4

DEVISED \:

,i,J

y
h

UecI e JIberti
^j^f^jjj^5_
Ku^y

<^r^^

^f pjg
UUUW JU|-y

LT

aad

^m^ to lAe /k/^podiietwe Processes

^oJtAumoii6hi

PuMiik^d bu

kid /hdifnl M^hett^

.
.
....
..

..

...
,....,

PAGE

SECTION.

(i)

Foreword by the Author's Nephew

(2)

Indoor Photography

(3)

Outdoor Photography

..

..

Patent " Hotel " or Keyhole

(4)

The

(5)

Moving Object Photography

(6)

Exposure

(7)

Development

(8)

The Dark Room

(9)

Toning, Fixing and Washing

..

..

..

26
30

..

..

39

44

47

50

..

..

..

..

..

52

54

^11)

Common

^12)

Trick Photography and Montage

'13)

Miscellaneous Trickery

^14)

Colouring-Up and Lantern Slides

^15)

Rude Postcards

'16)

Guide

^17)

Appendix "

from Negatives

Defects in Negatives

to the Reproductive Processes

"

17

How

'10)

to Tell Positives

Camera

33

59

66
73
75

Examples of Coloured Continuous-Sequence

Photography

78

^18)

Appendix "

"

Art in Camera

91

^19)

Appendix "

"

The Power

98

^20)

Appendix "

"

Unpleasant Example of Reproduction without

Registration

of Dotted-Lines

100

Printed and Published by Perry Colourprint

Ltd., London, S.W. 1$.

f^^^e^ord

Obviously one's fellow

fAe Cle/^4erJ .A^A^^^

men

are not to be trusted

The Art of Photography

so bears eloquent,

dumb, witness

many have

wise, could so

on

if

that has

The

torrent of text books

appeared during the past

to this

unpleasant truism

fiftj^

for

how, other-

based, like crawHng parasites, their spurious writings

lovingly garnered information and painstakingly original research of

Uncle Albert

It

is

single phrase

my

in

embryo,

as

knowledge, nobody has ever dared to quote

from any of

subjects ranging

my

indeed ironic that the one work of his that was never

published should have been so brazenly pilfered

whilst, to the best of

on

years or

from " The

his

as

it

were

much

as a

forty-seven volumes of published treatises on

possibility of a study of

Amoebae

as

an introduction

" to simple division in junior schools " to " Stamp collecting in North Borneo."

Uncle Albert collecting masses of data by comparing his

own

density with that of a block of granite. The thoroughness with

which he entered into discouraging experimental work of this

kind, even at an advanced age, is truly indicative of that rugged
persistence which

is

the

earmark of the sincere seeker

after

knowledge.
Perhaps

it is

have been

inevitable that one so sweepingly versatile as

a little garrulous.

^*'^'

my

Perhaps, too, the medicinal

Uncle Albert should

spirits

that he

had

..

..

..
.

..

..

...

recourse to as a stimulant after long hours in dark rooms served to loosen his
as well as to " fix his collar

tongue

was wont,

However,

and
I

"...

(ptm, collodion

Ed.)

...

he

as

jocosely, to remark.

not with the causes but with the

it is

fidences that
indict far

down

more

scientific

am

here concerned

effects,

than any reproofs of mine

effectively

of such indiscriminate con-

effects

the very existence of which serve to

the vicious practice of literary

plagiarism.

ask you, dear reader, to examine any six text books on photography, chosen at
"

random from the

find

The most

precisely the

" section of your local

Pubhc Library

What do you

casual examination will suffice to prove that every writer says

same thing

in precisely the

same way.

If

you persevere and read

three or four pages of each book thoroughly you will find the same chemicals

mentioned, the same methods of handhng detailed and the same results arrived
Six times you will read that a good developer can be

at.

Saturated solution of ferrous sulphate

2 ozs.

\ oz.

Glacial acetic acid

..

..

,.

..

..

.,

..

..

six times

you
3

will

be told that

AgN03 -

Fe

oz.

i6 ozs.

So.

Alcohol

Water

and

made from

Ag -

Fe. (So^s

Fe, (No3)3

Millions of words and acres of paper wasted on unimaginative repetition

what

better proof than this could there be of the utter sterility of scientific cribbing?

No

mous

Uncle Albert's dependents may have been robbed of some of the posthufruits of his scientific

and

artistic labours, but, in

of Practical Photography, etc.," to the public,

only

is

am

presenting his "

Manual

happily conscious that not

a belated recognition being accorded to original research of a high order,

but a blow has been struck that

will help, in

some measure,

to cleanse the

Aegean

stables of photographic upstartism.

In conclusion I would Hke to stress that this work must, by its very nature, be
more of a spontaneous personal record than an exhaustive and ordered treatise.
As one contemporaty critic happUy puts it
"One of the many things that
.

Uncle Albert's Manual,

" Leonardo de Vinci is an
"

difficulties in its stride."

etc.,'

eclectic

common

of
Notebooks
with the
discursiveness that takes merely technical

has

in

'

'

'^n^loor ^^/s^f/^fA

It

is

remember

gratifying to

Photography has
past.

its

modern

that the

feet very firmly planted

very phrase " Necks please

The

photographer

"
!

1890

Ed.) Art of Indoor

pictorial

achievement of the

(sic.

on the

beloved

of the busy commercial

a quaint survival that can be traced right back to where the

is

An

Pre-Raphselites started from.

appreciation of this historic fact has prompted

the keen photographic Artist to affect the velvety looseness of dress and abundance
of hair that

to-day recognised as the distinctive uniform of pictorial genius.

is

However, the hair should not be worn so long that

as well as the collar

have that innate

it

which enables them

hair into the subjects in a natural sort of

Apropos of Indoor Photography, and

agree with

..."

W.

J.

is

of

" of landscapes in photography are

" large likenesses.

The

cloth.

who

."

To

mean

is

that large pictures

pleasing than

many photographers

this type of irresponsible criticism

one

an attribute of the subject and not of

usually prefers peep discreetly

justification indict

Syndics of the Cloth Guild.

profiles

satisfy

from underneath

a black

Photographers, like their brothers in Art. cannot always be choosers, and

one might with equal

on

Plea for Art in the House," says

much more common and more

can only respond that the vulgar staring

the photographer,

vulgar staring portraits produced by

" do not bear enlargement.

work strands of

particularly Portraiture^ I cannot entirely

use for portraiture.

little

to

way

book "

Loftie who, in his

Photography

hangs over the camera lens

has been found that only the very best photographers

for composition

flair

it

and using

Anyway

Rembrandt

the point can be avoided by concentrating

a nice soft focus lens.

both of Mr. Loftie's objections as

portraits which,

Indeed, in this way

combining,

as

it

possible to

have myself by these methods produced

does, the universal

strong personal appeal of portraiture

photographers.

it is

from a short distance, are quite indistinguishable from landscapes

of the popular " Mist in the Highlands " genre.

of this type

for picturing the vulgar staring

is

Double-subject photography

charm of landscape with the

worthy of the attention of

all

progressive

AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF INDOOR EXPOSURE.

In this informal get-together a new student is shown toasting

senior

members

of

my

'^

Anti-Under-Developtnent Class.^^

The appearance of spontaneous gaiety

this particular

is entirely illusory,

including two ten-minute intervals) and both toaster

toastees

had

since

exposure went on for about four hours (not

to ease their elastic boots several times.

and

NECESSARY EQUIPMENT.
Nowadays

Hand-Camera and

the virtues of both the

Stand-Camera have

the

been combined in a popular all-purpose or " Hand-Stand " Model.

description should tend to mislead the
(or her

to the

Camera and

Ed.) that the phrase "

unwary amateur

Hand-Stand

"

is

that

if

the subject

" for the Dickey,"

resort, usually

hasten to assure him

usually regarded as applying

by the photographer,

not to the attitude to be adopted

except under special circumstances, of the subject.

Lest this

It

has been found, however,

respond to the usual invitation to " Watch

flatly refuses to

chapter on " Exposure ") the photographer can, as a last

{see

command some

degree of attention

stands on the hands (presumably on his, or her,

if

he (or she

own hands

Ed.), suddenly

Ed.), or, better

hangs upside down from a trapeze, gasoher, or other convenient swinging

I

recently

came

across

some

interesting

which, boiled down, prove that,

commanded by
ratio

if

on the

fixture.

subject,

the photographer reversing his usual position varies in inverse

with the age, sex, blood pressure, underwear and general susceptibihty of

esting to

remember

that the standard

ingenious inventor of the

common

deck chair, and suffers from

Once the contraption

it

rather involved statistics

still,

things being equal, the degree of attention

all

both the photographer and his (or her

it is

or,

is

better to forget that

fold

up again

size of the fully

many

Ed.) subject.

In passing

or garden (or park or beach

of the whimsical aberrations of

possible

is

inter-

Camera Tripod was designed by

opened up, and the wounds on the

it is

it

at risk of limb,

the

Ed.) Folding
its

fingers

prototype.

have healed,

temper and time

to make

into a neat {see maker's catalogue) bundle only about four-fifths the

extended tripod.

If

you must use a tripod the model shown here,

although practically useless, has the advantage of folding up into a convenient

bundle about the

size of

an umbrella

/ prefer to carry an umbrella.

However,

it is

only fair to say that the best indoor work

not with the hand camera.

(it

is

done on the stand and

Supplementary equipment should include

aspidestra or rwo, a few plain and fluted

capitals

is

a large

columns with removable bases and

the practice, presumably to avoid the risk of contravening the

Law

of Copyright, always to combine the Four Orders of Architecture in single

the cahbre of an Indoor Photogra-

composite columns for photographic purposes

pher can

measured

to a large extent be

b\- tlie

ingenuuy with which he does

this).

Jacobean Jardiniere, several hundred yards of hard-wearing drapes, a painted

Main Banqueting Hall

backcloth showing the interior of the

Varieties (Versailes

Palace of

at the

Ed.^ an assortment of false moustaches and toupees, and

a glass of water, complete the standard studio equipment.

not considered correct to sohcit customers by standing invitingly outside

It is

the door of the studio and whistling or beckoning with one or

discreet notice with perhaps a few chastely

portraiture and landscape

sign

shown on page

Once
at the

as

this

kick or resounding

to

be dignified and

must be made

expecting

if

some photographers
Don't overdo

deemed

fingers.

sufiicient.

The s\nnging

12 struck just the right note.

inside the subjects

camera

is

more

framed examples of photographic

it

to feel at ease

to leap at

and encouraged not

them and grasp them by the

playfully pat the camera, just to >ho\\

tap

thump

suthcieni

is

that

it

this

throat

won't

and should not be followed by

conduct of

to stare

bite.

heany

kind only serves to alarm the client

and doesn't do the camera any good.

If

two people enter the studio

at the

same time

it is

wrong automatically

that they wish to be taken together with one seated

to

assume

and one standing with the

right-hand on the other's shoulder, against a background of ruined pergolas

they probably do, but

it

is

sell

Composite photographs

only courtesy to enquire.

of total strangers do not, as a rule,

well ^for exceptions see chapter on

Trick

Photogr.\phy.^

We

quote from

contemporary suggesting that "

" to have their portrait taken, they should,

if

When

persons are about

they wish to secure the most perfect

" resemblance of themselves as they generally appear,

" making themselves up for the occasion

thus

sit

to the artist without

a novel style of arranging the


13

" hair, divesting the face of whiskers, beard or moustache, or making other
" changes

adding whiskers, beard, or moustache

(e.g.,

" alter the general appearance of the

" difficulty.

