48 THE WOMBAT. 



photographer gives the fact in its stern truth and no more, but 

 the painter always sj^mpathises more or less with the excite- 

 ment of the beholder, for he hinself is a beholder. Our 

 individual self must be shown in our painting, and if it has no 

 other feeling in it than love or admiration for the place depicted, 

 that is sufficient to carry the picture out of the range of photo- 

 graphy into the regions of art. Speaking of the hard truth of 

 photography reminds me of the peculiar power of pluctration it 

 possesses, an instance of which was told by Professor Ball (now 

 Sir Robert Ball) in one of the many able lectures which he has 

 given on Astronomy, and which I have been fortunate enough 

 to listen to. The lecturer was speaking of the immense use 

 photography was to the astronomer, how it not only represented 

 what any one with the aid of the telescope could see, but 

 penetrated still deeper, and gave detail where blank space- 

 only was visible to the human eye. In continuing he 

 mentioned a most remarkable instance of this power. A 

 disused Atlantic vessel was lying in the docks at Liverpool, 

 and being of no use the space visible to the passers by had 

 been let for advertising purposes, so that different colored 

 painted letters and illustrations had covered the whole space. 

 Afterwards this was discontinued, and the vessel was re-tarred, 

 an enterprising photographer in Liverpool thought it a 

 good opportunity for photographing this old marine servant,, 

 and much was his surprise when the developing was. 

 accomplished to find that instead of the uniform dark surface 

 of the boat, the advertisements were there just as before — 

 Coleman's mustard still the best in the world, and Lewis' 

 excellent tea now, as it had always had been, without rival. 



Much is said upon the advisability and otherwise of artists 

 being photographers, but little upon the almost necessity of 

 photographers being artists. As a commercial element 

 photography began with the introduction of the daguerrotype. 

 This process had always something taking and pretty about 

 it, even in its poor examples it refused to be quite ugly, and 

 in skilful hands, with a good subject, it was often exquisite. 

 But it was costly, and difficult for any but the dry-test process, 

 consequently no one but the artistic, no one but a lover of the 

 beautiful would attempt it, and it was soon laid aside for the 

 cheaper, coarser, and easier glass positive. The simplicity of 



J. 



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