10 
PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF WARWICKSHIRE. 
Jan., 1890. 
Within the last two years the idea of a local photo¬ 
graphic survey has been carried out to some extent by the 
Boston Camera Club, in America, and by the Birkenhead 
Photographic Association in England. The Boston Society 
has secured a number of negatives of what they call “ Old 
Bostonand from these negatives lantern-slides have been 
prepared, one set of which has just been going the round 
of the English photographic societies. The Birkenhead 
Society took up* the archaeological survey of the “ Hundred 
of Wirral,” a division of Cheshire ; and we shall, I believe, 
see some of their results (in the form of lantern slides) 
after Christmas. 
Other societies—non-photographic—have seen the need 
and value of photographic records, and have taken steps to 
secure them. Ever since 1870 the Archaeological Section of 
the Birmingham and Midland Institute has been endeavouring 
to secure photographs of all local objects which were likely to 
suffer change—as the old streets of Birmingham, so many of 
which have been swept away under the Improvement Act— 
Dr. Priestley’s house, Francis Eginton’s house (both since 
pulled down), and many other places of interest. In their 
excursions they have also utilised the services of their official 
photographer—our good friend Mr. Harold Baker—and as a 
result they have now a valuable and most interesting collec¬ 
tion of local photographic negatives. 
At the Conference of Photographers held in London 
in 1888, under the auspices of the Camera Club, I advo¬ 
cated the appointment, by Government, of “ State photo¬ 
graphers, who should be specially charged with the 
task of obtaining authentic portraits of our great men 
[and securing pictorial records of historical places and events]. 
The time must come when the present era will be history, and 
authentic photographic records will then be invaluable.”! 
In closing the conference, the President of the Camera Club, 
Captain Abney, F.R.S., etc., said:—“He thought Mr. 
Harrison’s idea of a State photographer a most excellent one.” 
At the recent meeting of the [British Association at New- 
castle-on-Tyne (September, 1889), a committee was formed 
for the collection, preservation, and systematic registration of 
photographs of geological interest in the United Kingdom ; 
Mr. 0. W. Jeffs, 12, Queen’s Road, Rock Ferry, Cheshire, being 
appointed secretary. This committee has just issued a 
circular asking for the “ names of local societies or persons 
* See “ Photographic News ” for May 18tli, 1888. 
f “Journal of the Camera Club” for March,1888. 