With these

."

would indeed suggest

in a

that the admonition

prominent position in the studio.

in the photograph

When

on page 14

is

we

instructions

to

the writer, however, goes

Ed.) will so palpably

render recognition a task of some

sitter as to

are heartily in agreement,

be suitably

lettered,

way

"

illiterate is

on

to say "

of accompaniment

" guitar,

who

does not

tively do not agree

know

to'

and

habits',

as

..."

somewhat

if

we urge

With

to "

provoke the unmusical

final

remark by

altogether a practical

" portraits taken,

strum the lyre " and the

this writer

it is

good plan

to divert the

we do

to live

to

"... When

says

is

in

notoriously

dictum we posi-

up

in this observa-

higher attainments

By

to.

all

means

iUiterate to read books.

on photography serves

man when he

this

sitters to

by giving them an appropriate vision of themselves

and reasonable

eccentric contemporary sesthete

photographers to stimulate their

all

accessories

also representing a female striking a

is

has remarked that Nature imitates Art and, concurring as

tion,

When

the portrait, care should be taken

sitter's tastes

a note of music.

brilliant,

shown

.All constrained attitudes and

Thus, placing a book in the hands of a person who

an obvious solecism

is

be deplored.

" that these are characteristic of the

" themselves.

framed and placed

Elaborate preparation such as

" unmeaning expression of features should be also avoided.

" are introduced by

and

mind by

emphasise that he

is

not

persons are having their

recurring to

some agreeable

" incident in their past hfe, the thoughts of which will impart a pleasant and
" natural expression to the features."

voyance

is

We

can only remark that selective

clair-

not yet a normal attribute, even of the experienced photographer.

Refractory subjects can always be clamped in position and

left to

cool off

this

diagram shows a model we have used for years with invariable success.
Incidentally, this

same apparatus can

also

be used

" Hand-stand " position during a long exposure

head being placed on the upholstered

thigh clamped into the top bracket.

seat

to maintain the
:

the

and the

right

,
jr

fj

t R

It

took a long time to convince the young ladies

shown

in

my

composition " Five-Finger

Exercise " of the educational value, both to themselves and others, of earnest cultural

thought the Harp was an illegal instrument

colloquial
phrase " Don't harp on it ! " but when they
the
induced
by
doubtless
a fallacy
scenes such as this.

saw

Apparently they

the point they took

it,

as

them back

it

all

were, to their bosoms and

to

it

was most

ordinary bread-and-butter work.

difficult to get

O
00

s
T3

S
o
u

3
S
s

;^
<3

S
J3

S
o

6<9

17

0ct^^ ^^Af^/h^/^^^^
It is

not always appreciated

even by the

Outdoor Photography,

in

Beagling and Cricket, has

its

experienced

Home photographer that

common with other sports such as Aeronautics,

own distinctive dress. Some people (e.g., the late

Thomas

Carlyle) have an innate flair for appropriate photographic dress.

and

to these that

it is

little

my

Others,

remarks are primarily directed, could obviously do with

kindly guidance in the matter.

Pausing but a

moment

to cast a disapproving

eye at this example of what not to wear,

we

pass quickly, as

comment

is

our wont, from adverse

to constructive suggestion.

THE "CARLYLE" CLOAK.

It is safe to

say that a voluminous black cloak of the type

garment par

excellence for the outdoot enthusiast.

iron tent pegs

and a detachable bottom-curtain, or

shown above

is

the

Fitted with eight galvanised

brailing, the Carlyle

Cloak

i8

" Deerstalker " lens cap in

Balmoral tweed.

Lady enthusiasts wearing

new

the

season's " Carlyle Cloak "

with Junkers pattern Lens Cap

to

match. Only photographers

with enough experience

just

to

know

what high temperatures

can be reached when working

at high pressure inside a closed

cloak will fully appreciate the

" Gorblimey " lens cap in

point of the abbreviated under-

Lambeth tweed.

garments.

19

makes an admirable Portable Dark Room.

it is

as

To

when working

preserve privacy

customary to run up a small red pennant embodying a suitable caution, such

"Cloak Room Ful l,"

or

"Man
Inside this

roomy enclosure

it is

possible to develop practically anything, and,

the weather should prove inclement, one can

and remain philosophically

at Work."

sit

quietly inside with the flag

if

up

For summer wear, lady photogra-

isolated for hours.

phers sometimes affect an additional light " over-cloak " of flowered chintz or
gaily striped organdie

more

but

serious male votaries of the art.

elegant model

it

we saw

Last year, indeed,

was composed of cloth

of the

new

The trimming was

down

carried

The mixture

For a brunette,
It is

and

delicate,

at regular intervals

one side of the front, over

the shoulder, and in a diagonal direction across the back,

the cloak.

a particularly

shade of pink, soft

and was trimmed with bands of swansdown, looped over

with black velvet.

deplored by the

this frivolous practice is usually

down

to the

bottom of

of the black, white and pink was very happily conceived.

manner would be equally

a scarlet cloak arranged in this

not advisable to roam too far afield

addition to the fact that

it is

when

stylish.

totally inclosed in a cloak, as, in

impossible to see where one

is

going, the spectacle

has an extraordinarily irritating effect on the average yokel or bull.

Before leaving the topic of appropriate wear a word or two about Lens Caps
not out of place.
taste

and there

in Balmoral

is

Here,

we

positively

are pleased to say, there

tweed (with characteristic side

what could be better than a

graduated lengths falHng

lace at the top.

more

latitude for individual

no optical reason why a nice " Deerstalker " pattern

and button

flaps

give as good a result as the plainer, peaked or "

ladies

is

curtain, almost concealing the

Gorbhmey

at top)

side,

For the

on each

crown

with a bunch of daisies and white

side

and fastened

the curtain being

at the

made

with lace, and the bandeau inside of white and coloured daisies
is

should not

" variety.

crepe bonnet, trimmed with three bows of

down on each

feather placed

Lens Cap or Bonnet

is

back of the

of

silk,

trimmed

well-fitting

an absolute necessity for the hardy outdoor worker.

In

my opinion, the model featured in the picture below is both practical and becoming.

For strenuous outdoor work, of the hunting -shooting -fishing

variety, what could be more efficiently attractive than the outfit

shown here

Wearing a concealed Hat-type camera and

lens cap combined, with the tuck-in

Cloak, this young lady

need

is

bloomer pattern Carlyle

ready for instantaneous exposure,

if

be.

STREET WORK.
Although

this

branch of photographic endeavour

is

cruelly

limited

by Mr.

Gladstone's " Street Nuisances and Performing Animals Act " of 1884,
practised

even

somewhat

if

Camera Manual

" landscape and marine

work

And

furtively.

as a rule,

" any concealment of purpose.

so,

once again,

at all

But in the

events

street

" that the camera should not be deteaed.

there
is

it

Firstly,

is

but

still

Hand

turn to the

..."

and technical weight.

for moral support

it is

For ordinary
need for

little

desirable for

two reasons

because of the attention

it

" will attract, and secondly, on account of the set poses that will follow.
" Every endeavour, at

all

events, should be

" scene knowing that they are

'

made

to prevent the people in the

going to be took,' or else they will

" standing like plaster images staring at the camera for

" study of street
" say, a fruit

life,

stall

all

character, or incident, natural grouping

with customers,

it

is

"

is

essential.

In any
If

It is

it

be,

figure

not natural,

not business.

Upon

this subject

The

one word of advice.

beginner must not trust to any

" attempts at concealment in the design of the camera

" past

be found

would not be well rendered by each

" therein being represented as looking straight at the camera.

"it

all

they are worth.

when even

a plain black

box or a bag

" No, rapidity of action and secrecy of

" more reliable fashion.
" exposure

is

possible,

The camera

and

this is

itself.

The day

is

long

will deceive the public.

movement

will effect the

purpose in a

should not be raised or pointed until the

where quickness of action comes to the

front.

" If something intervenes to prevent the exposure, the camera should be dropped
"

at once.

Above

all

things, the worker should endeavour to forget that he has

" anything of the kind with him, because

if

he pays attention

to the camera, other

" folks will do the same very quickly.

" There are
"

man

many

little

and

wiles

tricks

in

should be a deceiver of the deepest dye

fact,

the up-to-date

hand camera

such as lighting a pipe or cigar,

" buttoning a coat, taking off the hat to wipe the forehead, blowing the nose,
" looking into a shop window,

etc., etc.

Anything and everything in

" the public, to deceive them as to purpose.

A friend to talk to is also occasionally

" useful, but nine times out of ten he gets in the way, and

" to mind the baby.

It is also

a mistake

fact to cheat

is

better left at

and a very common one,

home

to regard the


" scene or objects too long or too fixedly.

" to possess an interest, though he

"

'

Let not your

left

The worker

may keep

hand know what your

should avoid being seen

the matter under close observation.

right

hand

doeth.' "

(Verily

Ed.)

THE BEST TYPE OF CAMERA FOR OUTDOOR WORK.

Naturally, in addition to the foregoing information, a certain
tion should be given to the choice of a

The Box Type Reflex Camera

camera best suited

(Fig. 5),

amount of considera-

to one's individual needs.

shown above has some obvious disadvant-

ages and despite the maker's attempt to distract attention from

its

structural faults

with an adjacent drawing of conjugal foci one should not be blinded to the physical
difficulties

of transporting such an apparatus " o'er

just " o'er hill."

The

smaller

Spherical Model

but suffers from the disadvantage that when

from small boys who,

to use their

own

hill

(Fig. 3)

in situ it

and dale "

is

more

.or even

easily portable

has to be constantly guarded

playful expression, "

want

to kick the ball

23
off the stick

"...

shortsighted golfers

have been known to take a swipe

at

it

with a driver.

The

writer favours the type of

All-Purpose Camera shown here.

Fig. 2.

Fig. I.

Fig- 3'

vv\

//

Fig. 4-

As can be
seen,

it

can be used for

(Figs. 2

(Fig. 4), or

Stand Work (Fig.

and 4 combined and reversed), Short Focus

Long Focus
carry four

than the

Hand

and

(Fig. 2),

medium

No

Focus

sized sandwiches

(Fig-leaf)

and

An early Lunch-box Camera

now superseded by the type
in Figs, i, 2,

it

j and

4.

Hand-Stand Work

(side angle)

Lens

(Fig. i),

can also easily be adapted to

a large apple

Lunch-Box Camera shown below.

shown

3),

and

is

much

less

conspicuous

24

SPECIAL PATTERNS.

We

quote from the " Hand-Camera Manual "

that

many

press are rarely,

Soda Water

if

which snap-shotted

Bottle,

These inventions are

pushed

be found on

creditable

to

" The reader should understand

we

of the wonderful inventions

ever, to

read of in the non-photographic

Such

sale.

man

a one, for instance, as the

in the act of

drinking.

But there are some

the journahst.

majority, to start with, the pictures are too small to be of any value.

wish to offend, but

have certainly been surprised

offered to the pubhc, not only

The former

may

not even

His business

is

the photographic manufacturer or dealer, really must

putting forward to photographers mere toys.

novelties

which are capable of

at

In the

have no

the absolute rubbish

by the outsider but by the photographic

can understand, for he

that the camera should be light tight.

is

really

as downright useful things, which are the merest roys in reahty.

first-class

know

that

it

dealer.

desirable

is

to sell the cameras.

know sometimes

But

that

he

At the same time there are

work, and with two of these

propose

to deal.

THE HAT CAMERA.

There have been so many humorous attempts
to

mention a

this

is

not

apparatus
of hat

so,
is

the

'

hat

'

camera would,

because a

at

at first sight

full size quarter-plate is

concealment of a camera that

imply something similar.

used, and covered as well.

simple enough notwithstanding, and can be

round

billycock, or the

fitted to

any

chimney pot of the Metropohs.

stiff

But

The
form

Even the

Fig. I.

Here we have a model

actual Felt-Hat

younger days

(in scale, in glass) of the

Camera used by

the author in his

to take the series of Instantaneous

and Moving Object photographs used to illustrate

my article on that subject (see page 30). The
Operatic-Hat Camera
type

and is used,

is

a variation of the above

in conjunction

with the Umbrella

Tripod,for general espionage and Night Club work.

25

" small hole necessary

" the part

" for use.

is

lies flat in

The

a focusing screen.

" which
is

the ordinary way, but

is

shown

its

The camera

outUned in Fig.

shutter

is

and

in addition there

quickly got ready by placing, by a half-turn,

weighs by

i,

consists of a bellows

extended by wires when required

receptacle in the front of the hat.

itself

2i ozs. only.

