1866 THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF
PHOTOGRAPHY
Vol. XIII
ver: May 23, 2007
TO DO: ADD EXHIBITION, ASTRONOMICAL AND TRAVEL ARTICLES TO INDEXES
START:
NOTES:
--Italics have been retained from publications, which use them for both titles as well as emphasis. To more easily locate image titles, I have continued this italicization when titles have been rendered in all capitols or put in quotes, however italics have NOT been used when the general subject of an image is mentioned.
--Image numbers listed in articles can be either an entry number in an exhibition, or the photographer’s own image number as found on labels.
--All names have been bolded for easy location. Numbers frequently refer to the photographer’s image number, but can also refer to a number in a catalog for a show. Decide whether to bold or not if can tell.
--It is not always possible in lists of photographers to know when two separate photographers are partners or not, e.g., in a list, “Smith and Jones” sometimes alludes to two separate photographers and sometimes to one photographic company. Both names will be highlighted and indexed but a partnership may be wrongly assumed. Any information to the contrary would be appreciated.
-- Brackets [ ] are used to indicate supplied comments by the transcriber; parenthesis
( ) are used in the original sources. If the original source has used brackets, they have been transcribed as parenthesis to avoid confusion.
--“illus” means that I have the view mentioned and should be scanned and included.
--Articles by photographers about technical matters – only name and titles have been listed. If other names are associated with the paper they are listed as well.
--Meetings of Societies – Names of officers, members attending or referenced, dates and locations of meetings have been given. If the reports are very short or discuss photographs, then the articles have been copied; if administrative or technical in nature, they have not.
-- Some journals, e.g., The Art-Journal, cover both photographer and painting/drawing. As they frequently refer to the production of both the photographer and the painter as “pictures” it is not always possible to tell when photography is indicated. If there is doubt, it will be included but a note will be added stating that the names listed may in fact not be photographers.
--Mostly articles totally discussing technical aspects of photography, products, etc. are not transcribed unless they are part of a larger article covering photographs. When technical descriptions are too lengthy to transcribe that is noted.
--Cultural sensitivity – these are direct transcriptions of texts written in the 19th-century and reflect social comments being made at that time. Allowances must be made when reading some texts, particularly those dealing with other cultures.
1866: BJP, March 2, vol. XIII, #304, p. 110:
London Gazette, February 23. Partnership Dissolved.
T. M’Lean and F. Haes, Haymarket and elsewhere, Photographers.
1866: BJP, Sept. 14, 1866, vol. XIII, #332, p. 446:
London Gazette, September 11. Partnership Dissolved.
C. Breese & Co., Acock’s Green, Worcestershire, photographers.
1866: BJP, Nov. 2, 1866, vol. XIII, #339, p. 526-527:
Our Editorial Table.
Stereographs of Scottish Scenery. By G. Washington Wilson, Aberdeen.
An imaginary trip with Wilson through his stereoscopic scenes of the romantic hills, dales, and islands of Scotland is more than a pleasure—it is an intellectual treat. In the photographs now submitted to us we cannot truthfully say that Mr. Wilson has excelled himself—that would be tantamount to admitting a greater progress in practice al photography than has really been made within the last twelve months—but at least we can say that he has not retrograded, and that is saying a great deal.
Some of the scenes depicted this season by Mr. Wilson are already familiar to many of our readers, from their having already visited them, or from other pictures. We can only glance at a few of the most remarkable of this series of photographs.
There are several different views both of the interior and exterior of Balmoral Castle. One of these (no. 14), Balmoral from the River, is one of the most exquisitely fine photographs we have ever seen, the water and sky blending most harmoniously with the surrounding scenery, and the whole being admirably composed. We wonder how long he “waited” for this happy effect. The same may be said of (114A) Linn of Dee and (142) Colonel’s Bed, Braemar. A capital study of Firs at the Linn of Dee (719) shows the wonderful power of the camera in rendering such grotesquely-picturesque objects, which would almost defy the skill of the draughtsman. The Cottager opposite Balmoral Castle (716) is an excellent practical illustration of the old proverb, “extremes meet.” An old, weather-battered and low-thatched hut, nestled behind a dense clump of fir trees, with its poor inhabitants within, is very suggestive of philosophical reflections about “our neighbours over the way;” but we cannot stop here to indulge in them.
We must next accompany Mr. Wilson to the isles of the West of Scotland; and first to that little gem of the ocean, Iona, the cradle and the stronghold of Christianity in the dark days of the sixth century and long afterwards. Even Dr. Johnson, notwithstanding his antipathy to everything connected with Scotland, could not restrain his emotion on visiting this island. “That man,” he says, “ is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona. Mr. Wilson has furnished us with several pictures of that venerable ruin, Iona Cathedral, from various points of view; some of them include St. Oran’s Chapel adjacent. A near view of the South Aisle (731) of the cathedral shows the influence of the Norman power at the time it was built. Besides the ruins of the cathedral—“the light of the western world,” in those days—there is little else in Iona that is now interesting, except, first, the Dun Ji [sic] (737), a curious sort of protuberance of a semi-mountainous character, which seems to have stopped short before it was half developed or projected from the interior of the earth. Then we have excellent photographic representations of St. Martin’s Cross (258) and McLean’s Cross (259), each standing eighteen feet high, and highly sculptured. The deciphering or explaining the mysteries connected with these sculptured emblems has been for a long time capital exercise for enthusiastic antiquaries.
It would appear from old records that no fewer than 360 of such sculptured crosses existed at one time in the island, but shortly after the Reformation they were all thrown into the sea by order of the Synod of Argyle, two only being spared, perhaps from oversight.
