FRY'S ARGENTIC BROMIDE ENLARGEMENTS ARE LIKE FINE ENGMVINGS."-i?r ttish Journal of Photography . "ARTISTIC IN THE fflGHEST DEGREE."- Co^r^ Ciraaar. Enlarging and Finishing upon PAPER. c 5- = m 8ix6i, 12x 7» 10x8, 12x10) 15x12 18x15 20x16 23 X 17 24x18^ 24 X 20 i ••• 30x22 30x25 2 6 3 0 3 6 4 0 5 0 7 6 10 0 12 6 oj ^ e s. d. 3 0 3 9 4 6 5 0 6 0 9 0 Finish.r.gr in Monochroms. Beyond Enlargement Charge. ». d. 0 9 . 11 . 15 3rd. s. d. 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 10 0 10 0 12 G 15 0 2nd. «. d. 10 0 12 0 14 0 16 0 20 0 20 0 25 0 30 0 1st. i. d. 15 0 18 0 21 0 24 0 30 0 30 0 37 6 45 0 M S — •3 C o c _c o o Enlarging and Finishing on OPAL. incut Finishing in Monochrome. Finishing 0 ilargei only IJeyoud Enlargement in Cliarse. Water Colours 0 and in Oils. m OAT w «. d. 3rd. 2na. Is t. Eh . c = d. 8. d. 0. d. s. d. «. d. IS IB W<1 a< 84 X 61- 4 0 . . 5 0 . .. 10 0 .. 15 0 .. . 10 0 to 30 0 Sl> c 10x8 4 6 . . 6 0 . . 12 0 .. . 24 0 . . 12 0 36 0 ■>! 12x74 12x10 5 0 . . 7 6 . . 15 0 .. 30 0 .. . 15 0 45 0 < 0 15x12 7 6 . . 10 0 . . 20 0 .. 35 0 .. . 17 6 45 0 a 0 17x 10? I 18x15 15 0 . . 14 0 . . 25 0 .. 40 0 .. . 20 0 50 0 a Pi 20x16 20 0 . . 16 0 . . 27 0 .. 42 0 .. . 22 0 60 0 21 x 18 25 0 . . 20 0 . . 30 0 .. 45 0 .. . 25 0 70 0 FULL PRICE LISTS OF DRY PLATES, BROMIDE PAPERS, ENLARGEMENTS, CHEMICALS, CARD MOUNTS, &c., &g.. FREE ON APPLICATION TO SAMUEL FRY & CO., LIMITED, 5, Chandos St., Charing Cross, LONDON, w.c. Works: KINGSTON-ON-THAMES. Telegraphic Address: "ENLARGEMENTS, LONDON.'' Advertisements. THE AUTOTYPE COMPANY, LONDON. FOR THE ARTISTIC DECORATION OF THE HOME, VISIT THE AUTOTYPE FINE ART GALLERY, 74, NEinr OXFORD STREET (20 doors west of Mudie's Library). SPLENDID COPIES OF THE OLD MASTEBS, from the most celebrated Galleries of Europe. '^'^^'^PUXJCTIOSB OF MODEBKT PAINTINGS, from the Luiembourg, The Salon," Royal Academy, &c. DELIGHTFUL LITTLE PICTURES, elegantly framed, after Bartolozzi, Sih Joshua KKrNOLDs, Romnev, and the Great English Portraitists. TURNER'S "LIBER STUDIORUM," with Notes by Btopford Buooke, M.B. A PampMet, " AUTOTYPE : A Decorative and Educational Art." Pour Illustrations— Description of Autotype- Suggestions for Pictures and Framincr, &c. Free by Post. AUTOTYPE BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS. .■J^^K ■^-'^'''O'^^E Company offer their services to Authobs and Publishees to produce by the Autotyr)e Process, Book Illustrations of the highest exceUence of any subjects capable of being photographed. Among the work uecesttlt doite may be cited Wyon's " Great Seals of England ; " IJr Orooksbank s "Micro-Photographs of Bacteria;" "Famous Monuments of Cpntral India, for Sir Lepel Griffin, K.U.S I. ; " Facsimiles of Early Italian Engravings " for ioL .^'^u^T,?^ ^"^^ British Museum; "The Palmographical Society's Fasciculus for 1888; illustrations for tbe Journal of the Hellenic Society," Lindt's "New Guinea " io., lie. ' RECENTLY PUBLISHED. §6vffe Of t^e Horfom 18roa6s. By P. H. Emerson, B.A., M.B. Twelve Plates by Auto-Gravure, in handsome Portfolii with Descriptive Letterpress. Proofs on India Paper (limited to 150) £1 lis. 6d. Prints on Plate Paper £\ ig. od.' Prospeciut on application. 0r6 "^aris. Ten Etchings by 0. Mkrtok. Reproduced on Copper by the Auto-Gravure Process, and accompanied with Preface and Illustrative Notes by Stopfoub A. Brooke, M.A. The Plates are attached, by the upper edge, to Whatman Paper cut-out Mounts, and enclosed in an elegant Portfolio. Price Three Guineas. THE AUTOTYPE COMF^IVY, 74, NEW OXFORD STREET, LONDON, W.C. Advertisements. MORGAN & KIDD, INVENTORS OF THE AR6ENTIG-6ELATIN0-BR0MIDE PROCESS The Standard Method of Ppodueingr Permanent Enlapgements and Contact Prints. PRICE LIST OF THE ARGENTIC-GELATINO-BROMIDE PAPERS. POSZTZVS PAPER.— For Enlarging and Printing direct from the Negative. Size. 1-doz. Size. 1-doz. 4-doz. 1 Size. 1-doz. i-doz. 4lx3i (2-dz.) 1/3 10 X 8 3/- 23x17 12/6 6/9 1/3 12ixlOi 4/6 3/- 25x21 18/6 10/- 8 x6 1/9 15ixl2i 7/- 4/- 30x23 24/6 26/6 12/6 8ix6i 2/3 18 xl5 9/6 5/3 30x25 •14/- In Rolls of 20 ft., 17 in. wide, 12s. ; 25 in. wide, 17s. 6d.; and 30 in. wide, 21s. The Positive Paper can also be had with a rough sarfaoe, same price ; but in all cases, unless rough is specially ordered, smooth is sent. NOTE.