The camera
The method

alone
of use

in Fig. 2.

Here we have a model (inaccurate,

with

author

is

Special firm dark slides, of course, are necessary,

" the release spring into

"

view of the lens can be so neatly cut, and

no attention.

fitted so in as to attract

" body, which

"

to permit the clear

his

Felt-Hat

in

wax), of the

Camera

deceptively

poised in an attitude of old-world courtesy, whilst

the index finger of the right

Further to conceal his

tantly over the button.

intentions his

left

eye

hand hovers expec-

is

seen to be focused on a

point due west of where the camera

and presumably
had

pointing

his right eye is focused on a point

due east of same.

subject

is

the

It

is

slightest

doubtful whether the

idea

she was being

photographed.

"THE 'BINOCULAR'

" This

is

in the shape of a field-glass,

" of course, for the exposures.

" and

is

one lens being used

When

as a finder,

charged with plates

it

and the other,

only weighs 19

ozs,,

arranged for twelve exposures upon plates measuring 2| x i| inches.

26

Fig. I

Fig. 2

't^t-

"

Some

idea of the arrangement and changing

" above (Fig. 2) illustration.

"

shown

^Hi^

method may be gleaned from the

very neat, effective in use, and the results

It is

are good."

^^e^a^^^Mt7^*m^ty{e^^^
Phis remarkable invention which has done so
of in camera evidence
Justice

Bunkum

first

came

into the

naively enquired

" a bottle at the time

much

^^/m^^e^^

to facilitate the gathering

news of the world when the

"... Why

" (laughter in court).

late

Lord

were the defendants enclosed in

The

prosecuting counsel then

explained that the unusual shape was caused by the keyhole through which the
series of

graphs

photographs had been taken.

extracted

Entwhistle

v.

apparatus of which

A
"

from the

Arsenal case
I

series
I

happen

Before showing a selection of such photo-

that resulted in a conviction in the

to

be the modest inventor.

cardboard notice which reads " Quiet, Please "

Out of Order "...

to the

or, indeed,

way and attached

anything else you

back of an ordinary Box-Type Camera.

the normal

famous

propose to give a brief description of the ingenious

to the door

"
.

Men

like, is

The camera

at

Work "...

securely attached
is

then loaded in

by means of two or three of

my

patent

m>^

z9

Gripwell Suction Pads

(4 6 per box of twelve assorted sizes, obtainable

reputable ironmonger or chemist), so that the

Next, the doorknob

keyhole.

quietly

is

Lens Aperture coincided with the

unscrewed and replaced with a gilded

india-rubber bulb (for working the camera shutter, presumably

and unless an

existing hole

be located and

utilised, a

made by

suggest that the

inch diameter

room number can

Ed.\

Finally,

the hotel staff for private reconnaissance can

Viewing Hole must be bored through

need not be very obtrusive

from any

the door.

usually quite sufficient

is

This

and

we

often be used to provide local camouflage ;

e.g., if

the

number

whilst

if it

does not contain any of the above figures the best position for the hole

contains 6,

9 or

8,

the hole should be bored thus.

can be determined by studying a Moorhen in

Patched

When

Wood Louse

suspicious.

is

Keyhole Camera

advisable since too

press what everyone else thinks

different

sections

much

is

ready for instant use

loitering about corridors

many

is

the door knob.

interesting features,

of this book.

impossible to touch on anywhere

original series, were missing

mounters.

natuial surroundings, or a Purple

Simply peep through the Viewing Hole, wait

hole Studies present

hiding in a stamp album.

fixed as described, the

immediate use

its

some

Unfortunately,
else,

from the

The

is

in fact

apt to look

for the dickey

following series of Key-

of which are touched on in

many

features

which

it

but which were clearly prebcuted in

collection

and

when we

got

it

was
tfie

back from the

3o

^yfif^m.
The

requisites for

first

moving

objects are

a green baize apron and a wide vocabulary

from then

in

the object.

a question of

it is

This

series

you versus

happen

to

be an

example of prolonged indoor work, but the

same

general

apply

principles

outdoors,

although the exposure will probably have

to to be cut

down

to

conform

to

police

regulations.

contemporary authority, who would deem

be interested in rather

to

than

make
"

'

I
:

faster

subjects

am, has the following comments

"... That

Instantaneous

" where, and

" against a very

'

to

wretched phrase

gets in

its fell

work every-

must warn the beginner

common

failure,

that of

" firing at objects which are in reahty moving

" at too great a speed.

"

The

following table will

show

at

once

" what can be done and what should be

" undone
"

Man

left

5 miles per hour.

walking

" Vessel travelUng at

20 knots per hour.

" Finish of Cycle Race

30 miles per hour,

" Express Train

50 miles per hour.

"

To

find the distance the object will

" upon the plate

is it

move

only necessary to multi-

" ply the focus of the lens in inches by the

" distance

moved by the object in the second,

" then divide the result by distance of the

" object

"

(from

finally divide

" For example,

the

lens)

in

inches,

by the speed of the

I

and

shutter.

will take the finish of a

" cycle race under ordinary camera condi-

" tions.

The

lens

of 5 i -inch

focus,

the

" shutter working at the i/30th of a second,

~"^**^rf*cf *<**

32

and the object lo

feet

away, the calculation would come out

"

Now as

the shutter works at the

i,

"=

44

52

242

a fraction over 3 30th or 1/ i6th of

would be

a curiosity.

In the above example the conditions are

as although the shutters are often put

down

The

an inch.

tliose

as

2 inches per second

movement upon the

30th of a second, the

would be

120

resulting photograph

of the majority of hand-cameras,

working

at the i/iooth of a second,

or at even greater speed, considerable discount must be allowed

statements.

image

is

The

desired,

limit of
is

movement upon

the i/iooth of an inch.

plate

the plate,

if

upon

these

anything like a sharp

So that by working backwards we

can find the shutter speed required or the distance from the object actually


33

" necessary.

The speed would have

" or with the

"2,106
"

same shutter (working

feet 10 inches

I trust

to

from the

object,

be increased to the

at

200th of a second,

30th) the camera

which

is

would have

be

to

too far to walk.

tnese tables will prevent the beginner from wasting plates in the absurd

" fashion that

have seen done on many occasions.

Of course

the

movement

is

" calculated full broadside on, an object coming towards or receding from the

" camera

is

much

easier task."

''.^tM^'i'fi^e
Brushing aside the rather prudish attitude that condemns exposure of any kind

we would

say that the exposure should always be regulated to suit the subject

and, of course, the lighter the subject the greater should be the exposure.
It is

my

experience that the subject has to be coaxed into the appropriate degree

of exposure

and, as a general rule,

regulated so as to give the

Some

maximum

desirable that the lighting should be

is

encouragement.

subjects expose better with full lighting (e.g., limelight or footlights),

others prefer

subdued Ughting

preferably

expose anything worth looking

is

it

pink

and

whilst difficult cases refuse to

at unless the light is out.

In such cases injra red

not injra dig.

When

gazing at a well exposed subject do not breathe too heavily on the view-

finder as the resultant haze tends to rob one of that savoirjaire

which

is

so essential

awkward

to refer to

an ingredient of indoor photography.

TIME EXPOSURE.
Once more according
" time exposures, that
" because

it is

Mr. Welford

to
is,

really not

"

It is

rather

exposures needing a support for their accompUshment,

hand-camera work

at all.

But there are occasions when,

" for want of light caused eidier by the dullness or lateness of the day, or by the
" scene or object

itself,

prolonged exposures are necessary.

" With practice a full second

" to the best advantage.

is

One

easily

managed, especially

great point in this

is

to

if

first

the body be utilised

steady the body, by

34

In this example of landscape with heavy foliage (half a second at f8)

we

see a pair of

conscientious students looking for a fixed support suitable for a really long exposure.

As no fence, gate, wall or rough

make do with a hedge.

erection of stone or

wood was

available they just

had

to

35

" sitting down, or leaning against a support.

" exposure

is

recommended by some, but

Holding the breath during the

have not found

it

much

of

assistance,

" as the strain of so doing

is

" For longer exposures

should strongly recommend a fixed support, and

bad

as

as the breathing.

" often obtainable by search (see illustration on page 34).

The

this is

top of a fence,

" gate, or wall, rough erection of stone or wood, for instance.

" Tripods may, of course, be pressed into service, and indeed, there are several
" varieties

upon the market made

" In buildings, chuches,

etc.,

specially portable for this very

many

there are

purpose

opportunities afforded of local

" support, such as pews, two chairs placed back to back, etc."

With such a wealth of

practical suggestions I can only agree.

OVER EXPOSURE.
With some subjects

it is

practically impossible to prevent over-exposure

found that complete immersion in lukewarm hypo

is

good a cure

as

under-exposure

We

Over-exposure

as any.

unwanted

detail

is,

until the

have

bubbles stop rising

on the whole, more desirable than

can usually be ehminated by deft retouching.

show, on page 39, a few specimens of rather obvious over-exposure.

PATCHY, OR PARTIAL EXPOSURE.

Where
to "

uninteresting portions of the subject appear to be over exposed, whilst

more decorative zones

are obscured,

it is

watch for the dickey."

However,

is

other

subject to " watch for the Dickey "

inertia often result.

it

often a good idea to ask the sitter

not wise to keep encouraging the

as, if it fails to

appear, disappointment and

In obstinate cases a teaspoonful of Butyl Chloride in a cup

of steaming hot cocoa will usually do the trick.

UNDER EXPOSURE.
This

is

common

the subject.

fault with beginners

Don't rush matters

of neat alcohol are usually

the blinds

lamp

if

the light

remember,

authorities.

It is

is

all

that

is

and

it is

up

to the

few well-chosen formulge and

required.

not strong enough,

If the light

remove the

is

a tumblerful

too strong,

draw the bhnds and

incandescent exposure of any kind

advisable to

photographer to guide

is

draw

light the

frowned on by the

lens cap before letting the hair

down.


36

DURATION OF EXPOSURES.
One

and the most difficuh

of the easiest questions to ask

exposure

is

suitable ? "

The whole

matter

is

" what

so governed by various factors that

is

next to impossible to give any direct answer.

it is

The

be considered are the following

factors to

The

(i)

The

(2)

Strength of the light.

(3)

Aperture.

great difficulty is

say,

(i),

Dr. Scott

(2),

will

nature of the subject.

home

to bring

and

(3).

(4)

Speed.

(5)

Development.

to beginners the considerable effect of

As

variation in any one of these points.

of,

to answer,

a rule they

do not grasp the importance

Perhaps the following tables by Prof. Burton and

be of assistance in the matter

COMPARATIVE EXPOSURES(BURTON).
Sea and sky
Open landscape
Landscape with heavy foliage
.

It will

be observed that each stop as

it

/8

/I I

/16

1/40
1/12

1/20

1/16

1/6

1/3

decreases the aperture doubles the exposure.

Thus, an exposure of one second withfS would be two seconds with

seconds with fi6.

These are given

for ordinary slow plates,

fii,

and four

and should be

decreased by one half at least for the more rapid brands.

Thus, for a well-hghted landscape

would be required.
Another factor

is

The

table

is

24th of a second only (with an aperture of f8)

calculated for bright lighting.

the strength of the Hght.

This

The

judge until experience comes to the rescue.

is

most unreliable one

difference in the actinic

of the light, even in bright sunlight, between the morning and afternoon

The photographs (page 38) give some idea

of

can be obtained by cleverly varying the exposure.

when

it

room

this

was

all

over and had

it

the

powerjul dramatic

The ivy leaves were put

is

effects

in

its

proper place under the picture

great.

that

freehand

not been for the cat in the tin hat taking up so

caption could have been in

to

power

much

i?tstead of here.

37

COMPARATIVE LIGHT TABLES(SCOTT).

Hour

of Day.

