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intensifies very nicely, and some who tried it last summer were enchanted with it. In my hands it possesses the same fault of which Mr. Jabez Hughes complains, viz., acquiring increased density by exposure to light. Furthermore, I found that if I continued the application of the solution in order to obtain very great density, upon drying the film peeled off the plate in very small flakes, and that not only once but on several occasions. Mercury I dread in any form, for, besides obliterating the fine lines and halftones of a negative, plates so intensified are acted upon by light in the same manner as those intensified with uranium. The liver of sulphur method gives as good promise as any, judging by the description of it; but is it not a dangerous substance to have exposed to the atmosphere in the same room in which the plates are sensitised?

One of the most important novelties in connection with the mechanical part of photography is the India-rubber mounting. I have had the opinions of several gentlemen, both amateur and professional, and all agree in saying that it is a great improvement. I heard a complaint that the picture is too easily detached from the mount when India-rubber is used, but that I should be inclined to set down to mismanagement. I do not altogether agree with those who think that it adds to the permanence of the print. It certainly may do so indirectly, by taking the place of such unstable substances as gum or gelatine, and by isolating in a certain degree the picture from the mount, which may contain dangerous or injurious salts; but a picture attached by any suitable material upon a good mount ought to be quite as permanent.

Greater security is to be obtained in this respect by the use of varnish, as recommended by Mr. Blanchard and others, especially if applied to the back of the print as well as the front. Not only is the surface then protected from the action of the atmosphere, but the pores of the paper are filled with a substance capable of resisting damp, or any of the other enemies of permanency; and should it happen that a particle of any deleterious substance has found its way into the paper during the process of manufacture, it would be quite isolated-surrounded, as it wereby a non-conducting medium, and the destruction thus vented from spreading. The varnish also greatly improves the appearance of the prints, by imparting increased brilliancy, and if made from proper materials, has very little effect upon the whites of the picture. Paraffin has been recommended, but as I have seen no specimens of its application, I refrain from giving any opinion.

old man intent upon his humble task, and simple as the subject is, these qualities are more than enough to make it attractive and interesting. There is no straining after the sensational, no clap-trap affectation of dramatic effect or pap-bowl sentimentality in this clever photograph; and who will say that it is not better, in its wholesome unpretending simplicity and truthfulness, than a whole gallery of more artificial and pretentious aspirings after things photographically unattainable? This is the first of a series of separate illustrations from artistic photographs, one of which will be given with the first number of every month, and bound up with the monthly parts.

MR. WARREN DE LA RUE'S LUNAR
PHOTOGRAPHS.

(From The Mechanics' Magazine.)
THE experience gained by Mr. Warren De La Rue, F.R.S.,
during a course of many years, as to the best methods of photo-
graphing the moon and other astronomical bodies, has led him
to the adoption of collodion salted with iodide of cadmium only,
coupled with pyrogallic and acetic acid development. Mr.
Hardwich, the standard authority on photographic chemistry,
also came to the conclusion, in opposition to the opinion of
many practical photographers, that when collodion free from
organic reactions and very pure chemicals are employed, the
greatest rapidity is obtainable with iodides, without any admix-
ture of a bromide. Mr. De La Rue's pictures are taken by
means of the mirror of his reflecting telescope at Cranford
Observatory, the image of the moon being thrown direct upon
the photographic plate by the mirror, without the intervention
of any second reflector, as in the Newtonian telescope, to cause
loss of light. But owing to the unequal refraction, and ever-
varying currents in the atmosphere, the image of the moon will
not keep still upon the collodion plate, but is always quivering
more or less: hence the necessity of a very rapid process to
take the picture.

sound principles, but for theoretical reasons we think he may As already stated, Mr. Warren De La Rue works upon not yet have attained the greatest possible rapidity in his manipulations. It is a principle in photography that solarisation, or over-action of light upon the plate, may be counterpre-balanced by the employment of a stronger retarding acid in the developer, but the stronger the retarding acid, the longer must be the exposure. Thus, if solarised pictures are obtained with acetic acid in the developer, the substitution of citric acid is the remedy, but the exposure must be longer. This argument cuts both ways, because if a weaker retarding agent than acetic acid be employed, greater rapidity is the result, and a shorter exposure of the plate is necessary. Formic acid is a very weak retarding agent, giving excessive solarisation when the plate has long been exposed to a bright light, so there is reason to suppose that formic acid instead of acetic acid in the developer will slightly shorten the time of exposure. Very little difference in time will be noticeable, but in instantaneous photography, as it is called, every fraction of a second saved in exposure is of value.

A fancy for extremely small and portable cameras seems to be springing up here, a fancy which may be indulged in at the expense of utility. If the object aimed at be to take extremely small pictures to be afterwards enlarged, well and good. As long as a photographer prefers to travel untrammelled with baggage, and in lieu thereof to toil in the dark and confined space of his enlarging-room, let him do so, but give me an ordinarily portable 10 by 8 camera, a dozen plates, and a fine day, and I can enjoy myself from

sunrise to sunset.

