The American Annual of Photography Volume 6 - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1802 edition. Excerpt: ...projected on the screen, and having them arranged in something like historic order, the description goes on in sequence. Our cosmopolitan gallery should be got up by nationalities, although I very well recognize the fact that, like science, photography has or should have no nationality. If America, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, and the other European and Asiatic nations would each collect the portraits and records of the individuals to whom I refer, and then effect an interchange with their brethren, this might be easily attained. Already, I possess a fair collection of such portraits, and I can only say that they will most heartily be placed at the disposal of any public body who will take this matter up, for, as I nave said, the task is too onerous to be taken effectively in hand by a private individual. J. Traill Taylor. THE LIMITATIONS OF PHOTOGEAPHY. There is a well-worn story of how a lady brought back her proofs to the veteran photographer, Sarony, complaining that, though the photographs were of course very good, the likeness was very bad and that the mouth especially was large and coarse. "But," said Sarony, "God made the mouth, T only made the photographs." The fault may have been with the maker of the mouth, or it may have been with the maker of the photographs, but it is certain--though photography is generally deemed to be a pretty faithful servant--it may be easily made unfaithful and its limits of exactness are pretty soon reached. Take, for instance, the limits of lenses. When I read, in the catalogues of certain opticians that their lenses (and their lenses only) will work with the full opening, generally, perfectly sharp to the extreme corners of the plate, I wonder--for they know as well as I...