisters at Christmas parties when we were boys, by twirling

218

"before their astonislied eyes a piece of cardboard with a bird
painted on one side and a cage on the other, both pictures being
seen at the same time during the rapid revolution of the card.

In apparatus there is not much to talk about, the Pantascopic
camera being the chief novelty. There are several of the
manufacturers exhibiting in the photographic department, but
we could not reconcile ourselves to the circumstance of Mr.
Dallmeyer not exhibiting in the right place. His name is hon-
oured by photographers, and he should have honoured Photo-
graphy by going in under her colours. If he must go to the
*' scientific department," he ought to have gone there with his
scientific instruments alone, and shown his photographic appa-
ratus in the place assigned for that purpose. True, he makes a
handsome show, but that does not atone for his mistake.
Photographers are queer animals — jealous of their rights, and as
sensitive to slight as their plates are to light ; and we fear we
are ourselves not much better. A large majority of photo-
graphers stand by Mr. Dallmeyer, and very justly believe in his
1 and 2 B's as shippers do in A I's at Lloyd's; and his stand
should have been in the photographic department.

In other parts of the Exhibition building there are various
subjects highly interesting to photographers.

The chemical department has its attractions in samples of
collodio- chloride of silver, prepared by Messrs. Mawson and
Swan, for the opal printing process and the Simpsontype. Spe-
cimens of each type are also to be seen there ; and there are
other chemicals used in photography, even to dextrine and
starch : the purity of the latter is known by the size and length
of its crystals.

In metallurgy there is also something to interest photo-
graphers. Messrs. Johnson and Sons exhibit some very fine
samples of nitrate of silver, double and treble crystallized, silver
dippers, chloride of gold, nitrate of uranium, and other scarce
metals.

219

Messrs. Johnson, Matthey, and Co. also exhibit some fine
samples of nitrate of silver and chloride of gold ; and some won-
derful specimens of magnesium, in various forms, in wire and
ribbon. One coil of ribbon is 4,800 feet long, and weighs 40
ounces ; and there is an obelisk of magnesium about 20 iuches
high, and weighing 162 ounces.

There are many other things in this case of great value which
have a photographic bearing — amongst these a platinum boiler, .
valued at £1,500, for the concentration and rectification of sul-
phuric acid; a platinum alembic, value £350, for the separation
and refining of gold and silver; also an ingot of platinum,
weighing 3,200 ounces, and valued at £3,840. The exhibitors
say that " such a mass of fused platinum is never likely to be
again produced." The whole of the contents of Messrs. John-
son, Matthey, and Co.'s case of precious metals, most of which
have a direct or indirect application to photography, are esti-
mated at the enormous value of £16,000 !

Mining, too, has its attractions for us ; and as we near the
Xova Scotia division of the Exhibition building the needle of
our observation dips towards a bar of pure gold, weighing 48
pounds, and valued at £2,200 sterling.

By the gentlemanly courtesy of the Eev. Dr. Honeyman,
Honorary Secretary and Commissioner in Dublin, from the pro-
vince of Nova Scotia, we were favoured with a "lift" of this
valuable lump of gold, and we could not help exclaiming,
** What a lot of chloride this would make ! " But we had to
"drop it" very quickly, for the muscles of our fingers could
not bear the strain of holding it more than a few seconds. This
bar of gold was obtained from very rich quartz, specimens of
which are to be seen near it ; and Dr. Honeyman informed us
that the average daily remuneration from such quartz was thirty
shillings sterling per man.

It is not generally known that the province of Nova Scotia is
so rich in gold ; but, from statistics by the Chief Commissioner

220

of Mines for the province, we find that the average yield of the
iN'ova Scotia quartz is over 19 dwt. per ton, and richer than the
quartz of Australia ; and the deeper the shafts are sunk the
richer the quartz becomes. In 1864 the total yield from all the
gold districts of Nova Scotia was 20,022 ounces, 18 dwts.,
13 grs. Gold dust and scales have also been found in the sands
on the sea coast of the province, and in the sands of Sable
Island, which is eighty miles distant, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Having in our own colonies such an abundance of one of the
precious metals so extensively used in the practice of our art,
photographers need not be under any apprehension of having
their supplies cut off.

Continuing our general survey, we stumble upon many things
of considerable interest. But, as our space will only allow us
to particularize those articles which have a photographic attrac-
tion, direct or indirect, we must as far as possible imagine our-
selves something like animated photometers for the time being,
registering the aspects, changes, and remarkable phenomena
connected with our art, and whatever can be applied to photo-
graphy and the use of photographers ; or whatever photography
can be applied to, artistically or commercially considered.

Of some things non-photographic, but of interest to photo-
graphers as well as others, we may be induced to say a little ;
but of most subjects foreign to our profession we shall simply
say to our readers, "We have seen such wondrous things, go
ye and do likewise."

We finished our last paper with a few comments on what was
photographically interesting in the province of !N^ova Scotia.
Passing from that to the provinces of the Lower and Upper
Canadas, which are very properly placed next door to each
other, we are struck with some very good and interesting photo-
graphs of Canadian scenery, both plain and in colours, and a
frame of portraits of the delegates of the British North American
Confederation. Samples of all kinds of native and Indian

221

manufactures, and specimens of mineral ores, chiefly iron and
copper, are also displayed here.

Pursuing our way southwards from the Colonial division of
the galleries, we come to China and Japan. The geographical
and relative positions of the countries exhibiting are not strictly
adhered to in the plan of the Exhibition, so we must, of necessity,
make some "long legs," and experience some imaginarv
transitions of temperature during our journey of observation.
In Japan we stop to look at a life-size group of female figures,
representing a princess at her toilette, attended by four female
slaves, books illustrated with wood-cuts, plain and coloured,
bronzes, and many other articles of art and manufacture, by the
Japanese, of much interest.

In China, there is a State bedstead of great beauty, books of
paintings upon rice-paper, and many beautiful bronzes, carvings,
and other specimens of Chinese art.

We pass through Turkey, and next come to Siam. but the
latter country does not exhibit much, except of a "seedy"
character. We admit we are sometimes addicted to making
puns, but the Siamese send puns for exhibition. There is an
article called " pun," which is "prepared lime, coloured pink
with turmeric." but to what use it is applied we have not been
enlightened.

Passing through France, Austria, Prussia, Belgium, and
Holland, without stopping to notice anything particularly,
and turning into the south corridor, we enter the Water Colour
Gallery, which we quickly leave, sighing, "How unlike that
beautiful and attractive section of the Art Treasure Exhibition
at Manchester in 1857 ! " Hastening into the Central Picture
Gallery, we are much struck with the difPerent appearance
it presents, and find numbers of ladies and gentlemen
admiring the numerous productions by painters belonging to
the various foreign schools. Among these works are some
grand subjects, both in historical and ideal composition, and

222

landscape representations. This gallery has a particularly-
noble and handsome appearance. It is oblong, well-lighted,
and open in the middle, by which means the Sculpture Hall,
■which is underneath, is lighted. The sides of the galleiy
next the open space are handsomely railed round, and pedestals,
with marble busts and statuettes on them, are tastefully arranged
at intervals, leaving room enough for you to look down into the
Sculpture Hall below. What with the fine pictures on the
walls and staircase, and the noble statues in marble about and
below, you cannot but come to the conclusion that this is a noble
temple of art.

AVe next enter the east front room, which contains the works
of the Belgian artists. Many of these paintings are very finely
conceived and executed. The largest and most striking of them
is the " Defeat of the Duke of Alen^on's Troops by the Citizens
of Antwerp," painted by A. Dillens.

Now we enter the Great Picture Gallery, which is devoted to
the painters belonging to the British school. Here we find
many of the well-known works from the National Gallery
and Kensington Museum. There are examples of the works
of Callcott, Collins, "Wilkicj Wilson, Turner, Landseer, Mulready,
Etty, Egg, Ward, Leslie, and a host of others. Her Majesty
the Queen also sends several pictures from her piivate collection,
as examples of the works of Winterhalter, Thomas, and Stanfield.
Nearly all the British artists are creditably represented in the
Dublin International Art Exhibition.

We next come to the Collection of Ancient Masters in the
North Gallery, which we enter from the North Corridor. To
this part of the Eine Art Exhibition the Earl of Portarlington
is the most liberal contributor. He sends examples of Titian,
Eubens, Carlo Dolci, Tintorette, Canalette, Claude, Watteau,
Eembrandt, Gerard Dow, Schneiders, Vandevelde, Sir Joshua
Heynolds, Sir Peter Lely, and others. The Marquis of Drogheda
also sends several examples of the same masters, some of them.

223

very fine ones. Sir Charles Coote sends a great many paintings ;
among them a Murillo, a Guide, and a Gainsborough.

Thence we pass into the Mediaeval Court, where we find
nothing but croziers, sacramental cups and plates, carved panels
for pulpits and clerks' desks, reminding us of ** responses " and
'* amens." These we leave to Churchmen, enthusiastic Puseyites,
and devotees of Catholicism. And we wend our way round the
galleries, passing through Switzerland and Italy into the United
Kingdom, where we stop to examine some of the art manufactures
peculiar to Ireland, and are particularly interested in tlie
specimens of Irish bog oak, carved most tastefully into various
ornaments, such as brooches, pins, paper-knives, &c., and
sculptured into humorous and characteristic statuettes. The
most noticeable of that class of Irish art and industry is a clever
group, entitled, " Where's the man that dare tread on my coat ? "
This really humorous and artistic statuette is one of a group of
two. One is a rollicking Irishman brandishing his shillelah
over his head and trailing his coat on the ground, which is the
Irishman's challenge for a fight at such places as Donnybrook
Fair. The other Irishman, who is equally ready for a "row,"
is in the act of treading on the coat, as an acceptance of the
challenge. The story is so cleverly told, that we almost fancy
we see the fight begin, and hear the shillelahs cracking crowns
in a genuine Irish row.

Pushing on through India to the British Colonies again,
whence we started, we descend to the ground floor, and resume
our survey of Sweden, Jforway, Italy, and Eome, and turn into
the Music Hall, which is on the south side of the entrance and
Statuary Hall. Here we find the organ builders at work on the
grand organ, blowing up one pipe after another, and producing
such volumes of inharmonious sounds that we are glad to leave
them to the full and hearty enjoyment of their pipes, chords,
discords, and bellows-blowing. The walls of the Music Hall are
nearly covered with cartoons and paintings of a high class, some

224

of them so high that we require an opera-glass to bring tliem
■within the range of our visual organs.

We next enter the Sculpture Hall with a view of examining
the statues and describing them carefully. But they are so
numerous that we can only find space to call attention to the
most striking. There are over three hundred pieces of sculpture
from various countries, comprising colossal and life-size figures,
groups, busts, statuettes, and alto-relievos in marble and bronze.
The most attractive of the marble statues are " Michael Angelo,
when a child, sculpturing the head of a Faun " (his first work),
by Emilio Zocchi, of Florence. The earnestness of pui-pose and
devotion to his task are wonderfully expressed in the countenance
of the boy-sculptor. Plying the hammer and chisel actively
and vigorously, every part of the figure betokens a thorough
abandonment to his occupation. A very remarkable work by a
lady sculptor — Miss HaiTiett Hosmer — entitled " The Sleeping
Faun," is the very opposite to the other, in its complete abandon-
ment to repose. This fine statue has been purchased by Mr.
Guiness, and we were told he had given a munificent sum for it.
Another piece of exquisite beauty and daring skill in marble
working is " The Swinging Girl," by Pietro Magni, of Milan,
the sculptor of "The Reading Girl," which attracted so much
attention in the International Exhibition of 1862. The figure
of the girl swinging is beautifully modelled, and entirely free
from contact with the base ; and is supported only by the swing
attached to the branch of a tree, and the hand of a boy giving
action to the subject. " Ophelia," by "W". C. Marshall, is
perhaps the most poetic conception of the loveliest and most
mournful of Shakespeare's creations that has ever been sculptured.
It is almost impossible to look at this touching representation of
Ophelia in her madness without exclaiming, in a modified
quotation of her own description of Hamlet —

"0, what a gentle miud is here o'erthrown.''

225

But we must stop. To go on in this way describing all the
beautiful works of art in the Dublin Exhibition would fill a
volume. Already we have allowed our admiration to carry us
beyond the limits we had assigned ourselves. "We have been
tempted to describe more than photographic works, but none
that have not a value artistically or otherwise to photographers.
We recommend all our readers that possibly can to go and see
for themselves. The trip is a very pleasant one, and need not
be expensive ; nor need much time be spent unnecessarily. A
week's absence from business will give you five clear days in
Dublin, the other two only being occupied in travelling. Five
days will be amply sufficient to see the Exhibition and the
''extraneous lions" of Dublin also. If your time is limited,
give a carman a job to "rowl" you to the principal places of
interest. But " by all means " select a rough, ragged, red-
headed, laughing-faced Irishman for your jarvey, and depend
upon it he will keep you in good humour during the whole of
your trip. And every time you come to a public-house he will
say his "horse wants a dthrink," and "Won't yer honours
have a dthrop ?" as if he was going to stand treat ; but of
course you know what he means ; besides, the idea of allowing
a carman to treat his fare is not to be entertained for a moment,
nor can you resist the good-humoured intimation of his desire
to drink your health, for which honour, as a matter of course,
you pay costs.

Having endeavoured to conduct our readers to Dublin, and
give them a glance at the Exhibition, photographically and
generally, we shall now take our leave of the capital of Ire-
land, and return to town in much the same manner as we went.
"We leave the Irish capital at 1.30 in the afternoon, and, after
a pleasant and quiet run across the Channel, enter Holyhead
harbour about seven o'clock. This arrangement gives you an
opportunity of seeing the "Welsh coast to the best advantage as
you approach. Stepping into the train which is waiting our

226

arrival, we are speedily on our way home. At Rugby we have
to change, and wait a little ; but before leaving there we pass
the sign which only old masons and travellers know, and are
provided with a first-class bed and loard, and so make ourselves
comfortable for the night. "We know nothing more of the
remainder of the journey. Old Somnus has charge of us inside,
a«id an old kind-hearted guard takes care of us outside, until
we are aroused by the guard's " Good morning, gentlemen !"
about six o'clock, a.m., within a few miles of Euston Square.
In conclusion, we sincerely recommend as many of our readers
as can to take a trip " to Dublin and back," and a glance at the
Dublin International Exhibition.

PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE NORTH.

On a recent journey northwards, I was tempted to stop at
York, take a look at the Exhibition there, and see if there
were anything worth notice in the Photographic Department.
That part of the Exhibition is exceedingly scanty, but the best
Yorkshire photographers are well represented, both in landscape
and portraiture. Among the contributors are the names of
Sarony, Glaisby, Holroyd, Gowland, and other well-known
names. Mr. Sarony exhibits a couple of frames containing
several " new photo-crayons," cartes-de-visite vignettes, which
are very sketchy and effective, exhibiting those free and " dashy
lines" and "hatchings" so characteristic of the "softening
oflf " of artistic crayon drawings. This effect may be produced
by a process of double printing, but it is more likely to have
been obtained direct in the camera from a screen, having the
edges of the aperture "softened off" with some free touches,
the screen, in all probability, being placed between the lens and
the sitter. Mr. Sarony also exhibits some large photographs
very beautifully finished in colours, Messrs. Gowland exhibit,
in a revolving case, a very unique collection of medallions and

227

Tignettes, both plain and coloured, mounted on tinted grounds,
•which, give the pictures a very chaste and delicate appearance.
The photographs themselves are exquisite bits of artistic pose
and careful manipulation. They also exhibit a charming vig-
nette of twenty-nine young ladies, all cleverly arranged, each
figure sharp and distinct, and evidently recognisable portraits.
This picture reminds one of "Watteau, for the figures are in the
•woods, only, instead of semi-nude nymphs, the sitters are all
properly and fashionably dressed young ladies. Messrs. Holroyd
contribute some very excellent cartes-de-visite and enlargements.
Mr. E. C. Walker, of Liverpool, exhibits some very beautiful
opalotypes, or " photographs on enamelled glass." Mr. Swan,
Charing Cross, London, also sends specimens of his crystal cube
portraits. Mr. A. H. Clarke, a deaf and dumb photographer,
exhibits some very good groups of the Princess of "Wales, Lady
Wharncliffe, Lady Maud Lascelles, Countess Granville, and the
Hon. Mrs. Hardinge, taken in the conservatory, when the
Princess and suite were on a visit to Studley Royal, York-
shire.

Amongst the landscape photographs are to be found some of
Bedford's finest views of Egypt and Jerusalem, Devonshire and
Warwickshire, the beauties of which are so well known to every-
one interested in photography. Some of the local views by
local artists are very fine ; W. P. Glaisby's views of York
Minster are capital, especially the interiors. Messrs. Jackson
Brothers, of Oldham, exhibit some very fine views, and show
what atmospheric eff'ects the camera is capable of rendering.
That view of "Bir stall Church" is a perfect master-piece of
photo-aerial perspective. There are also a considerable number
of photographic productions from the South Kensington Museum.
Mr. Gregson, of Halifax, exhibits some excellent photographs
of machinery. In apparatus there is nothing novel or striking,
there being but one case of cameras, &c., exhibited by a Lon-
don maker. There is a "water agitator" in the machinery

228

"annexe," for washing photographic prints, but the invention
is more ingenious than effective, for the water is not agitated
sufficiently, except in the immediate neighbourhood of the fan
or "agitator," which moves backwards and forwards in the
water, in a manner somewhat similar to the motion of the pen-
dulum of a clock, and so laves the water to and fro ; but the
force is not sufficient to prevent the prints from lying close
together at the extremities of the trough, and imperfect washing
is sure to be the result. The motion is given to the " agitator "
by the water falling on a small wheel, something like
" "Williams's revolving print washing machine."

To describe the Exhibition itself: It is rather like a "com-
pound mixture " of the church, the shop, and the show. The
" GrreatHall " is something like the nave of a wooden cathedral,
with galleries running all round, and a grand organ at the end,
peeling forth, at intervals, solemn strains of long measure.
Over the organ, in white letters on a red ground, is the quota-
tion, " He hath made all things beautiful in his time."

The show cases on the floor of the Grand Hall are arranged
as indiscriminately as the shops in Oxford Street. In one case
there are exhibited samples of Colman's mustard, in that next
to it samples of " Elkington and Co.'s plated goods," and in
another close by are samples of saddlery, which give the place
more the business aspect of a bazaar than the desirable and
advantageous classification of an exhibition. Then you are
reminded of the show by the frequent ringing of a loud bell,
and cries of " This way to the fairy fountain, just going to
begin, only twopence." Such things jar on the ears and nerves
of quiet visitors, and are only expected in such a place as the
Polytechnic in London.

The great features of the York Exhibition are the pic-
ture galleries; and here a better order of things prevails.
The collections are classified; one gallery, or part of it,
being devoted to the works of the old masters, another

229

to the modern, and another to the water colours. Among the
old masters are some fine portraits by Yelasquez, Tintoretto,
Eembrandt, Vandyke, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough, Sir
Peter Leley, and others. And some of those grand old land-
scapes by Salvator Rosa, Rubens, Claude, "Wilson, the English
Claude, and George Morland, such pictures as are rarely seen
out of private collections. The modern masters are abundantly
represented by Wilkie, Etty, Erith, "Westall, Faed, Cope,
E. Nicol, Stanfield, Linnell, and a host of others. Amongst
the water colours are many fine examples of the works of
Turner, the Richardsons (father and sons), Birket Foster,
&c., &c.

Sculpture is very faintly represented, but there is a charming
little Canova, Dirce, exhibited by Lord Wenlock ; an antique
bust of Julius Caesar, which seems to have been found in frag-
ments and carefully joined together. This bust is exhibited by
the Hon. P. Downay, and was found in Rome amongst some
rubbish, while some excavations were being made. There is
also an interesting series of marble busts of the Twelve Caesars,
exhibited by Lord Londesborough. The Exhibition is open in
the evening, and brilliantly lighted with gas till ten o'clock ;
and, taking it " all in all," it is a very creditable efi'ort in the
right direction, and does honour to York and Yorkshiremen.

Further north still, at Newcastle-on-Tyne, there is another
-exhibition of " Arts and Manufactures," the chief photographic
feature of which is a considerable display of "Swan's Carbon
Prints," from several well-known negatives by Bedford and
Robinson. The promise of this process is very great, and its
commercial advantages were singularly demonstrated to me
when visiting the printing establishment of Mr. Swan, which I
happened to do on a dark and unfavourable day — one totally
unfit for silver printing ; and yet I saw several very beautiful
carbon prints that had been produced that day, the rate of produc-
tion being about eight to one over silver printing. As a proof of

230

the certainty and commercial application to wliicli Mr. Swart
has reduced his beautiful process, I need only mention that he
has undertaken the printing of two thousand copies of the cele-
brated picture of " The Eirst General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland," painted by D. 0. Hill. This historical picture
contains four hundred and fifty portraits : the negatives were
taken from the original painting by Mr. Annan, photographer,
Glasgow, and are 32 by 14 inches, and 24 by 9 inches ; and
Mr. Swan has to turn off one thousand copies of each within a
given time. The publishers of the work give a guarantee to
their subscribers that every print shall be of a high standard,
for each one has to pass the examination of two competent
judges. They also very justly pride themselves on being the
very first to translate and multiply such noble works of art by
a process *' so beautiful, and, at the same time, imperishable.''^
I saw several of the prints, both in process of development and
complete ; and anything more like rich, soft, and brilliant
impressions of a fine mezzotint engraving I never saw, by any
process of photography.