39

f^i

This

is

rather a personal matter

and, generally speaking,

one learns

it

is

every photographer

is

only after a long experience of

to tell at a glance

when

the subject

is

own

entitled to his
trial

ideas,

and error

that

properly developed for the

particular purpose in mind.

It is best to get this

rather tedious business over during adolescence

if

possible,

thus leaving the adult years free for selective rather than promiscuous experimental

work.

Fashion, of course, plays a paramount part, and a careful student of

developments cannot
It is
is

fail

to observe that ever}^ type has

customary to unload in the dark-room

that,

however

safe the

always be

and one of the

period of popularity.

first

things to

dark-room Ught appears to be, there

gained by premature exposure.

as possible

its

It is

souna practice

to

work

^^j^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

is

remember

nothing to be

in the dark as long

^^^ of red lights.

Here are some fine examples of the good results that can be obtained by a discreet
application of my " Land Development and Reclamation Scheme." There is not the
slightest doubt in

my mind that proper

exposure under sunny conditions can do a great

deal to eradicate troubles that are often quite wrongly attributed to faults in development.


4o

DEVELOPERS.
The

older types of developers such as Indian Clubs, Night Clubs, Dumb-bells

and the Sandow Course are gradually being superseded.

new techniques and

am

New

problems

very pleased to be able to report that several

call for

much

less

strenuous solutions have already been found.

THE SOLUTION.
It will

be better for the beginner to buy his solution ready prepared.

various safe proprietary brands on the market, and the individual

one that

to find

him and

suits

to persevere with

it.

is

There are
well advised

After mixing the solution

according to the directions on the packet the subject should be laid face upwards
in the bath

forwards

and gently rocked backwards and forwards

.

backwards and

backwards and forwards.

AND WASHING.

FIXING

When removed from

less visible

it is

the solution, a white or milky appearance will be

customary to describe

Anyway, whatever

bromide.
eliminate

First

it.

(hypo for short).

it

is,

wash thoroughly

Up

it

this as the
is

unacted-upon part of the

and then dip

it is

either in the dark

quite in order to pull

Beware

the blinds up, although washing should continue for quite a long time.
.

too

much

silver

in h^^posulphate of soda

work has been done

or by the correct yellow or ruby light, but after fixing

of fog

or

the purpose of the fixing solution to

in water

to this stage all the

more

soda in the bath or over-exposure are

common

causes.

OVER-DEVELOPMENT.
Very

little

some

extent,

can be done about really exuberant over-development, although, to

its

worst effects can be modified by local reduction.

general reducing agents

to

is

varied

Lord Byron

(early

photographer

have favoured saturation with carbonic acid and water, whilst

known

proprietary brand would seem primarily to be

mixture of Magnesium and Sodium Sulphate.

roller or

The

Ed.)

at least

composed of

and the heat generated

is

said

one well

a discreet

Constant friction with a rubber

squeegee in the region of the affected part or parts has been

give quite good results

choice of

is

sometimes

known

to

sufficient to boil a

4i
kettle

...

if

you want

to boil a kettle.

As

a general caution

we would

enthusiasts against using any brand of local reducing agent that

encourage worms

as a

is

advise

known

to

by-product.
Pig- 3

a;v#

Fig. I

.m

Fig. 2

Here you see alternative washing devices (i) The Rose Sprinkler, (2) The Washing
(j) The Steps, Pipe and Barrel method. Of the three we definitely prefer the
latter, since the same apparatus, can, in lieu of the Indian Rope Trick, be used to get
Trough,

the subject into the appropriate condition (position ?

(see illustration

and

details

Ed.) for

Megascopic exposures

on page 61).

UNDER-DEVELOPMENT.
We

will avoid entering the controversy regarding

ment
fixed

what constitutes proper develop-

nowadays the standard on such matters would seem to be an arbitrary one,

from year

to year

by R.A.'s and corset manufacturers

sufficient to say that

it

was not always thus

P. P. Rubens, a well

known,

pher who flourished round about the reign of Charles

of Over-Development

and " Hercules

in subjects of all sexes.

if

rather Flemish, photogra-

I,

was

a staunch supporter

{See Pictures " Toilet of

Venus"

Whilst his contemporary Theolocopuli Domenico (surnamed

").

El Greco) would seem to have favoured Under-Development to the point of

As

skinnyness.
referred

to

far as

is

" rakes

as

known, the connoisseurs of the time

and. libertines "

in

who are briefly

shared

school history books

this^

eclecticism.

'"

ort "J
idet-e

^^ CO^^^

One

thing

precisely,

is

(i)

Development.

Too ^

certain

what

Of

when

may come when

tative

body of

Under-Development

in

can only say that

doubt

(2)

what

constitutes

Under-

regard the whole thing as a

use drapery, or soft focus, or both.

The

questions of this kind will be decided for us by an authori-

scholarly experts sitting in dignified solitude in

such as Los Angeles

over the water.

experienced amateurs have difficulty in defining

the latter

matter of taste and

time

causes

a.g^'*

Q.^ ^

.-t

even

until that

happy day

it is

some remote

city,

chacun a son gout^ as they say

43

44

As

what

to

developing

causes

Under-Development, the answer

and the best remedy

of course,

is,

is,

simply

not enough

more development.

always

warn pupils of mine against taking specious promises of the " You, too, can have
a

body

like

mine " genre too

tends to produce knobs and

that the finest
illustration

form of

on page

As you can

recruit.

bumps

in

opinion vigorous physical exercise

rather than flowing curves.

8,

see for yourself, the beginner

is

mine

in spite of all this, outdoor exercise

often has excellent results

my contention

is still

my

in the

new

are initiating a

the rather meagre miss with

the others have obviously been at

It is

round physical culture takes the form shown

course of static-boating as practised by

woman

my

in which four old students of

her back to the camera

If,

all

literally

it

for years.

preferred, a leisurely

and

decollete

second-year students on page 45

although the rapt expression on the face of the oars-

rowing rhythmically in half an inch of water with an oar sans blade

is

sad indictment of the mental condition to which persistent exercises of this kind
inevitably reduce one.

1^^ ^ay^ ^^/i^oom/

It is a

good idea

to arrange for the

corner of the house

Dark Room

complete privacy

is

to

be situated in a

essential.

fairly inaccessible

" Carlyle Cloak "

The

mentioned in the chapter on Outdoor Photography can be adapted

use, in conjunction with a tea chest

All bottles should be clearly

arranged,

down

when empty

bottles,

light

in Fig.

i.

should be large and roomy with plenty of space for

snacks and,

if

possible,

is

no need

small settee of the portable-

Experienced photographers usually regard the Drying cupboard

second bastion of defence and equip

There

shown

the sink.

collapsible type.
as a

a kitchen table, as

labelled Poison and, unless discreet collection can be

they should be broken up into small pieces and dropped

The Drying Cupboard

plates,

and

for indoor

to

go into long

it

details

to withstand at least a

about Developing

month's

siege.

Traysthe

writer

can only say that he personally, prefers ones with white transparent bottoms, since
their cleanliness

can be more readily ascertained.

disposing of the empties a sink

is

Apart from usefulness in

regarded as practically a

sine

qua non for washing

45

I
2

o
s

Ci

o
s
s

s
s
o

&
e
o

&
s

2:

^
C)

o
s

I"

^.

&

a-

's

"*

ft

s-

-^
o
s

ft
ft

5'

ft

ft

4o

ft

>

ft
ft

ft

S
s

5*

46

Only by biting away the corner of the apparatus

(and the lobe of his right ear Ed.) was I able to

get this interesting view of a fellow enthusiast at

work inside a domestic adaptation of the " Carlyle
Cloak."

method suggested by Wratton and Wainewright

unless the

employed.

have no sink.

to the best

conducive

It

results,

for using alcohol

be

has been found that a red or amber light

and

thoroughly agree

wi

is

Captain Abney,

R.E., F.R.S., etc., who, on page 14 of his book " Practical Working of the Gelatine

Emulsion Process" says

"...

For our own part we prefer

" about the height of one's waist, since

"seen.

Another
"

all

writer, Walter Welford, has

The Hand Camera Manual

it will be much

" atmosphere of a small

"

some

useful general hints in his

on page 87 he says

" water and a jug.

But

room

if

is

it

" also be provided.

is

room

a sink be available so

who

little

book

room be

If the

Water

frequently required.

the better, as the inconveni-

direct

..."

Roughly

are, a table, a receptacle for

much

of course, a Developing Tray or Bath : for

like to splash about or play with celluloid ducks the larger model shoivn on page 4J is
the only logical answer.
is,

"...

certainly not conducive to health.

" ence of a pail will soon be discovered.

" convenience, as

better to have artificial light outside, as the close

" speaking the other requirements of a dark

This

come from

."
.

" small one

those

light to

operations can then be distinctly

from the tap

is

also a great

shelf for bottles, etc., should

47

The

details

of the procedure

must be determined,

to a large extent,

by the

individual photographer's preferences in the matter of toning bath and paper.

Chloride of gold, in conjunction with other chemicals,

is

the most generally used

toning agent, giving warm-black, red-brown and red tones

and Uranium are sometimes used

capacious bath

to give sepia tones.

whilst Platinimi

Chloride of

Lime should

absolutely indispensable for photographic

is

work. Practically everything needs washing , fixing , or soaking

some time or another and in an up-to-date bathroom like

this all these processes become a pleasure. The fact that I

at

happen not
of the

not blind
the

to like the

main bath

me

plumbing

either in the

is

to the
:

in

wall-paper or the tattooing on the side

mere

whimsey and certainly does

many excellent and practical features of
cesthetic

any case, much of the processing

dark or by red lamp

light.

is

done


48

not be used as a substitute for Chloride of Gold,

for the purpose,

causes pimples and gradually dissolves the fingers.

it

opinion the best paper for the beginner

account of

The

its

addition to being useless

as, in

is

In

my

the Gelatino-Chloride variety, on

easy manipulation and the range and tone of finish obtainable.

The amateur

other papers can easily be tackled later on.

could not do better

than be guided by the detailed directions included with each packet of paper.

Hand Camera Manual

According to the

"... There

" adopted in which the operations differ.

"

Bath and

''

described

the

Separate Baths, and

two main principles

operations

the

briefly,

may be

Separate Baths.
Subject washed.

Subject immersed without washing.

Toned and Fixed at the same

Toned,

operation.

Rinsed.

Washed

Fixed.

after Fixing.

Washed

The Combined Bath

" however, a

little

model shown

in

Combined Bathing

certainly less work,

is

more

" beginner's hands."

tricky in

As

and

nature and

on page

it

is

47

adopted by many.

is

It is,

not so certain in result in a

would

a matter of interest, I

the illustration
;

its

and

after Fixing.

like to point

definitely

is

not

out that the

suitable

Hand Camera Manual

goes on to say that the subject

Fixed) by immersion in the solution in the

..."

must not

for

don't think a great deal of the paper, either, having

an old-fashioned preference for the grapes-crawling-up-a-trellis pattern.

They

tlius

Combined Bath.

"

are

These are termed the Combined

tray,

which

stick together in the tray

" position by means of the fingers.

They then

is

is

Toned

(or

The

Toned and

kept in constant motion.

but be constantly changing

receive a slight rinse in water

" and go into the Fixing Bath, where they remain for about 15 to 20 minutes.
" After thorough washing they are passed through a bath of

" the film, and

Alum

to

harden

lastly dried."

MOUNTING AND

FINISHING.

