Letter I

EMERSON TO STIEGLITZ LETTERS

Transcribed by N. Newhall, 1972

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a
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June 20th 1888

10, Marlboro' Crescent
Bedford Park
Chiswick

Dear Sir,

Although we are unknown to each other in the flesh we are I trust friends in
the spirit. I am now taking the liberty of writing to you on this "spiritual
basis" on a thing which recently come to my mind.

As perhaps you have seen in that periodical the "Amateur Photographer" I am
writing a book on "Naturalistic Photography." The MS is now nearly finished
and I hope to have it in the printers' hands by the end of this month and on
the market by Xmas or before. Now the matter I have to propose to you is
this. Would you care to undertake the translation of it into German, a task
for which you are undoubtedly highly qualified? If so, we can arrange terms.
You could no doubt get a German publisher to take it up - the same who
publishes Burton's and Robinson's books and we could demand a royalty on every
copy sold and share it between us if that would meet your views in the matter.
The expense of production would be . . . little as there are no illustrations.
I may say it treats everything photographic from a _new point of view_ and
especially goes into the artistic side of the question. In short the book is
intended for a student who wishes to produce pictures and it contains all
technical directions. It also contains the most advanced ideas on art, ideas
which I have been able to gather and learn from my large circle of artist
friends and from my training in art.

Letter 2

Emerson - Stieglitz

June 27th 1888

Dear Mr. Stieglitz

You are very kind and I am glad you will undertake the translation. I have
finished the book and it will go the printers here in a fortnight.

Directly the book is published and bound I will forward you a copy. In
addition I shall write a new preface for the German Edition.

Meanwhile as regards a publisher. Will you get one to undertake the publi-
cation - the same who published Burton's and Robinson's books in German-

Get the best terms you can and we will share equally all profits on the
German Edition.

The book goes especially into all art questions and ought to have a great sale.

Its title is

"Naturalistic Photography

for

Photographic Art Students."

You can tell the publisher there would be very little expense in its
production - no illustrations.

Again thanking you for your kindness in the matter

Believe me my dear Sir

Yrs faithfully

P. H. Emerson

A. Stieglitz Esq

Diisseldorf: Ed. Liesegang's Verlag

1. The publishing house was [Wilhelm Knapp, Halle an der Saale]. The books were:

Burton, W. K., Das A-B-C der Modern Photographiw, 1883

Robinson, H. P., Das Glashaus and was darin geschiet, 1886

August 28, 1888

10 Marlboro Crescent
Bedford Park
Chiswick

My dear Mr Steiglitz -

When I wrote to you asking you to translate my book into German, I was not
aware of the methods in which these things are done. It seems the German
<u>publisher</u> must get leave from my English publishers to translate it and
then he pays the translator an honorarium and pays the English publisher a
fee. The book is now in the press and the publishers are

Messrs Sampson Low and Co
St. Dunstan's House
Fetter Lane
Fleet St
E.C.

The simplest way with this, <u>directly</u> the books come out here I will post
you a copy and might talk to a German publisher and suggest your translating
and you talk (?) the fee, he getting a permission from my publishers here.
This must be done within a year I believe.

A. Steiglitz Esq

March 16/89

Dear Mr Stieglitz,

At last I am able to send you a copy of the book. It was published
yesterday.

Now the publisher must pay you for translating, pay me £20 for right of
translation (on day of Publication) and he must also have the advertisements
of my books included in the German Edition translated. You would of course
make your own terms with him. I could write a special preface for the
German Edition and you too might write an *Introductory Translator's Preface*.
I shall look forward to hear from you and have your opinion on the book.

10 Marlboro Crescent
Bedford Square
Chiswick

June/1/89

Dear Mr Steiglitz

Your letter of 26th ult (Oct?) has just come to hand. May I ask you not to
send any communication to me c/o 'The Amateur Photographer' Ever since Mr
Stone gave that paper up I have had no interest in it, for it is _retrogressive_.
You will have seen the 'low' letters on my book that have been appearing
recently. I am going to show their tactics up soon and you will I think be
astonished and disgusted. I will send you a copy of the paper with the
Expose.

