144 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



five years ago, which have never been sur- 

 passed. 



In the late exhibition at the Society of Arts, 

 there were no daguerrotypes. The whole of 

 the pictures were on paper or glass. The 

 pictures on paper were by far the most nu- 

 merous. They are all the result of a double 

 process. The picture first taken is called 

 a negative. The lights and shades are in 

 it all reversed ; because the light darkens the 

 prepared paper just in proportion to its in- 

 tensity ; so that the white parts of a landscape 

 or building are dark in the picture, and the 

 dark parts light. This picture being laid 

 upon another sheet of prepared paper, and 

 pressed closely to it by a sheet of glass, the 

 light parts allow the light to pass through 

 and darken the paper beneath ; while the 

 shaded parts keep off the light from the pa- 

 per beneath, and it therefore remains white 

 or of a lighter shade. This process acts so 

 uniformly and regularly in all the varying 

 lights and shadows, that a picture is pro- 

 duced just the reverse of the first one ; the 

 most delicate lights and shadows being accu- 

 rately represented, as in nature. This is 

 called a positive picture, and all the pictures 

 on paper in the exhibition have been obtained 

 by a similar process. 



As the transparency of the negative pic- 

 ture is of importance to obtain a good posi- 

 tive, some operators wax the negative, to ren- 

 der it so. This is called the " waxed paper 

 process." Others prepare the paper with 

 albumen or white of egg. The most recent 

 improvement is, however, the use of glass 

 for the negative pictures. The glass is pre- 

 pared either with albumen (white of egg), or 

 with collodion, which is made of gun-cotton 

 dissolved in ether. This coating on the 

 glass receives the chemicals to be acted up- 

 on by light. In the negatives taken on glass, 

 the shadows are transparent, while the lights 

 are opaque. The positive is then taken in 

 the same manner as from a paper negative. 



The negative picture taken on glass by 

 collodion, may, however, be made a positive 

 itself ; for the lights which are opaque are 

 rendered so by a light-colored coating or 

 film. By laying the glass, therefore, on some 

 dark substance, the transparent parts become 

 dark, and the opaque parts light ; thus a direct 

 and often beautiful picture is obtained. 



If we wish to ascertain the advantages or 

 merits of the peculiar styles, we must know 

 something of the process, and consider 

 which is most capable of further improve- 

 ment, and of supplying those imperfections 

 which at present exist in the art. For 

 pictures of a limited size and of a neutral 

 tint we can scarcely imagine anything more 

 perfect than the views exhibited by Mr. 

 Owen, Mr. Buckle, and M. Constant, and 

 the portraits of Mr. Sims. In the further 



progress of the art, increased size, life, and 

 color, are the only desiderata. 



Of the production of colors, as in nature, 

 there seems at present no sign in one process 

 more than in the other. With regard to 

 increased size, though the largest pictures 

 in the exhibition were from paper negatives, 

 we think that any one acquainted with all 

 the processes, would find it more difficult to 

 manipulate a very large-sized picture with 

 paper than with glass. There seems scarcely 

 any limit to the size of pictures on glass. 



The next point — that of obtaining more 

 life in the pictures, must have struck every 

 one. How much would sheep and cattle 

 add to the beauty of many of the landscapes, 

 and figures to the architectural views ; while 

 in the Eastern scenes we miss the natives in 

 their characteristic costume, to give life and 

 reality to the whole. In this, the collodion 

 process is infinitely superior to the paper ; 

 the former not taking more seconds than the 

 latter does minutes. And as the pictures 

 can be in every other respect obtained 

 equally good, this alone must decide the 

 question of its being the process which 

 offers the greatest facilities for bringing the 

 art to a yet higher state of perfection. 



In this view, the positive collodion process 

 is superior even to the negative ; and by it 

 will probably be obtained the greatest 

 triumphs in the delineation of living animal 

 forms, and in catching the varying attitudes 

 and expressions of the human figure. 



Photographers owe to the Society of Arts 

 the knowledge of what has been done and is 

 doing, both at home and on the Continent ; 

 and when the next exhibition takes place, 

 we shall be able to judge what progress has 

 been made in the direction in which we are 

 now seen to be most deficient. 



TO MAIDS, WIVES, AND MOTHEBS. 



A TOAST. BY THE LATE T. HOOD. 



Come ! " a health ! " and it's not to be slighted 

 with sips, 



A cold pulse, or a spirit supine ; 

 All the blood in my heart seems to rush to my lips, 



To commingle its flow with the wine ! 



Bring a cup, of the purest and solidest ware, 



But a little antique in its shape ; 

 And the juice — it must be the most racy and rare, 



All the bloom with the age of the grape ! 



Even such is the love I would celebrate now, 

 At once young and mature and in prime — 



Like the tree of the orange, that bears on its bough 

 The bud, blossom, and fruit at one time ! 



Then with three, as is due, let the honors be paid, 

 Whilst I give with my hand, heart, and head — 



" Hebe's to heb, the fond motheb, deae 

 paetnee, kind maid, 

 Who fibst taught me to love, woo, and 



WED ! 



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