Mr. Swan's arrangements for conducting the various parts of
his process are very extensive and complete ; and his mode of
"developing and transferring" seems to be the very acme of
perfection. But, as Mr. Swan is about to publish a work con-
taining a full description of the process, with a beautiful speci-
men print as frontispiece, I will not anticipate him, or mar his
own comprehensive account of the details of a process which
he has brought to such a state of beauty and perfection, by an
amount of patient perseverance and thoughtful application rarely
exhibited or possessed by one individual.

I also visited the photographic establishment of Messrs.
Downey in Newcastle, and there saw some cabinet pictures
of the Princess of Wales, taken recently at Abergeldie Castle.
Messrs. Downey have just returned from Balmoral with upwards
of two hundred negatives, including whole-plate, half-plate,

231

and cabinet size, -u-hicli mil be published in one or all those
sizes, as soon as the orders of Her Majesty have been executed.
From the well-known reputation of the Messrs. Downey as
photographers, it is, in all probability, a treat in store for the
lovers of photography, to get a sight of their latest works at
Balmoral and Abergeldie.

Mr. Parry, another excellent photographer in Newcastle, was
also making arrangements to introduce the new cabinet size
picture in a style that will insure its success.

Altogether, the movements of the best photographers in the
North are highly commendable, and, with their notoriously
practical minds, there is little doubt of their undertakings
becoming a success. Let us hope that the same elements of
energy and "push " will speedily impregnate tne minds of all
photographers, and create a combination that will develop a
new form of popular beauty, and result in forming a salt that
will savour their labours, produce deposits of gold, and create
innumerable orders of merit.

EERORS IN PICTORIAL BACKGROUNDS.
"VSTe have recently had a few papers on the necessity of art
culture and art knowledge in relation to photography, but they
have chiefly been of a theoretical and speculative character,
few, if any, assuming a practical form. " Apply the rod to
teach the child" is an old saying, and our artist friends and
teachers have applied the rod and belaboured photography most
unmercifully, but they have not taught the child. They have
contented themselves with abusing photographers for not doing
what was right, instead of teaching them how to avoid what
was wrong.

It will be my endeavour to point out, in this paper, some
errors that have crept into photographers' and artists' studios,
and I hope to be able to suggest a remedy that will lessen

232

these evils, and elevate photography in the scale of art. The
faults in pictorial backgrounds that I invite your attention to,
arise from the neglect of the principles of linear and aerial
perspective. 1 do not speak of the errors in perspective that
may exist in the backgrounds themselves, viewing them as
pictures; but I refer to the mnnifest fault of depicting the
sitter — the principal object — according to one condition of
perspective, and the background that is placed behind him
according to another. An unpardonable error in any work of
art, whether photograph or painting, is to represent a natural
object in an unnatural position. By this I do not mean an
awkward and constrained attitude, but a false position of the
principal subject in relation to the other objects by which it is
surrounded. We frequently see portraits, both full-length and
three-quarter size, with landscape backgrounds — or a bit of
landscape to be seen through a painted or actual window — of
the most unnatural proportions in relation to the figure itself.
The head of the subject is stuck high in the heavens — some-
times so high that, in relation to the painted landscape, nothing
shorter than a church steeple could attain such an altitude.
The trees and castles of the pretty landscape, supposed to be
behind the sitter, are like children's toys; the mountains are
like footballs in size, and the "horizon" is not so much in
relation to the figure as the width of a fishpond is to a man
standing on one side of it. It must be admitted that artists
themselves have set this bad example of departing from truth
to give increased importance to their subjects by placing their
figures against diminutive backgrounds; but that is a liberty taken
with nature which photographers should neither imitate nor allow.
Photography is, in all other respects, so rigidly truthful that it
cannot consistently sanction such a violation of natural laws.

Pictorial backgrounds have usually been painted on the same
principle as a landscape picture, and one of the earliest things
the painter has to determine is, where he shall represent that

233

line where the sky and earth appear to meet — technically, the
horizontal line. This settled, all the lines, not vertical or
horizontal in the picture, below this are made to appear to rise
up to it, and those above descend, and if all these are in due
proportion the perspective is correct, no matter whether this
governing line is assumed to be in the upper, lower, or middle
part of the picture. A painter can suppose this imaginary line
to be at any height he pleases in his picture, and paint
accordingly. In photography it is invariable, and is always on
a level with the lens of the camera. To illustrate the relation
of the horizontal line to the human figure, when a pictorial
background is to be introduced, let us imagine that we are
taking a portrait out of doors, with a free and open country
behind the person standing for his carte-de-visite. The camera
and the model are, as a matter of course, on the same level.
Now focus the subject and observe the linear construction of
the landscape background of nature. See how all the lines of
the objects below the level of the lens run up to it, and the
lines of the objects above run down to it. Right across the
lens is the horizontal line, and the centre is the point of sight,
where all the lines will appear to converge. Suppose the lens
to be on a level with the face of the subject, the horizontal line
of the picture produced on the ground glass will be as near as
possible as high as the eyes of the subject. Trees and hills in
the distance will be above, and the whole picture will be in
harmony. This applies to interior views as well, but the ocular
demonstration is not so conclusive, for the converging Hnes wlU
be cut or stopped by the perpendicular wall forming the back-
ground. Nevertheless, all the converging lines that are visible
will be seen to be on their way to the point of sight. ^Yhether
a natural background consisted of an interior, or comprised
both — such as a portion of the wall of a room and a peep
through a window on one side of the figure — the conditions
"would be exactly the same. All the lines above the lens must

234

come down, and all that are below must go up. The following
diagrams will illustrate this principle still more clearly.

Fig. 1.

0 Point of
Observation. Base Line.

Pig. 1 is a section of the linear construction of a picture, and
will show how the lines converge from the point of observation
to the point of sight. Artists, in constructing a landscape of
an ordinary form, allot to the sky generally about twice the
space between the base and horizontal lines. But for portraits
and groups, where the figures are of the greatest importance

Fig. 2.

V _

U Point of Observation.

and nearer to the eye, the proportion of sky and earth ia
reversed, so as to give increased value to the principal figures,.

235

by making them apparently larger, and still preserving the
proper relation between them and the horizontal line (see fig. 2).
This diagram represents the conditions of a full-length carte
portrait, "where the governing horizontal line is on a level
with the camera. If a pictorial background, painted in the
usual way, with the horizontal line low in the picture, is now
placed behind the sitter, the resulting photograph will be
incongruous and offensive. It will be seen, on referring to fig. 2,
that all the lines below the horizon must of necessity run up
to it, no matter how high the horizontal line may be, for it
is impossible to have two horizons in one picture ; that is, a
visible horizon in the landscape background, and an imaginary
one for the figure, with the horizontal line of the background
far below the head of the figure, and the head far up in the sky.
The head of a human figure can only be seen so far above the
horizontal line under certain conditions ; such as being elevated
above the observer by being mounted on horseback, standing
on higher ground, or otherwise placed considerably above the
base line, none of which conditions are present in a studio.
"WTienever the observed and observer are on the same level, as
must be the case when a photographer is taking the portrait of
a sitter in his studio, the head of the subject could not possibly
be seen so high in the sky, if the lens included a natural
background instead of a painted one. As, for convenience,
the painted background is intended to take the place of a
natural one, care should be taken that the linear and aerial
perspectives should be as true to nature as possible, and in
perfect harmony with the size of the figures. The lens
registers, on the prepared plate, the relative proportions of
natural objects as faithfully as the retina receives them through
the eye, and if we wish to carry out the illusion of pictorial
backgrounds correctly, we must have the linear construction of
the picture, which is intended to represent nature, as true in
every respect as nature is herself.

236

Aerial perspective has not been sufficiently attended to by
the painters of pictorial backgrounds. There are many other
subjects in connection with art and photography that might
be discussed with advantage — such as composition, arrangement
of accessories, size, form, character, and fitness of the things
employed ; but 1 leave all these for another opportunity, or to
some one more able to handle the subjects. For the present, I
am content to point out those errors that arise from neglecting
true perspective, and while showing the cause, distinctively
supply a remedy.

It is not the fault of perspective in the background where
the lines are not in harmony with each other — these too
frequently occur, and are easily detected — but it is the error of
painting a pictorial background as if it were an independent
picture, without reference to the conditions under which it is
to be used. The conditions of perspective are determined by the
situation of the lens and the sitter. If the actual objects
existed behind the sitter, and were photographed simultaneously
with the sitter, the same laws of perspective would govern the
two. "What I urge is, that if, instead of the objects, a repre-
sentation of them be put behind the sitter, that represenation
be also a correct one. The laws of perspective teach how it
may be made correctly, and the starting point is the position of
the lens in relation to the sitter.

Some may say that these conditions of painting a background
cannot be complied with, as the lens and sitter are never twice
exactly in the same relation to each other. There is less force
in this objection than at first appears. Each photographer
uses the same lens for all his carte portraits — and pictorial
backgrounds are very frequently used for these — and the height
of his camera, as well as the distance from his sitter, are so
nearly constant, that the small amount of errors thus caused
need not be recognized. If the errors that exist were not
far more grave, there would be no necessity for this

237

paper. Exceptional pictures should hare corresponding back-
grounds,

"When a "sitter" is photographed standing in front of a
pictorial background, the photograph will represent him either
standing in a natural scene, or before a badly-painted picture.
Nobody should wittingly punish his sitter by doing the latter
when he could do the former, and the first step to form the
desirable illusion is pictorial truth. There is no reason why
the backgrounds should not be painted truthfully and according
to correct principles, for the one is as easy as the other. I
daresay the reason is that artists have not intentionally done
wrong — it would be too bad to suppose that — but they have
treated the backgrounds as independent pictures, and it is for
photographers to make what use of them they think proper.
The real principles are, however, now stated, by which they
can be painted so as to be more photographically useful,
and artists and photographers have alike the key to pictorial
truth.

In conclusion, I would suggest to photographers the neces-
sity of studying nature more carefully — to observe her in
their walks abroad, to notice the gradual decrease of objects
both in size and distinctness, to remember that their lens is to
their camera what their eye is to themselves, to give as faithful
a transcript of nature as they possibly can, to watch the flow
of nature's lines, as well as natural light and shade, and, by a
constant study and exhibition of truth and beauty in their
works, make photography eventually the teacher of art, instead
of art, as is now the case, being the reviler of photography.

PERSPECTIVE.

To the Editors.
Gentlemen, — At the end of Mr. Alfred H. Wall's reply to
Mr. Carey Lea's letter on Artists and Photographers, I notice

238

that he cautions your readers not to receive the very simple
rules of perspective laid down in my paper, entitled Errors in
Pictorial Backgrounds, until they have acquired more information
on the subject. Allow me to state that all I said on perspective
in that paper only went to show that there should be but one
horizon in the same picture ; that the lines of all objects lelow
that horizon should run up to it; that the lines of all objects
uhove should run down, no matter where that one horizon was
placed ; and that the horizon of the landscape background should
be in due relation to the sitter and on a level with the eye of
the observer, the observer being either the lens or the painter.

If your correspondent considers that I was in error by laying
<lown such plain and common-sense rules, which every one can
see and judge for himself by looking down a street, then I freely
admit that your correspondent knows a great deal more about
false perspective than I do, or should like to do.

Again, if your correspondent cannot see why I " volunteered
to instruct artists " or painters of backgrounds, perhaps he will
allow me to inform him that I did so simply because background
painters have hitherto supplied photographers with backgrounds
totally unfit for use in the photographic studio.

In spite of Mr. Wall's assumption of superior knowledge on
subjects relatiug to art, I may still be able to give him a hint
how to produce a pictorial background that will be much more
natural, proportionate, and suitable for the use of photographers
than any hitherto painted.

Let Mr. Wall, or any other background painter, go out with
the camera and take a carte-de-visite portrait out of doors, placing
the subject in any well-chosen and suitable natural scene, and
photograph the "sitter" and the natural scene at the same
time. Then bring the picture so obtained into his studio and
enlarge it up to "life size," which he can easily do by the old-
fashioned system of "squaring," or, better still, by the aid of a
magic lantern, and with the help of a sketch of the scene as

239

TV'ell, to enable him to fill in correctly that part of tlie landscape
concealed by the figure taken on the spot; so that, when repro-
duced by the photographer in his studio, he will have a repre-
sentation of a natural scene, with everything seen in the
background in correct perspective, and in natural proportions in
relation to the "sitter." This wili also show how few objects
can naturally be introduced into a landscape background ; and
if the distant scenery be misty and undefined, so much the
better. It is the sharpness, hardness, and superabundance of
subjects introduced into pictorial backgrounds generally that I
object to, and endeavoured to point out in my paper ; and I
consider it no small compliment to have had my views on that
pai't of my subject so emphatically endorsed by so good an
authority as Mr. Wallis, in his remarks on backgrounds at the
last meeting of the South London Photographic Society.

I make no pretensions to the title of " artist," although I
studied perspective, drawing from the flat and round, light and
shade, and other things in connection with a branch of art which
I abandoned many years ago for the more lucrative profession of
a photographer. "Were I so disposed, I could quote Reynolds,
Burnett, and Ruskin as glibly as your correspondent ; but I
prefer putting my own views on any subject before my readers
in language of my own.

I endeavour to be in all my words and actions thoroughly
independent and consistent, which is more than I can say for
your correspondent "A. H. "W." In proof of which, I should
like to call the attention of your readers to a passage in his
" Practical Art Hints," in the last issue of The British Journal
of Photography, where he says : — "It is perversion and degrada-
tion to an art like ours to make its truth and unity subservient
to conventional tricks, shams, and mechanical dodges," while at
the last meeting of the South London Photographic Society,
when speaking of backgrounds, he admitted they were all
conventional.

240

"Now, that is just what we do not want, and which was the
chief object I had in view when I wrote my paper. We have
had too many of those art-conventional backgrounds, and want
something more in accordance with natural truth and the
requirements of photography.

In conclusion, allow me to observe that I should be truly
sorry were I to mislead anyone in the pursuit of knowledge
relative to our profession, either artistically or photographically.
But let it he borne in mind that it is admitted on all sides, and
by the best authorities, that nearly all the pictorial backgrounds
now in use are quite unnatural, and totally unsuited for the
purposes for which they are intended. Therefore the paper I
read will have done the good I intended, and answered the
purpose for which it was written, if it has been the means of
calling attention to such glaring defects and absurdities as are
now being perpetrated by background painters, and bringing in
their place more natural, truthful, and photographically useful
backgrounds into the studios of all photographers. — I am,
yours, &c., J. Weege.

lelrua/ry lOth, 1866.

PERSPECTIVE IN BACKGROUNDS.
To the Editors.

(xENTLEMEN, — I must beg of you to allow me to reply to Mr.
"Wall once more, and for the last time, on this subject, especially
as that gentleman expects an answer from me.

To put myself into a fair position with regard to Mr. "Wall
and your readers, I will reply to the latter part of his letter
first, by stating that I endeavour to avoid all personality in this
discussion, and should be sorry to descend to anything of the
kind knowingly. "When I spoke of " independency and con-
sistency," I had not in view anything relative to his private
character, but simply that kind of independence which enables

241

a man to trust to his own powers of utterance for tlie expression
of his ideas, instead of that incessant quoting the language of
others, to which your correspondent, Mr. Wall, is so prone. As
to his inconsistency, I mean that tendency which he exhibits to
advocate a principle at one time, and denounce it at another.
I shall prove that presently. Towards Mr. "Wall, personally, I
have neither animosity nor pique, and would take him by the
hand as freely and frankly as ever I did were I to meet him at
this moment. With his actions as a private gentleman I have
nothing to do. I look upon him now as a controvertist only.
So far, I hope I have made myself clearly understood by Mr.
Wall and all concerned.

I also should like to have had so important a question
discussed without introducing so much of that frivolous smart-
ness of style generally adopted by Mr. Wall, But, as he has
introduced two would-be-funny similes, I beg to dispose of them
before going into more serious matter. Taking the " butcher '»
first (see the fifth paragraph in Mr. Wall's last letter), I should
say that, if I were eating the meat, I should be able to judge of
its quality, and know whether it was good or bad, in spite of all
the butcher might say to the contrary ; and surely, no man not
an out-and-out vegetarian, or lacking one of the five senses — ta
say nothing of common sense — will admit that it is necessary to
be a " butcher" to enable him to be a judge of good meat. On
the same ground, I contend that it is 7iot necessary for a man to
be an artist to have a thorough knowledge of perspective;
and I have known many artists who knew as little about
perspective, practically, as their easel did. They had a vague
and dreamy idea of some governing principles, but how to put
those principles into practice they had not the slightest notion,
I once met an artist who could not put a tesselated pavement
into perspective, and yet he had some right to the title of artist,
for he could draw and paint the human figure well. Perspective
is based on geometrical principles, and can be as easily mastered

242

"by any man not an artist as the first book of Euclid, or the
first four rules of arithmetic ; and, for all that, it is astonishing
how many artists know so little about the working rules of
perspective.

Again : Mr. "Wall is surely not prepared to advance the
dictum that no one can know anything about art hut a pro-
fessional artist. If so, how does he reconcile that opinion with
the fact of his great and oft-quoted authority, Euskin, not being
an artist, but simply, in his public character, a voluminous
writer on art, not always right, as many artists and photographers
very well know.

Mr. Wall objects to my use of the word "artist," but he
seems to have overlooked the fact that I used the quotation
marks to show that I meant to apply it to the class of self-styled
artists, or men who arrogate to themselves a title they do not
merit — not such men as Landseer, Maclise, Faed, Philips, Millais,
and others of, and not of, the " Forty." Mr. "Wall may be an
artist. I do not say he is not. He also is, or was, a painter of
hackgrounds. So he can apply to himself whichever title he likes
hest ; but whether he deserves either one or the other, depends
on what he has done to merit the appellative.

Mr. "Wall questions the accuracy of the principles I advo-
cated in my paper. I contend that I am perfectly correct,
and am the more astonished at Mr. Wall when I refer to
vol. v., page 123, of the Photographic News. There I find,
in an article bearing his own name, and entitled " The Techno-
logy of Art as AppKed to Photography," that he says : —

" If you make use of a painted cloth to represent an interior
or out-door view, the horizontal line must be at somewhere
about the height which your lens is most generally placed at,
and the vanishing point nearly opposite the spot occupied by the
camera. * * * * I have just said that the horizon of a
landscape background and the vanishing point should be opposite
the lens ; I may, perhaps, for the sake of such operators as are

243

not acquainted witli perspective, explain why. The figure and
the background are supposed to be taken at one and the same
time, and the camera has the place of the spectator by whom
they are taken. Now, suppose we have a real figure before a
real landscape : if I look up at a figure I obtain one view of it,
but if I look down on it, 1 get another and quite a different
view, and the horizon of the natural landscape behind the figure
is always exactly the height of my eye. To prove this, you may
sit down before a window, and mark on the glass the height of
the horizon ; then rise, and, as you do so, you will find the
horizon also rises, and is again exactly opposite your eye. A
picture, then, in which the horizontal line of the background
represents the spectator as looking up at the figure from a
position near the base line, while the figure itself indicates that
the same spectator is at that identical time standing with his
eyes on a level with the figure's breast or chin — such productions
are evidently false to art, and untrue to nature. * * * *
The general fault in the painted screens we see behind photo-
graphs arises from introducing too many objects."

Now, as I advanced neither more nor less in my paper, why
does Mr. "Wall turn round and caution your readers not to receive
such simple truths uttered by me ? I was not aware that Mr.
"Wall had forestalled me in laying down such rules ; for at that
date I was in America, and did not see the News; but, on
turning over the volume for 1861 the other day, since this
discussion began, I there saw and read, with surprise, the above
in his article on backgrounds. I am perfectly aware that I did
not say aU that I might have said on perspective in my paper ;
but the little I did say was true in principle, and answered my
purpose.

When Mr. Wall (in the second paragraph of his last letter)
speaks of the * ' principal visual ray going from the point of
distance to the point of sight, and forming a right angle to the
perspective plane," it seems to me that he is not quite sure of

244

the difference between the points of sigJd, distance, and oiserva-
tion, or of the relation and. application of one to the other.
However, his coming articles on perspective will settle that. It
also appears to me that he has overlooked the fact that my
diagrams were sections, showing the perspective inclination and
declination of the lines of a parallelogram towards the point of
sight. In my paper I said nothing about the point of distance ;
with that I had nothing to do, as it was not my purpose to go
into all the dry details of perspective. But I emphatically
deny that anything like a " bird's eye view " of the figure could
possibly be obtained by following any of the rules I laid down.
In my paper I contended for the camera being placed on a level
with the head of the sitter, and that would bring the line of the
horizon in a pictorial background also as high as the head of the
sitter. And if the horizon of the pictorial background were
placed anywhere else, it would cause the apparent overlapping
of two conditions of perspective in the resulting photograph.
These were the errors I endeavoured to point out. I maintain
that my views are perfectly correct, and can be proved by
geometrical demonstration, and the highest artistic and scientific
testimony.