— The Argentic-Gelatino-Bromide Papers are sent post free. SAMPLE SHEET, 23xJ7i, 7s. 6d. ENLARGEMENTS, By MORGAN & KIDD, From good small Negatives, are full of Delicacy and Vigour, AND Equal to a Fine Engraving. ARTISTIC, PERMANENT & INEXPENSIVE. A.n Enlargement from a good Negative is A PICTURE AND A "WORK OF ART, and is far better than a mere Photo-scrap. Send for full Price List post free on application. M:0 JEtO & KXXJD, araentic*«(5elatino^Bromibe Morks, KEW FOOT ED., RICHMOND, LONDON, S.W. PARIS— 29, Boulevard des Miens. Telegrams : "Argentic, Richmond, Surrey.' A dvertisements. PLATINOTYPE. THE COLD BATH PROCESS. The attention of Photographers is called to this beautiful process, now fully introduced. Some of the advantages are here enumerated : — 1st. — High artistic rendering both of high lights and shadows. 2nd. — Prints either vigorous or soft, either cold or warm in colour, well in command of operator. 3rd. — Prints dry up with less loss of effect than in any other process. 4th. — Short exposure required, being less than in the Hot Bath Process. 5th. — Economy, especially to large users. NO LICENSE required by users of the Patented Papers manufactured by the Company. The Sensiiized Papers are now obtainable from Agents in the i)rincipal towns. FOR PROSPECTUS APPLY TO The PLATINOTYPE CO., 29, SOUTHAMPTON ROW, HOLBORN. A dvert isements. Council Medal and Highest Award, Great Exhibition, London, 1851.-Gold Medal, Paris Exposition, 1867.— Medal and Highest Award, Exhibition, London, 1862,— Medal and Diploma, Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876. -Medal and Diploma, Antwerp, 1878.— Gold Medal and Diploma, Paris Exposition, 1878.— Gold Medal, Inventions Exhibition, 1885. ROSS' PORTRAIT AND VIEW LENSES, Unsurpassed for Brilliancy of Definition, Flatness of Field, and Depth of Focus. Used by the leading Photographers throughout the World, PORTRAIT LENSES. IMPROVED. No. 3 for Portraits 6i x 4| . , £17 10 0 No. 1 „ 3a „ 8^x ej ., 26 15 0 >, 2 „ 4 „ 10 X 8 38 0 0 „ 3 1, 5 „ 18 xl6 42 10 0 11 4 5 .. 6 „ 22 xl8 64 0 0 » 6 RAPID CABINET." No. 1 for Cabinets, 14 ft. distance £13 0 0 2 „ 18 „ „ 17 10 0 >, 3 „ 20 „ „ 19 10 0 aXJICK-ACTING C.D.V. No. 1 for Cards, 14 ft. distance... £5 15 0 6 10 11 10 UNIVERSAL. For Portraits, Groups, &c. No. 1 ... 2 ... View Size. S\x.6\ 10x8 12x10 15x12 18x16 22x18 Group Size. , 7ix4^ . 6\xt\ , 10x8 , 12x10 , ]5xl2 . 18x16 25x21 ... 22x18 Back Focus, 134 „ lei „ 20 „ 24 „ 30 „ Price. 7 10 0 9 0 0 12 10 0 16 10 0 25 0 0 45 0 0 55 0 0 VIEW LENSES. SYMMETRICAL* For Landscapes and ArcMtecture. 4 x3 4 x3 6 x4 5 x4 7ix4i 7ix4J 8 x5 8 x5 fX6i 8ix6i 9 x7 7 9 x7 10 xS 8 10x8 12x10 9 12x10 13x11 10 13x11 15x12 11 15x12 18x16 12 18x16 22x20 6 x4 7ix4i 8 x6 8^x64 9 x7 10x8 12x10 13x11 10 15x12 12 „ 18x16 15 „ 22x18 18 ., 25x21 21 „ Sin, £3 4 „ 3 6 6 6 „ 8 ., 9 >. 3 10 4 0 6 0 6 0 7*0 8 0 9 0 10 0 12 0 15 0 RAPID SYMMETRICALS.* For Groups, Views, Interiors, and Copying, The most useful Lens for all Out-door Photography. Size of View. 4x3 5x4 6x5 8x5 84 X 6i 9x7 10 X 8 12 xlO 13 xll 15 xia 18 xl6 22 xl8 25 x22 Size of Group. Stereo. 4x3 5x4 7ix 44 8x5 84 X 64 84x 64 10 X 8 11 X 9 13 xll 15 xl2 18 xl6 22 xl8 Equivalent Focus. .. 44 in. ,.. .. 6 „ ... .. 74., ... •• 9 ., 104 .. 12 „ ... ... 14 ... 16 ,. ... .. 18 „ ... ,.. 20 „ ... .., 24 .. 30 „ ;,. ... 34 Price. £4 0 0 4 6 0 6 5 0 6 15 0 6 10 0 7 10 0 8 10 0 10 10 0 11 10 0 14 10 0 18 10 0 25 0 0 30 0 0 * Furnished with Diaphrsgms on the Standard System recommetded by the Photographic Society of Great Britain. Ten per cent. Discount for Cash with Order. FTJETHER PAKTICULARS & CATALOGUES, with Estimates, on application. ROSS & CO., m, New Bond Street, LOPON, W. steam Works — Brook Street. Advertisements. JOHN J. GRIFFIN & SONS, MANUFACTURERS OF Chemical and Philosophical Apparatns. PURS CHElVriCAX^S. MAKERS OF APPARATUS TO THE ADMIRALTY, "WAR DEPARTMENT, INDIAN AND COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS. G£LS FUXtlTACES FOR IMEEX.T»rG AWD EXrAXUfiXiKZWO. Balances and Weights, Stills, Argentometers, Graduated Measures, Mortars and Pestles, Porcelain and Glass Basins, Dishes, Finest Bohemian Glass Beakers, Flasks, Funnels, Test Tubes, Spirit Lamps, Ac. ILLUSTRATED PRICE LIST, POST FREE, 6d. BRIN'S COMPRESSED OXYGEN IN STEEL CYLINDERS. JOHN J. GRIFFIN &SONS, 22, GARRICK STREET, LONDON, W.C. Advertuemcnts. J. H. DALLMEYER, ©ptician, 25, NEWMAN ST., OXFORD ST., W. (Removed from 19, Bloomsbury Street). DALLMEYER'S PHOTOGRAPHIC LENSES Are used by all the leading Photographic Artists throughout the world, and have obtained the Highest Awards wherever exhibited. DALLMEYER "On the Choice and Use of Photographic EIGHTH THOUSAND. LCflSGS. This Pamphlet contains concise information for Selectins; Lenses for any- particular purposes, whether in Portraiture, Landscape, or Architectural subjects, &c., the proper use of Diaphragms, Tables of Compai'ative Exposures, the use of the Swing Back to the Camera, a simple Explanation of the law of Conjugate Foci, and Tables for Reduction and