The sun., 1891-06-08
The Amateur Photographers.


In the comfortable lodging house OF art
which is situate between the Manhattan
Club and the New York Club in Fifth avenue
there has just been held n picture show OF
peculiar interest. The New York Society OF
Amateur Photographers, the Photographic
Society Of Philadelphia, and the Boston
Camera Club join In public exhibition oc-
curing annually in rotation among the
three cities. The exhibit this year comprised
the best products Of the cameras and print
ing frames Of many Of the most progressive.
enthusiastic. and successful amateur pho
toRraphers In America; and side by side
with these were hung representative speci-
mems Of the skill Of such English artists as
F. CEMBRANo and H. P. ROBINSON, HARRY
SYMoNDs and RICHARD KEANE.
The proportion OF foreign exhibits this
year has been surprisingly large. About
one-quarter OF all the exhibitors were British
or Continental photographers. and out of tho
twelve or thirteen hundred prints shown at
least one-sixth came from across the water.
This circumstance has enabled every visitor
to the Fifth Avenue Galleries during the
past fortnight to judge for himself OF the
comparative excellence achieved by the
American and English schools; for In spirit
and in method. in artistic temperament and
in technical execution. the two groups, on
the whole. are quite Distinct
The marked but not easily described dis
tinction between the best landscape photog-
raphy OF the English amateurs and the
equivalent performances OF our own experts,
sometimes has been attributed to the differ
ence In the conditions Of the sunlight and
atmospheric moisture. It would be inter-
esting to inquire how far results are affected
In that way, but the climate does not ac-
count for all. Tho American amateur, pho
tographing in England, Scotland. or Wales.
is likely to bo an American still In the quail
ity OF the pictures he produces; and the con-
verse is true, we suppose. OF the Englishman
In the valley OF the Juniata. in tho Yosemite,
or In the Garden OF the Gods.
The explanation probably is that whilc the
Americans and the English have been work.
Ing out progress in Photographic art on the
same general lines. the respective results
have been Influenced by race characteristics,
Independent theories and trnditlons OF trent
ment and manipulation, local preferences as
to process. both in tho development OF the
negative and the printing. and differences in
the manufactured implements and material
employed. much more potently than by the
meteorological conditions which confront
the camera It is natural to expect that the
divergence will increase In the future, and
that the American standard will depart still
further from the English, instead OF striving
to approach and initiate 1t. 1t is better that
1t should be 80, In this department OF es-
thetic endeavor. just as In any other.
The discussion OF amateur photography
as II 1t belonged to the fine arts. and as II
tho taking OF q picture were not merely
mechanical pursuit In which due care and
attention to details produced invariable re-
suits under given conditions. will possibly
cause amusement In the minds OF some
readers who associate the word photograph
chiefly with the Concy Island tintype, or the
twelve-lor-a-dollar output OF tho East Side
studio. We are sure that no person who
visited and critically observed the re-
cent exhibit in the Fifth Avenue Galleries
will take this view OF the subject. Even the
sluggard or very busy man who presses the
button. intending to let somebody else do
the rest has tho opportunity To prove him
self IN artist. There Is hardly greater
margin for artistic success or failure before
the translator OF nature who takes in hand
the pencil or the etching needle. than invites
him who goes forth with his camera pre-
pared to exercise from the first step In the
complicated process to the last his indlvidu-
ality not less than his acquired skill.
The meritortous pictures exhibited last
wsek-and the poor pictures and conven-
tonal stun, whether byAmericans or English
men. were not In the majority-afford good
enough evidence that photography is an art.
They also prove what Is already known to
everybody at all familiar with recent photo
graphic progress. namely. that In the culti-
walton Of this interesting art the most intel