I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not advocate the
use of pictorial backgrounds, and think I pretty strongly
denounced them ; but if they must be used by photographers,
either to please themselves or their customers, let them, for
the credit of our profession, be as true to nature as possible.

I think I have now answered all the points worth considering
in Mr. "Wall's letter, and with this I beg to decline any further
correspondence on the subject. — I am, yours, &c,,

J. Weegi.
March 5th, 1866.

245

NOTES ON PICTURES IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY.

In the following notes on some of the pictures in the National
Gallery, it is not my intention to assume the character of an art-
critic, but simply to record the impressions produced on the mind
of a photographer while looking at the works of the great old
masters, with the view of calling the attention of photographers
and others interested in art-photography to a few of the pictures
which exhibit, in a marked degree, the relation of the horizon to
the principal figures.

During an examination of those grand old pictures, two
questions naturally arise in the mind : What is conventionality
in art ? and — In whose works do we see it ? The first question
is easily answered by stating that it is a mode of treating
pictorial subjects by established rule or custom, so as to obtain
certain pictorial effects without taking into consideration whether
such effects can be produced by natural combinations or not.
In answer to the second question, it may be boldly stated that
there is very little of it to be seen in the works of the best
masters ; and one cannot help exclaiming, " What close imitators
of nature those grand old masters were ! " In their works we
never see that photographic eye-sore which may be called a
binographic combination of two conditions of perspective, or the
whereabouts of two horizons in the same picture.

The old masters were evidently content with natural com-
binations and effects for their backgrounds, and relied on the
rendering of natural truths more than conventional falsehoods
for the strength and beauty of their productions. Perhaps the
simplest mode of illustrating this would be to proceed to a kind
of photographic analysis of the pictures of the old masters, and
see how far the study of their works will enable the photographer
to determine what he should employ and what he should reject
as pictorial backgrounds in the practice of photography. As a
photographer, then — for it is the photographic application of art

246

we have to consider — I will proceed to give my notes on pictures
in the National Gallery, showing the importance of having the
horizontal line in its proper relation to the sitter or figure.

Perhaps the most beautiful example is the fine picture by
Annibale Carracci of ** Christ appearing to Peter." This
admirable work of art as nearly as possible contains the propor-
tions of a carte-de-visite or whole-plate picture enlarged, and is
well worthy the careful attention and study of every photo-
grapher ; not only for its proportions and the amount of land-
scape background introduced, showing the proper position of the
horizon and the small amount of sky visible, but it is a wonderful
example of light and shade, foreshortening, variety and contrast
of expression, purity of colour, simplicity of design, and truth-
fulness to nature. Neither of the figures lose any of their force
or dignity, although the horizontal line is as high as their heads,
and the whole of the space between is filled in with the scene
around them . In its linear perspective it is quite in keeping
with the figures, and the scenery is in harmonious subjection,
controlled and subdued by aerial perspective.

The large picture of "Erminia takes refuge with the
Shepherds," by the same artist, is also a fine example of a
horizon high in the picture. The figure of Erminia is separated
from the other figures, and could be copied or reproduced alone
without any loss of beauty and dignity, or any violation of
natural laws.

Murine's picture of " St. John and the Lamb " suggests an
admirable background for the use of the photographer. It
consists of dark masses of rock and foliage. Nothing distinct
or painfully visible, the distant masses of foliage blend
with the clouds, and there is nothing in the background but
masses of light and shade to support or relieve the principal
objects.

In the picture of " Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene," by
Titian, the water-line is above the head of Christ, but if the

247

figure were standing upright, the head of the Saviour would
break the horizontal line.

Titian's " Bacchus and Ariadne " also has the water-line
breast high, almost to the neck of Ariadne. The figure of
Bacchus springing from the car, as a matter of course, is much
higher in the sky. This picture presentsthe perspective conditions
of the painter having been seated while painting such figures from
nature, or similar to the results and effects obtained by taking a
group with the lens on a level with the breast or lower part of
the necks of figures standing.

In Titian's portrait of Ariosto there is a dark foliated back-
ground which gives great brilliancy to the picture, but no sky
is visible. The " Portrait of a Lady," by Paris Bardone, has an
architectural backgroiind in which no sky is to be seen. The
picture is very brilliant, and the monotony of a plain background
is skilfully overcome.

The picture of " St. Catharine of Alexandria," by Eaphael,
has a landscape background, with the horizon about as high as
the breast, as if the artist had been seated and the model standing
during the process of painting.

Raphael's picture of " The Vision of a Knight " is another
example of the fearlessness of that artist in putting in or backing
up his figures with a large amount of landscape background.

The proportions of Correggio's " Venus, Mercury, and Cupid,"
are as nearly as possible those of a carte- de-visite enlarged ; and
that picture has no sky in the background, but a very suitable
dark, cool, rocky scene, well subdued, for the rocks are quite
near to the figures. This background gives wonderful brilliancy
to the figures, and contrasts admirably with the warm and
delicate flesh tints.

Correggio's " Holy Family " has a landscape and architectural
background, with a very little sky visible in the right-hand
comer.

In the "Judgment of Paris," by Eubens, the horizontal line

248

of the background cuts the waist of the first female figure,
showing that the artist was seated. The other two female
figures are placed against a background of rocks and dark masses
of foliage. Eubens' picture of the " Holy Family and St.
George" is also a good example of the kind of picture for the
photographer to study as to the situation of the horizontal
line.

The picture of "The Idle Servent," by Nicolas Maas, is also
an excellent subject for study of this kind. It shows the due
relation of the horizon of an interior in a very marked degree,
and its shape and subject are very suitable to the size and form
of a carte-de-visite. So are his pictures of " The Cradle" and
" A Dutch Housewife."

The picture of "John Arnolfini of Lucca and his Wife,"
painted by John Van Eyck in the fifteenth century, is an
excellent specimen of an interior background, with a peep out of
a window on one side of the room. This is a capital subject for
the study of photographers who wish to use a background
representing an interior.

" The Holy Family at a Fountain," a picture of the Dutch
school, painted by Schoorel in the sixteenth century, has an
elaborate landscape background with the horizon above the heads
of the figures, as if the artist had been standing and the models
sitting.

For an example of a portrait less than half-length, with a
landscape background, look at the portrait of "An Italian
Gentleman," by Andrea da Solario. This picture shows how
very conscientiously the old masters worked up to the truth of
nature in representing the right amount of landscape in propor-
tion to the figure ; but the background is much too hard and
carefully worked out to be pleasing. Besides, it is very
destructive to the force and power of the picture, which will be
at once visible on going to the portraits by Rembrandt, which
have a marvellous power, and seem to stand right before the

249

dark atmospheric backgrounds whicli that artist generally painted
in his portraits.

There are other examples of half-length portraits with land-
scape backgrounds, wherein the horizontal line passes right
through the eyes of the principal figure, one of "which I will
mention. It is that of the " Yirgia and Child," by Lorenzo di
Credi. In this picture the horizontal line passes right through,
the eyes of the Virgin without interfering with the interest of
the chief object.

Several examples of an opposite character are to be seen in
the National Gallery, with the horizon of the landscape back-
ground much too low in the picture. It is needless to call
special attention to them. After carefully examining the works
already named, and comparing them with the natural effects to
be observed daily, it will be quickly seen which is a truthful
picture in this respect, and which is a false one.

SHARPXESS AI^^D SOFTNESS F. HARDNESS.

The discussion on " Sharpness : what is it ? " at the meeting of
the South London Photographic Society in May, 1861, and the
more recent discussion on "Focussing" at the last meeting of
the same Society, seem to me to have lost much of their value
and importance to photographers for want of a better definition
of the term hardness as applied to art, and as used by artists in
an artistic sense. Webster, in his second definition of the word
" hardness," gives it as " difiiculty to be understood." In that
sense Mr. "Wall succeeded admirably when he gave the term
concentration, in reply to Mr. Hughes, who asked Mr. "Wall
what he meant by hardness. Fairholt gives the art meaning of
the word as "want of refinement; academic drawing, rather
than artistic feeling." But even that definition would not have
been sufficiently comprehensive to convey an adequate idea of
the meaning of the term in contradistinction to the word sharp-

250

nesSf and I cannot but think that Mr. "Wall failed in his object
in both papers, and lost considerable ground in both discussions,
by not giving more attention to the nice distinctions of the two
terms as used in art, and explaining their artistic meanings
more clearly.

Sharpness need not be hardness ; on the contrary, sharpness
and softness can be harmoniously combined in the representation
of any object desired. On the other hand, a subject may possess
abundance of detail, and yet convey to the mind an idea of
hardness which the artist did not intend. This kind of hardness
I should attribute to a miscarriage of thought, or a failure, from
want of manipulative skill, to produce the desired effect. Tor
example : one artist will paint a head, model it carefully, and
carry out all the gradations of light and shade, and for all that
it will be hard — hard as stone, resembling the transcript of a
painted statue more than flesh. With the same brushes and
colours another artist will paint a head that may be no better
in its drawing, nor any more correct in its light and shade, but
it will resemble ^(?sA, and convey to the mind of the observer a
correct impression of the substance represented — its flexibility
and elasticity — that it is something that would be warm and
pleasant to the touch, and not make you recoil from it as if it
were something cold, hard, and repulsive, as in the former case.
Again, two artists will paint a fabric or an article of f arniture
(say a table) with the same brushes, pigments, and mediums :
the one artist will render it so faithfully in every respect that it
would suggest to the mind the dull sound peculiar to wood
when struck, and not the sharp, clear ring of metal which the
work of the other artist would suggest.

Another example : one artist paints a feather, and it appears
to have all the feathery lightness and characteristics of the
natural object ; the other will paint it the same size, form, and
colour, and yet it will be more like a painted chip, wanting the
downy texture and float-in-the-air suggestiveness of the other.

251

Thus it will be seen that both artists had similar ideas, had
similar materials and means at their disposal to render on canvas
the same or similar effects. The one succeeded, and the other
failed, in giving a faithful rendering of the same subjects ; but
it was no fault in the materials with which they worked. The
works of one artist will convey to the mind an idea of the thing
itself; with its texture, properties, weight, and proportions ;
nothing undervalued ; nothing overrated, nothing softer, nothing
harder, than the thing in nature intended to be portrayed. The
other gives the same idea of form and size, light and shade, and
colour, but not the texture ; it is something harder, as iron
instead of wood, or hard wood instead of soft wood, or stone
instead of flesh. This, then, is the artistic meaning of hardness
(or concentration, as Mr. Wall said), and that is an apparent
packing together, a compression or petrefaction of the atoms or
fibre of which the natural materials are composed. This differ-
ence in the works of artists is simply the effects of feeling, of
power over the materials employed, and ability to transfer to
canvas effects that are almost illusions. And so it is with
photographers in the production of the photographic image.
There is the same difference in feeling and manipulative skill,
the same difference of power over the materials employed, that
enables one photographer to surpass another in rendering more
truthfully the difference of texture. Photographers may and
do use the same lenses and chemicals, and yet produce widely
different results. One, by judgment in lighting and superior
manipulation, will transfer to his plates more texture and sug-
gestiveness of the different substances represented than the
other. It is a fact well known to old photographers that in the
best days of the Daguerreotype practice two widely different
classes of pictures were produced by the most skilful Daguerreo-
typists, both sharp and full of exquisite detail ; yet the one was
hard, in an artistic sense, not that it wanted half-tone to link
the lights and shades together, but because it was of a bronzy

252

hardness, unlike flesh from ■vrhich it was taken, and suggested
to the mind a picture taken from a bronze or iron statue of the
individual, rather than a picture taken from the warm, soft
flesh of the original. The other would be equally sharp as far
as focussing and sharp lenses could make it, and possess as much
detail, but it would be different in colour and texture ; the de-
tail would be soft, downy, and fleshy, not irony, if I may use
that word in such a sense ; and this difference of effect arose
entirely from a difference of feeling, lighting, preparation of the
plate, and development of the pictures. They might all use the
best of Yoigtlander's or C. C. Harrison's lenses, the favourite
lenses of that day. They might all use the same make of plates,
the same iodine, bromine, and mercury, yet there would be this
difference in the character of the two classes of pictures. Both
would be sharp and possess abundance of detail, still one would
be soft and the other hard in an artistic acceptation of the word
hardness.

Collodion positives exhibited a similar difference of character.
The works of one photographer would be cold and metallic
looking, while the works of another would be softer and less
metallic, giving a better idea of the texture of flesh and the
difference of fabrics, which many attributed to the superiority
of the lens ; but the difference was really due to manipulation,
treatment, and intelligence. And so it is with the collodion
negative. A tree, for instance, may be photographed, and its
whole character changed by selecting a bad and unsuitable light,
or by bad manipulation. The least over-development or " piling
up " of a high light may give it a sparkling effect that would
change it into the representation of a tree of cast iron, rather
than a growing tree, covered with damp, soft, and moss-stained
bark. Every object and every fabric, natural or manufactured,
has its own peculiar form of " high light " or mode of reflecting
light, and care must be taken by both artist and photographer
not to exceed the amount of light reflected by each particular

253

object, else a hardness, foreign to the natural object, will be
represented. But not only should the artist and photographer
possess this feeliug for nature in all her subtle beauties and
modes of expressing herself, to prevent a miscarriage in the
true rendering of any object, the photographic printer should
also have a sympathy for the work in hand, or he will, by over-
fixing, or in various other ways, mar the successful labours of
the photographer, and make a negative that is full of softness,
and tenderly expresses the truth of nature, yield prints that are
crude, and convey to the mind a sense of hardness which neither
the natural objects nor the negative really possess.

Now, I think it will be seen that hardness in a painting or a
photograph does not mean sharpness ; nor is the artistic meaning
of the word hardness confined to "rigid or severe drawing,"
but that it has a broader and more practical definition than
concentration; and that the converse to the art meaning of
hardness is softness, tenderness, truthfulness in expressing the
varied aspects of nature in all her forms, all of which are coinci-
dent with sharpness.: — J. Werge {Photographic News).

TJMON OE THE NORTH AND SOUTH LONDON

PHOTOGRA.PHIC SOCIETIES.

To the Editors, British Journal.

Gentlemen, — Allow me to express my opinion on the sug-
gestion to unite the North and South London Societies, and to
point out a few of the advantages which, I think, would accrue
from a more extensive amalgamation.

Though I am a member of all the three London photographic
societies, I have long been of opinion that there are too many,
and that the objects of all are considerably weakened by such a
difi'usion of interests. If the furtherance of the art and the free
and mutual interchange of thought and experience among the
members were the only things considered, there would be but

254

one society in London ; and witli one society embodying all the
members that now make the three, how much more good might
be done !

In the first place, the amounts now paid for rent by the three
would, if united, secure an excellent meeting room or chambers,
in a central position, for the exclusive use of the society, where
the ordinary and special meetings, annual exhibitions, and
soirees could be held much more independently than now, and
at a cost little or no more than what is now paid for the privi-
lege of holding the ordinary meetings alone.

Secondly : If such a place of meeting were secured, then that
laudable scheme of an art library, so strenuously advocated by
Mr. Wall and Mr. Blanchard at the South London Photographic
Society, might be successfully carried into effect. Then a
library and a collection of works of art might be gradually
gathered together, and one of the members could be chosen
curator and librarian, to attend the rooms one evening in the
week, or oftener, as circumstances might require, so as to give
members access to the library to make exchanges, extracts from
bulky books, &c.

Thirdly : If the union were effected, and the place of meeting
more central, there would be a larger attendance of members,
and more spirited and valuable proceedings would be the result.
Papers to be read at the regular meetings would be much more
certain, and the discussions would be more comprehensive and
complete. The members would become personally acquainted
with each other, and a much better feeling would pervade the
whole photographic community.

These, gentlemen, are a few of the advantages which ought
to accrue from a union of the three societies ; but, if that cannot
be effected, by all means let the triumvirate now existing be
reduced to a biumvirate. If it be not possible for the " Parent
Society" and her offspring to reunite their interests and affec-
tion for the common good, surely the other two can, and thereby

255

strengthen themselves, and secure to their members a moiety of
the advantages which would result from the triple alliance.

But, before proceeding farther, let me ask — Has such a thing
as a triple alliance ever been considered ? Has it been ascer-
tained that an amicable amalgamation with the Photographic
Society of London is impossible ? If so, what are the motives
of the proposers of the union of the Xorth and South London
Societies ? Do they wish to form a more powerful antagonism
to the other society, or do they simply and purely wish to fur-
ther the advancement of our art- science, and not to gratify
personal pique or wounded pride ? I do not wish to impute such
unworthy motives to anyone ; but it does seem singular that the
proposition should come from the Chairman of the Xorth London
Photographic Association almost simultaneously with the
resignation of his seat at the council board of the Parent Society.

If, however, the motives are pure, honest, and earnest, I
heartily approve of the suggestion as a step in the right direc-
tion, although I candidly admit that I would much rather see
^11 the societies united in one, and fully believe that that would
be the most advantageous arrangement that could possibly be
made for all concerned. — I am, yours, &c.,

London, February ISth, 1867. Union Jack (J. "Werge).

UNION OF THE LONDON PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETIES.

To the Editors of the British Journal.

Gentleiten, — Perhaps I am in courtesy bound to answer the
questions of your correspondents, Mr. Homersham and "Blue
Pendant," but in self -justification I do not think it necessary, for
it turns out that my suspicions of antagonism to the Parent Society
were well founded; and, from their remarks, and the obser-
vations of your contributor "D.," I learn that the disaffection
is more widely spread than I at first thought it was.

I may have been wrong in suspecting the Chairman of the

256

North London Photographic Association of unworthy motives *
if so, I frankly beg that gentleman's pardon. But I am not
wrong in suspecting that antagonism is mixed up with the
movement.

Your contributor " D." chooses to construe my unwillingness
to make a direct charge — my hope that there were no such
unworthy motives — into timidity; but I beg to remind "D."
that there is not much, if any, of that apparent in my putting
the plain questions I did, which, by-the-bye, have not yet been
very satisfactorily answered.

I flatter myself that I know when and how to do battle, and
when to sue for peace, as well as any in the service under whose
flag I have the honour to sail ; and I, as much as anyone, admire
the man that can fight courageously when in the right, or
apologise gracefully when in the wrong; but, as the object of
this correspondence is neither to make recriminations, nor
indulge in personal abuse, 1 return to the primary considera-
tion of the subject, and endeavour to sift the motives of the
movers of the proposition to unite the North and South
London Societies, and ascertain, if possible, whether they have
the good of those societies and the furtherance of photography
really at heart or not.

Imprimis, then, let us consider the arguments of "D.," who
cites the resignation of three gentlemen in proof of the manage-
ment of the London Photographic Society being "out of joint."
He might as well say, "because a man is sick, leave' him and
let him die." If there were anything they disliked in the
government of the Society, or any evil to be corrected, their
most manly course was to have held on, and fought the evils
down. They all had seats at the Council board, and if they had
wished well to the Society, they would not have resigned them,
but battled for the right, and brought their grievances, real or
imagined, before the members. A special meeting has been
called before now to consider personal grievances which affected

257

the honour of the Society, and I should think it could have
been done again. I do not maintain that all is right in the
Society, but I do think that they were wrong in resigning their
seats because an article appeared in the Society's journal con-
demnatory of a process to vrhieh they happened to be devotedly
attached.

It can scarcely be supposed that the cause of reform, or the
general good of the country, would have been forwarded had
Gladstone, Bright, and Earl Eussell resigned their seats as members
of either House because they couldnot carry their ministerial bill
of last session. From this I argue that men who have the
object they advocate, and the "best interests" of the Society,
thoroughly at heart, will stick to it tenaciously, whether in or
out of office, and, by their watchfulness, prevent bad becoming
worse, in spite of captious opposition, fancied insults, or
journalistic abuse.

The next paragraph by " D." on which I shall comment
contains that bold insinuation of timidity, which I have already
noticed as much as I intend to do. But I wish to discuss the
question of " absorption " a little more fully. I cannot at all
agree with the sentiments of " D." on that subject. Absorption
is in many instances a direct and positive advantage to both the
absorber and absorbed, as the absorption of Sicily by Italy, and
Frankfort and Hanover by Prussia. Xitric acid absorbs silver,
and how much more valuable and useful to the photographer is
the product than either of the two in their isolated condition ;
and so, I hold, it would be with the Society were the two other
Societies to join the old one, impart to it their chief character-
istics, re-model the constitution, and elect the members of the
Council by ballot. "We should then have a society far more
powerful and useful than could ever be obtained by the formation
of a new one.

In the foregoing, I think T have also answered the question
of Mr. Homersham, as well as that part of " Blue Pendant's "

258

letter relating to the establishment of a fourth society. On
that point my views harmonise with those of your contributor.