Enlargement. DALLMEYER'S New Descriptive Catalogue (Post free on application) Contains full particulars of all Lenses and the purposes for which they are designed ; also of the latest Inventions in Photographic Lenses, viz., DALLMEYER'S RAPID LONG FOCUS LANDSCAPE LENS, AND DALLMEYER'S NEW RECTILINEAR LANDSCAPE LENS. For ABRXSGEB CATAXiOGVS see ZXiTSIDfi OF BACK COVER. NATURALISTIC PHOTOGMPHT. * LONDON PRINTED BT GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED, ST. John's house, clerkenwell road. NATURALISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS OF THE ART P. H. EMERSON, B.A, M.B. (Cantab.) AUTHOR OF "PICTITBEB OF EAST ANQtlAIT LIFE," "PICTURES PBOM LTFB IIT FIELD AND FEN," "idyls OF THE NOEFOLK BKOADS," AND JOINT AUTHOR OF " LIFE AND LANDSCAPE ON THE NORFOLK BBOADS." " Beauty is truth, truth beauty,— that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." Keats, " Ode on a Grecian Urn. SECOND EDITION, REVISED NEW YORK E. & F. SPOK 12, CORTLANDT STREET 1890 Copyright, 1889. P. H. Emerson. TO THE MEMOEY OF ADAM SALOMON SCULPTOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER, Chevalier de I'ordre de la legion d'honneur, BY THE AUTHOR AS A TRIBUTE OF ADMIRATION AND RESPECT I 9:HE FIKST artist of ACKNOWLEDGED ABILITY WHO WAS ORIGINAL ENOUGl. TO PRACTISE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR ITS OWN SAKE, AND WHO WAS BEAVE ENOUGH TO APPEAR BEFORE A PREJUDICED ART WORLD AS A PHOTOGRAPHER AS WELL AS A SCULPTOR. Bonne renommee vaut mieux que ceinture done. PEEFACE TO SECOND EDITION. My first and pleasantest duty is to offer my heartiest thanks to the numerous correspondents who have honoured me with sympathetic letters of approval and with valuable criticisms. Judging- from these kind letters, which have poured upon me in grateful showers, my book has filled a want in art literature. These letters, coming as they do from artists of all kinds, art-masters and photographers, many of whom are perfect strangers to me, have supplied me with sugges- tions and criticisms which I shall make use of in a later edition, if the public so will that there be one, and some of my correspondents I shall take the liberty of publicly thanking. The call for this second edition has come so soon that I have only had time to correct a few superficial errors, and as but few reviews have as yet reached me, I cannot answer any criticisms Vlii Preface. upon my work. So far there is notliiag to answer. I can only repeat that the student will do well to make artists his final court of appeal, and he must then act as he thinks fit. I have no burning desire to make converts, my sole object has been to tell the student what I could— if he wished to know it. As to my views, I am perfectly willing that no one shall accept them, and am content to let posterity judge between me and my adverse critics. In deference to the opinion of a highly valued friend — a well-known artist — I have included in this edition (as an Appendix) my paper on " Science and Art " read at the Camera Club Conference on March 26th, 1889. Chiswick^ March, 1889. P. H. E. CONTENTS. Preface ... vii Table of Contents INTRODUCTIOIT. Daguerre at a seance of the Frencli Academy, Aug., 1839 . 1 Retrospect of work done by Photography since 1839 _ . . 2 Influence of Photography on the Glyptic and Pictorial Arts, and vice versa 5 Aim of this book . 8 The Naturalistic School of Photography .... 8 A word to artists 9 The three branches of Photography— Artistic, Scientific, and Industrial : — A. Art Division 10 B. Science Division .11 0. Industrial Division 11 " Professional and Amateur " photographers . ... 12 A College of Photography 13 The Future of Photography 13 BOOK I. TERMINOLOGY AND ARGUMENT. CHAPTER I. Tebminology. Preamble 17 Analysis 17 Art . 17 "Art-Science" 18 Artistic 18 X Contents. PAGE Breadth 18 Colour 18 Creative Artist 19 Fine Art 19 High Art 20 Ideal . 20 Imaginative 22 Impressionism 22 Interpreting Nature 22 Local Colour .22 Low Art 22 Naturalism .......... 22 Original Work 24 Photographic 24 Quality . 24 Realism 24 Relative Tone or Value 25 Sentiment 25 Sentimentality ......... 25 Soul 25 Technique 26 Tone _ 26 Transcript of Nature . . . . . . . . 26 CHAPTER II. Naturalism in Pictokial and Glyptic Aet. An inquiry into the influence of the study of Nature on Ar: . 28 Egyptian "Art 30 Monarchies of Western Asia 32 Ancient Greek and Italian Art 33 Early Christian Art 44 Mediseval Art 47 Eastern Art — Mohammedan 62 Chinese and Japanese Art . . . . ... 54 The Renascence ......... 59 From the Renascence to Modern Times. . . . . .67 A. Spanish Art 67 B. German Art 68 C. Flemish Art 69 D. English Art 69 E. Amerioan Art 78 F. Dutch Art 80 G. French Art 84 H. Sculpture . . 