oct.— dec. 1856.] Paver Process in Photography. 71 



IV. Description of a Plain or Waxed paper Process in Photo- 

 graphy. By Jesse Mitchell, Adjutant 1st Native Veteran 

 Battalion. 



So much has been written on the paper processes that the sub- 

 ject would appear to be exhausted. Nevertheless a good paper 

 process, easy to manipulate and applicable to all situations appears 

 to be still a desideratum, I have therefore, at the request of our 

 Honorary Secretary, undertaken to describe my mode of operating, 

 and I believe that any one who faithfully follows these directions 

 will, after a little practice, find no difficulty in producing, at least, 

 tolerable negatives. Skill in Photography as in any other Art, or 

 Science, is only acquired by practice, and no reasonable man should 

 feel annoyed if in his first attempts, he fails to produce as good 

 pictures as those who have practised assiduously for many years. 



This process is a modification of the original waxed-paper pro- 

 cess of Le Gray, but it is equally suited to unwaxed papers. As 

 the manipulation of unwaxed paper is much the easiest and 

 the results so much alike that the operator himself cannot, after a 

 time, say which was taken on waxed, which on plain paper. I shall 

 confine myself to a description of the latter process, giving after- 

 wards such additional directions as may be necessary to adapt it to 

 waxed paper. 



In Photographic operations, absolute cleanliness is an essential 

 element of success. It is not sufficient that the Photographer's 

 hands, for instance, be mechanically clean, they must be chemically 

 so, therefore when he is about to select his papers, he should not 

 be satisfied with the usual washing with soap and water, but should 

 rinse them afterwards in a good quantity of clean water, lest the 

 soap do that mischief it was intended to prevent. This applies 

 still more strongly to the trays used in the various stages of the 

 process. The Tray used for Iodizing the paper should be used for that 

 purpose alone, or if from the paucity of apparatus which in this 

 country is not always procurable, he is compelled to use it for the 

 exciting solution also, that is the greatest liberty he may take. The 