On the subject of "members of Council," I do not agree
with either "D." or your correspondent "Blue Pendant."
The Council should be elected from and by the body of members,
and the only qualifications necessary should be willingness and
ability to do the work required. IS'o consideration of class
should ever be admitted. The members are all recommended
by " personal knowledge," and elected by ballot, and that
alone should be test sufficient on the score of respectability.

Concerning " papers written as pufis," I cordially agree
with "Blue Pendant" as far as he goes; but I go further
than that, and would insist on each paper being scrutinised,
before it is read, by a committee appointed for the purpose,
so as to prevent "trade advertisements" and such shamefully
scurrilous papers as I have heard at the South London Photo-
graphic Society.

With reference to the questions put by "Blue Pendant," I
beg to decline answering his second, it not being pertinent ; but
I shall reply to his first more particularly. He seems to have
forgotten or overlooked the fact that I thought the advantages
I enumerated would result from a union of the three societies —
not from an alliance of the two only. That I still look upon
suspiciously as antagonistic to the Parent Society; and "Blue
Pendant's " antagonism is proved beyond doubt when he says it
is "tottering to its fall," and he almost gloatingly looks forward
to its dissolution coming, to use his own words, " sooner or
later," and "perhaps the sooner the better." But I venture to
think that "Blue Pendant" is not likely to be gratified by
seeing the "aged Parent" decently laid in the ground in his
time. There is too much "life in the old dog yet" — even
since the secession — for that to come to pass. It cannot be
denied that the Parent Society has amongst its members some of

259

the best speakers, tliinkers, writers, and workers in the whole
photographic community.

While discussing this subject, allow me, gentlemen, to advert
to an article in your contemporary of Friday last. In the
"Echoes of the Month," by an Old Photographer, the writer
thinks that the advantages I pointed out as likely to accrue from
a union of the societies are a " pleasant prospect that will not
bear the test of figures." It is a fact that "figures" are
subject to the rules of addition as well as of subtraction, and I
wish to show by figures that my ideas are not so impracticable
as he imagines. In addition to the eight guineas a year paid by
the North and South London Photographic Societies for rent, I
notice in the report of the London Photographic Society,
published last month, two items in the "liabilities " which are
worth considering. One is "King's College, rent and refresh-
ment, £42 4s. 6d.," which, I presume, is for one year. The
other is "King's College soiree account, £20 15s. 6d.," part of
which is undoubtedly for rent of rooms on that occasion. Now
there is a clear showing of over £50 12s. 6d. paid in one year
by the three societies for rent and refreshment, the latter not
being absolutely necessary. I may be mistaken in my estimate
of the value of central property ; but I do think a sum exceeding
£50 is sufficient to secure a room or chambers large enough for
the purposes of meeting, and keeping a library, &c. ; or, if not,
would it not be worth while making a strain to pay a little more
so as to secure the accommodation required ? If the Coventry
Street experiment were a failure from apathy or other causes,
that is no proof that another attempt made by a more numerous,
wealthy, and energetic body would also be abortive. In sea
phraseology, " the old ship has made a long leg to-day ! " but I
hope, gentlemen, you will not grudge the space required for the
full and careful consideration of this subject. The " developing
dish " and the ordinary modus operandi of photography can well
afford to stand aside for awhile to have this question discussed

260

to the end. I have not said all I can on the amalgamation
project, and may return to it again with your kind permission,
if necessary. — I am, yours, &c., TJition Jack (J. Werge).

London, March 4, 1867.

THE SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION.
Impeessions and Contioxioks of "Lux GiiAPHicns."

The brief and all but impromptu Exhibition of the Photo-
graphic Society, recently held in the rooms of the Architectural
Society, 9, Conduit Street, Eegent Street, where the
Society's meetings are to be held in future, was one of the
pleasantest and most useful expositions in connection with
photography that has been consummated for many years. In
the first place the idea of an exhibition evening free from the
formalities of a soiree was a happy one ; the locale was happily
chosen ; and the whole arrangements most happily successful.
Everybody seemed to be pleased ; cordial expressions of agree-
able surprise were freely exchanged ; and there were abundance
£ind variety enough of pictorial display to satisfy the most fas-
tidious visitor.

As might have beea expected, the works of M. Salomon,
exhibited by Mr. Wharton Simpson, were the chief objects of
attraction, and during the whole of the evening an anxious group
surrounded the collection ; and it was curious to remark with
what eagerness these pictures were scrutinized, so as to ascer-
tain whether they were examples of photography "pure and
undefiled," or helped by artistic labour afterwards. That they
are the very finest specimens of art-photography — both in the
broad and masterly treatment of light and shade, pose, manipu-
lation, tone of print, and after finish — that have ever been
exhibited, is unquestionable ; but to suppose that they are

261

photographs unaided by art-labour afterwards is, I think, a.
mistake. All of the heads, hands, and portions of the drapery-
bear unmistakable proofs of after-touching. Some of them
give evidence of most elaborate retouching on the hands and
faces, on the surface of the print. I examined the pictures by
dayKght most minutely with the aid of a magnifying glass, and
could detect the difference between the retouching on the nega-
tive, and, after printing, on the positive. The faces of nearly
all the ladies present that appearance of dapple or " stipple "
which nothing in the texture of natural flesh can give, unless
the sitter were in the condition of " goose flesh " at the moment
of sitting, which is a condition of things not at all likely.
Again, hatching is distinctly visible, which is not the photo-
graphic reproduction of the hatch-like line of the cuticle. In
support of that I have two forms of evidence : first, comparison,
as the hatchings visible on the surface of the print are too long
to be a reproduction of the hatch-like markings of the skin,
even on the hands, which generally show that kind of nature's
handiwork the most. Besides, the immense reduction would
render that invisible even under a magnifying glass, no matter
how delicate the deposit of silver might be on the negative ; or
even if it were so, the fibre of the paper would destroy the
effect. Again, the hatchings visible are not the form of nature's
hatchings, but all partake of that art-technical form called
*' sectional hatchings." I could name several of the prints that
showed most conclusive evidence of what I say, but that is not
necessary, because others saw these effects as well as I did.
But I wish it to be distinctly understood that I have not been
at the pains to make these examinations and observations with
the view of lessening the artistic merit of these pict'ores. I
unhesitatingly pronounce them the most beautiful achievements
of the camera that have ever been obtained by combining
artistic knowledge and skill with the mechanical aid of the

262

camera and ability to handle the compounds of photographic
chemistry. There is unmistakable evidence of the keenest
appreciation of art, and all that is beautiful in it in the produc-
tion of the negative ; and if the artist see or think that he can
perfect his work by the aid of the brush, he has a most un-
doubted right to do it. This question of pure and simple
photography has been mooted all the summer, ever since the
opening of the French Exhibition, and I am glad that I, as
well as others, have had an opportunity of seeing these wonder-
ful pictures, and judging for myself. Photography is truth
embodied, and every question raised about the purity of its
productions should be discussed as freely and settled as quickly
as possible.

There was another picture in the exhibition very clever in
its conception, but not so in its execution, and I am sorry to say
I cannot endorse all the good that has been said of it. I allude
to Mr. Robinson's picture of " Sleep." How that clever photo-
grapher, with such a keen eye to nature as he generally mani-
fests in his composition pictures, should have committed such a
mistake I am at a loss to know. His picture of " Sleep " is so
strangely untrue to nature, that he must have been quite over-
come by the " sleep that knits up the raveU'd sleeve of care"
when he composed it. In the centre of the picture he shows a
stream of light entering a window — a ghost of a window, for it
is so unsubstantial as not to allow a shadow to be cast from its
seemingly massive bars. Now, if the moon shone through a
window at all, it would cast shadows of everything that stood
before it, and the shadows of the bars of the window would be
cast upon the coverlet of the bed in broken lines, rising and
falling with the undulations of the folds of the covering, and
the forms of the figures of the children. In representing moon-
light, or sunlight either, there is no departing from this truth.
If the direct ray of either stream through a closed window and
fall upon the bed, so wiU the shadows of the intervening bars.

263

Any picture, either painted or photographed, that does not render
those shadows is simply untrue to nature ; and if the difficulty
could not have been overcome, the attempt should have been
abandoned. Then the beams are not sharp enough for moon-
light, and the shadows on the coverlet and children are not
deep enough, and the reflections on the shadow side of the
children's faces are much too strong. In short, I do not know
when Mr. Eobinson more signally failed to carry out his first
intentions, "^'anting in truth as the composition is, it proves
another truth, and that is, the utter inability of photography to
cope with such a subject. Mr. Eobinson exhibited other pic-
tures that would bear a very different kind of criticism ; but as
they have been noticed at other times I shall not touch upon
them here.

Herr Milster's picture bears the stamp of truth upon it, and
is a beautiful little gem, convincing enough that the effect is
perfectly natural.

Mr. Ayling's pictures of the Victoria Tower and a portion of
Westminster Abbey are really wonderful, and the bit of aerial
perspective " Across the Water " in the former picture is truly
beautiful.

Mrs. Cameron persists in sticking to the out-of-the-way path she
has chosen, but where it will lead her to at last is very difficult to
determine. One of the heads of Henry Taylor which she
exhibited was undoubtedly the best of her contributions.

The pictures of yachts and interiors exhibited by Mr. Jabez
Hughes were quite equal to all that could be expected from the
camera of that clever, earnest, and indefatigable photographer.
The portrait enlargements exhibited by that gentleman were
exquisite, and of a totally different character from any other
exhibitor's.

Mr. England's dry plate pictures, by his modified albumen
process, are undoubtedly the best of the kind that have been
taken. They lack that appearance of the representation of

264

petrified scenes that most, if not all, previous dry processes
exhibited, and look as "juicy" as "humid nature" can well
be rendered with the wet process.

Mr. Frank Howard exhibited four little gems that would be
perfect but for the unnatural effect of the artificial skies
he has introduced. The " Stranded Vessels " is nicely chosen,
and one of the wood scenes is like a bit of Creswick un-
coloured.

Messrs. Locke and Whitfield exhibited some very finely and
sketchily coloured photographs, quite up to their usual standard
of artistic excellence, with the new feature of being painted on
a ground of carbon printed from the negative by the patent
carbon process of Mr. J. W. Swan.

Mr. Adolphus Wing's cabinet pictures were very excellent
specimens, and I think it a great pity that more of that very
admirable style of portraiture was not exhibited.

Mr. Henry Dixon's copy of Landseer's dog "Pixie," from the
original painting, was very carefully and beautifully rendered.

Mr. Faulkner's portraits, though of a very diff'ei'ent character,
were quite equal in artistic excellence to M. Salomon's.

Mr. Bedford's landscapes presented their usual charm, and
the tone of his prints seemed to surpass the general beauty of
his every-day work.

Mr. Blanchard also exhibited some excellent landscapes, and
displayed his usual happy choice of subject and point of sight.

An immense number of photographs by amateurs, Mr. Brown-
rigg, Mr. Beasley, and others, were exhibited in folios and
distributed about the walls, but it is impossible for me to describe
or criticise more.

I have already drawn my yarn a good length, and shall con-
clude by repeating what I said at starting, that a pleasanter
evening, or more useful and instructive exhibition, has never
been got up by the Photographic Society of London, and it is to
be hoped that the success and eclat attending it will encourage

265

them to go and do likewise next year, and every succeeding one
of its natural life, which I doubt not will be long and prosperous,
for the exhibition just closed has given unmistakable evidence
-of there being '• life in the old dog yet."
Photographic News, Nov. llnA, 1867.

THE USE OF CLOUDS IN LANDSCAPES.

The subject of printing skies and cloud effects from separate
negatives having been again revived by the reading of papers on.
that subject at the South London Photographic Society, I think
it will not be out of place now to call attention to some points
that have not been commented upon — or, at any rate, very
imperfectly — by either the readers of the papers or by the
speakers at the meetings, when the subject was under discussion.

The introduction of clouds in a landscape by an artist is not
so much to fill up the blank space above the object represented
on the lower part of the canvas or paper, as to assist in the
composition of the picture, both as regards linear and aerial
perspective, and in the arrangement of light and shade, so as
to secure a just balance and harmony of the whole, according
to artistic principles.

Clouds are sometimes employed to repeat certain lines in the
landscape composition, so as to increase their strength and
beauty, and to unite the terrestrial part of the picture with the
celestial. At other times they are used to balance a composition,
both in form and effect, to prevent the picture being divided
into two distinct and diagonal portions, as evidenced in many
of the pictures by Cuyp ; on other occasions they are introduced
solely for chiaroscuro effects, so as to enable the artist to
place masses of dark upon light, and vice versa. Of that use
I think the works of Turner will afford the most familiar and
beautiful examples.

In the instances cited, I make no allusion to the employment

266

of clouds as repeaters of colour, but merely confine my remarks
to their use in assisting to carry out form and effect, either in
linear composition, or in the arrangement of light and shade in
simple monochrome, as evidenced in the engraved translations of
the works of Rembrandt, Turner, Birket Foster, and others, the
study of those works being most applicable to the practice of
photography, and, therefore, offering the most valuable hints
to both amateur and professional photographers in the manage-
ment of their skies.

Before pursuing this part of my subject further, it may be
as well, perhaps, to state my general opinions of the effects of
so-called ''natural skies," obtained by one exposure and one
printing. Admitting that they are a vast improvement on the
white-sky style of the early ages of photography, they fall far
short of what they should be in artistic effect and arrangement.
In nearly all the "natural skies" that I have seen, their
office appears to be no other than to use up the white paper
above the terrestrial portion of the picture. The masses of
clouds, if there, seem always in the wrong place, and never
made use of for breadth of chiaroscuro.

No better illustrations of this can be adduced than those large
photographs of Swiss and Alpine scenery by Braun of Dornach,
which nearly all contain "natural clouds;" but, on looking
them over, it will be seen that few (if any) really exhibit that
artistic use of clouds in the composition of the pictures which
evidence artistic knowledge. The clouds are taken just as they
happen to be, without reference to their employment to enhance
the effects of any of the objects in the lower portion of the view,
or as aids to the composition and general effect. For the most
part, the clouds are small and spotty, ill-assorting with the
grandeur of the landscapes, and never assisting the chiaroscuro
in an artistic sense. The most noticeable example of the latter
defect may be seen in the picture entitled " Le Mont Pilate,"
wherein a bald and almost white mountain is placed against a

267

light sky, much to the injury of its form, effect, and grandeur ;
indeed, the mountain is barely saved from being lost in the sky,
although it is the principal object in the pictiire. Had an artist
attempted to paint such a subject, he would have relieved such
a large mass of light against a dark cloud. An example of a
different character is observable in another photograph, wherein
a dark conical mount would have been much more artistically
rendered had it been placed against a large mass of light clouds.
There are two or three fleecy white clouds about the summit of
the mountain, but, as far as pictorial effect goes, they would
have been better away, for the mind is left in doubt whether
they are really clouds, or the sulphurous puffs that float about
the crater of a slumbering volcano. That photographs possessing
all the effects required by the rules of art are difficult, and almost
impossible to obtain at one exposure in the camera, I readily
allow. I know full well that a man might wait for days and
weeks before the clouds would arrange themselves so as to relieve
his principal object most advantageously ; and, even if the
desirable effects of light and shade were obtained, the chances are
that the forms would not harmonize with the leading lines of
the landscape.

This being the case, then, it must be self-evident that the
best mode of procedure will be to print in skies from separate
negatives, either taken from nature or from drawings made for
the purpose by an artist that thoroughly understands art in all
its principles. By these means, especially the latter, skies may
be introduced into the photographic picture that will not only
be adapted to each individual scene, but will, in every instance
where they are employed, increase the artistic merit and value
of the composition. But to return to the subject chiefly under
consideration.

Clouds in landscape pictures, like "man in his time," play
many parts — "they have their exits and their entrances."
And it is almost impossible to say enough in a short paper on a

268

subject so important to all landscape photographers. I will,
however, as briefly and lucidly as I can, endeavour to point
out the chief uses of clouds in landscapes. Referring to their
use for eJBPects in light and shade, I wrote, at the commence-
ment of this paper, that the engraved translations of Turner
afPord the most familiar and beautiful examples, which they
undoubtedly do. But when I consider that Turner's skies are
nearly aU sunsets, the study of them will not be so readily
turned to practical account by the photographer as the works
of others, — Birket Foster, for instance. His works are almost
equal to Turner's in light and shade ; he has been largely
employed in the illustration of books, and five shillings will
procure more of his beautiful examples of sky efi'ects than a
guinea will of Turner's. Take, for example, Sampson Low
and Son's five shilling edition of Bloomfield's " Farmer's Boy,"
or Gray's "Elegy in a Churchyard," profusely illustrated
almost entirely by Birket Foster ; and in them will be seen
such a varied and marvellous collection of beautiful sky efi'ects
as seem almost impossible to be the work of one man, and all
of them profitable studies for both artist and photographer in
the varied uses made of clouds in landscapes. In those works
it will be observed that where the lower part of the picture is
rich in variety of subject the sky is either quiet or void of
form, partaking of one tint only slightly broken up. "Where
the terrestrial part of the composition is tame, flat, and
destitute of beautiful objects, the sky is full of beauty and
grandeur, rich in form and masses of light and shade, and
generally shedding a light on the insignificant object below, so
as to invest it with interest in the picture, and connect it with
the story being told.

From both of these examples the photographer may obtain a
suggestion, and slightly tint the sky of his picture, rich in
objects of interest, so as to resemble the tint produced by the
"ruled lines" representing a clear blue sky in an engraving.

269

Hitherto that kind of tinting has generally been overdone,
giving it more the appearance of a heavy fog lifting than a calm
blue sky. The darkest part of the tint should just be a little
lower than the highest light on the principal object. This tint
may either be obtained in the negative itself at the time of
exposure, or produced by '• masking " during the process of
printing. On the other hand, when the subject has little to
recommend it in itself, it may be greatly increased in pictorial
power and interest by a judicious introduction of beautiful
cloud effects, either obtained from nature, or famished by the
skill of an artist. If the aid of an artist be resorted to, I
would not recommend painting on the negative, but let the
artist be furnished with a plain white-sky print ; let him wash
in a sky, in sepia or India ink, that will most harmonise, both in
form and effect, with the subject represented, take a negative
from that sky alone, and put it into each of the pictures by
double printing. This may seem a great deal of trouble and
expense, and not appear to the minds of some as altogether
legitimate, but I strenuously maintain that any means employed
to increase the artistic merit and value of a photograph is
strictly legitimate ; and that wherever and however art can be
resorted to, without doing violence to the truthfulness of
nature, the status of our art-science will be elevated, and its
professional disciples will cease to be the scorn of men who
take pleasure in deriding the, sometimes — may I say too often ?
— lame and inartistic productions of the camera.

THE USE OF CLOUDS AS BACKGROUl^DS IN
PORTRAITURE.
Thebe has long been in the world an aphorism that everything
in I^ature is beautiful. Collectively this is true, and so it is
individually, so far as the adaptability and fitness of the object
to its proper use are concerned; but there are many things

270

which are truly beautiful in themselves, and in their natural
uses, which cease to be so when they are pressed into services
for which they are not intended by the great Creator of the
tiniverse. For example, what can be more beautiful than that
compound modification of cloud forms commonly called a
" mackerel sky," which is sometimes seen ona summer evening?
What can be more lovely, or more admirably adapted to the
purposes of reflecting and conducting the last flickering rays of
the setting sun into the very zenith, filling half the visible
heavens with a fretwork of gorgeous crimson, reflecting a warm,
mysterious light on everything below, and fiilling the mind with
wonder and admiration at the marvellous beauties which the
heavens are showing ? Yet, can anything be more unsuitable
for forming the background to a portrait, where everything
should be subdued, secondary, and subservient to the features
of the individual represented — where everything should be
lower in tone than the light on the face, where neither colour
nor light should be introduced that would tend to distract the
attention of the observer — where neither accessory nor effect
should appear that does not help to concentrate the mind
on the grand object of the picture — the likeness? Still, how
often do we see a photographic portrait stuck against a sky as
spotty, flickering, and unsuitable as the one just described !
How seriously are the importance and brilliancy of the head
interfered with by the introduction of such an unsuitable back-
ground ! How often is the interest of the spectator divided
between the portrait and the "overdone" sky, so elaborately
got up by the injudicious background painter ! Such back-
grounds are all out of place, and ought to be abandoned —
expelled from every studio.

As the photographer does not possess the advantages of the
painter, to produce his effects by contrast of colour, it behoves
him to be much more particular in his treatment of light and
shade ; but most particularly in his choice of a background that

271

-will most harmonise with the dress, spirit, style, and condition in
life of his sitter. It is always possible for a member of any class
of the community to be surrounded or relieved by a plain, quiet
background ; but it is not possible, in nine cases out of ten, for
some individuals who sit for their portraits ever to be dwellers in
marble halls, loungers in the most gorgeous conservatories, or
strollers in such delightful gardens. In addition to the
unfitness of such scenes to the character and every-day life
of the sitter, they are the most unsuitable for pictorial effect
that can possibly be employed. For, instead of directing atten-
tion to the principal object, they disturb the mind, and set it
wandering all over the picture, and interfere most seriously with
that quiet contemplation of the features which is so necessary to
enable the beholder to discover all the characteristic points in
the portrait. When the likeness is a very bad one, this may be
advantageous, on the principle of putting an ornamental border
round a bad picture with the view of distracting the attention of
the observer, and preventing the eye from resting long enough on
any one spot to discover the defects.

