GEO. F. SEWARD, Presl.

ROBT. J. HILLAS, Treas'r. & Secy.

HENRY CROSSLEY, Asst. Secy.

The Fidelity and Casualty Company,
OF NEW YORK.

H. C. Rubincam, Resident Manager.
206,207 & 208 Century Building.
Seventeenth & Eight Streets.
Telephone 1655.

Denver, Colo.

Jan. 7th, 1903

Mr. Alfred Stieglitz,
162 Leonard St.,
New York.

Dear Sir:-

In going over my desk I discover, to my surprise, that I had never answered your letter of November 1st, though you will no doubt know by this time that your two prints were received as the January number containing "Spring Showers" has already been forwarded to you. I greatly fear that our Western half toners are not capable of doing justice to anything in the photographic line except it is an f64 on silver paper.

I also discover that I have neglected to forward remittance to cover subscription to "Camera Work" and I now enclose the same. I presume "Camera Work" is now about ready.

I also wish to take this occasion to congratulate you upon the success of the American pictures exhibited under your auspices at the Turin exhibition.

I am informed by the Colorado Camera Club that they asked you to be kind enough to exhibit at their Annual Show in March, some examples of your work, the Club agreeing to pay all transportation expenses. I sincerely hope that you can see your way clear to acceding to their request as an exhibition of pictures by yourself, Mr. Keiley, Mrs Kasebeer, Mr. White and Mr. Eugene will be of more actual benefit to photography in this section than anything I know of.

You said nothing in your letter about returning the two prints you sent me and I regret that the silver print of the "Net Mender" was so mishandled by the half toners that I am afraid it is now of no value. "Spring Showers" is in-tact and if you desire I will return it to you, if not it will afford me great pleasure to have it framed and hang it with my pictures.

Yours very truly,
H.C.Rubincam

GEO. F. SEWARD, Prest.

ROBT. J. HILLAS, Treasr. & Secy.

HENRY CROSSLEY, Asst. Secy.

H. C. Rubincam, Resident Manager
206, 207 & 208 Century Building
Seventeenth & Eighteenth Streets
Telephone 1655

Denver, Colo.

July 16, 1903.

Mr. Alfred Stieglitz,
C/o Camera Club,
5 W. 31st St., New York.

My dear Mr. Stieglitz:-

I have finally come to the conclusion that I must have
two copies of each number of "Camera Work," as I am going to have
the illustrations in the numbers I have framed, and will therefore
desire a duplicate copy of #1, 2 and 4, you having been kind enough
to give me a duplicate of #3 in view of my contribution to same.

I therefore wish you would put me down for a copy of the
numbers mentioned, the price for the first two being, as I under-
stand, $5. each, but I do not know what the price for #3 will be.

I do not enclose check to cover this, because you mentioned
something to me about having a scheme for binding the complete set,
and told me not to do anything about this until you had made some
experiments or inquiries, I forget which. If you will kindly let
me know what your scheme is, I will forward check to cover the
whole thing.

I am rather sorry to see the announcement of Tennant &
Ward which comes to me indirectly. I think they could have
disposed of their 50 sets at $20. per set as readily as they will
dispose of them at $10.

There is nothing new in this section of the country that
I know of. An unusually hot spell of weather has boiled down the
general interest, and matters are at a standstill.

In case it should escape your attention, I wish to call
to your notice the mild rebuke of the "Photo Times" for publishing
the anonymous letter in the Strauss matter, in the August issue of
"Outdoor Life" now in press.

With kind regards and my compliments to Messrs. Kieley
and Strauss, I am,

Aug. 11th, 1903

Mr. Spencer B. Hord,

Managing Editor,
New York.

