Dec. 17. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



597 



branch of archaeology, think and speak slightingly 

 of those departments in which they are not much 

 interested. One fond of research in the early 

 tumuli is esteemed to be a mere " pot and pan 

 antiquary " by one who, in his turn, is thought to 

 waste his time on " mediseval trash ;" and this feel- 

 ing pervades its many sections. 



I hope I shall not give offence in saying, that 

 amongst photographers I have noticed somewhat 

 of a similar spirit, namely, an inclination to value 

 and praise a production, from the particular mode 

 of operation adopted, rather than from its in- 

 trinsic merits. The collodion, the waxed paper, 

 or the simple paper processes have merits per- 

 taining to themselves alone ; and those who ad- 

 mire each of these several processes are too apt to 

 be prejudiced in favour of the works produced by 

 them. 



Before proceeding farther, permit me to observe, 

 that if some of my remarks appear too elementary, 

 and too well known by many assembled here, my 

 reason for making them is, that I have myself 

 experienced the want of plain simple rules, not- 

 withstanding the many able treatises upon the 

 subject which have already been written : I hope, 

 therefore, I shall receive their pardon for entering 

 fully into detail, because a want of success may 

 depend upon what may appear most trivial. 



I think the greatest number of failures result 

 from not having good iodized paper ; which may 

 be caused by 



1. The quality of the paper ; 



2. The mode of preparing it ; 



3. The want of proper definite proportions for a 



particular make of paper ; 



because I find very different results ensue unless 

 these things are relatively considered. 



I have not met with satisfactory results in 

 iodizing the French and German papers, and the 

 thick papers of some of our English makers are 

 quite useless. 



Turner's paper, of the " Chafford Mills" make, 

 is greatly to be preferred, and therefore I will 

 presume that to be used, and of a medium thick- 

 ness. The great fault of Turner's paper consists 

 in the frequent occurrence of spots, depending 

 upon minute portions of brass coming from the 

 machinery, or from the rims of buttons left in the 

 rags when being reduced to pulp, and thus a single 

 button chopped up will contaminate a large por- 

 tion of paper ; occasionally these particles are so 

 large that they reduce the silver solutions to the 

 metallic state, which is formed on the paper ; at 

 other times they are so minute as to simply de- 

 compose the solution, and white spots are left, 

 much injuring the effect of the picture. 



Whatman's paper is much more free from 

 blemishes, but it is not so fine and compact in its 

 texture ; the skies in particular exhibiting a mi- 



nutely speckled appearance, and the whole picture 

 admitting of much less definition.* 



All papers are much improved by age ; pro- 

 bably in consequence of a change which the size 

 undergoes by time. It is therefore advisable that 

 the photographer, when he meets with a desirable 

 paper, should lay in a store for use beyond his 

 immediate wants. 



It may not be inappropriate to mention here, 

 in reference to the minuteness attainable by paper 

 negatives, that a railway notice of six lines is per- 

 fectly legible, and even the erasure for a new 

 secretary's name is discernible in the accompany- 

 ing specimen, which was obtained with one of 

 Ross's landscape lenses, without any stop what- 

 ever being used, and after an exposure of five 

 minutes during a heavy rain. The sky is scarcely 

 so dense as could be desired, which will be fully 

 accounted for by the dull state of the atmosphere 

 during the exposure in the camera. 



Having selected your paper as free from ble- 

 mishes as possible, which is most readily ascer- 

 tained by holding it up to the light (as the rejected 

 sheets do perfectly well for positives, it is well to 

 reject all those upon which any doubt exists), 

 mark the smoothest surface; — the touch will 

 always indicate this, but it is well at all times not 

 to handle the surfaces of papers more than can 

 be avoided. There is much difference in various 

 individuals in this respect ; some will leave a mark 

 upon the slightest touch, whereas others may rub 

 the paper about with perfect impunity. 



I prefer paper iodized by the single process ; 

 because, independently of the ease and economy 

 of time, I think more rapidity of action is attained 

 by paper so treated, as well as that greater inten- 

 sity of the blacks, so requisite for producing a 

 clear picture in after printing. 



To do this, take sixty grains of nitrate of silver 

 and sixty grains of iodide of potassium, dissolve 

 each separately in an ounce of distilled water, mix 

 and stir briskly with a glass rod so as to ensure 

 their perfect mixture ; the precipitated iodide of 

 silver will fall to the bottom of the vessel ; pour 

 off the fluid, wash once with a little distilled water, 

 then pour upon it four ounces of distilled water, 

 and add 650 grains of iodide of potassium, which 

 should perfectly redissolve the silver and form a 

 clear fluid. Should it not (for chemicals differ 

 occasionally in their purity), then a little more 

 should be very cautiously added until the fluid is 

 perfectly clear. 



The marked side of the paper should then be 

 carefully laid upon the surface of this fluid in a 

 proper porcelain or glass dish. Then immediately 



* The effect was illustrated in two negfitives of the 

 same subject, taken at the same time, exhibited to the 

 meeting, and which may now be seen at Mr. Bell's by 

 those who take an interest in the suliject. 