When clouds are introduced as backgrounds to portraits, they
should not be of that small, flickering character previously
alluded to, but broad, dark, and ''massy," so as to impart by
contrast more strength of light to the head ; and the lighter
parts of the clouds should be judiciously placed either above or
below the head, so as to carry the light into other parts of the
picture, and prevent the strongly-lighted head appearing a spot.
The best examples of that character will be found in the engraved
portraits by Reynolds, Lawrence, Gainsborough, and others,
many of which are easily obtained at the old print shops ; some
have appeared in the Art Journal.

As guides for introducing cloud effects, accessories, and
landscape bits into the backgrounds of carte-de-visite and
cabinet pictures, no better examples can be cited than those
exquisite little figure subjects by R. Westall, R.A., illustrating

272

Sharpe's Editions of the Old Poets. The engravings are about
the size of cartes-de-visite, and are in themselves beautiful
examples of composition, light, and shade, and appropriateness
of accessory to the condition and situation of the figures, affording
invaluable suggestions to the photographer in the arrangement
of his sitter, or groups, and in the choice of suitable accessoriea
and backgrounds. Such examples are easily obtained. Almost
any old bookstall in London possesses one or more of those
works, and each little volume contains at least half-a-dozen of
these exquisite little gems of art.

Looking at those beautiful photographic cartes-de-visite by
Mr. Edge, I am very strongly impressed with the idea that they
were suggested by some such artistic little pictures as Westall's
Illustrations of the Poets. They are really charming little
photographs, and show most admirably how much the interest
and artistic merit of a photograph can be enhanced by the skilful
and judicious introduction of a suitable background. I may as
well observe, en passant, that I have examined these pictures
very carefully, and have come to the conclusion that the effects
are not produced by means of any of the ingeniously contrived
appliances for poly-printing recently invented and suggested,
but that the effects are produced simply by double-printing,
manipulated with consummate care and judgment, the figure
or figures being produced on a plain or graduated middle tint
background in one negative, and the landscape effect printed on
from another negative after the first print has been taken out of
the printing frame ; the figures protected by a mask nicely
adjusted. My impressions on this subject are strengthened
almost to conviction when I look at one of Mr. Edge's photo-
graphs, in particular a group of two ladies, the sitting figure
sketching. In this picture, the lower part of the added
landscape — trees — being darker than the normal tint of the
ground, shows a line round the black dress of the lady, as if
the mask had overlapped it just a hair's breadth during the

273

process of secondary printing. Be that as it may, they are
lovely little pictures, and afford ample evidence of what may be
done by skill and taste to vary the modes of treating photography
more artistically, by introducing natural scenery sufficiently
subdued to harmonise with the portrait or group ; and, by
similar means, backgrounds of clouds and interiors may be added
to a plain photograph, which would enrich its pictorial effect,
and enable the photographer to impart to his work a greater
interest and beauty, and, at the same time, be made the means
of giving apparent occupation to his sitter. This mode of treat-
ment would enable him, in. a great measure, to carry out the
practice of nearly all the most celebrated portrait painters, viz.,
that of considering the form, light, shade, and character of the
background after the portrait was finished, by adapting the light,
shade, and composition of his background to the pose and
condition of life of his sitter.

I shall now conclude my remarks with a quotation from Du
Presnoy's " Art of Painting," bearing directly on my subject
and that of light and shade : —

" Permit not two conspicuous lights to shine
With rival radiance in the same design ;
But yield to one alone the power to blaze,
And spread th' extensive vigour of its rajs ;
There where the noblest figures are displayed,
Thence gild the distant parts and lessening fade :
As fade the beams which Phoebus from the east
Flings vivid forth to light the distant West,
Gradual those vivid beams forget to shine,
So gradual let thy pictured lights decline."

"LUX GRAPHICUS" ON THE WII^G.
Deak Mb. Editob, — I have often troubled you with some of
my ideas and opinions concerning the progress and status of
photography, and you have pretty often transferred the same to

274

the columns of the Photographic News, and troubled your readers
in much the same manner. This time, however, I am going to
tell you a secret — a family secret. They are always more
curious, interesting, and important than other secrets, state
secrets and Mr. McLachlan's photographic secret not excepted.
But to my subject : " The Secret." Well, dear Mr. Editor, you
know that my vocations have been rather arduous for some time
past, and I feel that a little relaxation from pressing cares and
anxieties would be a great boon to me. You know, also, that I
am a great lover of nature, almost a stickler for it, to the
exclusion of prejudicial art. And now that the spring has come
and winter has fled on the wings of the fieldfares and woodcocks
— that's Thomas Hood's sentiment made seasonable — I fain
would leave the pent-up city, where the colour of the sky can
seldom be seen for the veil of yellow smoke which so constantly
obscures it, and betake myself to the country, and inhale the
fresh breezes of early spring ; gladden my heart and eyes with a
sight of the bright blue sky, the glistening snowdrops and glowing
yellow crocuses, and regale my ears and soul with the rich notes
of the thrush and blackbird, and the earliest song of the lark at
the gates of heaven.

It is a pleasant thing to be able to shake off the mud and
gloom of a winter's sojourn in a town, in the bright, fresh fields
of the country, and bathe your fevered and enfeebled body in
the cool airs of spring, as they come gushing down from the
hills, or across the rippling lake, or dancing sea. I always had
such a keen relish for the country at all seasons of the year, it
is often a matter of wonder to me that I ever could bring my
mind to the necessity of living in a town. But bread and butter
do not grow in hedgerows, though " bread and cheese " do ; still
the latter will not support animal life of a higher order than
grub or caterpillars. "There's the rub." The mind is, after
all, the slave of the body, for the mind must bend to the require-
ments of the body ; and, as a man cannot live by gazing at a

275

" colt's foot," and if he have no appetite for horseflesh, he is
obliged to succumb to his fate, and abide in a dingy, foggy,
slushy, and bewildering world of mud, bricks, and mortar,
instead of revelling in the bright fields, fresh air, and gushing
melodies which God created for man, and gave man senses to
enjoy his glorious works.

But, Mr. Editor, I am mentally wandering among " cowslips,"
daises, buttercups, and wild strawberry blossoms, and forgetting
the stern necessity of confining my observations to a subject
coming reasonably within the range of a class journal which you
so ably conduct ; but it is pardonable and advantageous to allow
mind to run before matter sometimes, for the latter is more
frequently inert than the former, and when the mind has gone
ahead, the body is sure to follow. Melancholy instances of that
present themselves to our notice too frequently. For example,
when a poor lady's or gentleman's wits are gone, lettres des cachets,
and some kind or w/jkind friends, send the witless body to some
retreat where the wits of all the inmates are gone. I must,
however, in all sober earnestness, return to my subject, or I
fear you will say: "He is going to Hanwell." TTell, perhaps
I am, for I know that photography is practised at that admirable
institution ; and now that I have struck a professional chord, I
may as well play on it.

Lenses and cameras, like birds and flowers, reappear in spring,
and, as the season advances and the sun attains a higher altitude,
amateurs and professionals are quickened into a surprising
activity. Renewed life is imparted to them, and the gregarious
habits of man are developed in another form, and somewhat in
the manner that the swallows return to their old haunts. At
first, a solitary scout or reconnoitering party makes his appear-
ance, then another, and another, until a complete flock of
amateur and professional photographers are abroad, seeking
what food they can deyour : some preferring the first green
^'bits of foliage" that begin to gem the woods with emeralds>

276

others waiting till the leaf is fully out, and the trees are thickly
clothed in their early summer loveliness : while others prefer a
more advanced state of beauty, and Kke to depict nature in her
russet hues, when the trees " are in their yellow leaf." Some
are contented with the old-fashioned homesteads and sweet
green lanes of England for their subjects; others prefer the
ruined abbeys and castles of the feudal ages, with their deeply
interesting associations ; others choose the more mythical monu-
ments of superstition and the dark ages, such as King Arthur's
round tables, druidical circles, and remains of their rude temples
of stone. Some delight in pictorializing the lakes and mountains
of the north, while others are not satisfied with anything short
of the sublime beauty and terrific grandeur of the Alps and
Pyrennees. Truly, sir, I think it may be safely stated that
photographers are lovers of nature, and, I think, they are also
lovers of art. If some of them do not possess that art knowledge
which is so necessary for them to pursue advantageously either
branch of their profession, it is much to be regretted ; but there
is now no reason why they should continue in darkness any
longer. I know that it requires years of study and practice to
become an artist, but it does not require a very great amount of
mental labour or sacrifice of time to become an artistic photo-
grapher. A little hard study of the subject as it appears in the
columns of your journal and those of your contemporaries — for
I notice that they have all suddenly become alive to the
necessity of imparting to photographers a knowledge of art
principles — will soon take the scales off the eyes of a man that
is blind in art, and enable him to comprehend the mysteries of
lines, unity, and light and shade, and give him the power to
compose his subject as readily as he could give a composing
draught to an infant, and teach him to determine at a glance
the light, shade, and atmospheric effects that would most
harmonize with the scene to be represented. Supposing that he
is master of the mechardcal manipulations of photography, he

277

has acquired half the skill of the artist ; and by studying and
applying the rules of composition and light and shade to his
mechanical skill, he is then equal to the artist in the treat-
ment of his subject, so far as the means he employs will or can
enable him to give an art rendering of nature, fixed and
immovable.

I do not profess to be a teacher, but I do think it is much more
genial in spirit, and becoming the dignity of a man, to impart what
little knowledge he has to others, than to scofp at those who do not
know so much. If, therefore, Mr. Editor, in the course of my pere-
grinations, I see an opportunity of calling your attention, and,
through you, the attention of others, to any glaring defects or
absurdities in the practice of our dearly beloved art, I shall not
hesitate to do so ; not, however, with any desire to carp and
cavil at them for cavilling's sake, but with the more laudable
desire of pointing them out, that they may be avoided. During
the coming summer I shall have, or hope to have, many oppor-
tunities of seeing and judging, and will endeavour to keep you
duly advised of what is passing before me.

My letters may come from all parts — N., E., "W., and S. — so
that they will, in that sense at least, harmonize with the
nomenclature of your periodical. "Where I may be at the date
of my writing, the post-mark will reveal to you. And now I
must consider my signature : much is in a name, you know. I
can hardly call myself your " Special Correspondent " — that
would be too much a la Sala ; nor can I subscribe myself an
"Old Photographer," for that would be taking possession of
another man's property, and might lead to confusion, if not to
difficulties; neither can I style myself a "Peripatetic Photo-
grapher " — though I am one — for that name sometimes appears
in the columns of a contemporary ; and my own name is such a
long one, consisting of nearly half the letters of the alphabet.
"Well, I think, all things considered, I cannot do better than
xetain my old nom de plume. And with many apologies for this

.278

long, round-about paper, and every expression of regard, I beg
to subscribe myself your obliged and bumble servant,

March 21th, 1868. Lux Geaphicus (J. "Weege).

" LUX GRA.PHICUS " ON THE WING.

OXTOKD AND CaMBBIDGE — CABINET PoRTBAITS — Mr. McLaCHLAn's

Secbet.
Deae Mb. Editob, — Do not let the above heading alarm you.
I have no desire to convert the columns of your valuable journal
into a kind of photographic BelVs Life or Sporting Chronicle.
Although the great University boat race has just been decided
for the eighth consecutive time in favour of Oxford, it is not of
that aquatic struggle that I am going to write, but of another
matter in which the Cantabs seem to be behind the Oxonians in
the race of life, or the pursuit of novelties. Not only are the
Cantabs short in their stroke with the oars, and unable to obtain
the first place in the contests on the Thames, they are also slow
in giving their orders for a certain article of commerce which is
of very great importance to professional photographers, especially
those in the neighbourhood of the University of Cambridge. It
is a remarkable fact, that while Oxford has gone in with a rush
for those very charming portraits technically named " cabinets,"
Cambridge holds aloof. How is this, I wonder. There are as
good photographers in Cambridge — Mr. Mayland, to wit, whose
work is all of the first class — as in Oxford ; the sun shines as
brightly in the region of the Cam as he does in that of the Isis.
Have the Cantabs made up their minds not to be cabinet men in
opposition to Oxford ? or is the fact due to the lukewarmness of
the Cambridge photographers themselves ? It seems somewhat
strange that two places likely to be so simUar in tastes and a
refined appreciation of the beautiful should so difi'er in this
respect. Are the men of the two great seats of learning in this
country opposed in matters of photographic proportion as they

279

are in other matters of minor importance — as in the proper
pronunciation of either and neither, for instance ? Not having
graduated at either, I do not know which is correct, neither do
I care ; but I am concerned in this question of photography.
While at Oxford the cabinet picture has taken deep root, and
has grown into a strong and vigorous article of demand, it is a
well-known fact that at Cambridge it is " sicklied o'er with the
pale cast of thought," and languishes on in a state trembling
between life and death. "Whether the producers or consumers
are to blame for this langour in the demand for an article that is
certainly woith being cultivated, is more than I can say. I
know that the discrepancy exists, and the rest I leave to those
most immediately interested. It cannot, however, be supposed
that a demand for any particular size or style can spring up
spontaneously ; that must be created by the producer, by
popularising the style in some attractive and judicious manner,
and the cabinet size is well deserving of a very strenuous effort
being made in its favour.

Of all the photographic sizes that have been introduced to the
public, the cabinet is the most artistic in its proportions. As
nearly as possible it falls under that art rule of producing an
oblong or parallelogram of the most agreeable proportions, which
is as the diagonal is to the square. The size of the cabinet is
oj by 4, and if you measure the diagonal of the square of
4 inches, you will find that the length of the cabinet, 5^ inches,
is as near that as possible. Doubtless Mr. Window had this in
view when he introduced the size, and whether for upright or
horizontal pictures, such proportions are decidedly the best.
Many of the sizes already in use are too long, others are too
short and square. In addition to the beautiful proportions of
the cabinet size, it gives the portrait photographer more room
and opportunities to introduce harmonious forms and effects in
the posing and arrangements of portraits and groups ; and I have
seen some very charming views on the cabinet size, 5^ by 4

280

inches horizontally ; as well as some very beautiful interiors of
"Westminster Abbey, by Mr. Y. Blanchard, on the cabinet cards
vertical, which proves pretty conclusively that the proportions
of the diagonal to the square of any size will suit both vertical
and horizontal pictures. I have not the least doubt but a much
greater demand for those cabinet pictures, both portrait and
landscape, could be created, if photographers would set about
introducing them with a will : depend upon it if they will but
put their heart into the matter, they would put money into their
pockets. I know how much has been done by launching them
fearlessly on the sea of public patronage in several localities,
and I feel certain the demand would be much more general if
the cabinet picture were judiciously introduced. Mr. H. P.
Robinson and Mr. Nelson K. Cherrill, having entered into
partnership, are on the point of opening a photographic establish-
ment at Tunbridge Wells, where they intend to incur considerable
expense to introduce the cabinet portrait, and give it that
prominence it so justly merits.

Since writing you last, I learn from a friend who is intimate
with Mr. McLachlan that there is every possibility of his secret
being revealed ere long. That this secret formula will be an
immense boon to all photographers, there can be little doubt.
If an absolute immunity from streaks in the direction of the dip,
brain-markings, and pinholes — which are the advantages said to
be derived from the process — can be guaranteed, then will the
manipulatory part of photography be at once made easy ; and
Mr. McLachlan will have conferred a personal obligation on
every photographic manipulator. Not only will photographers be
benefitted by Mr. McLachlan' s generous conduct, the whole
world will participate in the advantages he intends to place as a
^ift in the hands of photographers ; and even art, that is so afraid
of a photographic amalgamation, will be honoured by the revela-
tion. But once let the mind of the operator be for ever free
from the cares and anxieties of his negative being clean, spotless,

281

and excellent in quality, he will then have more time and
inclination to put his art knowledge, if he have any, into
practice, by paying more attention to the pose of his sitters and
the artistic choice and arrangement of accessories. If he be
without art knowledge he will be obliged to acquire it and put
it into practice, or be driven out of his field of operations. For,
if the chemical difficulties and uncertainties are to be so
summarily disposed of, and all the manipulations reduced to a
certainty and dead level, a pre-eminence in the profession can
only be maintained by him who exhibits a taste, feeling, and
love for his labours superior to the desire to palm upon the
public, for mere gain, works that are a disgrace and a scandal to
the profession of which he is a member. That such a condition
of things photographic may be quickly brought about is much
to be desired, and if such be the result of Mr. McLachlan's very
noble willingness to give to the photographic community
experiences that have cost him much time and money in acquiring
by close observation and experiment, he will, at the least, be
entitled to the sincere and hearty acknowledgments of all well-
wishers and lovers of our art-science.

Apropos of clean and easy development, I should like to know
if any of your numerous readers have tried the efi'ect of sulphate
of zinc with the iron developer. I understand its use obviates
the necessity of using acetic acid as a retardant ; that the
deposit of silver is much more delicate than that produced by
iron alone ; that the control over it is very great ; that any
amount of intensity can be obtained by one or more applications,
without the aid of pyrogallic acid, and without producing harsh-
ness or hardness. With such recommendations it is certainly
worth a trial. I have had no time to try it myself, but think
it is of sufficient importance to give your readers an opportunity
of experimenting with it, and judging for themselves.

Photographic News, April \Qth, 1868.

282

" LUX GRAPHICIJS " ON THE WING.

The Late Loed Bkoitgham — New Fields foe Photogbaphi —
Natueal Objects Coloueed — The Monochrome and Aoto-
TXPE — Me. McLachlan again.

Death has just swept away one of the most gigantic intellects
of the nineteenth century. For me to state what the late Lord
Brougham was, or attempt to enumerate his vast attainments,
or measure the strength of his colossal mind, would be a piece
of intolerable presumption ; but I think I may safely say that
he was an enthusiastic admirer of photography. Years ago, in
the midst of his parliamentary and other pressing duties, when-
ever he could find time to enjoy the quiet of Brougham Hall,
near Penrith, his giant mind was not above indulging in the
delightful relaxation it afforded ; and many a pleasant hour he
used to spend chatting with Mr. Jacob Thompson, an artist of
great ability, and also a very early amateur photographer, on the
wonderful results obtained by the new art. The late Lord
Brougham began his literary career by publishing a treatise on
"Light," before photography was known or thought to be
practicable ; in after life he interested himself in its marvellous
productions, and his last literary labour was also about light.
Not only did the great statesman "know a little of everything,"
he did a little in everything. The deceased lord took a lively
interest in the progress of photography during his lifetime, from
its earliest introduction to within a short period of his death ;
and it would have been a graceful and fitting compliment to the
memory of the great man of law, politics, literature, and science,
if the English newspapers had embellished their memoirs of th©^
late Lord Brougham with a photographic portrait of his lordship.
Such a thing is quite practicable, and has been done successfully
by our more enterprising confreres in Canada and the United
States. The Montreal Weekly S(?r«?(? of April 18th illustrates
its memoir of the late Mr. T. d'Arcy McGee with a very excellent

283

carte-de-visite portrait of the lamented and unfortunate Canadian
Minister, mounted on the upper corner of the front page^
surrounded with a deep black border. What an appropriate
accompaniment such a presentation would have been to the able
articles and memoirs which appeared in the daily press on
Monday, May 11th, 1868 ! How much more interesting and
valuable those clever biographical sketches of great men, as they
pass away to their rest, which appear in the Baihj Telegraph
and other daily and weekly papers, would appear if illustrated
with a photograph from life ! That it can be done the Montreal
WeeUy Herald has recently and satisfactorily shown ; and surely
there is enterprise, spirit, and wealth enough among the British
newspaper proprietors to follow the very laudable example of
our transatlantic cousins. Negatives of great men are always
attainable, and there need be no commercial difficulty betweea
the photographer and newspaper proprietor on the score of supply.
A multiplication of negatives or Woodbury's process, would
afford all the necessary facilities for producing the prints in large
numbers.

Many new fields for the good of photography are opening up.
Pathological works have been photographically illustrated with
some amount of success. But far pleasanter fields are open to
enterprising photographers in the faithful representation of
natural objects, such as flowers, fruits, ferns, grasses, shrubs,,
trees, shells, seaweeds, birds, butterflies, moths, and every variety
of animal life, from the lowest orders to the highest. I believe
the time is not far distant when the best works on all the
physical sciences will be illustrated by coloured photographs.
Those very beautiful German photographs of flowers recently
introduced show most conclusively of what photography is
capable as a help to a study of the natural sciences. The flowers-
are not only photographed from nature, but exquisitely coloured
after the same fountain of truth ; and the sense of reality,
roundness, and relief which they convey is truly wonderful.

284

Hitherto the colouring of natural objects photographed from,
nature has been a very difficult thing to accomplish ; but now
it is done, and with a marvellous success.