My dear Spencer:-

I have yours of the 7th anent my paragraph in
August "Outdoor Life" touching your publication in the "Times" of
an anonymous comment on the Stieglitz-Strauss matter. In my
opinion it is not within the province of the "Times" to shirk the
responsibility for sentiments expressed by anonymous correspondents
by the publication of a bald statement to that effect at the top of
the column. When sentiment is expressed over a bonafide signa-
ture, the writer is responsible, but in the case of anonymous
sentiment the magazine is bound to assume the attitude of a champion
before its readers. It cannot shift the responsibility and leave
it "up in the air." I note that you know the author of the
anonymous letter and your statement that "His letter was written
more in the light of a joke than anything else," is astounding. I
thought your publication of the letter was injudicious but in the
light of this information, I think its publication by one claiming
to be in sympathy with the Photo-Secession, is nothing short of
infamous. How is a reader to determine that the sentiment of an
anonymous writer is frivolous? If "Mark Twain" says "Cherries
are ripe!" we laugh -- it is a joke, but if Mr. Howells says "Cher-
ries are ripe!" we start to hunt up the trees. Thus, you see, is
intensified the responsibility of the "Times" by denying the reader
the opportunity of judging the spirit of the letter. I do not
think, however, the sentiment expressed by "On-looker" will affect
the situation or the Photo-Secession or Mr. Stieglitz. The same
beliefs have been expressed more intelligently by others who had the
courage of their convictions, without materially affecting either
the tranquility of progress of Mr. Stieglitz and his followers.

I am glad you intend to use your best efforts to make the show
at St. Louis a success, but just between us, I think it will be loves
labor lost, for I have a deeply rooted idea that it is already
decided in the innermost circle of the St. Louis Art Department that
there will be no photographs in the Art Palace.

With kind reggrds and fond hopes that you will steer clear of
anonymous copy, I am,

Yours very truly,

(Copy)

New York, Aug. 14th, 1903

Mr. H. C. Rubincam,

Denver, Colo.

My dear Harry:-

Replying to your letter of the 11th relative to the
Steiglitz-Strauss matter of the exhibition at St. Louis World's Fair
I must confess that I am somewhat surprised that a man of your
broad minded views should take himself and the matter of pictorial
photography so seriously. Really my dear boy, we of the Photo-
Secession are a very minute toad in an exceedingly large puddle. If
you knew how absolutely uninterested the general public are in our
aims and endeavors I am sure you would not take this matter so much
to heart. If you could come and sit at my desk for a month or two,
and read the letters that I receive, from all over the country, and
talk with the people that I talk with almost every day, you then
perhaps would realize how very little figure we cut. Honestly now
would it not be a jolly party when the committee selected by Col.
Okerson get together? They will no more mix than oil with water
under these circumstances.

I agree with you that in all probability there will be no
photographs in the Art Palace. However, I will keep on rooting
for it just the same.

When it comes to a matter of shirking responsibility I believe
that I have always been found, and will continue to be found standing
up for what I think is right, and not hesitating to declare myself so
that there will be no misunderstanding as to where I am at.

I might dictate several more pages on this subject, but what's
the use, so cheer up.

With kindest regards, I am,

Aug. 26th, 1903

Mr. Spencer B. Hord,

122 Fifth Ave.,
New York.

My dear Hord:-

I have your favor of August 14th and note that you
fall back upon the uncertain terms of "seriousness and broad minded-
ness so commonly used by the enemies of the Photo-Secession when they
are cornered. You are not in favor of the Photo-Secession. You
may think you are, which probably arises from a desire to keep on
the right side of both parties, but nevertheless, you are not in
favor of the Photo-Secession, its movement and its aims. I will not
stop to tell you now why this is so, for you know it, and the demands
upon my time are so great that I will refrain from proving it to you
in spite of yourself.

Of course I realize that the thing for you to do is to stick to
the "Times" and make it, if possible, a magazine that will appeal
to both the professional photographer and the amateur whose interest
does not go very far, but for the love of Heaven, don't try to work
both sides of the street, and if you cannot keep from mixing your
metaphor at least try to keep your ideas straight.

With kind regards, I am,

GEO. F. SEWARD, Prest.

ROBERT J. HILLAS, Treasurer & Secy.

HENRY CROSSLEY, Asst. Secy.

FRANK E. LAW, 2nd Asst. Secy.

H. C. Rubincam, Resident Manager,
206,207 & 208 Century Building,
Seventeenth & South Streets,
Telephone 1655.

Denver, Colo. Dec., 7

My Dear Stieglitz,

I have been making strenuous efforts to answer yours of Nov. 27th. and will finally have to have recourse to dictation. The accumulation of work incident to my absence from the office has about swamped me.

