Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-06
PROGRESS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
OF SPECIMENS FOR THE
PARIS EXPOSITION.
All the Work of American WOmen-A
Proposed Exhibit in
This City.

| Deeb Iidue Will the improved Appliances
| now at command and through the entrance
| into the fields of photography of persons
who for arts sake alone are carrying out
an extensive work can hardly be realized.
A distinct feature of latter-day photograph
| ic progress has been the prominent and in
creasingly important part played in elevat-
Ing the science of pictorial reproduction 20
the plane Of the truly beautiful
To Illustrate fully the wonderful ability
of American women who have for the last
five or ten years, at the most. been stu
dents of the camera and its possibilities,
and to startle the old world with a revela-
ton Of what the women of this country
have accomplished in triumph over the re-
mainder of the world, Miss Frances Benja-
min Johnston of this city, of the most
widely known of women photographers, has
succeeded in securing a collection of pic
lures Of Incompatible beauty from her
feminine colleagues which she is taking
to Paris, to be exhibited at the interna-
tional Photographic congress in the French
capital as feature of the great exposition
now in progress.
Miss Johnston goes as a delegate to the
congress. She has been invited to read
paper upon the Photographic work of wo-
men iii America, and it was In the prepara-
ton of this article she conceived the idea
of showing well as telling of the excep-
tlOlldl WOfk woman mas accomplished. SHe
will sail from New York Saturday and the
congress will convene July %. There will be
present the unquestionable leaders of the
profession and study of photography from
all parts of the world. Miss Johnston is
confident that the American woman's eX
hibit will attract more widespread interest
and admiration than the displays of any
class of work from other countries.
Proposed Exhibit Here.
Upon her return from Paris Miss John
ston will endeavor to secure the permission
of those represented in the collection to
make an exhibit of the photographs in this
city. Being personally acquainted with
majority of her fellow workers, and having
met with such expressive assurances of in
terest and esteem in making the collection,
1t is quite probable Washington may have
view of this truly interesting and mar
Vicious group of pictures.
Washington should take great interest in
the collection, for some of the finest speci-
mems to be exhibited abroad the work
of capital city women. Miss Virginia NJ.
Prall of this city has contributed a num-
Der of original and effective pictorial pho
tOgraphs which are gems in their line. Miss
Prall Is an amateur who has been studying
her art but comparatively short time She
has met with wonderful success in her
work and IS rapidly attaining note. Mss
Emily New, also of this city, is represent
ed in the Paris collection by several artistic
portraits and head Studies Miss New is al
ready well known in Photographic circles
and has won an enviable reputation by her
very clever work.
Miss Johnston rounds out the list of Wash
ington exhibitors. She is undec idcd yet as
t. what class of work she will enter bat
it is highly probable some of the interest,"
ing character studies sEc secured during a
recent trip to Ebert Hubbard's Roycroft
shop at East Aurora n. Y, may be the
ones selected. One of her pictures of a
grizZled old man of ninety is most striking
The old fellow is not bowed down by his
years, and in his eyes CLEAN Of good ma
ture and joviaiity yet shines. Miss John
ston is already represented in Paris ny
about 800 photographs, including the Wash
irgton public school views and q like series
from the Hampton Va, Normal Institute
Thoroughly Representative.
Owing to the limited space of time in
which she had to secure the pictures Miss
| Johnston was consequently curtailed in her
effort to obtain specimens from all the wo-
men photographers and she was necessarily
| confined in her correspondence to only those
of wider public fame. The collection as it
| stands however. is thoroughly representa-
| tive, and in it there 10 nothing but the
| very foremost evidence of highest photo
graphic attainment.
| Mrs. Gertrude kaSebicr OF New York per-
haps the most famous OF woman photogra-
| pliers. has a fine collection of different va
| reties of studies. while some of the other
| prominent women represented are Miss Rose
| Clark of Buffalo, Miss Eva L. Watson and
| Miss Matilda We'll of Philadelphia, Miss
| Ben Yusuf of New York, Miss Eddy of
| Providence, r. l.; Miss Van Buren, of De-
| troit, Miss Emma j. FarnsTorth of Albany
| Mrs. Mira Virgins of Salem. Ore; Miss
| Elton of Cleveland, Ohio. ard Miss Wal
| born of Akron in the same state: Mrs. N
Gray Bartlett of Chicago, Mrs. Sears. Miss
| Alice Austin and Mrs. AdGie x. Robinson
| Of Boston, the Misses Allen of Deertield
| Mass, and the Misses Selby of New York
Many others have work in the collection,
| al worthy of especial mention.
| 1t is admittedly a fact that woman has
| riser above her brothers in the art of phi D
| Biography Woman has striven more at in
| dlvlduality. She has severed the ties which
bound photography to the old conventions
| alities and set poses and finishes and has
| injected into 1t all of her womanly grace,
| good taste and sense of the beautiful Wo-
| man has worked toward the end of striking
| and beautiful effect, rather than in an en-
| deavor to please the particular vanity of
| the subject. Thus, while the men have
has been experimenting and giving her less
occupied time to attaining the purely
| artistic.
Surprising Results.
The result has been little less than star
| ting. By means of artistic posing and set
| tings, through a careful process and treat
ment of the negative, and through the in
vention Of printing paper susceptible to al
most any color tone effect, the pho
| tographer has secured pictures with a re-
productive apparatus which seemingly could
| have been evolved only by the mind of
| some great artist and executed only with
| his talented hand. Women of wealth have
| entered photography and have pursued the
study with enthusiasm. Women artists have
| taken 1t up adjunct of their heavier
| work. In this way neither time nor expense
| has been spared in the pursuit of higher at
| tainments.
| Miss Eddy of Providence is one Of the
| wealthy women at present in photography.
| She is philanthroplst. and in the further
| ance Of her work for humanity has found
the camera very useful in the picturing OF
] conditions they really exist. The Misses
| Selby of New York. who have loaned sew
| eral exceptionally pretty pictures, are
| English girls who recently came to this
| country, their work now being classed as
| American. Mrs. Bartlett Of Chicago is
| well-known illustrator of Juvenile books
| while Mrs Sears of Boston is brush art
| list Of known ability.
| In connection with the exhibit Miss john
| ston has secured the personal photographs
Of the contributors. who, by the way. she
| declares. were most willing to contribute
i their work but were quite reluctant apd