The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty YearsWerge, John, active 1854-1890
History
The Evolution of Photography: With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, Etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty Years
Werge, John, active 1854-1890
Photography -- History
there need be no commercial difficulty between the photographer and
newspaper proprietor on the score of supply. A multiplication of
negatives or Woodbury's process, would afford all the necessary
facilities for producing the prints in large numbers.
Many new fields for the good of photography are opening up. Pathological
works have been photographically illustrated with some amount of
success. But far pleasanter fields are open to enterprising
photographers in the faithful representation of natural objects, such as
flowers, fruits, ferns, grasses, shrubs, trees, shells, seaweeds, birds,
butterflies, moths, and every variety of animal life, from the lowest
orders to the highest. I believe the time is not far distant when the
best works on all the physical sciences will be illustrated by coloured
photographs. Those very beautiful German photographs of flowers recently
introduced show most conclusively of what photography is capable as a
help to a study of the natural sciences. The flowers are not only
photographed from nature, but exquisitely coloured after the same
fountain of truth; and the sense of reality, roundness, and relief which
they convey is truly wonderful.
Hitherto the colouring of natural objects photographed from nature has
been a very difficult thing to accomplish; but now it is done, and with
a marvellous success.
The monochromatic process is also making great strides in advance. Those
very beautiful transparencies, cabinet size, of the Queen and Royal
Family are now to be seen in most of the photographic picture
shop-windows in town and country. These transparencies are the
productions of the Disderi Company, by Woodbury's photo-relief process,
and the results now obtained are really beautiful, both in effect and
colour, and sold at a very low price. But the _chef d'oeuvre_ of all
monochromatic effects has just been achieved by the triple labours of
Mr. Macnee, the artist, and Mr. Annan, the photographer, of Glasgow, and
Mr. J. W. Swan, of Newcastle. The subject in question is a work of art
in every respect. The original is a full-length portrait of Lord
Belhaven, painted by Daniel Macnee, and now in the Royal Academy
Exhibition. A photograph taken from the painting by Mr. Annan was worked
up in monochrome by the eminent artist, from which another negative was
taken by the same skilful photographer, and placed in the hands of Mr.
J. W. Swan to be printed in carbon, which the latter gentleman has done
in the most admirable manner. Altogether, the result is the most
satisfactory reproduction by photography that has ever been placed
before the public, and is less like a photograph and more like a fine
mezzotint engraving than anything I ever saw. Mr. Annan is now
publishing the work on his own responsibility, and a specimen of it can
be seen at the offices of "The Autotype Printing and Publishing Co.," 5,
Haymarket, London. Mr. Hill, of Edinburgh, is also about to publish, in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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