Put arts.
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION.
The fourth annual exhibition of the Photographic Society opened on the 2d instant at the Old Water-Colour Gallery. Nothing could look more flourishing. The number of contributions exceeds 700; new processes and new ranges of subject arc attempted ; the average is high, the best specimens unsurpassable--at least one would think so, but that photography outstrips itself from-year to year ; and what is still more satisfactory, the exhibition is conspicuous not only for excellence but for healthiness of character. The great majority of suldeets are the best of all—simple views and portraits ; while colouring, excessive retouching, artificial fancy-groups, and the other expedients which adulterate the genuineness of photography, are scanty.
The Society seem to be of the *mien which has been familiarized to the public in shop-windows, that M. Le Gray's beautiful photographic picture of "Sea and Sky," with the sheeny light upon the distant waves, is "the most perket photograph over produced" ; as they have accorded to it the place of honour in their exhibition. Another "Sea and Sky," which scarcely yields to M. Le Gray's, is by Mr. Cyrus Macaire (620). Here we have a lighthouse and a briskly rippling sea ; but the imperfection which as yet attends almost all sky subjects is very eonspicuous in this—it looks so like moonlight that it requires an effort to be persuaded to the contrary. The same imperfection is seen in Mr. Fenton's "Afternoon." This gentleman sends a large number of views, frequently important in subject and scale, and constantly of extreme delicacy, softness, and fiuilh. " Harlsey Church, North hiding," " Windinga of the Dee," with its dim line of background hills, a mere flat contour in the sun-mist, and the "Reach of the Dee," with pebbly beach, are only instances out of a multitude. In the last, however, we find another of the difficulties of photography, though this has now been overcome many a time : the running water looks at first more like an exhausted watercourse. The Reverend Mr. Holden's "Durham Cathedral, Mid-Winter," presents with wonderful truth an aspect of nature seldom attempted in art, or even in photography : a thin powdering of snow lies on buildings, trees, and all, and the whole sky is dim white. The " Quarry " of D. Percy and Mr. Spiller is a subject suggestive rather of harshness and unloveliness, but so perfect in gradation and detail as to unite beauty and even gentleness to truth. Cliff, rock, and stone, appear again in Messrs. 'Quin and Co.'s "Frame containing Nine Views." Some little river pictures taken by Mr. Delamotte, such as "A Calm Evening on the Thames, Oxford," and "Fishing on the River Cherwell, Oxford," are particularly sharp, bright, and fresh, only a little too black in the shadows. Among the architectural or street subjects, a series of views from Malta by Mr. Robertson is conspicuous, with strangely truthful effect of the heat burning on the glaring stone. For breadth and softness of tone combined with flawless making-out of detail, nothing can surpass Messrs. Dollamore and Bullock's "Wells Cathedral" (250) : the " Lyulph's Tower, Ulleswater," by the same gentlemen, is equally splendid for richness and depth. From a host of views which it is difficult to describe as anything but perfect, we may also single out the " Tintern Abbey" (5 and 461) of Mr. Melhuish ; the " Courmeyeur " of Mr. Backhouse ; the " Wetton House, Surrey," of Mr. White ; the "Salisbury Cathedral" of Mr. Sedgfield ; an unnamed large view by Mr. Frith of an old Gothic Abbey, and its churchyard; the "Hotel Bourgtheroulde " of Messrs. Bisson ; and the " Tempi° d'Antonino e Faustina" of Dr. Braun. In portraiture we trace two series of men of note,—that of Messrs. Mann and Polyblank, which has been for some months in course of publication; and that of Mr. Herbert Watkins. Examples as yet unpublished of the former series are Dr. Rae and Mr. George Cruikshank, both of them strikingly like, and very pleasant likenesses too, in spite of the common cry against photography on that score,—Dr. Lyon Playfair, the late Mr. Yarrell, Lord Campbell, Mr. Bowerbank, Dr. Carpenter, Rowland Hill, Mr. Warren De la Rue, Professor Bell, &c. Mr. Watkins seems to deal rather with the belles lettres and the theatre ; Mr. Sterling Coyne, Albert Smith, Mr. Heraud, and then Miss Cushman, Madame Ristori, Mr. Wigan, Miss Marston, Senora Peres None, and others, in their private capacity. Mr. Robson appears both privately and in two of his characters, Medea and the Wandering Minstrel—the latter scarcely humorous-looking enough. Arms are represented in a capital head of Sir Colin Campbell. Mr. Bingham has a portrait of Horace Vernet, as characteristic as any painting we know of him, and less extreme than some. Mr. Green has the Brothers Brough, on a considerable scale of size. A portrait by the same photographer (525) is an example of what a coloured photograph ought not to be ; but some others of the coloured ones, especially those of Messrs. Lock and Whitfield, though not in our judgment improved, arc at all events beautiful miniatures. Two theatrical portrait-subjects by Mr. Goodman,—Miss Heath and Miss Le31ercq as Florizel and Pcrdita, and Miss Murray as Mrs. Placid,—unite the character of the pictorial group or figure with that of the portrait proper the latter is especially well-disposed in the seating and the fall of the drapery. Of fancy subjects, the chief contributor is Mr. Rellander. His "Good Lads and Naughty Lads," the second group especially, are cleverly managed ; and the same is to be said of several others : but this is a phase of photography which we desire to see very sparingly cultivated. Spontaneous expression and action can scarcely be obtained in it, unless by just a happy chance ; and the result is very generally artificial, and either vulgar or pointless. "Home, sweet home," is one of the few direct landscape subjects which we have seen with Mr. Rejlander's name, and an exquisite one indeed ; the sky either real, and if so, obtained by very skilful manipulation, or managed by retouching equally skilful.
There is moreover a good sprinkling of photographs from works of art. Mr. Thurston Thompson's, after drawings by Raffaelle and Holbein, are admirable fac-similes; and Messrs. Alinari send three after important works by Oreagna, Angelico, and Raffaelle.
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