92 Retrospect 94 Contents. xi CHAPTER III. Phenomena of Sight, and Art Principles deduced therefrom. PA SB Introduction and Argument 97 Optic Nerves .97 Le Oonte's Classification of the subject 98 Physical characters of the eye as an optical instrument , 98 Direction of Light 102 Intensity of Light 103 Colour 108 Psychological data, and binocular vision . . . .111 Perspective, depth, size, and solidity 112 Art principles deduced from the above data .... 114 BOOK II. TECHNIQUE AND PRACTICE. CHAPTER I. The Camera and Tripod. The Camera 125 Choice of a camera ; tripod and bags 125 Manipulating the Camera . 129 Pin-hole Photography 131 Accidents to the Camera 132 Hand Cameras 132 CHAPTER II. Lenses. Optics . . . 134 Dallmeyer's long-focus rectilinear landscape lens . . . 135 False drawing of photographic lenses 136 Hints on the correct use of the lens 136 Lenses for special purposes 137 Diaphragms or " stops " .138 Physical qualities of Lenses 138 Hints on lenses 140 Xll Contents. CHAPTER III. Dabk Eoom and Apparatus. PAGl! Dark Room 141 A developing rule 141 Yentilation of dark room 141 Apparatus 141 CHAPTER IV. ■ Studio and Furniture. Studio 14 1 Studio Furniture . . . . _ 145 • Studio effects. A rule for studio lighting . . .147 CHAPTER V. Focussing. How to focalize 14fi The ground-glass picture 149 Examples and Illustration in point .... 150 CHAPTER VI. Exposure. Ways of Exposing .154 Rule for Exposing 154 Classification of Exposures 154 A. Quick Exposures 155 B. Time Exposures 155 Exposure Shutters . . . . . _ • • • • 156 Variation of exposure, and conditions causing them . . 157 On Exposure Tables 160 CHAPTER VII. Development and Negative Finishing. Study of Chemistry 162 On Plate making 163 Wet-plate process . 16-^ Tonality and development 166 On developiag 1^0 On developers • • .171 Local development . . * 171 Contents, xiii PA6K 0 n the study of tone . . 173 Accidents and faults, and their remedies .... 174 Varnishing the negative 179 Roller slides and paper negatives 180 Orthochronaatic photography 181 CHAPTER VTII. Retouching. Definition of retouching 184 On working up photographs ....... 184 On retouching . . . . . . ' . . . 186 Adam Salomon and Rejlander on retouching . . . 187 CHAPTER IX. PjilNTING. Various printing processes . . . . . . .191 The Platinotype process ■ . .195 Vignetting 196 Combination printing 197 On cloud negatives and printing in of clouds. . . . . 198 CHAPTER X. Enlargements. On enlarging 200 CHAPTER XI. Transparencies, Lantern and Stereoscopic Slides. Transparencies 202 Lantern Slides . . • .202 Stereoscopic Slides 202 CHAPTER XII. Photo-mechanical Processes. Photo-mechanical processes . 204 A. For diagrams and topographical work . . 204 B. For pictures 204 Photo-etching 207 The Typographic Etching Co 208 xiv Contents. Hints for those having plates reproduced by photo-etching . 210 W. L. Colls on '* Methods of reproducing negatives from Nature for the copper-plate press " 212 OHAPTEE XIII. Mounting and Fkaming. Mountants 218 Mounts 219 Frames . 219 Albums 220 CHAPTER XIV. Copyrighting. On copyrighting ......... 221 Method of copyright . . 221 Law of copyright 222 CHAPTER XV. Exhibiting and Exhibition. Exhibitions 225 Medals 226 Judges 227 CHAPTER XVI. Conclusion. Conclusion 229 BOOK III. PICTORIAL ART. CHAPTER I. Educated Sight. Men born blind Education of Sight . . . . . Contents. xv CHAPTER II. Composition. Oh Composition 237 Burnet's " Treatise on Painting " . . . . ' \ 238 CHAPTER III. Out-boor and In-door Work. Out-door portraiture 243 Landscape ' ' 245 On picture-making | * 250 Figure and Landscape . •...*.'! 251 Studio-portraiture * ' 252 CHAPTER IV. Hints on Art, Practical hints 254 CHAPTER V. Decorative Art. Decorative art ....... 260 Naturalism in decorative art \ ' 26O Photography as applied to decorative art . . .* " 261 Principles of decorative art \ * 261 Practice of decorative art , . . . ^ ' ' 26I VENVOI. Photography— A Pictorial Art, On different art methods of expression . . 269 Answers to criticism on " Photography a pictorial Art'" ' 278 Artists on Photography ..... 