For ordinary mounting the subjects are taken out of the water and placed on a
linen sheet, another sheet

is

placed on top and the hand rubbed firmly over the

49

Although I have consistently advised the use of large and roomy baths

particularly

Combined Bath work, as detailed on page 48 / cannot help remarking

young enthusiast has gone a bit too Jar. Fishing about in roods and fathoms

for

on the off-chance of finding a couple of half-plates

efficiency

and why

the

young lady should look

found what looks suspiciously

hours at fi6

is

what she needs

like
!

a prawn,

is

not

my

that this

of water

idea of photographic

so pleased with herself for having

is really

beyond

my

ken.

couple of

5o

top sheet

this

into a neat pile

They

removes surplus moisture.

and

Mounting Medium

downwards on

laid face

applied and the print

is

a sheet of clean paper.

to the

the

mount

desired to dry

mount they

blotting paper, but laid

on a piece of

glass, cloth

If

For the special surfaces

This consists of an indiarubber

roller

mounted with

a Squeegee

is

wooden handle.

piece of vulcanite, enamelled iron (ferrotype) plate, or plate glass for the highly

glazed surface

and

matt or dead surface

a fine
is

ground

glass or

also necessary.

matt surface celluloid film for the

These must be

carefully cleaned in

water, polished with a soft silk handkerchief or wash-leather, and

over with French Chalk (or Fuller's Earth

off,

the subject

is

placed film

blotting paper placed over

warm

it

down

Ed.).

upon

whilst wet

When

warm

when dry dusted

this

is

again dusted

either surface, a piece of

and the Squeegee applied vigorously.

If left in a

dry place they will strip off in a few hours.

Generally speaking, negatives are darker than positives.

is

Then

it is

or paper, and left uncovered until dry.

required.

rubbed down on

is

with the hand, over a piece of blotting paper.

must not be placed between

are then gathered together

fraught with difficulty

it is

safer to say that

But the whole subject

most negatives are a prelude

to

Perhaps the most important difference

between a negative and a positive

is

that a negative is denser in the parts

where a positive

isn't.

Here we see the

author using a negative to print

mural on the walls of

"ViiMsSife

down

the Chapel-qf-

Ease at Stratford-le-Bow.

5i

most obdurate negative into

a positive, indeed, persistence will usually turn the

a positive, whilst

some

negatives

seem automatically

to turn positive during the

final stages.

When
why

asked to give an opinion

page 59
negative

is

a case in point

whereas

negatives

this

is

most

was able

emphatically a positive.

It is

it

well to avoid being too definite

give others the benefit of your hard earned experience.

from

The Beach Scene

this

to

my own

page),

why

picture on

experience that she was

versatility.

combine negatives and

(back row) one negative (front,

people spend a lifetime producing nothing but

shows a deplorable lack of

sometimes possible

the subject was obviously a

critics said that

to affirm

Some

The

is

a case in point

left),

same

positives in the

here

and an indecisive

we have

picture.

three positives

(front, right).

This example of combined positive- and-negative print was taken under rather

trying circumstances and I regret

on

my

to

have

to

admit that the old school colours

boating hat were observed by one of the subjects (rear,

exposure had been completed.

left)

before the full

52

It is

perhaps significant that Louis Jacques

Mande Daguerre,

the

first

successful

French exponent of Photography developed a positive process whilst his English

contemporary, William Henry Fox Talbot, was concentrating on negatives. Never

was the Gallic temperament better apostrophised.

Blisters

make

If bhsters

their appearance

of albumen, that the solution

rubber
coal

is

fingers before
fingers has

its

own

the bath
until

the substratum be

With some hinds of

india-

of tacking prints on the wall with a

blisters.

be caused by handling the subject with warm

in water previous to development.

will
on

by an

if

Handling with cold

be caused by allowing the whole length of the edge

blotting paper

when drying

The only

in the drying-box.

that some subjects look better with transparent edges.

LACK OF DENSITY

pyroxyline

probable,

problems.

of the subject to rest

is

may

immersion

transparent edge

consolation

The practice

another prolific cause of

Transparent markings

is

not sufficiently dilute.

always appear.

blisters

hammer

is

it

is

caused by the collodion being tpo thin, requiring more

insufficient quantity of iodide

or by too

weak an alkahne developer.

by

insufficient sensitizing in

Keeping

the subject at school

Matric has been passed can only be regarded as a secondary cause.

Lines

may

be caused by a stoppage in the wave of developing

solution,

by

removing the subject in the drying-box previous

to

complete dessication, or by

an uneven flow of preservative over the

is

therefore a fallacy to assume

that old-age

and

Black spots

film.

It

late nights are the only causes of this prevalent

on

the film

may be due

They are sometimes due

dust on the plate.

remain stationary, but move slowly

Transparent spots

may

in

an

phenomenon.

to the india-rubber substratum,

to indigestion^ in

which case they do not

oblique direction.

be met with when photographing near the

lace insertions in bathing costume of subject standing by portable

opp. page).

They

are probably

due

and to

to the chloride of

sea.

{See

dark room, on

sodium which

is

held in

53

accompanying

Practically all the defects listed in the

graph of models resting

but I

still like it.

or because

of,

in

and around

Which only goes

common

defects.

my

to

article are apparent in this photo"

special Beach Pattern " portable dark room

show

that great Art will always out, in spite of

54
suspension in the
finally

by

They

air.

rarely occur if the subject has

heat a short time before exposure.

artificial

been thoroughly dried

Many

students regard this

drying-out process as one of the best things about seaside photography

Pinholes

may

be caused by the solution of

dissolving out iodide

defect

may

from the

Hkewise occur.

added to the developer

silver

If the preservative

film.

Blast pinholes

be not well

If the preservative

filtered

such

used for the

dry plate contains any substance only slightly soluble in the former, but more

and allowed

readily in the latter, then the latter should be flowed over the subject

thoroughly to permeate the surface.

good washing under the tap afterwards

by alcohol, water

If the preservative contains nothing soluble

then necessary.

should be appHed in the

first

instance.

Quite a

lot of defects

is

can be traced

to the

too exclusive application of alcohol, regardless of solubility.

Whether

spirits of

wine or water be the agent used for softening the

care should be taken that there

the negative

water

is

to

may become

be applied.)

is

no stoppage

must

preservative

film as far as possible before development

This

is

much abused

science.

markings in

in the flow, otherwise

(A dipping bath or a

apparent.

The

in

all

flat

dish

is

film, great

useful

cases be eliminated

when

from the

commences.

Genuine experimental work should not be

confused with the spurious carte postale school which debases ingenuity by purely
objective repetition.

Most of

my own

researches into this fascinating branch

of the photographic art have been essentially subjective

my

original discoveries

translate personal

Such an
although

attitude

indeed, practically

all

have been the direct result of persistent attempts

to

whims and

is

my Aunt

fancies into photographic reahties.

necessarily both a limitation

Letitia

has a face that in general

and an

inspiration.

For instance,

(mentioned vaguely in another connection in

mass has a

this

book)

striking resemblance to a Jersey cow, close

scrutiny reveals that she hasn't got quite as

as the

much

hair in quite the

same places

head of that noble and productive animal usually has.

A realisation of this fact bordering,

might

say,

on morbid fascination

prompted


55

me

to

experiment and out of experiment was born

in which,

you

composite photograph

this

will readily observe, the little differences

between the two have been

eliminated.

" Giving Nature a Helping Hand "

is

one of the most fascinat-

ing/unctions of photo-montage work. Aunt Letitia,

predilection for wearing

who had

my

odd blue stockings and rapping

knuckles when young, was the unwitting inspiration for one of

my finest efforts in this direction. For those who think this kind
of thing is easy I have only one answer

To
undoubtedly

call

photograph "

the

Auntie

flatters

the opinions of

many

you're quite right,

but

it

is

realistic

my

"

it is !

would be wrong,

sincere beUef (a belief supported

disinterested observers) that the visual impact of

graphic reconstruction closely approximates the effect of my

on persons (pun
a desire for

no shoulders) of

in

Ed.).

Again

would

mere reahsm was the prime

another occasion

in the family

cousin Joe from

its

Aunt

my

my

it

by

photo-

Letitia enpersonne

stress that scientific curiosity

and not

On

yet

into transposing a portrait (head

and

factor in all

remember being goaded

my

since

legitimate,

if

experiments.

rather uninspiring, position

group reproduced on page 51 on to the torso of the " Idle Apprentice "

one of his moist Hogarthian moments.

considerable resentment

Cousin

Joe having practically no scientific curiosity

and the negative was unfortunately broken

was made from the print

This experiment was the occasion of

that caused

all

the reproduction on the next page

the trouble.

56

To transport

my

cousin Joe into the midst of the gay

little

scene above so redolent of happy holidays at seaside boarding

houses was a technical achievement of no mean order. I have

not the slightest doubt that photo-montage will eventually oust

all the

cruder forms of blackmail.

57

The

technical procedure adopted in the

known

to

two cases already cited

need elucidation, but the next example

FAMILY PORTRAITIn
position (based on the

is

rather

is

now

too well

more compUcated.

addition to being an outstanding example of classical

famous picture " Mountain Goats

Landseer) this photograph

is

at

com-

Herne Bay," by Edwin

also interesting as an experiment in remote control.

The camera shutter was operated by an arrangement of wires, mirrors and gum arabic,
a procedure of which Cousin Joe (rear, centre) strongly disapproved.

Briefly, the

problem was

this

how

to concoct suitable photographic evidence for

an old school friend who was seeking

a divorce.

The whole experiment was


58

rather delicate since the

co-respondent
not, as far as

On

two

most concerned

parties

^had never been seen in each

other's

i.e.,

his wife

company

and the intended

and, indeed, had

was known, ever met.

the face of

would seem

this set-up

it

problem from

after studying the

all

to present insuperable difficulties, but

angles

evolved a plan which, with

all

due

modesty, appears in retrospect to have had the unmistakable hallmark of photo-

The

graphic genius.
merit.

stark simphcity of

was perhaps

it

most outstanding

its

disguised myself as an itinerant exchanger of aspidestras for old trousers

and armed with an amazing specimen of that domestic favourite and a convincing

Une of

Mr. X's bachelor apartment

sales talk I called at

he came

to the

door in his trousers, upon which

was

as

meanwhile concealing the aspidestra under a voluminous black

me to tea

and the

my

my

by

Struck, no doubt,
invited

fact that /

most engaging smUe,

the idea and

he

finally

when

threw open

offered

my

him my

necessity.

succumbed and took

concealed in a large orange

in delicto aspidestrum,

I hesitate to

As

it

is

camera (which,

was sucking),

polish did to the leaves

moment

shown on page

my

am

love,

had been
I

had

how an

appropriate

" The Keyhole Camera ")

was successfully concluded

in

camera.

pleased to be able to report that the ex-Mrs. Y. was

series of

59, that she

blossomed into true

forgot to mention,

and walked quietly away.

to say that, ultimately, the case

a matter of interest I

secured a perfect photograph of

Y was secured (for details see chapter on

so impressed with

is

he gradually warmed to

first,

This was the

his trousers off.

have been told

aspidestra in exchange for his trousers

Diffident at

my

bore the reader with even more technical details of

picture of Mrs.
suffice

then, with what

showed him what a touch of furniture

waiting for, and pressing the bulb of

Mr.

cloak.

my cloak, revealing both my aspidestra

And

had no trousers on.

shivering to emphasise

heartily

enthusiastic admiration of his nether garment he shyly

upon which

to be expected,

comphmented him

composite photographs, a mild example of which

made

exhaustive independent enquiries which soon

and they married and lived ever

after.

59

This

is

the composite

brief technical

''

Keyhole ''^photograph referred

sutnmary of the

the slight obliquity

'

X and

'

case.

You

to in

my

will notice

introduced to give a realistic air of any-

thing-can-happen-now.

^y^idne/i^neeaJ
Some

photographers,

ingenuity,

such

as

Algebra,

some

make

content

a practice of

with

employing

Rumford's Photometer,

The Law

of the

not

^^^n.
exercising
all

sorts of

Theodolites,

personal

straightforward

dubious technical gadgets,

Anamorphosis,

Megascopes,

of Diminishing Returns and Artificial Discrimination. Although

phenomena mentioned here

are not essential to the beginner

thought


6o
it

would be a good

that

is

idea, in order that the reader

going on behind his (or her

may be aware

of the kind of thing

Ed.) back, to include a few details of

some

of these pretentious devices.

