Naturalistic Photography for Students of the Art.

by P. H. Emerson

For artistic reasons we are of the opinion that Collotypes, Woodburytypes, and all such methods, are undesirable; and this we say deliberately, after long study of the subject, for in supervising and choosing illustrations for the books which we have illustrated we carefully examined specimens of nearly all the photo-mechanical processes extant. We say this, although one writer on the subject of photo-mechanical processes has given out the opinion that the ideal process is one in which the resulting print should be a facsimile of a “silver print;” but of course such a remark is artistically wrong, and is in keeping with the rest of the compilation in which the statement appears.

Typographic processes.

For the benefit of the student, then, we say there are but two processes to be considered for artistic book illustration—a typographic block to be printed with the text, and an intaglio copperplate. The typographic block has the whites lowered like a woodblock; and as it is printed in the ordinary way, with the type, there is no extra trouble or cost in the printing. With a copperplate, on the other hand, the plate must be carefully inked and wiped, and each print separately pulled by hand, the difference in time taken by this process, and consequently the cost, is therefore greatly increased.

After a careful examination of all the typographic processes we have no hesitation in saying that there is not one satisfactory in the market. When the original picture is not travestied and cheapened by mechanical-looking crenellations and stipplings, it is marred by obvious hand-work and by falsity of tonal translation. Any photo-mechanical process, to be perfect, must, as we have all along maintained, require no retouching of any kind. All the typographic blocks, too, are too shallow; hence in the rough working and pressure of the printing-press all tonal subtleties are lost in smudges, as the block becomes clogged with ink. Many of these blocks serve remarkably well for rough diagrammatic purposes, but for artistic purposes there is not one we can recommend when the object is to reproduce pictures taken from nature. For facsimile work they serve the purpose. |A great desideratum.| A first-rate photo-mechanical block to print with the text in the ordinary printing-press, which is entirely the result of a chemical process, is a great desideratum, and it is a problem which experimenters in this direction will do well to study. Not only is it that there is no typographic block adequate, but in addition, when the present process is employed for diagrammatic purposes, or to satisfy the pictorial standards of the untrained in art, they are terribly marred by crude retouchings and daubings with Chinese white, until such travesties of nature appear that are only to be equalled by some of the “finishing artists” of the photographic studio. Yet, bad as these block processes are, they are infinitely better than the second-rate woodcuts made from photographs. Day after day, books appear illustrated with woodcuts done from photographs, in which the woodcutter has effectually ruined all the beauty of the photograph. If the student, then, should ever be in the position of having to choose between the facsimile woodcuts of English woodcutters find photo-mechanical block-work, let him choose the latter as the lesser evil; it is better than any except the American school of facsimile woodcutters. And here it may be well to note a dishonest practice which is daily becoming more common with writers of books of travel who buy photographs abroad, and unscrupulously have their books illustrated with them. We know of certain such illustrations which are advertised as being prints from woodblocks done from sketches by the author. Quite recently a book of travel appeared illustrated with third-rate woodcuts purporting to be done from sketches by the author, which were really done from photographs purchased in the shops abroad. We know of one case where this was done in England, the photographs pirated being English photographs. Should such a thing ever happen to the student, he must, as a duty to the photographic world, prosecute without compunction, and exact the utmost penalty of the law. Such dishonesty is one of the most despicable forms of thieving.

Photo-etching.

But to return to our subject. As we have said, we felt from the first that photo-etching was the ultimate goal to be reached; that was the final end and method of expression in monochrome photography. We argued the matter out with many painters, and they agreed with us, as did they agree that the process of reproduction must be the result of chemical changes only—that no retouching was admissible, or a hybrid would be the result, and a hybrid is detestable to all artists, although we have recently seen writers untrained in art matters advocating a photo-etched plate as a basis for etching or mezzotinting. Having decided, then, on these points, we determined to try the photo-etching processes of the various firms. On inquiring from the best English and French firms, we found that but very few, in most cases no landscapes from nature had been reproduced in this way, although a few portraits had been done. We carefully examined the specimens (nearly all specimens of facsimile work) of thirteen different firms; in fact, all the firms practising photo-etching that we could hear of. From this examination it was evident that however good many of the processes were for facsimile work, but few were adaptable to our needs. Having at last settled on the four apparently most suitable processes, we began our studies. Negatives were sent to each of these firms, of whom only one had ever attempted reproducing a landscape direct from a negative from nature. The proofs came, and were in every case most unsatisfactory; they had all been barbarously retouched, all the tonality had been falsified, faces against the sky were made lighter than the sky, faces were roughly outlined with an etching-needle, high lights were scraped away needlessly, and shadows barbarously deepened with the roulette. Our battles then began, and we demanded plates free from retouching; the voluminous correspondence we had on the subject would afford amusement. Various firms protested—it couldn’t be done; it was absurd; was art the result of a chemical process? and Heaven knows what! However, we persisted with inflexibility, and though we had to accept in some cases the least visibly retouched plates, we finally gained the day all round, in so far that all the firms supplied us with plates with no visible retouching. Thus was instituted a new departure, negatives from nature were reproduced, through our battlings, with no visible retouching; and although a few diagrammatic negatives had been reproduced[reproduced] here and there before us, we were the first to start the serious reproduction of negatives from landscapes and figure subjects which could be regarded as pictures per se, and not merely as topographical views.

Typographic Etching Company’s process.

But now the coast is clear, and the student can get his negatives done without visible retouching by asking for it. From an examination of these results it was soon evident that one firm, the Typographic Etching Company, produced plates immeasurably superior to those of any other firm, and in addition, they would guarantee their production without retouching.

For reproducing negatives taken from nature, then, this process is perfect, and we cannot see how any photo-engraving process will ever surpass it. |Messrs. Dawson and Colls.| Mr. Dawson and Mr. Colls are trained artists, and perhaps therein lies the secret of their success. It is perhaps invidious to select one firm for special mention, but as the results of Mr. Colls and the Typographic Etching Company are in every way so superior when artistically considered, we feel it our duty to record the fact here for the benefit of the student. Quite recently there has been much discussion on the vital question of “Photogravures v. Engravings,” and some of the English firms have publicly announced that it is necessary to finish their work by hand, while others privately maintained the same fact. Mr. Colls, late of the Typographic Etching Company, on the other hand, maintains that a plate, perfect in quality, can be produced without the aid of a touch by hand. Further on will be found a communication on the process by the etcher, Mr. Colls, who therein states that he can and does produce his work without any retouching.

The Dawson process renders the light in the shadows better than any of the other processes, this being effected by the method of working, and, as a whole, the “quality” of the work is unapproachable, it beats mezzotint out of the field in its subtlety and delicacy.