New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-07
AMERICAN INSTITUTE FAIR.

DEPARTMENT I.-FINE ARIo AMI EDOOAliON.
This magnificent exhibition may now be pro-
nounoed complete and its best In pleasant weather
2Oo persons daily down the broad aisle beneath
the blaze of the sunlight reeotors and file away right and
left among pictures buss carpets engines pows cook
ingranges soda fountains, hugo temples OF toilet soap
wonderful nlad tables pianos, arbors made glorious With
broad estoons OF bunting and acoves enriched
by the latest achievements OF American photography
The casual visitor may not be that
this collection may SEEM 1t is In fact strictly classified
into departmental groups and these again are sub
divided Into special groups This classification s maze
according to the end which On article or an Invention
subserves not according to size or perfection Oh nhSn
elegant carriage with patent Clarence 'front.' all
agleam with gold and varnish is cheek by Jowl Win
heavy casting, rough and strong, representing an I'M
proyement in caPwheels Why this proximity In things
40 unlike In fnShi Because the gorgeous carriage and
the massive casting both appliances by which loco
motion is made easy and agreeable
We purpose to take up tho exhibition by depart
ments and to give not SO much catalogue Of what may
be- seen as history Of the steps the discoveries by
which certain results realized. We wish to set
down the lesson of this show and In popular way to
give our readers the methods the marvels, and the
LEARNING of recent inventions. In no unworthy sense
ia the vast circular sweep Of the roof that swes over
this collection Of the products OF American industry
temple orch.
Modern life here speaks aloud to Ingenious youth and
bas him be earnest and practicable do something or to
make points to tho brilliant though ma.
teral victories, here grouped In an immense Oh
those who gave laborious days, and Outlines resuess
nights to the philosophy Of human uses ana human pro-
gress who schlers vigorous phrase, went MOUND
ing through tho wide world Of the possible srVlng 10
seize the material wherewith 70 trahSnupe 'ho 0oN0P
| ton into the reality
r,enarment ia tho least material, the most renned
and aesthetic Here are the seven groups Of which this
| section consists:
l. Paintings on canvas glass; anu.orner surfaces: ras'
| tells, cartoons miniatures.
q EngraviDgs, Autographs, chemical etchinSs plain
| and coiored, enamel works, designs, aud drawings
| a pkotoaaphs rlain and colored-Dsguerreotype
| ambrotypes All other impressions by the action OF
| light.
g. Sculpture, canoes medals medalllons, bss.rerefs
embossed work. fine castings in bronze, znc and othcr
| metals
Musical instruments pianos, organs melodeohs, lh
| struments used In bands and concerts.
g. Specimens Of printing and bookbnding, stationery
globes maps charts and all apparatus for instructihg
| science, tables and machines for calculation.
| T. Philosophical instruments, dals, chronometers,
watches and clocks telescopes microscopes lenses, cam
| eras, and other optical instruments.
The Chairman OF the Committee having this depart
ment In special charge is Thomas Hicks, the artist 1t
would be quite unfair however to intimate that the ar.
tces in these groups truthful type OF the best that
the American brush and ch.sel have done or can do.
Church has nothing here, Bierstadt nothing, EDiots
| brush sends no masterpiece.
But there is department Of the pictorial art which u
very fully and handsomely represented, department
which unes for all its best results the and skill Of
the chemist with tho eye Of the scupto and this is Pho
Biography The collection of sunlight pictures so large
aud go good that with the exception OF few remarkable
things sixth and seventh groups account OF this
department is properly statement Of the condition OF
| Photographic art in America.
It is about 30 years ago that the public curiosity was
greatly stimulated by the announcement that French
man named Daguerre had found out that iodine, then
new substance In chemistry extracted from kep would
so act upon silver plato to mako it wonderfully sem
sitiye to light would In fact give such silver plate the
capacity OF receiving and of holding picture thrown
upon It. The development OF the bIndlcraft In this
country was quite amazing The outa Idsh name OF the
| French chemist in everybody's mouth and was
painted on ten thousand door posts Every awkward
toothdoctor lazy schoelmaser, and broken inventor
| turned artist" A square bit Of cabinet work,
| black within. having Dig brass eye, three
legs aud thumbscrew; o mysterious closet;
hung with funeral coors and reekng with the fume OF
strange chemicals were set up over every other dry
goods store behind half the OF the coun
try and yo were deluged with miniatures. Weird,
shadowy things they were at first, with mummy-ke
and ghosty expression when held at the wrong angle
patches OF representative smoke brown foreheads baz
ing with light that was on sea or land silvery
DrOadclOtlg,
and brows knit to r0wn by the glare OF an unusual ana
intoerabie brightness in which the sitter set.
But they gave "satisfacon" nevertheless, for they
came right homo 10 the seove Of the race, and there
was an amazing fidelity in tho copying Of every hair,
every mole and freokle and wart and wrinkle that
seemed like going by nature. Meantime improve.
ments we're made and Fox Talbot in England had an in
spiration; for what else call tho swift stride by
which We sprang the daguerreotype TO the photo
graphi lie covered sheet Of paper with changeable
salt Of silver exposing in the camera, and developing
the image by solution Of gallo acid The art OF Photo
graphy was however perfected by Mr. F. Scott Archer
OF England, who made o metallic transparent picture
on glass Beneath 1t he placed piece OF pa
per prepared in q peculiar way. and allowed
tho SUMS rays to pour through the glass. Where the
metal lay thick the rays had little effect the paper
below, which remained white; where the metal was
thin the paper turned quite dark This metallic shadow
on glass not affected by the suns rays and the
process that produced positive from this shadow.
called negative. could print million pictures at the
cost price of egg bundle OF kindling wood
Now how is the metallic shadow thrown upon the glass;
and how Is that made to produce picture on paperi
First clean glass plato is coated in from which
the sunlight is secluded, with c0llodion gun cotton In
solution charged with the salts OF iodine and bro
mine. This Is now bathed In solution OF nitrate OF
silver lunar caustic and chemical marriage between
the silver and the Iodine and bromne takes place. max
ing thin film on the glass OF iodlde and bromide Of sill
ver The plato actually sensitive Of light 1t Is
placed In dark case and transferred to the camera or
movable box with the big brass eye Whatever this eye
points at will be etched shadowy picture on tie
film OF the glass plate. But In order to have strong
effect II Is supposed that strong light and generally
light from above must be thrown upcn the object This
Is the stumbling block whcbgphotography has in
most hands fallen from nee, II not d,e art into
laundering handicraft. strong Eight must DO thrown
upon parts Of the fee in order to get the right
effects and to develop the features But If that light is
strong all over the face, chilly slvery glare is the re-
s How 10 get rid of the cold brightness on some parts