RUMFORD'S PHOTOMETER.
Amongst other
strument
prove

is

that,

things, this in-

sometimes used

when

light is

on a dull subject (as

in

this

book) the angle of ignorance

always equal

To use

it

purely as

as above

is
we have Rumford's Photometer which

is

the angle of

an anagram machine

reflection.

Firstly,

to

to

thrown

is,

piece of paraphanalia based on the simple fact that

as

if

hardly cricket.

you can

see, a

complicated

shadows thrown on the same

screen by an opaque body illuminated by two different lights have the same
intensity, the illuminating

same distance from the

distances,

if

powers of the two

screen, or are in inverse ratio of the squares of these

they are at unequal distances.

the principle of which

is

lights are equal, if they are at the

made only

Next we come

the Theodolite,

to

too clear in the accompanying illustration.

STARGAZER'S THEODOLITE
This attractive
all the naive

little

set

up has

charm of the Wims-

hurst machine, without any of

the shocking implications. It is

fortunate that the principles

is

supposed

to

it

demonstrate are

so unimportant that the lecturer

can soon get down

to the

more

serious business of projecting

double-headed rabbits on the

screen

using only

and a thumb.

two fingers

6i

Anamorphosis

is,

as

one would expect, the opposite to what happens

when they emerge from

The Megascope
drawn almost

the chrysaHs.

consists of a dark

an object on a large

scale.

exclusively

It

chamber used

would seem

from the Fakir

that

for the

THE MEGASCOPE. -This

type of work are

this

order to reach the posingis

patently required.

instrument has the happy knack of turning a subject

down without disturbing

tricks of the studio

purpose of reproducing

models for

class, since, in

platform, a working knowledge of the Indian Rope-Trick

upside

to Butterflies

and prefer

to

who

the drapery. For those

work

quietly in the dark,

hate the usual tomboy

what could be nicer

UNUSUAL-VIEWPOINT PHOTOGRAPHY.
It is refreshing, after all

right back to a

the foregoing examples of misapplied ingenuity, to get

few modestly practical ideas of

my own

the brain, rather than complicated paraphanalia,

stration of the

ends
at a

I refer

way

in

is

ideas,

may

the motor force.

which quite simple means can be

say, in

As

utilized to attain

which

demonworthy

the reader to the illustration on page 62, which shows a lively scene

The Dansant taken through the

glass

bottom of a pewter pot

if I

rightly the pot contained about half a litre of old-and-bock at the time.

remember

62

Photograph of a The Dansant

taken through the bottom of a
pewter tankard.

INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY. An

exciting climax

caught by the camera at

.

(pardon

lusionists.

!)

Mask

a well-known

il-

63

INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY.
This branch of photographic endeavour
eye

with these attributes, a

ment almost anyone can

real Hfe.

done

symphony

of vaudeville, burlesque,

can honestly say that

much

as

nimble fingers and a watchful

take pictures which recall with dramatic intensity those

moments

never-to-be-forgotten

calls for

hand-camera, and the co-operation of the manage-

as anything else to

my

put

shot of " Sawing the

Lady

concerts and
in Half " has

pastime on the map.

this exhilarating

{See

chapter " Moving Objects").

TRANSPOSITION.
This aberration has not, as

" Dog Bites Boy "

is

partly because

of the

new

Who
if

is

not,

one

spirit of

has not, in

is

fail

healthy scepticism, that

moments

it isn't,

Bulrushes "

is

do with Buddhism
"

Dog

is

to

news, whereas

is

some extent

It

indicative

sweeping through the darkrooms of

that I propose to deal with

it

some

at

length.

of searing vision, ennui, or pique, itched to upset

humdrum, estabhshed

Entymology and Domestic Relations

get a httle blase

to

Bites

to

surely entitled to take a few pictorial liberties.

only pictoriallysome of the

Science, Art,

Boy

Transposed-Subject photography

and pardy because

to-day,

commonly supposed, anything

established principle that "

now

but on the

is

situations

even

of History,

For instance, one cannot

about " Pharaoh's Daughter Finding Moses in the

.so why not reverse the

situation

and introduce new

trains

of thought by portraying " Moses Finding Pharaoh's Daughter " in similarly

wild surroundings, as

have done in

my

Naturally, one sometimes makes mistakes

"

Two

photopicture on page 65.

!

and although

at first I

considered

Bicycle Maids " {see photograph on page 64) to be ethically superior to a

" Bicycle
a young

Made

woman

seclusion of a

for

Two,"

was quick

brazen enough to smoke

wood

was more

to agree with critics

who

pointed out that

even on a bicycle and in the comparative

likely to

be a hussey than a maid.

However, the

truly enthusiastic photographer soon learns to take bloomers of this sort in his
stride.

64

TRANSPOSITION .Yet
Bicycle

another vivid example of this fascinating art.

significance than " A Bicycle Made

Maids " has a purer, sweeter

could ever have.

;^El^^AfiflPSI^^K^^'ll^^^lli?^''''^'^^K'Vv

My
for

"

Two
Two "
'f

65

have a clever variation of a hackneyed theme. My

"
"
photopicture Moses Finding Pharaoh's Daughter in the Bulrushes is such an obvious
or would it ?
improvement on the original that it would be pointless to dwell on it

TRANSPOSITION.Here we

66

BOTTLING.
From

ships-in-bottles to people-m-bou\ts

From

photographer.

more

The

the

than others

easily

is

but a short step to the enterprising

well to reahse that

first it is

some

subjects are bottled

careful initial choice can obviate a lot of useless effort.

following illustrations serve better than a spate of words to explain what I

mean.

In the top piaure the subject

by quite an ordinary type of

herself and her surroundings

bottle

obviously

at ease

ill

and

and bursting

happy enough, but the

result

was worth.

and she looks relaxed and pleased with both

whereas, in the bottom right-hand picture, despite

a certain attitude of defiance

and comfortably accommodated

easily

is

a rather unusually shaped bottle, the subject

to escape

bottle she

In conclusion

is

in cost

from

it all.

more money

would suggest

The

other

little girl

my

than, in

is

looks

opinion, the

that subjects for bottling should

be acquired nett (top), rather than gross (bottom, right).

m^-e^
There

are

chrome

some would-be

prints

is

purists

who

assert that the addition of colour to

both unnecessary and

thinking photographer can possibly agree

NEVER

What could be more

loved one

...

inartistic.
:

With

this

dictum no right-

unnecessary, perhaps

inartistic,

attractive than a nicely coloured-up print of

happy family group ... or something

or a

mono-

Who,

some

indeed,

has not been struck at some time or another with a feeling of acute frustration

when, in the course of a pleasant country ramble, armed only with a camera and
a stand,

one

is

confronted with some colourful and picturesque scenes such as

have recorded on pages 80 and

No,

I regret to

have

to say

it,

81.

but the Anti-Colouring-Up Campaign that has

swept through the photographic fraternity

than a vile attempt by vested interests
R.A.'s

to

confine the

small, privileged group.

by

like a blight is

nothing more or

less

represented by a handful of unscrupulous

monopoly of the manufacture of coloured

pictures to a

Photographers and the public generally would do well

to ignore such obviously biased

fostered

this unprincipled

and

and defamatory

criticism as

self-seeking minority.

is

so assiduously

" Bottling," the fascinating possibilities of which have recently set the
to page 66 of
photographic world agog. For detailed comment the reader is referred

Examples

this

of

book and the Ency.

Britt.

68
I will say

his (or

most

definitely that

her? Ed.)

anybody

yes,

anybody

who

is

capable of using

eyes and of making a few pencilled notes can decorate an

ordinary photograph so effectively that

it is

quite worthy to rank, in artistic value,

with the over-puffed productions of professional contemporary painters.

procedure

is

roughly as follows

First choose a scene the composition of

The
which

completely in accord with one's finer feehngs and the teachings of Mr. Ruskin,

is

and proceed
fix

to

photograph

it

in the usual manner.

the plate in a Portable Collapsible

in the

accompanying

Then remove,

Bag Tent (U.C.E.)

develop and

of the type

shown

illustration.

The fact that the uninitiated never know, and find

difficult to

it

guess, what

Bag-Tent, has

ledwe

is

going on inside the

are sorry to say

to

its

widespread abuse. Dilletante photographers often

impose on the credulous public and make a positive,

if

somewhat

negative, nuisance of themselves by

producing nothing but white rabbits and yards of

coloured ribbon from

its

capacious depths.

This ingenuous adaptation of the Carlyle Cloak (for a

section on

Outdoor Photography),

is

whilst processing the plate, to peer

specifically

designed to enable the operator,

from time

to time at the scenery, etc.,

thus facilitate the memorising of the various colours.

may be removed

at will

colour to be jotted

from the Bag Tent

down on

to
jot

make

is

Incidentally, the

and

hands

to enable brief notes regarding the

the washable celluloid cuffs

the well-trained male photographer

description of which see

and dickey without which

seldom to be found.

I will

not presume

suggestions to the ladies regarding appropriate places where they could

down

their

notes.

69

A word of warning

Never, when using the cuff-and-dickey method, use indehble

permanent record

domestic harmony

if

a suitable notebook

on

arrival at tlie studio.

pencil or ink

if

{see

essential

it

is

far

more conducive

to

notes are written hghtly in pencil and transcribed into

my

of the original colour notes for

Girls "

is

To give you

the idea here

is

a facsimile

Salon Diploma- Winner, entitled " Les

Land

page 43).

As you

will

observe, certain irrelevant scientific data

appertaining to other studies happened to be already on the

precaution of crossing this out

cryptic phrases such as

...

" red dress and red bonnet

a horse called

"

cuflfs,

but

took the

first,

having been foxed on previous occasions by

Any

to

"...

Red Riding Hood.

come

5/-

which misled

each way rechning figure with

me

into losing ten shiUings

on

7o

By

this

in the

time the plate

normal way.

is

usually dry

enough

matt surfaced paper

to
is

be taken away and printed down

the best for colouring as this will

take almost any water, oil or spirit

bound pigment without cockhng, peehng,

stretching, or shrinking excessively

needless to say, a

is

good thing,

as they tend to

little

of

all

these quahties

impart that rugged hand-done appearance so

.

beloved of the coimoisseur.

THE ODIFEROUS-OIL PROCESS.

'

Composition

in

Smells "

is

indeed an art in

Only after years of almost suffocating experiment was J able to achieve the
itself.
mastery that was so apparent in my original photopainting entitled " Warm wether is
on the whey." Here the characteristic odours of cow, goat, chicken and ducks were
offset with just a touch of Jasmine, asafcetida and Icelandic Stoat to produce the
haunting blend that was noticed by practically everyone without a cold at the crowded

opening of

last yearns Salon.

reproduction gives you no

Unfortunately, the peculiar smell of this

idea at all of the original.

monochrome

'fd^'icjfi^attam

LANTERN SLIDES. Success on

this

bye-way of the photographic art comes

only after
tice.

seem

f*^^^

much experiment and prac-

The two
to be

little

ladies above

would

doing well enough

but

wait until they get on the slope. The

younger lad on the

left

has come a

purler right at the start.


72

The

type of colour used

is

a matter of individual preference

there are

brands of ready prepared Photo Tinting Liquids on the market, and

that

most beginners

more ambitious

will prefer to use

oil

can be made to stand up in ridges just

expect

For those who are a

one of these.

would suggest the use of

several

colours as these have

Uttle

more body and

Another

like real oil paintings.

httle

discovery of mine (which had not previously occurred, even to Mr. Rimmel)
that

if

the pigments used are mixed with pleasantly odiferous media

lavender

oil,

frankincense or myrrh

the

made

pictures can be

such

is

as

smell like

to

herbaceous borders, or an Old English Garden.

Critics

my

have often remarked that

they never seem able to

identify'

and-so's pictures smell "

is

pictures smell, although, in their ignorance,

any particular smell.

not enough

my

be told that the female figures in

is

on the Whey " smell of jasmine behind the

to get

who have

more pleasure out of

to the series of pictures starting

same way.
by the

does smeU,

if it

For examples of the purely visual

oil-paint technique, the reader

on page

80, entitled "

quote again from Mr. Welford's interesting book

Hot

referred

is

Feat."

the Hand-Camera Manual

of the most attractive uses to which hand-camera shots can be put,

" that of making lantern slides.