We are promised a view of a new "Satchel Camera " at the next meeting of the Liverpool Amateur Photographic Association, the outside dimensions of which are 4 inches by 24. Not much room for a very large plate there. I shall have occasion to return to the subject of dry plates at an early date; for the present I have finished, having taken up more space than I originally intended.

THE PEN-MENDER.

MR. H. RAFTER, one of the most accurate and experienced of draughtsmen, has reproduced Mr. O. G. Rejlander's clever photograph with great fidelity, and the Graphotype Company have done the drawing justice in the care with which it has been "brushed out," or in other words, engraved. Thoroughly natural in pose and expression, without a scrap of afectation or apparent art, we see the

Mr. De La Rue's exposures may possibly also be further shortened by another method. In instantaneous photography, the colour and composition of the glass forming the lenses affect the results, for all glasses are opaque more or less, to a portion of the visible rays of the spectrum. The same difficulty besets photographic work with a reflecting mirror, for the experiments of Professor W. Allen Miller, F.R.S., show that polished metals do not all reflect the extra-violet rays so perfectly as they reflect the visible rays. For instance, he found that speculum metal and polished steel reflect exactly the same rays of the spectrum, and give spectra on a photographic plate of exactly the same length each. But he also found that speculum metal gave an intense image for one-half only of the length of its spectrum, whilst steel gave a more intense image than any other metal throughout the whole length of the spectrum of the light reflected from its surface. These results point to the conclusion that a steel parabolic mirror will enable photograph to be taken more rapidly than can be done by speculum metal or silvered glass reflectors.

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Nothing but experiment can decide the two points here raised, and the first is very easily tried. The common formic acid of commerce is very impure; it frequently strikes a purple colour when added to pyrogallic acid, and some samples of it have a tendency to cause fog. Hence the pure monohydrated

acid, as imported from abroad, should be chosen; and as it acts injuriously upon the skin, it may be at once diluted with nine times its bulk of water. Ten minims of this dilute solution will act as a sufficient restrainer over three grains of pyrogallic acid in winter and two in hot weather. In instantaneous photography, the quantity of restraining acid added to the developer should always be as small as possible. Professor Miller's results could be very easily tested by polishing two small circular pieces of steel and speculum metal, each exactly the same size, and allowing them to reflect two beams of lunar light upon separate parts of a photographic plate for a few seconds. On applying a developer it would at once be seen which plate reflected most chemical rays.

The lunar photographs are copied in an enlarging camera. Mr. De La Rue finds that the enlarged positives are never so good as the original negatives, some of the smaller details being always lost in the process. Mr. Dallmeyer is now specially making an enlarging lens, which he thinks will give a perfect copy. The best slabs of optical glass are not commonly used in photographic lenses, as perfection is less necessary for such purposes than for the object glasses of telescopes. Mr. Dallmeyer has the reputation of being a good optician, and it will be interesting to see how perfectly he can make a lens, to enlarge to a given size, without any loss of detail, now that he has put himself to solve the problem.

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gestive and useful, that I thought I could not do anything more practically valuable for the new serial than recommence a series of such pencil jottings. I humbly hope its readers will agree with me.

I do not think I need make these sketches more pretentious than the slight things contained in my lost book were. The most careful drawing and delicate finish could not add to their practical value, while I can put on the graphotype plate a dozen slight jottings or more, such as the reader now in less time than that in execute a more elaborate

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In giving form to my idea I hope sometimes to have your assistance. If any of you meet with a pose striking for its elegance, expressiveness, or novelty, pray drop me a line calling attention to it, and thus we may all aid one another, by each contributing his quota to the common stock of really useful information.

My first batch of pencil jottings-half a dozen-are from the following sources:

Fig. 1. From a painting by T. Brooks.

2. From a photograph by Heath and Beau. 3. From a photograph by O. G. Rejlander.

4. From a photograph by W. G. Lacy.

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5. From a photograph by A. H. Wall. 6. From a portrait.

SOME years since, when I was in full practice as a photographic portraitist, I used to keep constantly in my pocket a little sketch-book, in which I was in the habit of jotting down roughly any pose which struck me as good and out of the common monotonous range of ordinary photographic posings, whether I met with it in life, in a painting, engraving, drawing, statue, or photograph.

I am no longer a professional photographer, and the little book has been mislaid, but it was so capitally sug

I have no intention of pointing out the rules and principles by which the student should be guided in posing and arranging his subject, nor the special lesson to be derived from any one of the jottings I may present. Herein my jottings must speak for themselves. My contributions, for some time to come, will be chiefly confined to these pencil jottings rather than to those of the pen, in the use

of which I feel like

"A lounging landsman, awkward at the oar."

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Questions and Suggestions.

A SUGGESTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHER.

