Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-19
Comero Angles:

About one mOnIn dSO VIC
loosed our first broadslde
against the Baltimore Expert
ment," where a jury OF nom
photographers were selected to
judge the 1852 Baltimore Salon
of Photography. The reaction
was not long in coming. A high
" gratifying number Of letters
and phone calls began coming
in from readers. With but one
exception all lauded our stand.
Today's space will be given over
to the readers. Here are the
views of photographers and
those interested in photography
as an art medium.
Dear Mr.. Wedderburn: Per-
NIT me to congratulate you on
your Indictment of the Balti-
more Experiment" as published
in The Sunday Star OF Sep
TENDER 81, 1852. 1t might well
be broadcast to all pictorial
photographers, both amateur
and professional.
I mailed a copy of it to Cam
era Magazine. with the sugges-
ton that, in fairness to its read
ers. your protest should be re-
produced therein.
In my opinion, photography
is now as much a medium of
fine art as are the older forms.
such as painting. etching, etc.
The inventor of the earliest
Photographic process. Daguerre.
was a well-known scenic paint
err, and many early students of
that process were painters or
artists in other media.
Although the fundamental
of pictorial art are equally ap-
plicable to creations of the
painter, the etcher and the pho
tographic artist. it does not fol-
low that an artist in one
medium is familiar with the
technique Of another medium
or is competent to judge work
in other media than his own.
except perhaps on the basic
principles of pictorial art.
Many modern photographers
have had sound training in the
basic principles of art and have
created numerous outstanding
examples of pictorial art
through their chosen medium.
Tardily and reluctantly art in
stitutes and museums have
recognized their work as worthy
of acceptance on an equality
with painting, etching and
other media Of graphic art.
The surrender Of the Balti-
more Camera Club. even expert
mentally. to the stipulation Of
the Baltimore Museum Of Art
that the latter select the panel
of judges from artists in the
older media is regrettable.
However. the incident may
incite Photographic artists to
continue more ardently to
demonstrate that photography
has become a medium of fine
art deserving equal recognition
with painting, etching. and
other forms Of graphic art. that
among Photographic artists
there are many who are COM
petent to Judge Photographic
creations offered for exhibition
and that recourse to panels of
judges which include only
artists in other media are un-
necessary and unwarranted.
Sincerely yours.
HARRY B. SHAW, President
National Photographic Society
Washington, D. C.
Dear Mr.. Wedderburn: I hap
pened to see your article in yes
terday's Star and would like to
say I consider it extremely
timely. I think, in view Of the
subject matter, that your cas-
tigation was extremely mild
concerning the Baltimore Club.
consider myself fortunate in
having had a background where
I could observe both sides of the
fence, lie, the artists on one
side, the photographers on the
other, and reproduction proc
esses in between, so to speak.
Personally, I can think of Moth
ing more stupid than a photo
graphic group condescending in
any manner, shape. or form to
any so-called artistic group.
The Baltimore Club most GER
tainly had a chance to see the
red light before they ever put
their head on the block.
Anton Bruehl puts it as we'll
as any one when he advises us
to exploit the wonderful photo
graphic process to the nth de-
gree and if once in a while we
happen to arrive at an artistic
result so much the better. but
let us at no time be so utterly
insane as to 60 about asking