Evening star., 1911-05-29
EXHIBIT OF PHOTOS
Collection Of 5000 to Illus
trate Development of Art.
SOON TO BE PUT ON VIEW
Specimens Gathered by Thomas w
Smillie to Trace History Of
!. Photography.


Tlpmas w. Smillie. F. r. p s., Of
ficAol photographer OF the Smithsonian
Institution. Is preparing an exhibit OF
which. when completed, will
illustrate the development of the photo
graphic art from tho time Of the discov-
cry Of the first process by the French
man. Neipce. in 1924. to the present time
This exhibit will consist Of a collection
Of 500 photographs. which will be
placed on exhibition either in the Ma
tional Museum or the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition In Washington. The collection will
be catalogued. and each photograph de-
scribed in detail as to the process used
and the inventor thereof.
Mr.. Smillie has been connected with
the Smithsonian Institution since 1868.
and is the inventor OF the process OF
on wood He il the author
OF many books and pamphlets.
Two Likenesses Of Daguerre.
Perhaps the most interesting pictures
Of the collection are two daguerreotypes
of Daguerre himself. One OF the photo
graphs Of the inventor OF the most per-
feet method OF photography was loaned
for the collection by Mrs. Valentine OF
New York, while the other was presented
to the National Museum by Mr.. Cramer
of st. Louis. He paid $500 for 1t. Mr..
Smillie is OF the opinion that the daguerre.
otype method has never been excelled
Even the most modern and up-to-date
methods, he claims. do not produce the
hneness and satisfactory results obtained
by the old slow and cumbersome method
on the silver plate. The picture Is toned
<A,,e o1vno fr1I
clearness, likeness and detail that have
defied the march Of progress and fnven-
ton.
The daguerreotype was first produced
the talbotype, q process by which chloride
OF silver was used successfully on paper.
The first negative Of the Talbot process,
"calotype." was produced in 1S4O After
this came the collodion negative on glass
then came the ambrotype. and later the
known as the gelatin bromide emulsion
process.
Great headway is now being made in
developing color photography. Mr.. Smil-
lie has been signally successful in this
line OF endeavor. and the results pro-
duced by him will be Of unusual interest.
In 1908 he published book on THE Re-
cent Progress In Color Photography" In
that year two methods Of producing pho
tographs in color, the auto-chrome and
the Warner Powrie processes, were dis
covered.
Three Hundred Models"
The exhibition will contain over 300
models pertaining to photography.
transferred from the United States patent
ONCE permanently. as this exhibit is to
be one Of the perpetual features Of the
Smithsonian displays.
Mr.. Smillie's discovery OF a process
Of photographing on wood. made in 1858.
proved OF great value to wood engrav-
ers, and this and other work made pos
sible his election to fellowship Of the
It was this invention that practically
gave Mr.. Smillie his connection with the
government service. Shortly Thereafter
Prof. Baird. then assistant secretary OF
the Smithsonian Institution, VINO was en-
gagged in preparing an elaborate work on
North American Birds. asked the pho
tographer to assist him in its prepara-
ton. Many OF the illustrations that ap-
pear in this recognized text book were
photographed on wood by Mr.. Smillie
for the engravers. With the coming OF
the present-day photo-engraving process
wood engraving has practically become
extinct. Since then Mr.. Smillie has been
continuously. with the exception OF q
short period of time, in the service OF
the government, and q large part Of the
illustrations in the Smith
sonian literature during the intervening
years has been his work.
Photographs Of Solar Eclipse.
Mr. Smillie regards as one OF his most
important accomplishments in photog-
raphy the series OF photographs taken Of
the solar eclipse in 1900 at Wadesboro.
N. C. These photographs are classed
among the most remarkable ever taken.
In all, eight negatives were secured with
the -35-foot telescope. twelve with a for
ty-foot telescope and a number Of others.
all Of whic hwill be thrown In the conec-
tfon.
In one end Of the 135-foot telescope was
the lens, while the other end terminated
in q dark room. A mirror operated by
ciockwork and known as q coelostat re-
f1ected the image OF the eclipse eastward
into the camera. BY means OF the clock
work the mirror was made to revolve
once in forty-eight hours, 30 that per-
feet photograph was thus obtained. This
negative measured 30 by 30 inches and
will be one OF the most prominent In the
exhibit.
Only One Of It's Kind.
The National Museum exhibit of pho-