"

show them the

results of

Wether

and seaweed in the corsage

ears

mere reproduction, which, even

excellence that can be achieved

" One

Warm

not had an opportunity of appreciating the original

certainly does not smell in the

To

Mr. So-

more precise information is required

photo-painting, entitled "

to

does help individuals

to say "

Simply

our

By
last

this

means we can

holiday

trip.

interest our friends

(All of

them

is

and

Ed.)

" There are two distinct methods of production, one by reduction in the camera

" and the other by what

is

termed contact printing.

" principally for the larger size negatives,

" lantern plates are required.

The

negative

" frame, and in the dark-room the lantern plate

" and the back inserted.

Exposure

As the former

need only describe the

is

latter.

used

Special

is

placed in an ordinary printing

is

put film to film with the negative

to artificial fight

is

then

made and

the plate

" developed and finished just the same as a negative.

"

"
"

The
is

result

is,

of course, a positive print on glass.

When

dry, a suitable

selected, a covering or protective piece of glass placed over

bound

together by sfips of paper which are sold ready

it,

mask

and the two

gummed for the purpose."

73

Never use

colours for colouring-up lantern slides as the heat of

oil

makes the paint run and the

resultant enlarged

image bears even

than usual to the description given by the harassed lecturer.

what can be done we show the decorative

setting out

on

are pleasant

their first

enough not

this

lamp

resemblance

specimen of

example the features

For further examples

mask.

As

the

achieved by two Httle ladies

effect

unattended lantern shde ... in

to require a

less

see

Appendix ''A."

^tf//e ^i^J^aydJ

Whether one uses the word rude in the archaic sense of primitive, simple, unsophisticated,

in natural state

made,

coarse,

it

is

still

rugged,

an undisputed

the art of photography

is

to the beginner to enable

Firstly, as in painting,

it

on the French School

uimproved, uncivilised, uneducated, roughly

wanting

or

artless,

fact

That being

(or her

whether

one

does

so

there

not

propose to give a few hints

Ed.), to avoid the usual pitfalls.

not a good thing to model one's rudeness too

is

or

means of producing Rude Postcards,

that as a

on the up.

him

subtlety

much

a dehcate je ne sais quoi about the Gallic

is

approach that drives the Sturdy British PubUc right into any odd corner when
confronted with a pictorial sample.
principles of ethics

The same

This

sort of solitary ecstasy

and mass production, and

general criticism applies to the

is

against

is

all

the

of dubious educational value.

German, Flemish,

Italian,

Middle-

Eastern and Far-Eastern Schools.

No, the only

legitimate approach to the

sub-conscious,

necessary until

if

Postcards the idea

Fortunately

it is

is

it

problem

is

hurts, until an idea

the thing, technique

is

down

to delve right
is

bom

into the

for in

Rude

an altogether secondary consideration.

only necessary to do this once.

Armed

with the right kind of

idea the veriest tyro can produce dozens of saleable variations, which, in conjunction

with

interchangeable

combination into thousands.

captions,

can

be magnified

by permutation and

75

Take

the simple idea expressed by the accompanying series

philosophising in the coal-hole a student has his (or her

Ed.) thoughts and vista

of the outside world rudely interrupted by a foreign body.

rudely
is

is

it

Whilst quietly

Note

that expression

the operative sentiment and conditions the whole idea, although

of the variations.

found

Actually the body need not be foreign, although

an added piquancy

that the situation has

approaches to the problem, but

has been produced in

know

others

strict

can only say that

have usually

Naturally, there are other

if it is.

my

best Rude-Postcard

accordance with the above method

Even the few knowledgeable

writers

could almost go so far as to say that

propose

herrings

may

^ Me &l^yo/cee^^ ^^^yoeedded
on

this subject

have

fallen into the rather

tedious habit of handing out a lot of prehminary guff about bees and pollen.

his (or her

work

{Miss Kellard

Ed.)

^e^'f/s

it

the precise nature of the interrupting body that provides the delicate nuances

many

growing lad (or

Ed.) enthusiasm nipped brusquely in the

to dispense

with both bees and pollen

lassie

bud by such

and,

One

Ed.) has had

evasive tactics.

indeed, any other red

and get right down to bedrock.

THE PURPOSE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION.

The primary aim
can have ope.

is

It is

to

speed up reproduction so that everybody

erroneous to assume that a reproduction must of necessity

be a facsimile of something

improve upon the

who wants one

originals.

modern photo-eugenical reproduction

sets

out to

76

Print from the

YELLOW plate.

Print from the

BLUE plate.

Print from the

The final print

RED plate.

in full colour.

HOW

IT IS DONE.

Thoroughly

Reproductive Processes

to analyse the various

of a purely introductory article of this kind

broad principles rather than sordid

Briefly, the

on
is

procedure

is

as follows

to a suitable printing surface

beyond the scope

is

will therefore concentrate

on

detail.

either (i) the original

and etched

photographed down

is

into rehef or intagho, or (2) the original

photographed down on to a suitable printing surface and not etched into rehef

or intaglio.

For example,

this

book was produced by a

called Photo-Lithography after a

his greasy

Hsts are

washing hst on

now usuaDy

special apphcation of the latter principle

man named

a piece of limestone.

Alois Senefelder,

who wrote down

Apart from the faa that washing

written on the backs of envelopes the process used to-day

is

very similar.

THE REPRODUCTION OF COLOURED ORIGINALS.

Despite

my

remarks anent simihtude there

a certain resemblance to the original

and the reproduction turns out

be a

lot of local

is

one branch of reproduction in which

almost a social duty.

I refer,

of course, to

If the originals are, for instance, a sort of yellowish-pink,

colour reproduction.

to

is

be a strong chocolate-brown, there

to

disillusionment and

tittle-tattle.

bound

is

For the purpose of repro-

duction the primary colours are regarded as being Red, Yellow, Blue and Black

not Red, White, and Blue, as

is

only section of the community to

printed one at a time and

commonly supposed.
call

compound

(N.B.

The

black a colour.)
colours are

colours on top of, or very close to, each other

made by

in

the

Printers

are the

colours are usually

putting the different

same manner

as

when

cheating at Patience.

One way

in

which

this

might happen

is

shown on page 76

(Figs, i, 2, 3, 4), whilst

the series of coloured Continuous Sequence Photographs entitled "

{see

Appendix "

") is a

Colour Reproduction can

good example of the heights

rise

when

in the

to

Hot Feat

"

which Photo-Mechanical

hands of an expert.


^^

REGISTRATION
Although there
tion

is

no actual Registrar of Inks and Colours

is

registration

is

still

In conclusion
unless one

is

encouraged by certain carefree

The

illustration in

example of reproduction practised without the

one has only

where the difference

to see

it

Bloomsbury and the Upper Congo.

a disgusting

is

Ed.), registra-

Reproduction without registration has been frowned on for

essential.

years in the Western World, although

tribes in

(yet

compare

to

it

Appendix "

F"

slightest regard for

with the legitimate examples on page 80

lies.

would advise beginners

to leave reproduction to iht experts, for,

constantly aware of a definite urge towards that sort of thing, one

soon finds that more time

is

being spent in worrying about

details, errors of

omission and commission, and other irritating factors, than can be spared from

more

exciting photographic pursuits.

'z-'^

EXAMPLES OF COLOURED CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE

PHOTOGRAPHY.
A

(l)
I

SET OF SIX

HAND-COLOURED OIL PHOTO-PAINTINGS ENTITLED " HOT FeAT."

regard this charmingly idyllic sequence as the Photographer's answer to the

spasmodic
jerking

efforts of the

movements

to

new

fangled Bioscopists.

There

is

no

flickering light or

worry the eyes and unduly excite the senses

and each

incident can be carefully examined with the leisurely detachment of the student

and
are

in

broad daylight,

prompted by

on

ethical

In

my

gfounds

too.

Lest

it

should be thought that the foregoing remarks

narrow professional partisanship

hasten to qualify

my

dislike

opinion the Bioscope, or Biograph as

its

sponsors grandiosely

call

it,

clearly

represents a vicious attempt to prostitute Art by latently pandering to the low

human

instinct for gregariousness,

even to the extent of downright promiscuity


79

In " Hot Feat " the plot

circles of

The

is

simple and direct with no eternal triangles or vicious

The moral

any kind.

realism that

is

is

deftly pointed

and the colour adds

a convincing

vaguely reminiscent of Tintoretto at his best.

reader will doubtless find

it

difficult to believe that the basic

photographic

portions of these superb oil-photo-paintings were taken with an exposure of only

one twenty-fourth of a second and an aperture of

(2)

f8.

SET OF THIRTY-TWO WATER-COLOURED-UP PHOTOGRAPHS ENTITLED "

"
BE A FREUD ; HAVE A LOOK ALICE

Don't

In this rather ambitious series of pre natal prints

a vivid, visual record of what goes

does her homework.

would

Miss Ophelia Hare-Rhys

without which

The

my

on

in the

like to take this

for

it

mind

my

was

intention to present

young student before she

of a

opportunity of thanking the model

her wholehearted co-operation

co-operation

intentions could certainly not have been realised.

outstanding success of this scientific analysis has been generously recognised

by most of the leading psychologists of the day, and

have been so inundated

with requests for sets of prints, from every conceivable seat of learning, that
seriously considering taking
scientific journals.

advertising space in

some

of the

am

more abstruse

hint that five shillingsworth of stamps should be enclosed

with every request, combined with a definite promise that plain envelopes only
will

be used,

will, I

think ensure that applications are limited to bona fide students.

Special Notice.
For Lecturing and other educational purposes, both " Hot Feat " and " Don't be
a Freud ; have a look Alice ! " are obtainable in the form of lantern slides. When
ordering please state age next birthday.

8o

"

(i)

Oh

dear,

how our

poor old feet do burn

"

" Look Emma, there's

spangle-bottomed

(2)

beaver hiding in the

bushes.

(3)

''Ah,

girls

better,
comethat's
in before the

water

boils.'*

8i

jjl

"Such gaiety! The

others will never believe
(4)

us when we

(5)

"

tell

them."

Good gracious ! And

you called him a spanglebottomed beaver."

" How I wish we'd

used Blanks Anti-Footbum Ointment instead."
(6)

82

(i)

(j)

"

Oh

dear,

how

I hate

and History

Algebra

(2)

(4)

and Geometry

and Emancipation

(j) ...

and standing

in horse buses ...

(8)

and Economics

(9)

(ii)

and Literature

and Gardening

(lo)

(12)

and Latin roots

and Cube roots

(i3)

and Aero-dynamics

(15)

and Woollen underwear

(14)

(16)

and Aspidistras

and Eurythmics

(ij) ...

(19)

and Woollen underwear

and Entymology

. .

(i8)

(20)

and Malthus

and Spelling

(23)

and Cooking

(24)

and Chemistry

88

(2S)

(27) ...

and Nature Study

and Geology

(26)

(28J

and Boyle's Law

and

Ballistics

(29)

(jij

and

the Binomial

Theorem

and Elastic-sided boots

(jo)

(j2)

and

Ballet

and Woollen underwear

9i

y^/j^e^^f^
ART IN CAMERA.

but relatives are seldom

All art

is

point

she has a face that

relative,

of

it

this is unfortunate.

Aunt

Letitia

a case in

is

The

children under twelve, and tradesmen.

terrifies

but you have to

latter quality is useful,

My

art.

live

Indiarubber

is

with Aunt Letitia to get the benefit

Amateur

the salvation of

Art, but

rubbing-out should not be indulged in except under the direct supervision of an

Art master.

you

If

can't get a thing

where you want

it first

time, keep trying

on

separate pieces of paper.