I am delighted with the news regarding the arrangements for a show at Pittsburg Art Galleries, but I am not surprised at the outcome of the Chicago affair. The fact that Dundas Todd was the 'committee' to make arrangements for the Loan Collection was a condition that had already prepared me for anything that might happen. Anyone who thinks he can pin that old wind bag down to any legitimate course is in a fair way to have his conclusions disqualified.

The plan to send the Pittsburg collection to Chicago in March, appeals to me as an excellent one. I believe that the efforts of the Chicago malcontents have, for several years, had but one aim and that to prevent their illadvised followers from viewing a Photo Secession collection, from apprehensions as to its effectiveness, and if we can get a show in there on a basis that will give us the desired publicity, I believe that we would see a decided turn in the tide of opinion in that City. I will write something in this strain for the February number of Out Door Life.

The news regarding St Louis is a surprise, I notice, that you refer to this as "another secret". Am I thereby deprived from using the information editorially? The news that the collection was awarded the highest honor, the gold medal, at St Petersburg, is another striking illustration that your efforts have not been in vain, nevertheless, we must expect that if every art center in the universe

GEO. F. SEWARD, Pres.

ROBT. J. HILLAS, Vice Pres. Secy.

HENRY CROSSLEY, Asst. Secy.

FRANK E. LAW, 2nd Asst. Secy.

H. C. Rubincam, Residents Manager.
206-207 & 208 Century Building,
Seventeenth & Stout Streets,
Telephone 1655.

Denver, Colo.

Aug. 4, 1904.

My Dear Stieglitz,-

I am just in receipt of your postal card from the Tyrolean Mountains dated July 20th. I should have written to you before but have been rather mixed up on several things and did not get around to it. I knew of your illness in Berlin, Kelley having written to me about it, and I was very sorry indeed to learn of this result of your European trip, and am very sorry to hear that you are still suffering, or were at the time of your postal, endless inconvenience as a result of the illness suffered.

I have been looking forward for some time to a trip to Europe about September first, with the possibility of seeing you, but the thing is now knocked in the head and I will not be able to go this year.

I succeeded in getting two prints favorably acted upon by the American Jury for the London Salon. "Snow Storm" which you may remember, and *Portrait of a Boy*, a new one that you have never seen.

After you left for Europe I received a letter from Hartman anent the Brush and Pencil matter. He states that he had used quotation marks on my stuff, but they had failed to correctly read his copy! You have probably seen my controversy with Hartman and Roland Rood, who I understand is a friend of yours. I should imagine, however, that he is not a very intimate one or he could not exhibit the ignorance of photography shown by his writings.

I am afraid Abel is going to kick over, whether from necessity or choice I do not know, as I understand that the finances of his paper are not good at this time, much to my sorrow! I do not like the trend of his last issues and if he falls in with Bell and that outfit, it will be all off.

Bell, by the way, is trying to urge reluctant clubs to join his grand association of outfits, by chiding them because they put up money for what he calls "The Peripatetic Photo Secession Show of Ancient Vintage" and refuse to take advantage of the trivial expense of belonging to his up to date Exhibition Circuit. This last confidentially.

Denver, Nov. 9th 1904

My dear Stieglitz;