27Q Some masters of the miaor arts . * ' ' ' " owq xvi Contents. APPENDIX I. On Photographic Libraries. PAGB Art books 293 Art-teaching 293 Books recommended 293 Photographic Libraries 294 APPENDIX II. " Science and Art," a paper read at the Camera Club Conference, held in the rooms of tbe Society of Arts in London on March 26th, 1889 295 Index 303 MTUEALISTIO PHOTOGRAPHY. INTRODUCTION". At a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences, held Dagneire in Paris on the 19th day of August, 1839, Louis Jacques p^renJh Mande Daguerre, m the presence of the flower of Parisian Academy, art, hterature and science, gave a demonstration of his new discovery— the Daguerreotype. The success of the seance was complete, and the gathering of illustrious men was intoxicated with enthusiasm in favour of the Daguerreo- type. It is, then, almost fifty years ago that the result of the work of the father of photography, Joseph Nicephore de Niepce, who had died six years previously, and of the partner of his latter days — Daguerre— was given to the French pubHc, for though Arago declared that " France had adopted the discovery and was proud to hand it as a present to the whole world," Daguerre, sharp business man that he was, took out a patent for his process in England on the 15th of July, 1839. It may be said, then, that for fifty years the influence of photography has been working amongst the people for better for worse; but a short half-century has photography had to develop, and we naturally feel a Httle curious to know what it has been doing all that time. Has the art been lying idle and stagnating, or has it been de- veloping and extending its roots into aU the industrial, scientific and artistic fields of enterprise ? Let us see what this cool young goddess, born of art and science, who generally comes to stay and finally to oust the old god- desses from their temples, has been doing these fifty years. B 2 Naturalistic Photography. noniy. Micro ticopy. f 'eot of fields of science she has been most busy. She progress been giving us photographs of the moon, the stars, of photo- and even of the nehulse. She has recorded eclipses and HsTr!!^^ ^ transit of Venus for us. She has drawn too the Sun's corona, and registered those great volcanic explosions which playfully take place there periodically. She has shown us that there are stars which no telescope can find, and she has in another form registered for us the composition of the sun and of many of the stars ; and now she is busy mapping out the heavens. Like an all- powerful goddess, she plays with the planets and. records on our plates, with delicate taps, the stars. She runs through the vast space of the kosmos doing our biddings with a precision and delicacy never equalled — in short she is fast becoming the right hand of the astronomer. Not content with her vast triumphs in space over the infinitely great, she dives down to the infinitely small, and stores up for us portraits of the disease-bearing genera- tion of Schizomycetes, the stiff-necked bacteria, and. the wriggling vibrio, the rolling microccus, and the fungoid actinomycosis — with deadly tresses ; these she pictures for us, so that we may either keep them on small plates, or else she throws them on large screens so that we are enabled to study their structure. On these screens too we can gaze on the structure of the Proteus-like white blood corpuscle, and we are able to study the very cells of our tongues, our eyes, our bones, our teeth, our hairs, and to keep drawings of them such as man never had before. So the kindly bright goddess stints us in nothing, for wherever the microscope leads there will she be found at our bidding. With the greatness of an all-seeing mind, it matters not to her whether she draws the protococcus or the blood-cells of an elephant, whether she depicts the eroding cancer cell or the golden scale on the butterfly's wing — anything that we ask of her she does ; if we will but be patient. But the little goddess, the light-bearer, is not content with these sciences but she must needs go and woo chemis- try and register the belted zones of the spectrum and tell us the mysterious secrets of the composition of matter. Cliemis- Introduction. 3 Me teorology, too, has claimed her, and she draws for the ^J«*^or. meteorologist the frowning nimbus and the bright rolling ° cumulus. She scratches quickly on his plate the lightning's flash, and even measures the risings and fallings of the mercuries in his long glass barometers and thin-stemmed thermometers, so that the meteorologist can go and rest in the^ sun; and good-naturedly, too, she hints to him that his registerings are but fumblings after her precise and delicate work. This versatile little goddess, too, is playing with and hinting to the surveyors how she Sur^^ey. will not be coy if they will but woo her, for, says she, ^^S- "have I not already shown you how to measure the ^-Ititude of mountains, and how to project maps by my The geographer, too, is another lover well favoured by Geogra- the dainty goddess, he always takes her on his travels P^^' now-a-days, and brings us back her inimitable drawings of skulls, savages, weapons, waterfalls, geological