The monochromatic process is also making great strides in
advance. Those very beautiful transparencies, cabinet size, of
the Queen and Royal Family are now to be seen in most of the
photographic picture shop-windows in town and country. These
transparencies are the productions of the Disderi Company, by
"Woodbury's photo-relief process, and the results now obtained
are really beautiful, both in effect and colour, and sold at a very
low price. But the chef d''(eiivre of all monochromatic effects
has just been achieved by the triple labours of Mr. Macnee, the
artist, and Mr. Annan, the photographer, of Glasgow, and Mr.
J. W. Swan, of Newcastle. The subject in question is a work
of art in every respect. The original is a full-length portrait of
Lord Belhaven, painted by Daniel Macnee, and now in the Royal
Academy Exhibition. A photograph taken from the painting
by Mr. Annan was worked up in monochrome by the eminent
artist, from which another negative was taken by the same
skilful photographer, and placed in the hands of Mr. J. W. Swan
to be printed in carbon, which the latter gentleman has done in
the most admirable manner. Altogether, the result is the most
satisfactory reproduction by photography that has ever been placed
before the public, and is less like a photograph and more like a
fine mezzotint engraving than anything I ever saw. Mr. Annan
is now publishing the work on his own responsibility, and a
specimen of it can be seen at the offices of " The Autotype
Printing and Publishing Co.," 5, Haymarket, London. Mr.
Hill, of Edinburgh, is also about to publish, in carbon, a photo-
graph of that beautifully painted picture entitled "A Fairy
Raid," which was exhibited last year in the rooms of the Royal
Academy by Sir Noel Paton. As in the former case, Mr. Annan
copied the painting. Sir Noel worked on a print in monochrome,
which was again photographed by Mr. Annan, and the negative

285

passed to Mr. J. "W. Swan to be printed in carbon. I under-
stand that Poynter's celebrated picture of "Israel in Egypt"
is about to be published, in a similar manner, by the Autotype
Company. It is therefore quite evident that photography is
becoming, in reality, more and more "a foe to graphic art," and
eclipsing the lights and deepening the shadows of the unluxy
engraver.

Mr. McLachlan has again spoken without giving any very
materially new facts, or throwing much more light on his
mysterious mode of working. The great point is, to throw light
on the concentrated solution of nitrate of silver ; and until that
has been done it will be impossible for any one to say from
experience and practice that there is nothing in the principle.
Mr. McLachlan attributes a chemical property to the action of
light on the bath that has never been thought of before, and he
seems to believe it so sincerely himself, and expresses his con-
victions so earnestly, that I think photographers are somewhat
bound to wait patiently till time and light wUl enable them to
comply with all the conditions he lays down, and make a series
of careful experiments, before they can say whether they are
under obligations to him or not. At any rate, natural justice
suggests that they should not render a foregone verdict.

May nth, 1868.

The ExmBirioN of K^ational Pobtkaits — The TrN^ixPE of
Amebica — The Spieit of Photogeapht ln Canada — The
""Wise "Week," and the Total EcirpsE of the Sxtn.

Deae Me. Editor, — Erom various causes I have been absent
from your columns as a contributor for some time, but not as a
reader. The chief reason for this was the weather, which of
late has been so hot and prostrating as to dry up both my ink
and my energies. I^ow that the atmosphere is more cool, moist,
and pleasant, my ink and my thoughts may flow together, and

286

the resulting epistle may find a place on some page of the
Photogbapic I^ews ; if not, I shall not be angry. I know that
the world — and photography is my world — is not always mindful
of its atoms. The great and immortal Cicero discovered that
even he could be absent from Rome, and all Eome not know it.
How much easier, then, for your readers not to discover my
absence from your pages. But my inability to write and attend
to other duties entailed more serious losses to myself. Amongst
others I missed seeing the Royal Academy Exhibition, but
found a compensating pleasure in going to see the Exhibition
of iS'ational Portraits at South Kensington. "What a school it
is for photographers ! What a variety of pose, arrangement,
management of light and shade, is to be seen in that glorious
collection of Vandykes, Hogarths, Gainsboroughs, Reynolds,
Opies, Wilkies, Raeburns, Tforthcotes, Lawrences, Phillips,
Shees, Richmonds, Grants, and many others of the present day !
I hope many photographers have seen the collection. None
ought to have missed the opportunity. All that saw must have
profited by the sight. Portraits of great men that have been
familiar to me in black and white for years were there before
me in the rich mellow colouring of Vandyke, Reynolds, "Wilkie,
and Lawrence, and the mind seemed carried back into the past
while looking at the works of those great artists.

The exhibition will soon close, and all that have not seen it
should endeavour to do so at once. There may never again be
seen such a gathering together of the great of England, painted
by England's greatest portrait painters. The [Manchester Art
Treasures Exhibition was a great assemblage of the glory of
England, but it was not so complete, nor so instructive, nor so
comfortable to view as that now open at South Kensington.
In addition to the paintings there is a large and valuable
collection of rare engravings, both in mezzotints and in line.
The latter collection alone would make a visit highly pleasing,
and, in a sense, remunerative to every photographer. Art is

287

TDeginning to take root in the minds of those "who follow
photography, either professionally or for amusement, and those
exhibitions are the salt that "savoureth the earth," which in
due time will bring forth rich fruits.

The "Tintype " is now being largely practised in America,
and is fitted into an envelope or slip, carte -de- visite size. The
slip is formed of paper, with an aperture to show the picture,
and a flap to fall over it as a protector. I had some of these
shown to me a short time ago. The tintype is only another
name for the ferrotype or melainotype, which is a collodion
positive picture taken on a piece of tin or iron, coated with
black japan on the front, and a varnish on the back, to prevent
the metal from acting on the bath. The carte-de-visite form of
the tintype fitted in the envelope or holder is a very good and
ready way of supplying all portraits wanted in a hurry, and its
adoption might be found very serviceable to many photographers
in England. The American examples that I have seen are
very brilliant and beautiful, and, to my mind, next in delicacy
of detail and richness of colour to the long discarded but ever
beautiful Daguerreotype. I must admit, en passant, that the
Americans always excelled in producing fine, brilliant Daguerreo-
types, and it is much the same with them in the production of
glass positives, ferrotypes, or tintypes.

The spirit of photography in America and Canada is admi-
rable. !Mr. Xotman, of Montreal, has long been doing some
-excellent cabinet pictures representing out- of-door-life, pleasures,
and pastimes. Is'ow Mr. Inglis, of Montreal, also produces
most beautiful carte-de-visite and cabinet pictures of indoor and
out-of-door scenes, such as drawing-rooms, libraries, &c., with
suitably arranged and occupied figures in the former, and boat-
ing, bathing, and fishing parties in the latter. Some of these
pictures have recently been shown to me. They are all very
fine examples of photography. The tone and quality of some
are beautiful. Many of them are admirably arranged, and.

288

exTiibit considerable knowledge of composition ; but some of
them, particularly the interiors, are sadly at fault in their chiaro-
scuro. They possess no dominant light, or, if they do, it is in
the wrong place, leading the eye away from the principal object.
In most cases the lights are too scattered, giving a spotty and
flickering effect to the picture, which is painful to look at.
"With his out-of-door scenes ]Mr. Inglis is more happy, and pro-
bably, from his antecedents, more at home. For example, the
" Boating Party " is very happily composed, embracing the
double form of angular composition — the triangle and the
lozenge — and just a little more skill or care would have made
it perfect in its lines. The whole scene is well lighted and got
up. The boat, foreground of pebbles, stones, shrubs, and trees
are all real ; the water is represented by tin-foil, wet black oil-
cloth, or something of the kind, which reflects the forms and
colours of objects placed upon or above it. The reflections
seem too sharp to be those of water. The plan adopted by
Mr. Ross, of Edinburgh, is the best. That gentleman has a
large shallow trough fitted up in his studio with water in it.

Surely such pictures of groups of friends and families would
take in London and the provinces if people only knew where to
get them. At present I know there is not a place in London
where photographic pictures possessing such a variety and inte-
rest can be obtained. Mr. Faulkner is the only photographer
that has yet attempted to produce such rural subjects in
London, but I am not aware that he has yet introduced " the
boat " into his studio.

This is the "Wise Week," and it is to be hoped that the
gathering together of the wisdom of the world at Norwich will
in some way be beneficial to photography. You, Mr. Editor, I
presume, will attend the meetings, and I shall look forward
with considerable interest to your gleanings from the harvest of
science that will this year be garnered in the transactions of the
British Association.

289

As I think of tlie date to affix to my letter, I am reminded
that this is the day of the great total eclipse, visible iu India,
and that several expeditions are engaged in taking observations.
The photographic arrangements, I notice, are more than usually
complete, and I most sincerely hope that the astronomical pho-
tographers are favoured with bright and calm weather, so that
they may succeed in obtaining the best photographic representa-
tions of the phenomenon. In this I am not influenced by the
mere photographic idea of getting a picture, but rather with
the hope that photography may be the legitimate and honour-
able handmaiden to the savants, astronomers, and mathematicians
in enabling them to ascertain the constitutional condition, mode
of sustenance, and interminable length of life of the great
source of all our labours and achievements. Then would the
sun write his autobiography, and his amanuensis would be his
favoured child, photography.

August lUh, 1868.

The Harvest is ovee, the Gea^'aeies abe Full, yet Famixe
IS IN ouB Medst — Photogeapheks' Benevolent and Peovtdent
Societies — Photogeaphy Ennobled — Revival of the Ebuk-
neum Peocess — The Societies and the CoiiiNG Session —
Photogeaphic AppAEATrs r. Pebsonal Luggage.
Deae Me. Editoe, — My quill is as restless as my wing, and, as I
skim about like the swallows, many things fall under my observa-
tion that would otherwise not do so, some of which are noteworthy
and of interest to the photographic profession, many are not ; but
harvest time is interesting to everyone, and it is of this I am
going to make a few remarks. It is always a subject of grave
importance and anxiety to a nation like ours, with a very limited
area of cereal land, until it is known whether the harvest has
been abundant or otherwise. It is also equally important that
the harvest, however plentiful, should be carefully reaped and

290

garnered, so that famine may not fall upon the people before
another season of plenty shall come in its course. The cereal
harvest is over, and has been wonderfully abundant, in spite
of the unusually long, dry, and hot summer. The stack-yards
are full, and the granaries are teeming with plenty, and there
is bread enough for all that can afford to buy. There, that
is the qualification that brings to my mind the most serious part
of this subject. Although the season has been wonderfully fine
and favourable for a rich harvest of all things, " famine is in
our midst." A cry of woe is mingled with our mirth. A
glorious summer and autumn have, on the whole, yielded a rich
reward to the labourers in the pleasant and profitable fields of
photography ; yet there is want among some of the workers.
In the columns of your contemporary I observe a letter " begging
alms" on behalf of a poor widow and her little orphans. It is
a case of pure charity, and far be it from me to say to anyone,
" Do not help her ; " " They have no claim on the sympathies
of the photographic public ; " " Neither she nor her late husband
did anything to forward the progress of the art nor advance the
interests of photographers in general." I grant the latter
hypothesis, and say, "He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the
Lord." Nevertheless, I cannot refrain from expressing my
opinion that such painful appeals should not be allowed to appear
in the columns of the photographic journals; all such private
cases could and should be provided for by any of the provident
organisations so common to other trades. The subject has been
frequently mooted in your own columns, but no action has been
taken. Very recently a lady correspondent called attention to
the subject again, and now, in the pages of your contemporary,
I notice an elaborate plan is laid down as the ground-work of
a Photographers' Provident and Benevolent Society. That plan
is open to some objections, but it is certainly desirable that such
a society should be formed. It is rather late in the season for
photographers to make any provision for cases 1 and 2, as the

291

correspondent in your contemporary suggests — this year, at least ;
but I think his other plan of making a provision, however small,
for widows and orphans is highly to be commended, and, if only
carried into effect, would undoubtedly mitigate the anguish and
lessen the fear of want in the minds of many deserving women,
and might prevent the recurrence of those painful appeals to
which I have just alluded. It is just as important and
imperative a duty for every man to make some sort of provision
for those dependent upon him as it is for the husbandman to
reap and carefully house his harvest. Knowing the interest
which you, ]\Ir. Editor, personally take in this subject, I trust
that you will exert your influence, and see if it be possible to
found a society at once that will grow in after years to be a
monument to photography and to the goodness and forethought
of the photographers of the present generation.

Photography, like the fine arts, is honoured with a title of
nobility. A baronetcy has recently fallen to the lot of one who
for years has followed photography as a profession, taking
cartes-de-visite and other photographs in the usual business-like
manner. Of all the styles of distinction that are conferred upon
men, I think baronetcies have been subject to the greatest
number of vicissitudes, and spiced with the greatest amount of
romance, from the romantic succession of Sir Robert Innes to
Sir William Don, " a poor player ; " and now the photographic
profession includes among its members one of the baronets of
England.

Tour description of the Ebumeum process, given recently in
your "Visits to Noteworthy Studios," has awakened quite a
new interest in that beautiful form of photograph, introduced a
few years ago by Mr. Burgess. Several photographers whom
I know have set about producing them. The specimens which
1 have seen are very beautiful as cards, but they are particu-
larly suitable for lockets, brooches, studs, pins, rings, &c., being
sharp, clear, and delicate, and easily cut to fit any size or
shape.

292

Next montli some of the London photographic societies will
commence the session of 1868-9, and it might be asked, Wkai
are their prospects ? It is to be hoped that the North London
will do better than it did last session. There was more than
one 7ul meeting. The South London will doubtless keep up its
character, and exhibit its usual vitality. The personal interest
taken in the meetings by their kind, genial, and courteous
President is almost sure to develop all the latent force of the
members. It is also to be hoped that the Society will make as
brilliant a start as it did at the commencement of the session
last November. Such an exhibition as that in Conduit Street
may easily be repeated, though it may not be such a startling
one.

The question raised, whether photographic apparatus be or
be not considered " personal luggage " by the railway com-
panies, is one of very great importance to photographers, but
particularly to amateurs, for if decided against them it will
cause no end of inconvenience, vexation, and expense by delays
and extra charges. On the other hand, it must be admitted
that the view taken by the railway authorities is technically
correct. The very word " personal " shows that they mean
such articles as are really and absolutely necessary for the per-
sonal comfoit and convenience of travellers, which can only
rightly include wearing apparel, changes of linen, dressing-
cases, ladies' work boxes, and writing desks. These are abso-
lutely indispensable for the comfort and convenience of tra-
vellers. Photographic apparatus, and particularly chemicals,
do not come under that classification, and I think it is of great
consequence to the railway companies and their passengers to
know what should, or should not, be put into the" luggage van,"
I know a case where an amateur photographer was travelling
Tjy rail with a 12 by 10 bath full of nitrate of silver solution
packed among his clothes in a box in the luggage van. The
Tbath leaked, the solution spoiled all his shirts, and he was driven

293

to the shift of papering the fronts. !N"ow, supposing the box
containing the leaky bath had stood upon someone else's box —
say a lady's — it might have run through and spoiled some valu-
able dresses ; at the least, it would have spoiled the appearance
of the bos, to the great annoyance of the lady passenger, and
the probable claim on the company for compensation. There
are always two sides to a question, and though few men have
travelled more with photographic apparatus in the luggage van
than myself, I think, in this case, the best of the argument may
be fairly ceded to the railway companies.
September \%th, 1868.

"LUX GRlPHICrS" ON THE WING.

His Flight to and feom the Exhibition of the
Photographic Society.

Dear Mb. Editor, — On Tuesday night last I took the liberty
of looking iato the rooms of the Architectural Society, to see the
photographs, and listen to the gossip of the visitors at the
conversazione of the Photographic Society. To hear the com-
plimentary remarks and the exclamations of pleasure was as
delightful to my ear as the first song of the lark in spring.

The assemblage — not brilliant, but genial, pleasant, and happy
— was as refreshing to the eye as the first glimpse of the vernal
flowers ; and the pictures hung upon the walls and screens, and
laid upon the tables, were, in more senses than one, a feast to
the mind almost without alloy. For my own part, I felt so
joyful, I could not help fluttering my wings, shaking my
feathers, and flitting about from one place to another, chirping,
chatting, and pecking lovingly about this pretty thing, and at
that old friend, till long after my usual time of going to roost.
And when I did at last tear myself away and fly home, I could
not help exclaiming, "Well, there never was a pleasanter evening
nor a nicer exhibition in the whole history of the Society ! But

294

I could not sleep ; I put my head under my wing, shook my
feathers, and tried to settle into the most comfortable and cosy
positions, but it was no use. The pretty landscapes and pleasing
portraits I had seen shone brighter and brighter before me ; I
was compelled to mentally review them ; and here follows the
result of my incubations. My first thoughts were to work the
pleasures of the evening by a kind of rule-of-three process, by
considering the value of the landscapes and portraits exhibited,
to arrive at the worth of the exhibition ; but not so much in a
money point of view, as in the merits of the works, and their
probable influences on the workers.

Taking the landscape portion of the exhibition as first in the
order into which I had mentally catalogued the pictures, it was
an easy and delightful thing to skim over such a vast extent of
this world's surface that evening. To journey to and from the
glens of Scotland, the dales of England and Wales, the lakes of
Ireland, the mountains of the Tyrol, to Abyssinia and the famous
heights of Magdala, was but the work of a few minutes, thanks
to the purveyors of that mental banquet. But to do full justice
to the exhibitors I must endeavour to enumerate their principal
works, and comment thereon with the utmost impartiality.
Most unquestionably the gems of the landscape portion of the
exhibition were eight exquisite little pictures by Mr. Russell
Manners Gordon, afi'ording unm.istakable proof of what the gum-
gallico dry process is capable of yielding in his hands. It is
almost, if not quite, equal to the wet process for detail and
delicacy. This is particularly noticeable in the view of
Carnarvon Castle. Indeed, Mr, Bedford's picture of the same
subject — which, I presume, is by the wet process — on the other
side of the screen, contrasts rather unfavourably with it. IMr.
Gordon's selection of his point of sight, and general treatment of
that subject alone, are unmistakable proofs of his refined taste
and feeling for the art capabilities of landscape photography.
The wet-collodion pictures by Mr. Gordon are also beautiful

295

examples of the art. His cottages with sheep browsing in the
foreground, which is an instantaneous picture, is remarkable for
its beauty and arrangement. These pictures are beautifully
printed, and possess a tone which harmonizes charmingly with
the subjects. Amongst the other landscaape photographers Mr.
England and Mr. Bedford stand unrivalled in their peculiar
branches. The views in the Tyrol, lately taken by Mr. England,
are so excellent that they cannot but add to that gentleman's
high reputation.

Mr. Bedford's views are also quite equal, if not superior, to his
previously-exhibited works. Some pretty views of the Lakes of
Killarney by Mr. Archibald Irvine were well worthy of notice.
Mr. F. Beasley, Junr., exhibited some very excellent examples
of the Fothergill process ; some printed in silver, and others in
carbon, from the same negatives. I think the carbon prints
were superior in colour, but the silver prints possess most detail
and depth. "Views of "Wimbledon and other places by Mr. "Vernon
Heath were also good examples of that gentleman's photography.
Some beautiful cloud effects by Messrs. Robinson and Cherrill,
of Tunbridge Wells, and Mr. Fox, of Brighton, attracted con-
siderable attention, and elicited great praise. The large com-
position picture, " Beturning Home," by Mr. Robinson, was
greatly admired by nearly everyone that looked at it. One or
two ill-natured or ignorant remarks were made about that
picture, but I candidly think it is the very best picture that Mr.
Eobinson has produced. The sunshine on the one side, and
the rain storm sweeping over the other, are both cleverly
and artistically managed. I am sorry I cannot say the same of
the group of children which hung near the latter. The group,
though perfect in its photographic details and tone, is too
suggestive of scissors and paste to be a good picture, in my
estimation.

Mr. "NVardley's large Taupenot pictures were very excellent.
The very interesting pictures of Abyssinia by the 10th Company

296

of Engineers were very attractive. Groups of the captives —
political, religious, and artisan, with their families — and the
officers of the Expedition, formed interesting pictures. The
views of Magdala, Theodore's house, the mushroom fortifications,
and other flimsy defences, as revealed by the truth-telling
camera, seemed to lessen considerably the glory of the capture
of Magdala.

Having dismissed the landscape portion of the exhibition
without mentioning all the many excellent contributions thereto,
I next turn my thoughts again to the contributions of portraits.
The examples of that branch of photography were nearly all of
fijst-rate excellence, a large number of them being a la Salomon,
M. Adam-Salomon himself contributing no less than fifteen.
"With one or two remarkable exceptions, these pictures were not
equal to those exhibited last year, and a general feeling pre-
vailed that they were neither his later works, nor the best of his
former ; still, they were a very effective display, and attracted
great and deserved attention. As I have, on a former occasion,
expressed my opinion on the great excellence of j\I. Salomon's
works, I shall not comment further thereon at present, but pro-
ceed to notice those which most nearly approached them in
photographic and artistic essentials. Undoubtedly Mr. Valentine
Blanchard's contributions, both in number and quality, come
nearer to M. Salomon's works than any other contributor's. Mr.
Blanchard exhibited ten portraits a la Salomon, some of which
are quite equal to the French artist's best works, without the
elaborate working-up which the latter exhibit. Mr. Blanchard
has not been at all times fortunate in his sitters, which is very
much to be regretted, for we all know how much a beautiful
subject helps a good photograph. Hitherto, Mr. Blanchard has
been an exhibitor chiefly as a landscape and figure-study photo-
grapher. I^ow that he has taken more kindly to portraiture,
and exhibits such capabilities for its successful practice, I hope
he will find it sufficiently remunerative to induce him to be a

297

steady and persevering disciple of M. Salomon. ^Messrs. Robin-
son and Cherrill also exhibited two beautiful and Salomon-like
portraits : one of 'SL. Salomon himself, and one of Mr. Hain
Friswell ; the latter, I think, is decidedly the best. '^Lv. May-
land, of Cambridge, sent six very excellent portraits in Salomon's
style, all very good but one ; a gentleman in a velvet coat vras
particularly successful.