Great Moderns have been known to draw with burnt match-sticks on the tablecloths in restaurants

under the

others,

stress of conflicting

emotion, draw on

walls in gouache, tempera, charcoal, silver point, pin point

picture
after
{a)

on page 42)

drawing

it

as " all

knobs and bumps "

forty-seven times, you

you are naturally plump, or

Landseer, G. F. Watts, and a

all

great artists

cultured

gave them to provincial

he says the Borgias are

Drawing

as a

business

"

galleries.

a picture
is

Art

is

be a connoisseur

rude.

Landseer.

but

form

it

if,

because

is

to bring a cushion.

can't

remember, are

thousands of their works and

are the Medici of the nineteenth
I

a great leveller

it

Marx

right

when

brings the public

down

think that

is

most successful exponents.

means of self-expression

to

is

whose name

men bought
The Dobbses

(see

the height of ignorance

lack a feeling for

painter

critic

to blame.

still

is

and pencil stub.

Leaning on Club "

you had the foresight

is

put drawings round clocks.

difficult to

picture

its

ih)

German

century," writes a contemporary

to the level of

refer to " Hercules

To

Waiters are unhappy people.

Any

picture

it is

To

looking at

half-close the eyes

completely to
is

Blotting paper, rolled

close the eyes

when

when

pornographic that has hairs on

up

more

better than fretwork, because

looking at a
.

except

tightly into a pointed cylinder, tones

up

flabby muscles and reduces observation to a formula.

To

copy a photograph

exactly that

it

is

at all requires infinite patience

difficult,

without a magnifying

to

copy a photograph so

glass, to tell the

copy from the

93

Following the lead of my brothers-in-art I was persuaded to call this Salon Exhibit
" No. i^." The critics simply loved it, and, exercising ineffable ingenuity, countered

by giving

will,

for

we

it,

Balham-wide publicity as

it

graphic art

dramatising, as

are certain, go

too

'

Art.

is

who

sit

down

right

Popular Art

That

brilliant

example of modern photo-

to posterity.

No. 196 or

'

have studied from the Life

is

very shiny

from acanthus

graphic

to

have lived dangerously

Pimples are nature's revenge for being

this is so that finger

{a) it isn't art,

fig-leaves
.

is

or

{h) it isn't

marks can be washed

popular.

off.

If

Photographs are not Art

There are some ignorant people who

leaves.

can't tell

Statues without fig-leaves tend to be porno-

except Landseer.

feeling for drapery

is

invaluable in a sculptor, painter, or photographer.

would have made more money

if

he'd had more of

are beautiful, others are merely functional.

it.

Canute had a word

Emancipation and emaciation are not necessarily the same thing.

shiny

isn't

To

unless they are out of focus.

".

does, a whole vivid chapter of British History

astride are emancipated.

emancipated.

Art

it

undoubtedly a mast^piece of the first magnitude.^*

is

original
girls

Parts of the

Paris capitahzes a

Etty

human body

low

liking for

95

The Greeks had no

detail.

them

sense of propriety, but to blame

for

it

would

be priggish because they had no penny post either.

To
is

express an admiration for antiquity

We

to be boring.

greatest patron

the centuries

soap

Once

the

Church was

it

Art's

Cleanliness and Godliness clasp hands across

is.

Bubbles " symboUzes The Church Triumphant.

All great Art can be useful

Bernard Shaw think

know anything about

to

an essentially moral age.

live in

now

..."

normal

is

so, too.

this is

not a wilde statement, young

Kiphng was

right

when he

said

men hke

" Creation's cry goes up on high

From age
'

Send

to

us the

cheated age

men who do

For which they draw

Kipling

is

always right.

To

quote

is

the

the

work

wage

a sign of erudition

'
.

."

books of quotations are

very popular.

To know
is

after

the

name

there

is

of a picture

more important than knowing what the

is

a deplorable tendency

their pictures irrelevant

names,

or,

worse

amongst some modern

still,

to give

them numbers

instead of

This shows a lack of inventiveness and puts yet another burden on the

names.
art critic

naming the picture

very good at

is

good

critic's

it.

Uncle Albert's Patent Distorting Mirror (obtainable, price IS. gd.,

poriums)

who do

artist

artists to give

is

from

all the

leading Art

Em-

invaluable to those Pure-Art students

not possess the natural obliquity of vision

so necessary in successful

modern

practice.

first

job.

Many

of

them

are

94
Whistler

a great offender

is

looking at

it,

whether "

hold Troops in

you don't know, without going

Study in Grey

Hyde Park, or

and Silver "

be popular.

supplement to any periodical.

the packet.

words

coming out of

This

Blatent advertising

carrying things too far

is

House-

title

makes

when you Can

is

names can never

like

good

read the

putting bladders with

angels' mouths.

up well, but

Patriotic pictures shine

it is

Otherwise you end up with a canvas

painting " King Charles

better to go back to Agincourt, or further.

full of

brown heathen and

red coats and

Saying Farewell to His Children," don't forget

the lace collars and the highlights

on the

Save your studies in case you

curls.

have the luck to get a commission for a " Blind Boy."

you can walk, but remember,

the

Borrowed armour should never be dented, and

whole thing looks very uneven.

when

Pictures without

nice glossy picture with a richly descriptive

name on
in

a review of the

is

This sort of thing should be

a portrait of his mother.

stopped in the interests of popular education.

to the trouble of

anywhere

you'll never really get

combined twelve square yards of canvas and

Don't try

run before

to

until

you have

hundredweight of plaster-and-gilt

in one picture.

Businessmen
artist

ever loved anybody

except Landseer.

La

scrounging versatility of a Neapolitan urchin, leave

mention money or Art

corner," " Bottecelli's early struggles," and

If this doesn't

old faces.
rising
If

markets in red ink

you can do a

line

dying in a garret
smile
If

and the

writing

home

how you

cuttings

from

miss mother's cake and the

financial papers

and underline

this shows potential business acumen of a high order.

the music

a line like this,

decide to

fly

talk about " Success being round the

star of thirty years

with glimpses of a faded beauty

.

When

at that.

about a once famous musical comedy

the lights

you can do

man may

work enclose

it

true

Boheme makes good

Vie de

reading and opera but, unless you have the digestion of a Spanish

for mon'ey don't

No

Love and painting don't mix.

value for money.

like

do

it

come and attend

it's

the applause

a winner, only

make

to the matter himself

back

with a drink-dazed

fit

and now
it

this

sordid, or the old

conscience

is

a fickle

jade.
If all else fails

buy

a plaster skull, place

it

on a square of black velvet

for emphasis.

Students and models relaxing at the Annual Photographic Soiree, recently held at the

Highly technical meetings of this kind provide an invaluable link between

the photographer and the model serving, in a large measure, to break down barriers

Albert Hall.

of reserve built up during working hours.

96

and concentrate on

getting to look like

Before coma sets in leave a brave note

it.

blaming nobody but yourself, turn the gas on in the next room, and drop an
aspidestra

on the concierge's head.

up

if

five flights of stairs

But

a week.

you move

Finding

it

shows

takes fifteen minutes

the aspidestra was a large one

if

should only be used as a

this

in the note

Remember, the average concierge

you've got a Gallic soul.

to get

Use French phrases

it

may

him

take

and should not be necessary

last resort

in the Right Circle.

the

Right

Circle

move

to

in

an

is

artist's

duty.

first

It

took

Rossetti to turn Giotto's

"O"

Circle,

and, besides' there's an unangular completeness about

isn't fashionable

it

at Polygons haven't

a Circle

possible,

one

The main
a

little

will get

thing

is

to

Moving

got.

one knows

back

to the point

of Intelligent Discussion

In Paris a

little

it

loose-living

is

later,

Opportunism

and

as inevitably as

started.

whom

one can pick up

the soul of la vie artistique

is

expected, but don't overdo

Discretion

one's squalor can easily

All the best

sooner or

that,

from which one

French polish on opportunism.

too loose even for Lautrec.

without

in 'anything but a

in Circles has all the fluid excitement

have a few people in the Circle from

money every time one passes.

Montmartre puts

Never move

into a circle.

puns are laboured.

may be

it.

Some

artists are

the bitter part of squalor, but

make assommoir.

Work

is

paintingPord Madox Brown recognised

man's most dignified pursuit next to

this.

My

great aunt Ophelia

made

seventeen hundred and eighty-three studies from a secondhand plaster cast of

Apollo strumming his lyre

no one knows why she did

She died

this.

a spinster,

although she lost caste through studying too long under an energetic, but not
very good, painter.

Never suck your brush when doing water-colours

poisonous.

To

tell

whether a water-colour

Never suck your brush when using

the teeth.

Aunt Ophelia always

is

oil-colours,

a jealous mistress.

To

tell

difficult to get

it is

why

whether an

oil

her

commencing

painting

is

the paint off

her teeth dropped out

of a misunderstanding

not say " arrange the colours on your palate before

is

most water-colours are

poisonous, half close the eyes.

said that the reason

when she was nineteen was because

art

master did

to paint."

Art

poisonous, half close

97
the eyes.

98

S^j^^nr/c^

(7

THE POWER OF DOTTED

LINES.

Mighty Niagara has already been harnessed

Cable has for years Hnked continents

to industry

and of these

mine

discovery which

upset, within a very short space of time,

Dynamics,

Ballistics

contemporary (and

But perhaps

magnitude of

Who,

am

my

and Eurythmics

if I

may

say so,

discoveries that

trated in Fig.

I,

it

it

not then surprising

humbly prophesy,

most of our existing notions of Mechanics,

should remain practically unrecognised by

leaders of scientific thought.

selj styled)

makes

its

when, grasping a single Dotted-Line

suppose

that,

4 and

the sheer
difficult.

in

my

teeth I

with the

illus-

bounced an
otlier,

such

5 could have developed.

under the circumstances, even the Royal Society might be forgiven

little

incredulous.

not infrequently the case the true direction of

by chance

it is

from the modest beginnings

amazing

is

perhaps

even by experts,

realization,

possible that

feats as those pictured in Figs. 2, 3,

As

Great British

Is

indiarubber ball on one end whilst hfting a sturdy letter

for being a

the Transatlantic

will,

not being deliberately cold-shouldered

indeed, would beHeve

facts the

Public would seem to be both cognisant and appreciative.

that a scientific discovery of

rather than

by

rigid intention

sets of teeth that I discarded this

and

method.

it

was not

until I

was determined

had broken three

Changing the fulcrum

Fig. I.

'*'\

-'<\.

my endeavours

Fig. 2.

to the top of

99

my

forehead

arrows, a

it

was not long before

P and

was able

to

a steel-rule,

lift

two M's, two

using a radial arrangement of Dotted-Lines, as shown

in Fig. 2.
I

next removed the fulcrum to the

smoking-cap
air

left

as a counter balance I raised

with hardly any strain at

all

and using

eyeball,

two

on the neck.

a heavily tasselled

cigarette cards horizontally in the

This

piece of tin merely serving to keep the sun out of

is

my

shown

in Fig. 3 (the angular

eyes).

Fired by the success of the preceding experiments

to project a series of Dotted-Lines through a glass

prism and thus cut a lighted

candle in half at three feet

next used the right eyeball

the energy released being sufficient'to ignite the lower

half almost immediately after decapitation.

of the

Even

left

hand

Notice the tensely suggestive attitude

in Fig. 4.

after these impressive examples. Fig. 5

the bridge of the nose as a fulcrum,

comes

we have no

as rather a
less

two biUiard cues and a miscellaneous assortment of

on

as complicated a

Who

can

letters

and

system of Dotted-Lines as one could wish

resist a slight feeling of

" Apres ca,

le

deluge "

shockhere, with

than seven snooker

for.

Fig. 5-

^yy^^^Mi^ /)

UNPLEASANT EXAMPLE OF REPRODUCTION WITHOUT

REGISTRATION.

(Removed by Order of

the Trustees.)

balls,

figures supported

THIS

IS

A
PERRY
COL.OUR.

BOOK

(fc

\-h

r\X

f^

%^

DEVrSED BI

ir

^^M

0^

^^

i\

^\,'^
THIS

IS

'^

^^^^:^.

nO^\

^^^

tr.