I am glad you have a publisher but I'm afraid you won't get a better offer.
I shall only make £25 on the first edition _here_ and I _wrote_ it. Do you
think it would take as long as you say when you get into the book. Try and
get £20 from Knapp. Anyhow I shall be most interested to hear soon how
you get on for I am anxious that it should go into German. I will send you
a sheaf of good press clippings in afew days and you could tell Knapp that
you would translate from the 2nd English Edition. The advts of my books must
be included and translated. I really don't think it would take 800 or 900
hrs would it? A literary lady computes that it would take six weeks working
8 hrs per diem. That is 360 hrs - but you know that.

What I tell you about Jolly and Gale must be strictly private. is no
good. He has done two possessing some merit- viz. a lovely (lonely?) shore -

'Idle Moment.' You may have seen reproductions of them. But they are not great and 'Idle Moment' is imperfect. Neither of them equal those you sent in when I was judge. He is popular because his things are sharper than the sharpest, so to speak. Gale is an architect, nearly 60. He for years worked at landscape and figures, Birketer Foster being his model. The work is nearly all pretty and niggling. But he is accepting my teaching and within the last year or two he has produced 3 or 4 really good things but nearly all are wrong in clouding. But the good things are not those you even speak of. For example that 'Sleepy Hollow' reproduced by A. P. is very poor and small. I shall be anxious to hear from you soon and if you ever lose my address send your letters to my publisher (S. Low and Co) and not to A. P.!

Yours faithfully

P. H. Emerson

22/6/89

Dear Mr Stieglitz

I will send you some press cuttings in a month or two and a copy of the
2nd edition and perhaps then Knapp will reconsider his position.

The 'Amateur' fell into the hands of a clerk of the former editor's who
knows 0 and has already been prosecuted for an ignorant libel in the
' ' on Fortes one of the best engineers here. It has (been)
a good paper but now it is worthless and unscupulous. 'Photography' one-
pence beats it all to pieces.

just now as I have a pile of accumulated letters
to answer.

Couldn't you find out from Knapp what review he saw that determined him
not to publish it.

Emerson to Stieglitz

26/8/89

Dear Mr. Stieglitz

I herewith enclose the "end catalogue" of the 2nd Edition of "Naturalistic
Photography." The publishers are keeping the 2nd ed book for the Autumn as
now it is a dead dull season for publishing. You will get selected reviews
on "Nat. Photy" at end of book and you can send them to Knapp.

You can have the full £25 for translation if he will agree to the old
terms that is £15 for you and £10 for me, but I say you can have the
£25. I also . . . . . other reviews . . . Knapp.

(The blanks above are due to Emerson's not blotting the page before he
hastily folded it. We have tried the offset by mirror and backlight. Good
luck to the next transcriber!)

P H Emerson

18/9/89

Dear Mr Stieglitz

Thank you for your very kind letters and the trouble you take over the
book. I do hope you may get the commission to proceed with the translation
at once. I the other day received the "Rundschau." It is a ludicrously
impudent review and the joke is that we never asked him to review it - we
never sent him a copy. Can you tell me if it is the organ of any photographic
society and if so of what?

Thank you for your kind remarks on the awards. From what I know of many of
the English Exhibitors who attained 1st class medals I am curious to know
what sort of *painters* the judges were. - for no real artist could medal
Robinson's work in any class. I shall like any details you could tell me -
for private satisfaction only. Had my remarks on German art in Nat. Photoy
any *influence*? Do you think Germany holds its own in Photogravure?

I am English correspondent to the American Amateur Photographer and . . .
[unless you are German also] will you write me a short resume of the Berlin
Jubilee Exhibition to forward in my letter? I will of course attach your
name to it.

Has the award been made in Class VI (I think it has) Book or Photo Lit
depart. I sent in Nat Photoy in comp.