SIR,-A letter which has just reached me, containing an important order from a customer who has by chance discovered my address, after vainly searching for it six months, has given me an idea which, I think, might afford you a valuable suggestion for the new magazine; and, in accordance with the invitation extended in your prospectus, I send you it. If you were to publish a kind of directory, giving the names and addresses of photographers in all parts of the kingdom, whether they were colourists, operators, printers, &c., it would be of great use in very many different ways. A photographer would often be glad to know the address of a former assistant; editors and publishers are often glad to know the address of photographers in certain localities from which they require views. Negatives are often wanted when no trace can be found of the photographer who has them. Colourists are often required immediately to meet unexpected emergencies; and many a printer out of work might get a week or two's employ ment when we are pushed for a little temporary assistance, if we only knew where to seek them, and so on. Small type would do for the names and addresses, and a great number would go into a page.-Yours truly, R. S. T.

Discussions and Keplies.

BUBBLES IN LENSES.

AN AMATEUR is informed that the bubbles in his lens, unless very numerous, do not lessen its value in practice. Each bubble, acting as a convex lens, refracts the rays, and thus occasions a diminution of light proportioned to its area; but the sum of their united areas will amount to so minute a portion of the entire surface as to be practically unimportant.

Chat.

It is very evident that Mr. James Mudd, whose name is so well known in connection with the collodio-albumen process, thinks there is room for an illustrated photographic journal, if we may judge by the following extract from "The Year-hook of Photography" for 1868.

One of the most costly and magnificent works is about to appear under the auspices of the Council of India. It is entitled the "People of India, a series of Photographic Illustrations of the Races and Tribes of Hindustan," originally prepared by order of the Indian Government, and now reproduced under the editorship of Dr. J. Forbes Watson and J. W. Kaye. It will form eight volumes in super-royal 4to, comprising about 450 photographs, with descriptive letterpress, and will be issued at the cost of production, £16 16s. the set, or £2 2s. per volume.

The Architectural Photographic Association have published twenty-two examples of photography, which we have not seen, but which the Athenæum describes as possessing extraordinary beauty, and having amongst them an unusually large proportion of picturesque as distinct from architectural subjects, and consequently appealing more successfully to the popular taste.

exhibition of Mrs. Cameron's photographs has been opened. At the German Gallery, 168, New Bond-street, an Admission is granted between the hours of 10 A.M. and 10 P.M., on presentation of address card.

The Queen says, although photography has ousted miniature painting to a large extent, yet judging by the proportion of space portraits occupy at our annual exhibitions, it cannot have interfered very seriously with portrait painting.

On the Continent theatrical managers are introducing a novelty in the shape of showbills illustrated by photographs of some popular scenes in the plays presented, in place of the usual lithographs and woodcuts.

Before the removal of the ruinous and chaotic heap which covered the site of the Haymarket Opera House after the disastrous fire, a complete series of photographs, numbering ten in all, were taken by Mr. Samuel A. Walker, of 64, Margaretstreet, Cavendish-square; and the memento thus preserved will no doubt be highly appreciated by all classes uniting in a love of art and in affection for the time-honoured home of the lyric drama. Every point of view has been comprised in this pictorial record, and the truthfulness of photography is aided by the praiseworthy care and skill of the manipulator.

The great want in the present position of photography is a more extended knowledge of art amongst photographers. Were this want supplied, there would soon be an increased taste and refinement in photographic productions. On the evening of the 23rd ult., the elaborately fitted . It is impossible to convey by words alone the various rules and hints that artists are familiar with. Illustrations and diagrams are necessary to make and tastefully decorated studio of Mr. H. Claudet, in Regentthese rules clear, and there is to be added the peculiar application of street, was almost completely destroyed by fire. Amongst the

that knowledge to photography.

The English Mechanic recommends the following precautions for the preservation of paste, glue, gelatine, gum, &c., used for mounting photographs, to which the decomposition or fermentation of such materials is a fruitful source of destruction : -"A trace of carbolic acid prevents decomposition in albumen, gelatine, glue, and similar substances, and will also effectually preserve from any tendency to fermentation paste of wheat, flour, or starch; and it effects this without in any way altering the qualities of the material, or, like corrosive sublimate, and similar agents formerly used for preserving paste, introducing anything injurious to the photograph. If a few drops of a ten-grain solution of carbolic acid be added to paste or glue when prepared for use, no fear of change or putrefaction need be entertained, as it at once destroys the germs upon which fermentation and decomposition depend. If glue be used, it should be tested at the outset for acidity, and a little ammonia be added if any trace of acid be present. Most samples of glue and gelatine in the market are more or less acid. The only article of the kind we have reason to believe free from acid is a fine sample of glue, prepared by a special process, by Bevingtons, of Bermondsey, which, doubtless, might be brought into the market which supplies photographers if a demand for it were created."

many works of art sacrificed were a collection of portraits of the late M. Claudet, and a little museum of specimens illustrative of the history and progress of photography, together with MSS. and memoranda of public value. Upwards of twenty thousand negatives are said to have been destroyed.

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