strata, fossils, animals, birds, trees, landscapes, and men, and we believe him when we know the light-bearer was with him, and soon in all his geographies, in all his botanies, m all Ills zoologies, in all his geologies, his entomologies, and al 1 the rest of his valuable " ologies," we shall find the crisp and inimitable drawings of his dainty com- panion. The horny-handed engineer, too, is wooing her; he Engineer - makes love to her away down in dark caissons half-buried in river beds; whilst above-ground she scatters his plans far and wide. He uses her to show how his works are growing beneath the strong arms of his horny-handed gangs,, and he even uses her to determine the temperature of the depths of the sea, and the direction of oceanic cur- rents; yes, she does the work for him and he loves her. Medicino ihe earnest doctor and the curious biologist are amongst and Bio- her lovers, and the dainty one does not disdain their work for 8he| knows it to be good ; for though she is fickle, she is kind at heart. For them she goes into the mysterious globe of the eye; down into the hollow larynx; and into the internal ear ; and drags forth drawings The tumouF-deformed leg, the tossing epileptic, the deformed 4 Naturalistic Photography. leprous body, the ulcerous scalp, the unsightly skin disease, the dead brain, the delicate dissection, the galloping horse, the flying gull, and erring man does she with quick and dainty strokes draw and give her lovers the physician and biologist. Military Then like the Valkyria she too delights in dire war. and naval For her heroes she writes so finely that her letters are services, ^^^.j-ied in a quill beneath a pigeon's wing into and out of beleaguered cities. She draws hasty notes of the country for the leaders of an invading army ; she preserves a record of the killed and she gives truthful drawings of the fields of battle and of the poor torn and jaded men after a battle ; whilst in times of peace she draws for the officer the effects of the explosion of a shell, the path of a bullet through the air, or the water thrown on high, like a geyser, by a hidden torpedo. She is the warder's friend too, for she Forensic draws the skulking thief, the greedy forger, and the cruel medicine, j^u^derer ; she draws, too, the knife that stabbed in the dark, and the dress all blood-besmirched ; she detects the forged bank note, and draws without quibble the position of the overturned and sphntered railway car ; and she shows the scorched and gutted ruins of the burnt house for the Libraries, insurance agent. She has her fun, too, for she twits the librarians with the ever increasing deluge of books, and hints laughingly they must one day come to her, for she will show them how to keep a library in a tea-caddy. Indus- The haggling tradesman she does not disdain, she will trial arts, draw portraits of his fabrics to be circulated all over the world, she will copy the bad paintings and drawings done for him as advertisements by the pariahs of art. She reproduces trade-marks and signatures, and oh, naughty goddess ! she even, on the sly, copies on old yellow paper old etchings and engravings so that the connoisseur does not know the new from the i3ld. She helps in all kinds of advertising, reproducing the scenery by railways for the railway companies, sketching topographically for tourists, drawing mothers and fathers and children for the WO} Id, so that the loved ones can go across the seas and leave themselves behind in form and feature. And so that the dead may not be forgotten she soothes the Introduction. 5 living- -witli their dear faces done in her pretty way. Nay, she even goes so far as to allow her works to be burnt on porcelain and sold in brooches, on plates and other ware. Nor do the children love you in vain, pi^etty goddess, for you give them magic-lanterns, and invisible pictures of yourself; to be made visible by a little secret you tell them. You give them magic cigar-holders and stereoscopes, all this out of your bountiful lap do you Ai scatter; but, pretty dainty light-bearer, have you no love dearer to you than all these, is there none amongst your wooers that you prefer? Yes, blush not, oh, dainty one, it is the artist who sees in you a subtler, finer aid than his sorry hand, so monkey-like in its fumblings. To him you give your delicate drawings on zinc to illustrate his books, or on copper to fill his portfolios, to him you give poems of the winds whispering amongst the reed-beds, of the waves roaring in the grey gloaming, of the laughing, bright- eyed mortal sisters of yours. To him, your favoured one, your chief love, you give the subtlety