Evening star., 1916-05-10
Private View Given of Produc.
tions by Capital Camera
Club Members.
WILL BE OPEN TO PUBLIC
FOR PERIOD OF TEN DAYS
Washington Subjects Rated as Fea-
ture of Picturesque Collection.
List of the Contributors.

The Capital Camera Clubs twenty
second annual exhibition of pictoria
photography was opened last evening
| in the Corcoran Gallery of Art with g
private exhibition and reception. Fol-
| ten days it will be on view to the pub
| lie under the usual regulations govern
| ing admission to the Corcoran Gallery
| of Art.
Beautiful reproductions of attractive
| exhibits in this display will be found In
| the planogravure section of next Sunday s
Star.
For the first time this exhibition has
been given space in the main gallery
the large room to the left of the grand
stairway having been allotted to it. In
thus giving photography place with the
fine arts the Corcoran Gallery of Art is
not, however. creating a precedent AT
the ST. Louis exposition photography
was for the first time exhibited in the
fine arts department. Since then
notable collection of pictorial photo
graphs has been shown in the Albright
Gallery Buffalo. and season after sea
son a Photographic salon has been held
in the Toledo Museum of Art.
There is good reason for considering
photography among the arts The PIC
torial photographer who would attain
real success must possess not merely
technical knowledge of photography,
but understand pictorial composition
and the laws of light and shade, ana II
he is a real artist he must furthermore
have an appreciation of those subtleties
of beauty which mechanical process
alone cannot translate.
Many Phases Develop.
Photography has in the last few
wears passed through almost rs many
phases as painting, though apparently
II has not yet attempted cubism or fu-
turism 1t seems. in fact, to have es-
caped these epidemic diseases. its limi
tation smaking it in these instances i'm
mune. For photographers must, after
all, to an extent. have a basis of fact
TO begin with, and herein lies photog-
raphy's saving grace. A few years ago
the wave of impressionism swept over
photography as it had swept over paint
ing and sculpture. but with more det-
rimental result, for it neither opened
the doors to sunshine nor permitted un-
looked for freedom of speech. Instead,
the world all at once became misty
portraits were befogged. pictorial com
positions rendered out of focus under
the supposition that thereby mystery
misunderstanding, to say nothing OF
misuse of a good medium. but the phase
passed, and some excellent lessons were
learned. In the long run photography
was bettered.
The results of this experimentation
in the past are to be noted in the ex-
hibition now set forth by the Capital
Camera Club. AS a whole the pictures
shown are of high standard of merit
and for the most part the art employed
is eminently sane. Where the infiu-
ence of impressionism is noted is In
the softened outlines and the atmos-
pheric effects not only in outdoor pic
lures. but in portraiture. Yet the fac,
that photographs first function Is tha'
of bearing faithful witness has not ap-
parently been forgotten in most in
stances.
Sometimes 1t seems. when comparing
work Of today with that of some years
passed, that less progress has been
made than was supposed. But not SC
in photography. Such work as is tC
be found in the exhibition at the Cor
coran Gallery would have been beyond
the range of possibility some years ago
Some of the portraits are really won.
derful interpretations of character ant
personality: some of the outdoor pic
lures are astonishingly dramatic and
symOathetic in rendering