Miscellaneous Papers. 277 



NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY IN KANSAS— THE WORK OF 

 MR. AND MISS McCOLM. 



By Grace R. Meeker, Ottawa. 



SINCE the beginnings of the science-art of photography the 

 photographic artists have striven not only to "hold the mirror 

 up to nature," but to fix imperishable pictures of the image re- 

 fleeted there. Of late years wonderful things have been accom- 

 plished. The bird woman has defied all the discomforts of hours 

 of waiting in the forest depths to bring home pictures of the fledg- 

 lings in the nest ; Mr. Chapman has solved the mystery of the fla- 

 mingo city, and proved, by photographs, the truth of his statements ; 

 Mr. Dugmore has caught bird and beast in intimate home life and 

 shown them to us as they are ; J. Horace McFarland, with loving 

 care, has made us also "acquainted with the trees"; Mabel Osgood 

 Wright has imprisoned in books the beds of wild flowers and ferns 

 the botanist loves and dreams of. 



In Kansas, also, the beauties of nature have appealed to the 

 amateur photographer and much fine work has resulted, such as 

 the illustrations of Doctor Quayle's nature books from pictures 

 taken by Professor Parmenter and Almina Woods. So far as I 

 know, no one has surpassed the McColms, as they present to us 

 flowers, birds, animals and landscapes in Kansas. 



For the artistic perfection of their work various causes are as- 

 signed. One says they know exactly how much time to give to an 

 exposure; another says they have a fine perception of perspective; 

 Miss McColm herself ascribes much of their success to a careful 

 attention to detail. All these are doubtless true ; but also is it true, 

 as one of their Eastern publishers suggests: "They have, besides 

 mechanical skill, the soul of the artist, and this they put into their 

 pictures." 



Some years ago I found in a floral magazine a page of Kansas 

 wild-flower pictures, by G. E. McColm. The reproduction was not 

 good, but something of artistic truthfulness, as well as the fact that 

 they were correctly named, attracted my attention. Later, illustrated 

 articles appeared in the Kansas City Star by the same author. 

 Again the work of reproduction was poorly done, but I was much 

 interested. Last winter I found in the Club Member a beautiful 

 print, "Along the Wakarasa." This was signed "Viola McColm, 

 Bucklin, Kan." Now, having found "the »voman in the case," I 