The pictures exhibited by Mr. Briggs, of Leamington, though
extremely forcible and beautiful, were not exactly an imitation
of the style of ^L. Salomon.

Mr. Leake, of Cornhill, had a frame containing six very
capital portraits in the style of the eminent French photographer,
but a little over-done in after-touching — too much elaborated.
In this respect he far outdid his great prototype. Messrs.
Fradelle and Leach also exhibited a number of whole-plate
pictures a la Salomon, which were very good indeed. Messrs.
SHngsby, Burgess, Ashdown, Dunmore, and S. Fry, were also
exhibitors of the same style of portraits, 10 by 8 size ; but it is
a pity the latter did himself the injustice of exhibiting so many,
for there was only one — an old gentleman with a grey beard —
that was really worthy of him. Xever did any man's joke recoil
more forcibly on himself than that of Mr. Fry's. The faces of
some of his female portraits — one in particular — were, in my
estimation, as flat, white, and shadowless as a piece or knob of
sal-ammoniac itself ; but I must say that the portrait of the
gentleman above referred to was all that could be desired as an
artistic photograph.

Amongst the cabinet pictures exhibited by English photo-
graphers, I think those by Mr. Hubbard were decidedly the
finest. One entitled " The Toilet," and another of a lady seated
at a window, which might be named "A Sultry Day in Town,"
are charmingly artistic photographs. A composition picture by
the same artist was also very skilfully treated ; indeed, it was
mistaken by many to be a copy of a picture, and might easily

298

have been taken for a copy of a painting by T. Faed. Mr. Briggs,
Mr. Godbold (of Hastings), Mr. Gillo, Messrs. Lucas and Box,
also exhibited some beautiful cabinet pictures.

Cartes-de-visite in their ordinary form were somewhat scarce,
but Dr. Wallich, Mr. Charles Heath, Mr. Bateman, and others,
made a good show of vignettes.

Mrs. Cameron exhibited some large pictures in her peculiar
style ; but my own opinion and that of others was, that she is
improving.

Mr. Ernest Edwards exhibited a large collection of carbon
pictures, in black and other colours ; some mounted on chromo-
tinted paper, and some excellent enlargements in carbon. The
Autotype Company exhibited a fine copy of Lord Belhaven,
which I noticed some time ago ; also a very valuable and beautiful
collection of copies from drawings by old masters, all bound
together, making a handsome and very interesting collection.

Mr. Rejlander had a large collection of his art photographs on
view, all of which were clever, some facetious, and many very
beautiful conceptions.

A frame of coloured enamels by Mr. Bailey, and some in black-
and-white by Mr. Henderson and Mr. Barnes, also attracted
considerable notice.

The eburneumtypes by Mr. Burgess, a coloured collodio-
chloride portrait on ivory by Mr. J. Edwards, and other collodio-
chloride and opalotype pictures, were very much admired. The
cabinet vignettes by Reutlinger, and the cabinet pictures by
Wenderoth, were both in request at the table, on account of
their beauty and interest.

I must not forget to mention a veiy interesting series of twenty-
four stereoscopic pictures by Mr. Alfieri, illustrative of " The
Potter's Art."

Mr. Jabez Hughes and Mr. Meagher were both exhibitors of
very excellent and useful apparatus — cameras, camera-stands,
and rolling presses.

299

Now I think such an exhibition as I have but partially
described cannot fail to have produced a pleasing and beneficial
effect on the minds of all who saw it, and ought, on the whole,
to have given infinite pleasure and satisfaction to both exhibitors
and visitors. Yet I think I heard one or two growls of discontent
about the hanging from some one whose pictures or whose friend's
pictures were not on the line ; but I think I may safely say there
never was a case of hanging yet that was not objected to by
one individual at least. Even the hangers of the Koyal Academy
do not escape censure, and they are supposed to have far more
skill, taste, and experience in hanging than the volunteer
hangers of the late photographic exhibition. I think, however,
that the hangers performed their duties both conscientiously and
creditably, especially when it is considered in how very short a
time the work had to be done. Anyone who felt aggrieved, and
expressed himself churlishly on that point, must surely have been
in that unenviable state which the French very adroitly designate
Etre marque mi B.

After these reflections I felt too drowsy to reflect any more,
and was barely awake enough to subscribe myself — Yours very
truly.

November IQth, 1868.

The Kefunding of the Balance of the Goddaild Fund — The

PhOTOGRAPHEBs' PbOVIDENT SoCIETT A FeBOCIO^S DoOESMAlf

— The South London Dinnee — A Chbistmas Carol.

My Deae Sik, — iN'ow that the balance of the Goddard Fund is
returned to the contributors, and all the trials and vexations the
administration of the fund brought upon the chief promoters are
known, I think the very best thanks of the whole body of sub-
scribers to that fund are due to the committee for their firm and
sensible determination to provide for the wants of the poor
imbecile recipient in the manner they did, and for their withstand-

300

ing the attempt made by a person who was not in the least
related to the late !Mr. Goddard to obtain possession of the
balance in hand. I, for one, a subscriber to the fund, return
them my most hearty acknowledgments, not for the money
returned to me, but for the straightforwardness of their report,
and the wise and judicious manner in which they dispensed the
funds. "While congratulating myself and confreres on seeing the
money not required for the relief of the late Mr. Goddard
returned to the subscribers instead of going into the possession
of a person for whom it never was intended, I think it is to be
regretted that no responsible party had foreseen that much of
this returned money would have been gladly placed to the credit
of some benevolent or provident institution connected with
photography. The whole amount, or even the half of it, would
have made a very handsome nucleus for the commencement of
such a fund. I have heard several wishes to that effect expressed
during the last few days. Doubtless the committee did the very
best thing they could have done for their own credit and the
entire satisfaction of the whole of the subscribers ; but I am
afraid an opportunity has been lost in the interest of the incipient
relief fund by not having had a receiver for these stray and un-
expected sums appointed. The praiseworthy act of Messrs.
Eoss and Pringle, as noticed in another journal, confirms this
impression.

AVhile the subject of a photographers' provident or relief fund
is before me, I may mention that in the Report of the Friendly
Societies recently issued by Mr. Tidd Pratt, he speaks in the
highest terms of those societies which are managed by the
laembers themselves without salaries, and condemns the extra-
Tagance exhibited by the societies of a similar nature which are
conducted by salaried officials. Now, as it is a friendly society
pure and simple that sick or needy photographers ought to look
to for future help, in my opinion the former is the kind of society
that should be established. The movement is not to be started

301

as a business speculation, and there should be no salaries attached'
to any of the offices. Each member joining the provident society
should be prepared to submit to the tax on his time and energies,
if elected to office, as part and parcel of the amount he subscribes
for the general ^velfare of the body and relief of individual
members. For my part, I object to the contemplated society
taking the form of a relief fund depending upon donations,
collections at dinners, &c., for its support. Such means for
raising the necessary funds to start the society may be allowable >
but after it is commenced, every individual connected with it
should be a subscribing member, and not allowed to receive any
benefit, except under the most urgent necessities, until he has
paid a certain number of subscriptions.

During one of my peregrinations about town lately I stum-
bled upon a very ferocious doorsman. My attention was
suddenly arrested, while passing one of those photographic
establishments which keep a kind of two-legged hyena prowling
up and down before their doors, by hearing the somewhat
startling and cannibalistic exclamation of "I'll eat yer ! '*■
Looking round, I saw that one of those prowling bipeds had
fastened upon two quiet-looking young gentlemen, evidently
strangers in town and to town ways, and had so importuned
them to sit for " a correct likeness," until they turned upon
him, and threatened to give him in charge if he did not desist ;
when he retaliated by threatening to eat them, and used a great
deal of sanguinary and abusive language as a substitute for more
palatable suavity. Is such an "outsider" or hanger-on a fit
and proper person to join a photographers' provident society, or
be the recipient of a benevolent relief fund ?

The South London Photographic Society's annual dinner
came ofi" on Saturday evening last at the " Salutation Tavern,"
Newgate Street. Twenty-three members and friends, all told,
sat down to dinner, and enjoyed a thoroughly English repast.
After the cloth was removed, the pleasantest part of the evening

302

commenced. The worthy and honoured president, the Eev. F. F.
Statham, M.A., who occupied the chair, was all geniality, and
gave the toast of the evening — " The South London Photographic
Society " — in his usually felicitous style. To Mr. Jabez Hughes
was allotted the task of proposing the next important toast —
"iPhotography " — which he did in the most glowing and eloquent
terms, dwelling on the rise and progress of the art in England, its
' position in a competitive point of view at the Paris Exhibition,
interspersed with some racy and facetious remarks on the different
modes and liinds of rewards, from the bronze, silver, and gold
medals, to the paper certificates, which he considered the most
honourable mentions that could be given by a discerning public.
From that he soared into the higher aspirations of photographers
and sublime regions of photography, giving, with thrilling effect,
a description of the social joys, scientific pursuits, and human
ameliorations to which photography administers. Mr. Baynham
Jones, being the oldest photographer present, had the honour of
replying on behalf of the art. Mr. G. Wharton Simpson, in
very appropriate terms, gave the toast, "Art Photography,"
which was responded to by Mr. 0. G. Eejlander. Mr. Johnson,
of the Autotype Company, had the honour of proposing the
toast "Professional Photography," which was responded to by
Mr. Valentine Blanchard, who occupied the vice-chair. Other
toasts of a professional and semi-professional character were
given and responded to. The intervals were filled up with part
and instrumental music by members of the Society. Mr. Cooper
contributed greatly to the evening's enjoyment by giving two
charming performances on the cornet-a-piston, which were
admirably accompanied by Mr. Henry Cooper on the piano.
Taking it all in all, it was one of the pleasantest and merriest
evenings I have ever enjoyed at the convivial meetings of the
South London Photographic Society, and formed a delightful
introduction to the season of universal festivity which is close
at hand.

303

Christmas, all over the civilized world, is not only a period of
festive reunion, but, according to the only rational interpreta-
tion of the word, a time of good will towards men, and peace
upon earth. Photographers, like other men, have had their
little differences of opinion, which have produced partial
estrangements during a portion of the year which will so soon
expire ; but let the approaching season, which is held in com-
memoration of the birth of the greatest Peacemaker that ever
came among men, be looked upon by all as the fittest time to
forget and forgive all slights, injuries, or insults, real or imagin-
ary ; and let not the great festival of our common faith be
clouded or eclipsed by an angry thought, nor the immeasurable
charity of true Christianity be dimmed by one unforgiving feel-
ing. The light of the Christian faith is a light that should
penetrate to the dark cells of our hearts, and dispel all the
gloomy and corrosive accumulations of controversy that may
have lodged there, and unconsciously eaten away any part of
our better nature. Few of us — none but the most presumptu-
ous— can lay his hand upon his heart and say, " Mine is im-
maculate ! " jS'one of us are without sin, and charity and for-
giveness are the greatest of the Christian virtues; and they
should be the more carefully studied and practised by all who
live in and by the Light of the world.

JDecemher I5th, 1868.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE IMMURED POMPEIIANS.

EvEEY one must be sensible of the many and varied applica-
tions of photography. Even photographers themselves, familiar
as they are with the capabilities of the art they practise, must
necessarily have their wonder excited occasionally at the scope
of their art-science, especially when they consider that the pro-
cess, as practised at the present day, is not more than seventeen
years old. That it should be the historian of the life and

304

manners of the present period more fully and faithfully than-
any written account, is not so much a matter of surprise.
Appealing, as it does, to the vanity and affections of the people,
it is at once a recorder of the changes of fashion, a registrar of
marriages, births, and deaths, and a truthful illustrator of the
times in which we live ; hut that it should be brought to bear
upon the past, and make the inhabitants of the world in the
nineteenth century familiar with the forms, fashions, manners,
life, and death of the people of the first century of the Christian
Era, is something to be marvelled at, and at first seems an
impossibility. Yet such is the fact ; and photography has been
made the cheap and easy means of informing the present genera-
tion of the manner in which the ancients behaved, suffered, and
died in the midst of one of the most appalling catastrophes that
ever overtook the inhabitants of any part of the world, ancient
or modern, as vividly and undeniably as if the calamity had
occurred but yesterday.

The foregoing reflections were excited by seeing very recently
some photographs from plaster casts of the forms of human
beings as they had fallen and died when Pompeii and Hercu-
laneum were destroyed by the first known and terrible eruption
of Mount Vesuvius. The photographs alluded to reveal with a
fearful fidelity the dreadful agonies of some of those who perished
at Pompeii, and, while looking at the pictures, it is very diffi-
cult to divest the mind of the idea that they are not the works
of some ancient photographer who plied his lens and camera
immediately after the eruption had ceased, so forcibly do they
carry the mind back to the time and place of the awful immure-
ment of both a town and its people.

That these photographs were not obtained from the lifeless
forms of the Pompeiians the reader will readily understand,
for their bodies have not been preserved entire from that day to
this. The question then naturally arises, "How could plaster
casts be obtained from which the photographs were produced ?"

305

To answer that question I must briefly explain that Pompeii
was not, as is generally understood, destroyed by an overflow of
red hot lava, which would have burnt up every particle of
human flesh with which it came in contact almost instantly,
without leaving a mould or impress of the form which it sur-
rounded. The Mack mud which flowed from Vesuvius into the
doomed town of Pompeii entombed the houses and inhabitants —
covered them up and formed a thick crust over them, which
gradually hardened, and as the bodies crumbled away to dust a
mould or matrix was left, from which plaster casts of great
beauty and finish might have been obtained of almost every-
thing that was destroyed. Unfortunately, this was not dis-
covered until very recently, after many of the beautiful moulds
had been destroyed by the process of hurried, thoughtless, and
unsystematic excavation. It was only a short time ago, since
Ts'aples was united to Italy, that careful and intelligent excava-
tion secured to future generations impressions from those
matrices made by the most terrible process of natural mould
making.

Sig. Fiorelli, who was appointed superintendent of excava-
tions at Pompeii, happily thought of obtaining casts from these
natural moulds by pouring in soft plaster of Paris, and thus
secure more useful mementos than by preserving the moulds
themselves. Amongst the first casts thus obtained were the
forms of four human beings, described as follows in the Quarterly
Review for 1864: —

' ' These four persons had perished in the streets. Driven
from their homes, they sought to flee when it was too late.
These victims of the eruption were not found together, and they
do not appear to have belonged to the same family or household.
The most interesting of the casts is that of two women, probably
mother and daughter, lying feet to feet ; they appear from their
garb to have been people of poor condition. The elder seems to
lie tranquilly on her side, overcome by the noxious gases. She

306

probably fell and died without a struggle. Her limbs are
extended, and her left aim drops loosely. On one finger is still
seen her coarse iron ring. Her child was a girl of fifteen ; she
seems, poor thing, to have struggled hard for life. Her legs
are drawn up convulsively. Her little hands are clenched in
agony. In one she holds her veil, or part of her dress with
which she had covered her head, burying her face in her arms
to shield herself from the falling ashes and from the foul, sul-
phurous smoke. The form of her head is perfectly preserved. The
texture of her coarse linen garments may be traced, and even the
fashion of her dress, with its long sleeves reaching to her wrists.
Here and there it is torn, and the smooth young skin appears in
the plaster Kke polished marble. On her tiny feet may still be
seen her embroidered sandals. At some distance from this group
lay a third woman, apparently about the age of twenty-five, and
belonging to a better class. Silver rings were on her fingers.
She lay on her side, and had died in great agony. Her garments
had been gathered up on one side, leaving exposed a limb of the
most beautiful form. She had fled with her little treasure, two
silver cups, a few jewels, and some silver coins, and her keys,
like a careful matron. The fourth cast is that of a man of the
people, perhaps a common soldier. He is almost of colossal size.
He lies on his back, his arms extended by his side, and his feet
stretched out, as if, finding escape impossible, he had laid him-
self down to meet death like a brave man. His dress consists
of a short coat or jerkin, and tight-fitting breeches of some
coarse stuff, perhaps leather ; heavy sandals, with soles studded
with nails, are laced tightly round his ankles. On one finger is
seen his iron ring. His features are strongly marked, his mouth
open, as in death. Some of his teeth stUl remain, and even
part of the moustache adheres to the plaster."

Such is the description of the plaster casts ; and the photo-
graphs which I possess of those casts convey to the mind at one
glance all that is there written. Wonderful photography I

307

How eloquent in their silence are thy pictures ! To what more
dignified and sublime uses could any art be put ? Only a few
can look upon those casts of the dead Pompeiians in the Museum
of I^aples, but the whole world may view the photographs taken
from them, and look upon the Pompeiians in their forms and
habits as they died, and read a page from the unwritten histories
of those terrible death-struggles, when the strong man, the
tender, placid mother, and the young and delicate maiden were
all entombed in that fearful sea of mud, amidst darkness and
horrors that can never be adequately described.

Such an awful catastrophe will never cease to interest the
student of ancient history, and photography will now be the
means of deepening his interest, and revealing to his mind with
greater force and lucidity many scenes that actually occurred at
the very moment of the appalling destruction of Pompeii, on
the 24th of August, a.d. 79.

A SIMPLE MODE OF llS'TEJfSIFYING NEGATIVES.

Undoubtedly the best possible practice of photography is that
which requires no after intensification in the production of a
first-class negative. This, however, though a " consummation
devoutly to be wished," is not always attained, even by the
most experienced photographer. Every operator knows that
there is sometimes a condition of things that renders a simple
and efficient process of intensifying afterwards indispensable.

Of all the modes of intensifying — and their name is legion —
I think the readiest and most generally useful has been
much neglected. The persulphate of uranium and ferridcyanide
of potassium process gave wonderfully charming results. But
what of that ? It was completely impracticable, and a failure,
in consequence of its tendency to go on increasing in intensity
in the hands of the printer.

The bichloride of mercury and iodine processes, unlimited in.

308

number, also went on increasing in an unlimited degree, and no
amount of "roasting" could reduce the negatives so treated to
the desirable degree of transparency that would enable any printer
to obtain good impressions. There is, however, one of the
bichloride of mercury processes, published some years ago,
which I modified so as to give the most satisfactory results. It
rendered the negative sufficiently intense, and preserved the
most exquisite modelling, without changing afterwards; but
the process was very troublsome, and not very agreeable.

The simplest, cheapest, and most reliable process of intensifying
negatives that I know of is with sulphuret of potassium (liver
of sulphur) used in the following manner : —

Make a very dilute solution of sulphuret of potassium, put
it into any old gutta-percha or porcelain bath ; and, after the
negative is developed as far as is desirable with the ordinary
iron developer, fixed, and washed in the usual way, immerse the
plate in that state at once into the solution of sulphuret of
potassium, in the same manner as in sensitising the plate in the
nitrate bath, by using a dipper, and leave it there until sufficiently
intense, which is generally in about the time required for coating
and sensitisiag another plate, so that, if the operator be working
single-handed, very little, if any, time is lost in the process of
intensifying.

The solution may also be flooded over the plate in the same
manner as the developer, after fixing and washing as before.

When sufficiently intense, rinse the plate with water, dry, and
varnish in the ordinary way. But it is best to use the intensifier
in the manner first described, which is by far the most cleanly
and economical plan, both in the saving of time and solution.
By using it with the " bath and dipper," it is not offensive, on
account of its extreme dilution, andnot being disturbed so much,
or immediately under the olfactory nerves of the operator, it may
"be worked in the ordinary dark room with the greatest safety
jxnd convenience.

309

A STRING OF OLD BEADS.

He is a rash man who announces "something new" in these
days. I believe there is nothing new under the sun, and in
photography especially. If any man be rash enough to rush
into print with what he considers a new idea, some other man
rushes into print also and says the idea is old, exploded, useless,
worthless, or worse.

