The times., 1899-02-12
Stationery.
New Books.

mon Sordid thing. this is art. One of two
things is certain: He is either a caliow
beginner, or he has not that divine in
stinct which knows art and is duly hun;-
BILE.
Photography has made very rapid prog
ress by reason of the immense competition
and reward that usually follows new COM
mercial enterprise. The practice of the
art is very wide. This is due to the great
demand for photographs by all classes of
people. For these reasons photography
has made astonishing progress in the di
rection of real art. Galleries of profess
sional photographers of the first class-aGd
they abOund-produce from time TO time
work before which the painter and con-
noisseur stop in amazement at the ar
tistic possibilities of this so largely me-
chanical art. To the amateur and the
semi however. credit must be
given for pioneering on painter lines. with
results that have borne wholesome fruit.
Has Reromc mn Art.
The lesson has been one the professional
photographer has been quick to learn.
! There is no more interesting feature in the
art development of these closing days of
the nineteenth century than that of the
photograph. Photography is no longer
| useful help to the painter, but divides the
, honors with him up to that magical line
where color begins.
There the hrushman waves his hand and
says goOd-by regretfully, for the photog
rapher is so skillful. sensitive, and sympa-
thetic an artist that the painter is sadden-
ed to part company with him.
Color photography OF a practical kind
may come some day. The best friends Of ar
tistic photography, however, are not hope
fui: the difficulties in the way seem insur-
mountable. The photograph colored By
! hand is an abortivc thing. neither photo-
graph nor painting. The photographer aud
painter worthy the name avoid them,
while the photographer who persists in
coloring his prints loses caste. And it is
as much as ones reputation is worth to
defend cOored photograph. The Pnilis-
tine may like il, but the possession of such
a work upon his walls betrays his igno
rance of things artistic, as does the pres
ence there of the factory water CO.. or.
which is bad beyond any word OF defence
The Capitals Photographers.
Washington is particularly strong in
photographers both professional and anna
teur. whose work is high-class and paint
er-like in its Interpretation Of nature.
At the Capital Camera Club rooms. 1910
+ Street last week. We're shown col.ec
tion of prints ranging from charcoal to
Scpia in tone, all taStefuily framed Ill dark
wood the work of f. Lee Ferguson. The
entire collection bore ample witness to the
fact that Mr.. Ferguson has "hitched his
| wagon to a star that same star
that has carried all the great artists from
Raphael to Bourne Jones, and from C.aude
TO Corot, safely along The ages, and will
for all time.
: 1t is gratifying 20 observe the earnest
ness and intensity with which these uma-
teurs devote themselves to the solution of
some of the most difficult problems with
which the painter has to deal.
Conspicuous Amateurs.
The Times will watch with interest the
progress OF this branch of local art work
ers. confident that they have the real art
spirit. A great future is before the more
talented and skillful OF Washington's anna
teur photographers. Among those workers
who have up to the present time made
/ their mark by photographs Of the higher
class may be mentioned Charles e. Fair
man, president of the Capital Camera
Club. Il. Lee Ferguson. Max Hansmann,
Charles Richard Dodge, \. J. Henry, whose
photographs of clouds have been revsla-
ton to scientists as well as to painters of
landscape; Wallace Babcock, j. NJ Bottom,
| DIR. William p. Herbst, H. Gray Douglas.
William Dinwiddic, d. W. Evans, C. Fran