29/9/89

Dear Mr Stieglitz

Shake - I am an American too - my father was a Massachusetts man one of the Emerson family - but we had better not say much about our nationalities this side of the water - especially in photo-circles, that is a tip. It is very noble and magnanimous of you to go on with translation inspite of such opposition and I do hope you will get a publisher. I don't believe what Knapp says about Eder. What German art worth twopence is there can Knapp or Eder tell me. There (are) a few promising young men at Munich but none have yet 'arrived.' Will you yourself oblige me by referring to an early schedule of the Berlin photo exhibit. I am sure there was a class for Photo Literature - Class VI - and I entered. I am seriously thinking of returning the Berlin Soc medal with thanks, but don't know if it is (the) cure. I will take six of those plates out of East Anglian Life and back them against any six collected photos for £100 purchase. L'Hermite, Dagman-Bouvent, 'Carolus Duran, Jules Breton, Monet, Pelouse were judges and they are generally allowed to be the 1st six panel artists.

I am not exhibiting personally at Pall Mall, though four of my things go in by reproducers.

Traill Taylor and co too fishy for me. Do you receive 'Photography' it's the best paper over here now. 'Photo Art Journal' very fine indeed too.

You should get those two.

I have made Robinson apologize for libelling me. You will see the letter in
some of the photo-papers. He is trying to trim now and make out he is a
'Naturalist' Why don't you write Beach (editor of American Amateur Photographer)
and offer to be Berlin correspondent for American A.P.

Shall look forward to your notes on Berlin exhib - _please send at once_, so
I can catch mail.

10 Marlboro Crescent

Bedford Park

Chiswick

11/4/89

Dear Mr Steiglitz

I enclose a review which may help you. The review in British Journal you
must take no notice of - that paper belongs to Ross and Co Opticians and
I recommended Dallmeyer's lenses - voila tout. The review in A.P. was
written by H. P. Robinson whose antiquated notions and book I sneer at in
Nat. Photog. If you can get a publisher I will take £10 for the copyright.

With kind regards-

Emerson to Stieglitz

10 Marlboro' Crescent
Bedford Park
Chiswick
London

22/12/89

Dear Steiglitz

I have posted you the 2nd ed of *Nat Photography* with press notices at the end. The 'British Journal' has come round with Year Book for 1890 where Traill Tyler says is *the* book of the year and will become a standard work. There is but 1/2 of that wretched A P . . . (review?) I refer to that nauseous cad Hastings for Hapsworth is a decent fellow, but I'm afraid he hasn't overmuch to say in the matter for Hastings is paid proprietor I believe. I hope you will be able to get a publisher now - the 2nd ed ought to wake them up. I wish you a merry Xmas and happy New Year.

14/8/90

Dear Mr Steiglitz

I congratulate you on the scholarship - Bravo! We are winning all round here and soon everybody will be a Naturalist. I hope to see you working with Beach on the American A P when you get back. Newman turns out to be an utterly insignificant person - a draughtsman for stained glass works and is not even acknowledged an artist by 3rd rate painters.

I hope you will get a publisher in Germany. I am preparing the 3rd ed which will be published in the spring. I would rather you published a German translation from that as there are important alterations, not of principles but of matters which further confirm my teachings.

That editor of Amateur Photog has at last got found out by the trade - do
you see they are boycotting him - taking away their advertisements -

Ailsa Lodge Stourwood

W. Christchurch Hants.

26/11/02

Thanks for your letter. I felt sure you wished to give facts, but you see
you have been away from the center of the storm.*

*Obviously Emerson had already lost touch with what was happening in America. Deeply concerned with the hideous fashions sweeping the photographic world and with the injustices done to himself, he had not noticed that the "storm" had moved on to New York and that its center was Alfred Stieglitz.