I am ashamed that I have not answered
your two letters before this but some unexpected turns in
my business have caused my repeated absence from town, as
a result of which all of my personal affairs have been
neglected. You are certainly having the worst luck your
enemies could wish you but I hope by this time every one
has recovered and you are on your way home, if not actually
arrived there. I am glad to learn that, notwithstanding
your illness you have succeeded in doing some good work
abroad, with regard to an alliance of all pictorialists
and cannot understand how in the world you have done it
under the circumstances. I am flattered that my writings
are followed in England. If we can get some of them over
there acquainted with the true conditions over here, the
enemy will not find it so easy to get support there. I
note that Coburn sent you the "Photographer" with the
"Uncle Rube" letter in it. I would have sent you a copy
myself but supposed you would have one. That was a hard
slap at Hord but I had to do it. He has been writing to
people here belittling you and casting slurs upon me and
I think he will stop now. He does not know why at I may
spring on him next. Abel wrote me, in acknowledging the
MSS. of that letter, that he hoped you would take the
advice given in the fable, and I hastened to advise him
that the fable had to do with past events and I was the
one who had urged you to clean out the crowd. I can very
well understand the trouble you would have with Hinton
from the inclinations he has exhibited to me - still you
will need him badly, in view of the lack of aggressiveness
in Annan and Davison. I wish I had a copy of a MSS. I
sent Abel. It deals with the "Little Tin Gods on Wheels"
and the "Inquisitorial System" articles in the "Photo-Beacon"
I am certain they were written by Hartmann, though I can-
not imagine him being such a fool as to sign "Caliban" to
an article of that description. I am much pleased with
the effort I made in the MSS. sent Abel, which treats of
"Caliban" and I hope he publishes it. The Bell contingent
here is up in arms. The prospectus of the "Salon" stated
that pictures would only go on circuit, when not otherwise
specified by the contributor, but to make sure of this,
Morgan wrote to Bell who assured him that prints would
be returned as soon as the N.Y. show was over if he so
desired and requested. The Denver outfit went to some
$20. expense for boxing and expressage, sending with their
entries the return request. Now, when their pictures are
in N.Y., they are advised by Bullenkamp that under no
circumstances can their prints be returned until they
have made the complete circuit as all points will use
the N.Y. catalogue. If nothing unusual happens I will be
in N.Y. about Dec. 1st and am looking forward to seeing
you. With kind regards and hoping this finds you in good
shape, I am

Yours very truly,

THE
PHOTOGRAPHER

24-26 E. 21ST STREET
NEW YORK

Jan. 16th 1905.

Mr. H. C. Rubincam,

Denver, Colo.

My dear Rubincam,

I have read your last article and don't believe I care to publish same. In the first place, what on earth is the use of antagonizing a lot more people. These insinuations some of which are correct and some of which are not quite so, will only create a lot more scraping and recriminations.

While Hartmann certainly did sign a whole lot of letters at their club with Mr. Rood sitting next to him, that does not say that Mr. Hartmann did not write other letters of his own initiative. Bell and his crowd deny positively that nobody was invited outside of the late H. R. Robinson. I have heard that there are letters to the contrary but I have not been shown any of them. There has been so much ugly business in the whole matter that

GEO. F. SEWARD, Pres.

ROBT. J. HILLAS, Vice Pres.-Sec'y

HENRY CROSSLEY, Asst. Sec'y

FRANK E. LAW, 2nd Asst. Sec'y.

GEO. W. ALLEN, 3rd Asst. Sec'y.

The Fidelity and Casualty Company
OF NEW YORK.

Harry C. Rubincam, Resident Manager,
Suite 300 Century Building,
Seventeenth & Stout Streets
Telephone 2555

HCR -AM

Denver, Colo.

Feb 13th 1908

Mr Alfred Stieglitz,
1111 Addison Avenue,
New York.

My dear Stieglitz,

As a result of the hubbub and excitement inci-
dent to my return to Denver and to work, I have just
gotten around to your notice of January 11th, and en-
close herewith New York draft for $6.50 covering my sub-
scription to Camera Work.

The three months in California had a wonderful
effect upon me, and barring a few dents here and there
I seem to be as good as new. It is decreed by my physi-
cians, however, that I must not undertake the things I
have undertaken to do in the past; that if I expect to
be able to attend to my business, I will have to give up
practically everything else, even limiting myself as to
my reading. As I seem to have contracted the habit of
eating meals regularly, and incurring a few incidental
expenses from time to time, I think it will be necessary
for me to put such effort as I put forth at all upon my
business. This means that I must drop out of the ranks
of photography for the time being, if not for ever. As
a matter of fact, I dropped out about two years ago,
something which I do not have to tell you, because you
have seen the work I have done in the past two years.
Of all the things I have done photography seems to be
the effort that drains upon me the most, and much as I
love it, the dropping out seems to be unavoidable.
Situated as you are, I would probably make the choice
the other way, but in my circumstances there is but the
one thing to do. It is not a choice, but a necessity.
Because I am going to put my interest in photography in
retirement, I hope that you fellows will not put me upon
your list of retired friends, because you all know that
I would be with you if I could, and will cherish for
ever the warm friendships that have resulted from my
feeble efforts to advance the cause of photography. I
want to keep in touch with all of you, and what you are
doing, in the hope that when that day comes that I may