Enamels.
M. Lafon de Camarsac was the first to apply photography to porcelain work, in the year 1854. He worked with colours and produced some marvellous results, applying gold, silver, and various pigments in this way. His method was used for producing enamels for jewellery, but, of course, such things could be utilized in decorative work. But to produce pictures on tea-cups, saucers, brooches, &c., seems to us, against all principles of truth. We think that with great care and taste this class of work might be artistically utilized in decorative art, but none but an artist must attempt it. So we shall give Poitevin’s method.
Poitevin’s method.
A positive on glass is obtained, and a glass plate is coated with gum sensitized with bi-chromate of potash. The positive is then placed in contact with the prepared plate and exposed to the light, the result being invisible as in carbon printing. A very fine hair sieve is now taken, and dry powdered charcoal is sifted over the coated plate, and it will be found that the charcoal adheres to the parts acted upon by light. Thus is produced a delicate portrait in as perfect tone as the original. This portrait is temporarily secured by brushing it over with collodion. The collodion film has now to be separated by delicate knives, and it brings away with it the charcoal picture. This film is next placed on a white enamelled copper plate, which plates are bought ready prepared, and a fixing paste (that used by ceramic painters being employed) is spread with a brush over the enamel. This paste combines with the charcoal image. All is now ready for placing in the enamelling furnace, when vitrification takes place, and all the organic bodies are destroyed, the vitrified charcoal image alone remaining. We think that with taste even china services might be decorated by means of photography. At any rate there is a wide field for any one with taste and feeling.
Wall-papers and hangings.
We do not know whether or not photography has been applied to the manufacture of either of these materials, but there is wide scope for it. It must be remembered, however, that definite patterns are obtrusive and undesirable. A rather monotonous geometrical pattern is required, the suggestion, however, coming from nature. Thus a good pattern could be obtained from a transverse section of a rose-bud, or from various seed-cases, such as those of the convolvulus and rose. Histological specimens also, and desmids and diatoms, all suggest beautiful and varied forms of geometrical patterns. This has often occurred to us when examining the wonderfully varied and beautiful forms of the diatom family. It would, it seems to us, be very easy with multiplying backs to get large numbers of a form on one plate, and then to reproduce them by cheap photo-mechanical means, and though we have never yet heard of photographic wall-papers, yet there is no reason why they should not be manufactured, if made artistically.
D'Oyleys.
For hangings these same patterns might be woven in or even printed directly upon the materials, by the platinotype process. The company who brought forward that process keep prepared nainsook, why not other materials? For small things, such as d'Oyleys, an endless and pleasing variety might be introduced.
In short, photography can and should be made amenable to the principles of decorative art, and employed legitimately in thousands of ways; but the student must never forget that he must rigidly and resolutely keep within the bounds of his art, which bounds we have briefly indicated here. Common sense, taste, and study are his best safe-guards. In all attempts, however, let him go to nature for his suggestions; she, if he be humble and patient, will not be less lavish to him than to the painter. So we find ourselves at the end of this chapter, and our considerations on photography as applied to decorative art lead us to conclude that the form in which it is at present chiefly applied, i.e. transparencies, is false in principle, and therefore undesirable. We felt this long before we studied art at all, and although we made many opals and transparencies at one time, we soon gave them up as vanity and foolishness. Those, however, who with training and artistic feeling care to explore the undeveloped fields above indicated, will be sure to find many new treasures.