I lay no claim to originality. I have lived so long in the
atmosphere of photography, I don't know where or how I picked
up my knowledge — such as it is. Some of it I may have
stumbled on, some of it I may have found, and some of it I may
have stolen. If the lattei", I forget from whom, when, or where,
and in all such cases a bad memory is a good and convenient
thing. But I will endeavour to atone for such sins by publicly
restoring all I may have filched from other men's brains for the
benefit of all whom it may concern. I shall not count the
beads ; that would be like running over a rosary, and I object to
sub rosa revelations ; neither shall I attend to the order of
stringing the beads, but will put them on record just as they
come to hand ; and the first is —

Sow to Make Vignette Papers. — Take a piece of sensitized
paper, lay it under a piece of glass and let it blacken. Then
take a camels' -hair pencil dipped in a weak solution of cyanide
of potassium, and paint the extreme size and shape of the desired
aperture. Let it dry, and with a little stronger solution of
cyanide paint within the size and shape, and then with a stronger
solution paint the centre, which will be perfectly white and
semi-transparent. The object of using the three strengths of
solution and painting three separate times is to obtain gradation,
and the edges will be yellow and softened like a vignette glass.
These vignette papers can be attached to the back of the nega-
tive or to the outside of the printing-press, and can be used
either in shade or sunshine without materially prolonging the

310

time of printing. The cost of production is trifling, as any waste
piece of paper and spare time can be employed in making them,
and they do not occupy much time in making ; in fact, one can
be made in less time than will be spent in reading this descrip-
tion. I need not expatiate on the advantages of being able to
make a special vignette quickly. Every photographer must
have experienced the difficulty of purchasing a special size and
shape to suit a particular subject.

Hoio to Point a Pencil. — Eub the pencil to a point in the
groove of a corundum file. This is a better and cheaper pointer
than a Yankee pencil-shai-pener, and it puts a finer point to a
blacklead pencil than anything else I know. Eetouchers, try it.

How to Ease a Tight Stopper. — There is nothing more annoy-
ing in the practice of photography than to take up a bottle and
find the stopper ^a;5(Z. In many instances the bottle is broken,
and time wasted in trying to remove the fixed stopper. "When
such an obstinate stopper gets into your hands, run a little
glycerine round the top of the bottle. Set the bottle down, and
in a few minutes the stopper will be free. Prevention is better
than cure. Keep a little glycerine on all your stoppers.
Glycerine agrees with every chemical in photographic use, and
prevents stoppers and bottles coming to grief. In a thousand
and one ways a little glycerine is beyond all price.

How to Prepare Alhumemzed Prints for Colouring. — Pour
over them a little matt varnish. This removes the greasiness,
and gives a fine tooth and ivory-like surface for the artist to
work upon.

How to Remove Silver Stains from the White Ground of a
Vignette. — Touch it with a solution of cyanide of potassium, and
wash off immediately. The other parts of the picture will not
be injured.

How to Stipple a Window Wliite or Yellow. — For white, mix a
little dextrine and kaolin in water. Dab the mixture on the glass
with a piece of cotton. For the purpose of obscuration that is

311

quite enough ; but if sightliness be essential, finish by stippling
with the ends of a hog's-hair brush. For yellow, mix a little
dextrine and deep orange chrome in powder together in water,
and apply it to the window in the same manner. Dabbing once
or twice with a piece of cotton will exclude white light and
make a luminous dark room. The same mixture makes an
excellent backing for dry plates to prevent halation.

LIGHTS AND LIGHTING.

A GEEAT deal has been written and said about lights and lighting
— a great deal too much ; yet more must be said and written.

Light is to the photographer what the sickle is to the shearer
— a good reaper can cut well with an indifferent sickle, but an
indifferent reaper never gets a good sickle in his hand. A good
photographer, who also understands light and shade, can
produce good pictures in an ordinary studio. It is the indifferent
photographer who runs after "fancy lights," and is, like a
benighted traveller in pursuit of a will-o'-the-wisp, eventually
left floundering in a bog. It is folly to construct powerful
concentrators if powerful reflectors have to be employed to
counteract their defects. If a limited amount of JdiffusedUight be
absolutely necessary it is best to retain it and use it in its
simplest and least expensive form.

When I commenced photography glass houses were scarcer in
England than comets in the heavens, and the few that were
in existence were all constructed on false principles. It was
not until I visited America that I saw a properli/ -constructed
studio. The Americans were, and are, prone to give stupid
names to sensible things ; and the names they gave to their
studios were no exceptions. This, that, and the other photo-
grapher advertised his " mammoth skylight." I went to sit,
see, and be satisfied that their mode of lighting was very
superior to ours. I was convinced instanter that the perpen-

312

dicular sides and sloping roofs of our miserable little hot-
houses were mistakes and things to be abhorred, while their
spacious rooms and " mammoth skylights " were things to be
admired and adopted.

In one of these rooms, and almost without blinds or reflectors,
the sitter could be " worked " on a semi-circle or half oval, and
"lighted" either in front or on either side at pleasure, and with
the greatest facility. I determined, there and then, to build
my next studio on similar principles ; but until recently I have
had no opportunity of carrying out my intentions. To get
what I required and to make the best of my situation I had to
"fence and fiddle" the district surveyor: but I gained my
point, and the victory was worth the foils and the fiddlestick.

My studio can be lighted from either side ; but the ' ' light
of lights " is the north one, and that is a large fixed window
11 by 9 feet with a single slope of two and a-half feet in the
height ; that is, two and a-half feet out of the perpendicular at
the top, with no other top light and no perpendicular side light.
With this light I do all ordinary work. I can work round the
light from one side of the room to the other, as under a
mammoth skylight, without using either blind or reflector. If
I want Rembrandt efi'ects I have only to open a shutter on the
south side, and let in subdued sunlight. That at once becomes
the dominant light, and the north light illumines the shadows.
The bottom of the north light is three feet from the floor.

The advantages of this form of studio are these. It is cool,
because no more light is admitted than is absolutely necessary.
It is neat, because no rag-like curtains are hanging about. It
is clean, because there is nothing to collect dirt. It is dry,
because the pitch of the roof renders leakage impossible. It is
pleasant to the sitter, because of these desirabilities, and that
the light is not distressing. It is agreeable to the operator,
because the work is easy and everything is comfortable.

Printed by Piper & Carter, 5, Furniral Street, Holborn, London, E.G.

ALL WITH

TRANSPARENT
FILM.

No apparatus connected with Photography has ever excited
so much interest as

THE KODAK.

The No. I, making a round picture, was only the entering
wedge, and ser\'ed its purpose admirably, in introducing to
the public the vast advantages of a Camera using films over
any form of Camera using glass.

This year we beg to call your attention to SEVEN NEW
SIZES, viz. : —

No. 2, 3^4 inch Circular Picture, one finder.

No. 3, Regular, 33^ ^4}iy Square Picture, two finders.

No. 3, Junior,

No. 4, Regular, 4x5,

No. 4, Junior, „

No. 4, Folding, „

No. 5, „ 5 X 7,

Send for the New KODAK PRIMER, fully describing all
sizes and styles.

THE EASTMAN PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS COMPANY, Limited,
I 15, Oxford Street, London, W.

IT IS ADMITTED by

Every Competent Authority

THAT

WRATTEN'S

'LONDON' PLATES

ARE THE

UmVEBSAL STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

AND COMPARISON.

This high reputation has been sustained
against a host of competitors for twelve
years :— a fact without parallel in the
annals of the Gelatine process.

Messi-s. Weatten <fc "Wainwbight's Complete Uliistrated Catalogiie coutaius
full Particulars and Prices of a large and varied Stock of Photograi^hic Re-
quii-ements, together with specially-written Instructions for developing the
" London " Plates, Printing, Toning, and other operations, and will be for-
warded free upon application to

WRATTEN & WAINWRIGHT,
PHOTOGRAPHIC CHEMISTS AND APPARATUS MAKERS,

AND

Sole Proprietors and Manufacturers of the
" London" Dry Plates,

88, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LONG ACRE,

LONDON, W.C.

THE AUTOTYPE COMPANY

MANUFACTURES

AUTOTYPE TISSUES, TRANSFER PAPERS, & MATERIALS
FOR PERMANENT PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING.

AUTOTYPE ENLAKGE3IENrS.— Portraits and Views produced of any
dimensions up to 5 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in. ; their grandeiu', beauty, and unalter-
ability secure public favoiu'.

AUTOTYPE DRY PLATES, manufactured with Burton's Coating Machine,
are rich in silver, very rapid, yielding clear vigorous negatives, of miiform
quality. The plates ai-e of superior glass, and packed in strong metal-
grooved boxes up to 15 bj' 12 inches. To be obtained only of the
Autotype Company.

. BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS, by Sawyer's Collotype Process, employed by
the Trustees of the British Museum, by the Koyal, Pala^ographical,
Hellenic, Numismatical, and other learned Societies, and by the leading
publishers. Prints direct on the paper with suitable margins.

AUTO-(tRAVURE.— The Autotype processs as applied to Photographic
Engraving on Copper is of wide application in the reproduction of Works
of Art, and is highly appreciated by the disciples of Naturalistic Photo-
graphy as efficiently rendering the qualities of negatives direct from
nature. Examples of Auto-gravure. in the reproduction of paintings
by Holman Hunt, the late Frank Holl, R.A., W. Ouless, R.A., Val.
Prinsep, A.R.A., of di-a wings bj' Hy. Rylands, of a frieze, "Spring," by
Herbert Draper, of a Group from the frieze of the Parthenon, &c. , &c. ,
can be seen at 74, New Oxford Street.

The AUTOTYPE FINE ART GALLERY,

74, New Oxford Street, London,

is remarkable for its disj^lay of Copies of celebrated Works by

"THE GREAT MASTERS"

from the Loiivi-e, Vatican, Hermitage, and the National Galleries of Italy, Spain,
Holland, and London, including H.M. Collections at Buckingham Palace and
Windsor Castle.

Albums of reference to the various Galleries are provided, are easily looked
over, and of great interest to lovei-s of Ai't. Send for the new Pamphlet,
'- AUTOTYPE : a Decorative and Ediicational Art," per post to any addi-ess.

The AUTOTYPE FINE ART CATALOGUE, 186 pp., free per post for 6d.

THE AUTOTYPE COMPANY, LONDON.

Offices : 74, New Oxford Street, w.c. — Works : Ealing Dene, Middlesex.

Grand Prix & Gold Medal, Paris Exliibitioii, 1889.

Council Medal and Highest Award, Great Exhibition, London, 1851.

Gold Medal, Paris Exposition, 1867, Medal and Highest Awaid, Exhibition, London, 1862

Medal and Diploma, Antwerp. 1878.

Medal and Diploma, Centennial Exhibition. Philadelphia, 1875.

Two Gold Medals, Paris Exposition, 1878. Medal and Diploma, Sydney, 1S79.

Gold Medal, Highest Award, Inventions Exhibition, 1885.

ROSS' LENSES AND APPARATUS.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

In consequence of the greatly increased demand for their Photographic

Cameras and Apparatus, Ross & Co. have fitted up the

first floor of 112. New Bond Street, as

SPECIAL SHOW ROOMS

for exhibitiug the newest and most improved forms of

CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS.

For the convenience of purchasers, they have also constructed

A FULLY EgUIPPED DARK ROOM,

where the Apparatus maj" be practically tested, and

USEFUL INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO BEGI?<NERS.

Amateurs are invited to inspect ROSS' COMPLETE OUTFITS.

ROSS' IMPROVED CAMERAS.

Extra Light and Portable ; Double Extension.

New Form JDOXJBT^E STRIDE,

Less Costly than the Ordinary Form of Dark Slide.

Absolutely Light-proof. Smaller than Ordinar}-. No Superfluous Openings.

No risk of Plates being broken by pressure. Certainty of Register.

Lighter than Ordinary. No Hinges or Clips to get out of order.

No chance of Warping.

SPECIAL SMALL & LIGHT CAMERAS,

For use with the New Form Double Slide.
Catalogues and FuU Particulars, with Estimates, on application to

EOSS & CO., 112, NEW BOND STEEET, LONDON.

Works: Clapham Common, S.W.

H. MOORSE,

Photographic Apparatus Manufacturer

TO THE GOVERNMENT (Established over 25 years),

154, High Holborn, London, W.C.

(Near New Oxford Street and Mwseum Street.)

SQUARE CAMERA.
LIGHT CAMERA.

Both one price. Cash with Order, 10 per cent. off.

8 10 0 10 10 0 16 15 0 25 0 0
(2 ca.ses)

4JX3i 6JX4I 8ix6J 10x8 12X10 15X12 18x16 24X18

£, s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d.

Camera and three Double 6 0 0 7 10 0 !» 8 0 11 15 0 U 14 0 18 IS 0 24 0 0 26 0 0

Backs.
Rectilinear Lens with 3 00 3100 5 00

Iris Diaphragm Travel-
ling Bag.
Brown Canvas with 0 18 0 1 00 1 20

Spring Lock.
?olid Leather Spring 1 5 0 1 80 112 0

Lock.
Rotating Turn Table with 1 7 0 1 12 0 1 12 0

Tripod Stand.
Brass Binding Camera 1 50 1 5 0 110 0

and Slide.

6 10 0

1 15 0

2 5 0
2 0 0
1 12 0

2 10 0

3 5 0
2 5 0 2 10 0

3 12 0 4 14 0

4 15 0 6 5 0

2 0 0 2 12 0

2 15 0

3 3 0

6 0 0

8 0 0

3 5 0

4 4 0

CAMERA BELLOWS.

Outside Size. Length.

6X5 8 .

6x6 9 .

7ix 7* 12 .

gjx 94 i8 .,

II X II i8

13 X 13 ■ 20 .

17 X 17 22 .

18 X 24 30 .

24 X 24 60 .

Leather.

3/3 .

3/6 .

, 8/- .

12/- .

U/- .

15/. .

20/. .

40/- .

100/- .

Black Cloth.
.... 2/3
.... 3/-
.... 6/-
.... 8/6
.... 9/-

.... 11/.

.... 15/.

.... 30/-

POCKET OR HAND CAMERAS, WITH THREE DOUBLE BACKS,

4? X 3^, £3 3s. 6i X 4I, £4 4s.

& CO;S PLATES.

Manufactured at their Works, Southgate.

BRITANNIA ORDINARY PLATES (Yellow Label.)
BRITANNIA EXTRA RAPID „ (White Label.)
INSTANTANEOUS „ (Brown Label.)

Prepared sijecially for extremely rapid work.

ACADEMY LANDSCAPE PLATES (Cream Label.)

Specially prepared for Landscape work ; very thickly coated and rich iu

Silver.

Marion's Argentic-Bromide Opals.

Priucijjally used for Enlargements and Contact printing. Very effective.

COWAN'S GELATINO-CHLORIDE PLATES (GreenLabel).

For Lantern Slide Work.

COWAN'S CHLORO-BROMIDE PLATES (Violet Label),

For making Transparencies in the Camera.

COWAN'S GELATINO-CHLORIDE TRANSPARENCY PLATES

On ground glass.

COWAN'S ORGANIC CHLORIDE OPALS (Red Label),

Printed and toned like ordinary sensitized paper. Very artistic. They
must be i;sed fresh.

MARION & CO., 22 and 23, Soho Square,

LONDON.

For PHOTOGRAPHIC

GOODS AID PBOIPT ATTEITIOI

GO TO

0". ^TsTEI^O-E,

PHOTOGRAPHIC STORES,

Ua, Berners Street, Oxford Street, London. W.

WERGE'S " Sans Ammonia Developer " is used by

numerous expert amateurs. A 1/- bottle will develop 128 quarter
plates, any make.

WERGE'S Dry plate Yaruisli dries without heat,
and protects the negatives from silver and platinum stains, 1/-
per bottle aud upwards.

WERG-E'S Retouching Medium, 1^ - per bottle.

WERGE'S Sensitized Paper is the best. 12 6 per

quire ; sample sheet lOd. post free.

WERGE'S Borax Toning Solution gives the best
tones, and is simplest and most economical. I/- per pint.

WERGE'S Ferro-Prussiate Paper gives the best

results with least trouble. 1/- per sheet.

WERGE'S Shilling Lantern is the best ever in-
troduced.

WERGE'S Dry Plate Instructions are the best

ever published. 1/1-| post free, including Jabez Hughes's
" Principles and Practice of Photography." Wet Plate Process,
Printing, &c., &c.

H. DALLMEYER, OPTIOIW,

25, NEWMAN STREET, LONDON, W.

Has obtained the highest awards for his Lenses wherever exhibited, and at all je r
Intemational Exhibitions.

CASH PRICES OF iW PRINCTPATPOllTRArT AND VIEW lUH

EXTRA RAPin (0).

2C, For Cnildren, 2| dia.
3C „ H ..

44 f.
. 6 f.

£l.i 15 0
, -.'6 5 0

IB,

QUICK ACTING (B).

in. distance.

forC.D.V. 2 dia....l2 tt....£6 5 0

IB Long, „ 2i „

2B, „ 2? „

2B Patent, „ 2| „

3B „ Cabts.and SJ „

4B „ larger 4^ „

.14 ft.... 6 15 0

.18 ft.. ..12 16 0

..18 ft.. ..13 5 0

..18 ft.. ..20 0 0

.25 ft. ...40 0 0

NEW RAPID RECTILINEAR PORTRAIT

LENSES.

See descriptive Catalogue.

ORDINARY INTENSITY (A)— Patf.nt.
lA, for Cabinets, in short rooms.

dia. 2Jin., distance 14 ft. £13 n 0

2A, for Cabinets up to 84x6.4, dia.

34in., distance 20 feet 18 0 d

3A, for Cabinets up to 9x7, dia.

4in., distance 24 feet 27

4A, for Imperial Portraits and 10x8

dia. 44i"-' focus 14 in. ... ... 38 10

5A, for plates 15x12 and under, dia.

5in., focus 18in. .. . 50 0

6A, for plates 20 x 16 and under, dia.

6in., focus 22in 60 0

5 0

PORTRAIT AND GROUP (D) -Patent.
3D, Portraits 84 X 64, Views 10x8,

dia. 2Jin., focus lO.^in... ... 9 10 0

4D, Portiaits 10x8, Views 12vlO,

dia. 2?m., focus 13in 13 10 0

5D, Portraits 12x10, Views 15x12,

dia. 3iin., focus 16in 17 m 0

6D, Portraits 15x12, View, 18x16,

dia. 4in., focus i94in .- 26 Hi 0

7D, Portraits 18x16, Views 22x20,

dia. 5in., focus '24in 48 0 0

8D, Portraits 22x20, Views 25x21,

dia. 6in., focus 30in 58 0 0

STEREOSCOPIC LENSES.
Patent Stereographic Lens, 3^-in. f. ,,
Ditto, with raclj-and-pinion ,,
No. 1, Quick-acting Single Combina-
tion Landscape Lens, 44in. fecus
No. 2, Ditto ditto 6in. focus

4 5 0
4 15 0

2 0 0
2 5 0

Rect.'stereo. Lenses, 2in.&24in. focus 4 0 0

NEW RECTILINEAR LANDSCAPE I. ENS.

(Patent).

Largest Diinen- Diameter j Equiv
sions of Plate, of Lenses. Focus.

64 by 4iin

84 „ 64 „

10 „ 8 ,.

12 „ 10 „

15 „ 12 „

18 „ 16 „

22 ,. 20 „

14 in.

1? .,

2 ,

•2i „
2| „

3 „
34 „

«4in
114 .,
134 ,.
164 .,
20 „
25 „
32 „

Price.

£4 15 0

6 0 0

8 0 0

10 5 0

12 10 0

16 0 0

21 0 0

OPTICAL L4.NTERN LENSES NT.
(Patent).
No. 1 Lens, 14 in. and 1| in. dia. with
Rack Motion... ... ... I 1

No. 2 do 1^ in. and 2 in. do. do.
Condensers — 34 in dia. mounted, ea. j k '
Do. 4 in do. do. do. I (
K A fiU RECTILINEAR (P ATI I
The best Leus for general use out oio
and for Copying.

7iby44
84 „ 64

,10

I 12
,16
20
21

IJin.

63 „

11 „
14 „
17

154

£4 1

5 Ilk

7 1(1
10 1(1
14 01
20 0|
30 Ol

• To be had in pairs for Stereoscopic Views.

WIDE ANGLE LANDSCAPE LENS^

'P*tent), for Landscapes, pure and simpll

No.

Price.

5 by 4
n ,. 44
84 „ 6|
10 „ 8
12 ,.10
15 „12
15 „12
18 „16
22 „20
25 „21

6iin.

8^"

10 „

12 „

15 „

18 „

22 „

25 ,.

£3 5

3 15

4 10
j 5 10

7 0

8 10

9 10
10 10
14 0
19 0

NEW RAPID LANDSCAPE LENS.

For Distant Objects and Views.

No.

I.arj^est Dimen-
sions ol Plate.

Diameter

of Lenses.

§quiv.
Focus.

Price.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

64 by 4|in.

8| „ 64 „
10 „ 8 „
12 „ 10 „
15 „ 12 „
18 „ 16 „
22 „ 20 ,.

1-3 in.

16 „

2 125 „

2 6 .,

3-5 „

4-25 .,

9 in.
12 „
15 „
18 „
22 „
25 „
30 „

£4 10 0

5 15 0

7 10 0

9 10 0

11 10 0

14 0 0

17 10 0

DALLMEYi.R -' On the Choice ana U.-e of Photographic Lenses."
Eighth Thousand (Greatly Enlarged), Is. Descriptive Catalogue on application.

25, NEWMAN STREET, OXFORD STREET, LONDON, W.

Ife^

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Full text of "The evolution of photography : with a chronological record of discoveries, inventions, etc., contributions to photographic literature, and personal reminiscences extending over forty years"

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