of drawing of the wind-shorn and leaf-bare oak, the spirit of the wild colts on the flowery marsh, the ripple of the river and the glancing flight of the sea-fowl. Together you and he spend days and nights, mid the streams and the woods, culling the silvery flowers of nature. Oh ! bright gene- rous little goddess, who has stolen the light from the sun for mortals, and brought it to them not in a narthex reed as did Prometheus bring his living spark, but in silvery drops to be moulded to your lover^s wish, be he star- gazer_, light-breaker, wonder-seeker, sea-fighter or land- fighter, earth-roamer, seller-of-goods, judger-of-crimes, lover-of-toys, builder-of-bridges, curer-of-ills, or lover of the woods and streams. Tlie influence of photography on the sister arts of sculpture, painting, engravmg, etching and wood-cutting during these fifty years has been trtmendous, as have they influenced in turn photography. Sculpture has been, perhaps, least influenced, although without photo- graphy thousands of posthumous statues which now grace the streets and the squares of the world could not have been modelled at all, or could only have been very 6 Naturalistic Photography. conventionally and unsatisfactorily modelled. As it is, they are often excellent portraits. The effect of sculpture on photography has been to induce experimentalists to attempt a production of models in clay by means of an instrument called a pantograph. It is reported that these methods succeeded, but we never saw any of the produc- tions and have little faith in the methods. The influence of photography on painting, on the other hand, has been nothing short of marvellous, as can be seen in the great general improvement in the drawing of movement. It is a common practice for painters to take photographs of their models and throw enlargements of these on to a screen when the outlines are boldly sketched in. Again, it is a practice for painters to study the delicate tonality of photography, which is of course quite legitimate. Another influence of photography on painting is that the painter often tries to emulate the detail of the photograph. But this was more notice- able in the early days of photography, and it had a bad effect on painting, for the painter did not know enough of photography to know that what he was striving to imitate was due to an ignorant use of the art. He thought, as many people think now-a-days, that there is an absolute and unvarying quality in all photographs. The effect on miniature painting was disastrous ; it has been all but killed by photography, and we think rightly. And it must be remembered that photography killed it not- withstanding the fact that many of the best miniature painters adopted the new art as soon as they could. Newton was a photographer. Photography also killed the itinerant portrait painter who used to stump the country and paint hideous portraits for a few shillings, or a night's lodging. Photography too, has, unfortu- nately, been the cause of a vast production of weak and feeble water-colours, oil-paintings and etchings. Second and third rate practitioners of these arts have simply copied photographs and supplied the colouring from their imagination, and thousands of feeble productions has been the result; this is a dishonest use of photography, but one by no means uncommon. We often have food Introduction. 7 for reflection on the gullibility of man, when we see poor paintimgs and etchings exhibited at " one man " exhibi- tions a,nd elsewhere, which are nothing but ruined photo- graphs;; the very drawing shows that^ and the time in which such a collection of paintings is painted also hints at the method. All the drawing has been done by the photo- graphiic lens, and transferred to the panel or canvas. These are the very men who decry photography. Such work is only admissible if confessed, but of course such people as this keep their method quite secret. The etchings done in this way are simply impudent. The influence of painting on photography has been great and good as a factor in the cultivation of the esthetic faculty, but its conventionality has often been harmful. As vp^e have said, by the aid of photography feeble painteFS and etchers are able to produce fairly passable work, -where otherwise their work would have been dis- gracefial. Wood-cutters and line engravers too gain much help from us, but they find photography a rival that will surely kill them both. We have gone into this vexed question in detail in the body of this work. One of the best and most noted wood engravers since Bewick's time has given it as his opinion that there is no need for wood engraving now that the "processes'"' can so truly reproduce pictures, for, as he says, no great original genius; in wood-cutting will ever be kept back by ^' process work," and it is a good thing that all others should be killed. The chief thing which at present oppresses photo- graphy is " the trade." Print sellers have accumulated stocks of engravings and etchings and as they may not come down in price, they therefore give photogravures and photographs the cold shoulder. A print seller who would confine himself to the sale and publication of photo- etchings and photographs is sorely needed. Such, briefly, are the effects of photography on her sister arts and of them on her. Incredible indeed seems the all-pervading power of this light- bearing goddess. Next to printing, photography is the greatest weapon given to mankind for his intellec- 8 Naturalistic Pholography. Branches of photo- i^raphy. xVim of naturalis- tic pho- tography. Contents of book. tnal advancement. The mind is lost in wonderment at the gigantic strides made by this art in its first fifty years of development, and we feel sure if any one will take the trouble to inquire briefly what photography has done and is doing in every depai'tment of life he will be astonished by the results of his inquiries. From what has been said it is very evident that the practice of photography must be very diSerent in the different branches of human knowledge to which it is applied. The application of its practice and principles has been most ably treated in some of these branches, especially the scientific branches, but hitherto there has been no book which gives only just sufficient science for art- students and at the same time treats of the art side. We propose in this book to treat photography from the artistic standpoint. We shall give enough science to lead to a comprehension of the principles which we adduce for our arguments for naturalistic photo- graphy, and we shall give such little instruction in art as is possible by written matter, for art we hold is to be learned by practice alone. That, then, is our aim, and no one knows better than ourselves how far short of our ideal we have fallen, but we trust the task as attempted may do a little good and lead some earnest wandering workers into the right path. We know that we have not accomplished our task without errors, all we plead is that we have endeavoured to reduce the number to a minimum, and where we have failed we trust those who xietect our failures will kindly, not carpingly, communi- cate them to us, so that if we ever reach a second edition we may therein be regenerated. The photographic student, whose aim is to mpke pictures, will find in this book all directions, such as the choosing of apparatus, the science which must be learned, the pictures and sculpture which must be studied, the art canons which are to be avoided, the technique to be learned, including all manipulations ; the fundamental principles of art, and a critical resume of conventional art canons, including much other advice. Introdziction. 9 In addition to this the book is au argument for the Naturalistic school of photography, of which we preached the first gospel in an address delivered before the members of the Camera Club in London in March, 1886.' The necessity of this book may not be patent to artists who do not know the photographic world, but if they will consider for a moment the present position of a student of photography, whose aim is to produce artistic work„ they will see the necessity for some such work. The position of the photographic world at present is this : nearly all the text-books teach how to cultivate the scientific side of photography, and they are so diffuse that we find photo-micrography, spectrum analysis and art all mixed up together. And when we assure the artistic reader that the few books and articles published with a view to teaching art, contain resumes of Burnet's teachings, as set forth in his well-known "Treatise on Painting;" that the widest read of these books lays down laws for the sizes of pictures as advocated by that " eminent painter Normian Macbeth; " cautious the student not to take pic- tures on grey days ; and contains various other erroneous ideas ; we say when artists know this, and in addition that there is no book in which "tone" is properly defined, they will perhaps understand the necessity for some such book as this one. Lastly, the artist must remember that photographers are very loath to listen to any one but photographers on any subject connected with their art. To> give the student a clear insight into the first principles of art is of course, as we have said, the chief aim