The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-07-01
REPORTS FROM CONSULS
AROUND THE WORLD

/ PHOTOGRAPHIC SUPPLIES IN FOR
EIGN COUNTRIES-Janes W. Dav-
idson, Consul at Tamsui, Reports IN
der Date Of April 10, 1909:
! Il is the general impression that the
! United States leads the world in adver-
Using. This may be true of many lines.
1 but We are certainly behind in the ad-
! vertising Of Photographic supplies. Some
/ Two years ago, I organized an amateur
! Photographic club which counts five ma
! tionalities among It's members This has
4 brought me in close touch with many
1 interested in the art. and I am pleased
20 find that American Photographic ap-
/ planes have an exceptionally good
| reputation among foreigners. American
manufacturers have reached a more sat
| isfactory solution OF the problem OF a
practical combined hGnd-and-stand
camera than their foreign competitors,
and two lines of American sensitized
/ paper arc recognized as very superior
/ by advanced workers throughout the
world. Our plates and films have uai-
versal reputation for excellence, but
owing to the very nigh prices asked for
| plates. the latter cannot compete abroad
! with those OF foreign MANUFACTURE.
a good, reliable English plate can be
/ bought for hale the money asked for the
/ American article. With this exception.
[ We can hold our own in price. In quail
/ ;ty we are not exceIIed, and in several
ra1 a1 he
teriaI, but lack the enterprise TO push
our goods abroad. Among the thou
sands upon thousands OF amateurs
| throughout the world, the demand is
very large, and 1t is astonishing to find
cur makers behind the English. Ger
man. and French in catering to this de-
mand
Setting aside for the moment the sub
Jet Of foreign advertising. we are with
out a single Photographic publication IN
America carrying sufficient advertls-
ing TO make the publication of special
interest to foreign dealers on the look
out for Photographic supplies Other
lines Of American industry have trade
journals that are widely patronized by
the manufacturers, but the home pho
tOgrapbic trade goes almost unrepTe-
sented- England possesses, in the
British Journal Of Photography Alma
nae, an annual publication which deal
ers and enthusiastic amateurs are glad
to get The number for this year G902)
is a bulky volume of 1850 pages. Of
these, 1,010 full pages are devoted to the
advertisements OF 245 advertisers. As
many OF the advertisers are general
agents representing several manufac-
turers, there are probably 400 or 500
different makers represented. I believe
this publication 10 be one Of the most
valuable advertising mediums in the
world. With the Journal Almanac IN
his hand, the foreign dealer is in close
touch with the English supply trade
He finds there every novelty in his line,
and as the leading manufacturers cccu-
Ply enough space to cover briefly their
whole field several firms utilize upward
Of thirty pages each, and one we'll
known house fills sixty-fve pages), the
dealer has before him abridged cata-
logues Of practically every maker in
Great Britain.
Now, let US see what the United States
has to offer in this line. We have seq
eraI very good Photographic ANNALS. so
far as the quality OF the reading matter
is concerned. Two of these are before
ne. and I find that in illustrations and
general makeup, they are in advance
o. the British annual referred to above |
They have comparatively large for
eign circulation. and are much apDre- |
ciated for the good things they contain, |
but they lack the most valuable feature |
Of aII-representative advertising. The
1900 issue OF the American Annual Of /
Photography" which is the largest of /
our ANNALS, contains 4s9 pages Of |
these, II9 pages are devoted to adver- |
tisements. and the 20 advertisers rep /
resented seem. as a rule, content with /
a mere uninteresting address card. The /
publishers, who control a large photo /
graphic supply house. occupy most Of .
the space
Foreign dealers obtain something even ]
from this poor advertising array. but
very little as compared with the British
Almanac. The fault is not with the pub
fishers They offer q brighter settine
for advertisements than their foreign (
contemporaries, and the advertising
rates are no higher It Is our manufac-
rurers who are at fault II It we're only
possible to convince them Of this and 1
induce them TO join in building up an
American advertising medium like tb
British Almanac" our foreign trade in Il
supplies would increase
greatly. I may appear to be over
on this point, but have given
the subject much study for the past six
Years and feel sure of my position.
have seen considerable orders for mis-
,ellaneous Photographic supplies 90 to
English manufacturers merely from the d
tact that the Almanac" placed before Ii