
CONDUCTED BY GEORGE W. KELLOGG 
Photographic Articles for the Holidays 
The amateur can make a lot of dainty 
souvenirs from his negatives, such as Christmas 
cards, albums, book-marks, pillow covers, etc.; 
doing most of the work himself and producing 
novelties that are of greater value, that will be 
appreciated more than corresponding goods 
obtained commercially. He can mount his 
pictures on the thinnest papers so they will 
neither cockle nor curl, sensitize and print his 
fabrics with a few simple operations, and at 
little expense. For album leaves, Japanese 
parchment, a cream colored stock; Stratford 
parchment in white, pale gray and buff, and 
Strathmore parchment, a white and very thin 
material, are good. For covers, the herculean, 
sultan, cadmus, rhododendron, Sampson and 
camel’s-hair papers, which are made in a 
variety of colors and finishes, will be appro- 
priate. All can be obtained from paper dealers, 
and from some photo stock houses, who upon 
request will cut the papers into the sizes de- 
sired. If one has a fifteen-inch trimming board, 
he can cut almost every size that the average 
amateur will require. The covers should be 
cut so they will show a margin of at least a 
quarter of an inch beyond the leaves when the 
album is open, and be in one piece with a fold 
in the middle. With the large trimming board 
it will only be necessary to first fold the cover 
material, when any size cover that may be 
required can be cut. _ 
The noncurling method for mounting prints 
isnotnew. Formule for varnishes to be applied 
to the backs of prints have occasionally been 
published, with explicit directions for mount- 
ing; the operations being the same as for the 
dry mounting which we shall describe. The 
varnishing method never became popular; due, 
very likely, to the amateur’s general disinclina- 
tion to compound his solutions, which is a mis- 
take, and to the trouble experienced in making 
a varnish of just the proper consistency. If too 
thin, it would penetrate the paper and give the 
print a stained appearance;: if too thick, it 
would run from under the edges of the print in 
mounting. But with the dry mounting tissue, 
these troubles are overcome. To use it will 
require that a flatiron be added to one’s equip- 
ment. A piece of the tissue, cut to the size of 
an untrimmed print, is made to adhere to the 
back of the print by touching the tissue lightly 
near each end with the tip of the heated iron, 
while both tissue and print are in contact. 
This causes the tissue to soften and adhere. 
Print and tissue should be trimmed simultane- 
ously, so that the edges will be flush. Each 
print is now placed, tissue side down, in the 
position it is to occupy on the mount, and the 
heated iron passed over it a few times, a sheet 
of clean paper being between the iron and the 
print. When the iron is too hot, the print is 
liable to peel; this trouble can be remedied by 
passing a roller over it or rubbing it down with 
the hand immediately following the removal 
of the iron, but without taking away the paper 
covering. Prints can be mounted on one or 
both sides of the leaves. If mounted back to 
back, with nothing else than the tissue between 
they make effective and unique souvenir cards. 
Binding albums is a task easier to accom- 
plish than to clearly describe. Not more than 
a quarter of an inch from the edges of the 
leaves that are to be bound, three circular holes 
should be perforated; one in the exact center 
between the top and bottom sides, and one on 
each side of the center half way between itand the 
outer edges. All should be in a direct line, so 
that with the leaves arranged evenly there is 
no obstruction to prevent the smooth passage 
of the binding material through the series of 
leaves. 
To perforate the covers, take one of the per- 
forated leaves and place it on the inner side of 
the cover in the position that is intended for the 
sets of leaves when bound. With a sharp pen- 
cil point mark the cover through the perfora- 
tions, using sufficient pressure to make the dent 
show on the outside. Then, with the cover 
closed, perforate both halves with each opera- 
tion, having the pencil marks in the center of 
the punch opening. 
The binding material may be any of the 
fancy colored cords, procurable at dry goods 
houses at a trifling expense; or narrow ribbon. 
It should be cut in sufficient lengths. The 
middle of a length should be run through the 
center perforations in a loop from the back of 