From Iona we accompany Mr. Wilson to the neighbouring island of Staffa, famed for its wondrous caves and basaltic columns, which seem to be a continuation of the same form of rocks which forms the Giant’s Causeway on the opposite coast of Ireland. Fingal’s Cave is the most important and wonderful--
“Where, as to shame the temples deck’d
By skill of earthly architect.
Nature herself it seem’d would raise
A Minster to her Maker’s praise!”
The entrance to the cave is splendidly rendered in slide 145, Fingal’s Cave. Another photograph, Interior of Fingal’s Cave (145A), shows the details of the extraordinary and seemingly human architectural forms which these natural columns assume.
For the first time, we think, Mr. Wilson has penetrated with his camera the picturesque glens which border Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal, and depicted the savage beauties of the “wild Glencoe.” We can accompany him no farther in his rambles at present, and must leave these photographs, with others of cathedrals, &c., to be noticed on a future occasion.
1866: BJP, Nov. 9, 1866, vol. XIII, #340, p. 537:
Exhibition at York.—A Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition held at York has just been brought to a close. Its success has been of the most unequivocal character. The various arrangements of the executive seem to have been wisely planned and ably carried out. To Mr. Pumphrey, one of the local Secretaries, much praise is said to be specially due for the success of the Exhibition. It is to this gentleman, we believe, that the Exhibition owed its conception and existence. Now that the accounts have been balanced, it is found that the surplus falls little short of £5,000. At a fine art and industrial exhibition it was to be expected that photography and photographic apparatus would be largely represented. In this case it was so—the photographic department having proved most attractive. Among those to whom medals have been awarded we find the names of the following photographers and makers of apparatus:--Messrs. E. Cox-Walker, Bold-street, Liverpool; Francis Bedford, H. Swan, and G. Hare, London; Gowland, Monkhouse, and Newell, York; Jackson, Oldham; Gregson, Halifax; Holroyd, Harrogate; Sarony and Holden, Scarborough. The number of visitors to the Exhibition is stated to have exceeded 377,800.
1866: BJP, Nov. 9, 1866, vol. XIII, #340, p. 539:
Our Editorial Table.
Pictures by Francis Frith, Reigate.
We have frequently drawn attention to the fine Swiss and other views by Mr. Frith, not only in connection with the peculiar lenses employed by him in their production, but also on account of their artistic merits. When the Athenœum, a few weeks since, showed its imperfect knowledge of photography in the course of a foolish article on Mr. Frith’s pictures—in which the critic displayed in the most effect manner his limited acquaintance with the subjects on which he descanted—the writer merely followed out the tactics so long indulged in by that journal in connection with photographic art-subjects.
In our notice of the criticism of our contemporary we stated that we had been credibly informed was the fact, that the pictures said to be “sophisticated” and “touched” were in reality not so. Through Mr. Frith’s kindness we have been enabled to examine the pictures at our leisure, the result being quite confirmatory of our previous remarks. Mr. Frith has no occasion to “doctor” his prints; his well-known skill as a manipulator renders impossible the presence of mechanical defects requiring “touching” or “sophistication,” while his artistic skill in selecting the proper point of observation renders it equally improbable that he would introduce subjects in his negatives which he would afterwards require to stop out. The great pressure on our space this week prevents our entering at length upon this matter; but we intend to return to it shortly, when we hope to devote an article to the subject of the touching and doctoring of landscape negatives.
1866: BJP, Nov. 23, 1866, vol. XIII, #342, p. 561:
Our Editorial Table.
CABINET PORTRAITS. By Walter Clayton, Nottingham.
It is very gratifying to observe the enthusiasm with which photographers in the province s are “going in” for the “cabinet” size, and it is still more pleasing to perceive the high qualities which pervade so many of these productions. Some pictures of this class, by Mr. Walter Clayton, of Nottingham, now before us, possess so much technical excellence that, were we to accept them as an average type of provincial work in this direction, we should unhesitatingly say that in the race of competition the photographers of the metropolis must take heed that they are not distanced by their brethren in the provinces.
Instituting a comparisoin between the present productions of Mr. Clayton and those by the same gentleman which we noticed in the course of last summer, we observe a very decided advance in those minor excellences of a technical nature which so readily appeal to the eye of the public. The arrangement of the various persons portrayed is artistic and natural, and this, conjoined with a good balance of light and shade, to which is superadded very skilful manipulation, yields in the pictures referred to qualities which cannot fail to secure for them the favourable judgment of the most exigeant [sic] of critics.
A SUNSET. By H. Sampson, Southport.
We have on a former occasion noticed some marine views by Mr. Sampson, and we admired his skill in “seizing” the passing steamer or gallant ship just at the correct moment for effective representation. Mr. Sampson has recently been taking a loftier flight in the realms of pictorial art, and in the picture before us we have as noble a pile of clouds as we have seen for a considerable time. We have often thought it strange that so few photographers have attempted cloud studies. The difficulties attendant upon their production, however, partake, doubtless, rather of selection than of execution; be that as it may, the Sunset before us, taken last month, unmistakably shows that, in the successful photographing of such subjects on a tolerably large scale, our English artists may successfully compete with their confreres across the channel. The artistic world was quite in a state of excitement when the large sea and sky views of Le Gray and others were first brought to this country; and we trust that Mr. Sampson and those who, like him, are favourable situated for securing cloud effects, will produce them on the same, or even a larger, scale than those of the foreign artists referred to. Such pictures would be very valuable.