Davison up to a certain period (when he had learned my methods which I have
letters of his acknowledging) did help on the cause - then he was too vain
and too ignorant to pursue the very legitimate means of experiments as
pictorial - and he joined the charlatans and did more harm than good. Hinton
came into the business a good deal later than Davison had nothing to do with
the development of Naturalistic photography and struck a meretricious usually
faked landscape which for a period here surely amazed the ignorant but which
is now quite discarded. He got his reputation through an ignorant press man
Gleason White - a little bookseller who came to his new home (at Christchurch)
and who is a dabbler and scribbler introduced to the press of an artistic
friend of mine who always smiled at his reputation when he set it -

Eustance Calland never did anything to merit his name being remembered
and as I said to you though he came before Davison and who

[NOV26, 1902]

has always been honest - one of the of those gave it up in disgust. He was Louis Stevenson's cousin and a high classical scholar and if I may say so my pupil before Davison took up with New Photog.

If you will permit me to say so I have always regarded you as man and and you must of course follow your own impulses.

I perhaps have been enabled to plumb the depths or rather shallows of Pictorial Photography sooner than others through knowing a lot(?) of real big artists and I assure you it is a dead cause. I can't go into details in a letter - but my last edition of Naturalistic Photography which I have not discarded ought to explain all to you if you are not impatient of carefully weighing the other side of the question.

The chief people are included in every(?) Pictorial Photography by the editor of the A P and as he confessed to us he did it for money you can see what his communications(?) are worth and Snowden Ward who(?) as anyone will tell you does it for some traitorous purposes. Art(?) in pencil a lot of really good artists were doubtful about as to its possibilities. I remain honest and unprejudiced ever - but a further knowledge and [experience?] of its use has decided everyone against it. The only use I can see in anything is

[many] to guide the young professional so that he will not produce the frightfull things of years ago - how few a man of brains like yourself. You will I feel some one day agree with me that you have backed your talents in a Strumpet! - i.e.: pictorial photography.

I would not take the trouble to tell anybody to escape - than I know I personally have influenced that it is a dead cause (a lie come most have found it out for themselves) but when I feel I have influenced anybody I feel a sense of responsibility. I wasted some of the best years of my life

and for me a lot of money on the Strumpet [

I feel and I have done is in
expressing its fallacies as the unmistakable.] Had I been able to produce
a book like my own Nat. Photog (last ed.) I should have
in
for it and been in a very different position today

[To show how serious the matter is - I was able to save an
unsuccessful amateur the other day from giving up a final jeer(?) in disdain
year?
would show you the humbug of the whole business.]

Kindly regard my letter as private and wishing you a speedy enlightenment so
that no more years may be wasted

Believe me - yours faithfully

P. H. Emerson

Ailsa Lodge Stourwood

W. Christchurch Hants.

11/IV/03

Dear Mr. Stieglitz

Thank you very much for your kind letter and No. 1 copy of your new venture.

[Camera Work] I must indeed apologize to you for my infirmities - calligraphic-
a friend of mine gets in a blacksmith to help him - verb: sap.

But if I may be so bold what do you in the company of Hinton, Child Bayley,
Demachy and co. I always placed you higher far than these and if the
Strumpet is still a Circe you why not publish some of your own
beautiful work in a good style and leave these penny-a-liners and splodgers
to their own devices. It is I hope not ungracious to look the gift horse
in its mouth - but how you so (give business to these pictorial photographs. (?)

Davison as I tell you gets his living out of it and is a good business man.
Hinton was a shop-walker, is what I call illiterate and uneducated (for the
science of the A. P. is in the hands of T. Bolas) and the editorship of A. P.
is his living - if pictorial photography died as it will (?) - he would have
to turn professional or go back to shop-walking or such. Of late hear sounds
of Journalism. Snowden Ward is a publisher and a

A lot of his time shallow people of no
account, with a handful of amateurs who take pictures in their spare moments.

I of nobody myself who can give up his trade or
profession for it and it is a of that
so. You hear Mrs Cameron's - it is simply unshakeable,

Photography as an art is a strumpet and as a science it
<u>careful</u>
<u>watching</u>

one of the greatest famous geologists

he had to give up its use in the science of geology

engraving

For tentative trial purposes, it is of course useful illustrating of
catalogues and records:

in any direction and I

think you will begin of

agree with me.

dead cause (a lie few

it is a
found it out for themselves)

When I feel I have influenced anybody I feel a sense of

responsibility -)