EPS Secretary's Comments - 1867

George H Slight, on completing his term of office as Secretary, read a paper to the 1867 AGM, On Photographic Societies in which he reported that many of Britain’s photographic societies were languishing or had already expired.  He said:

“in a good working society, there should be a thorough admixture of different classes of the community among the Members – such as professionals, working amateurs of all ranks, and others calling themselves amateurs who may have only a general hankering after photographic pursuits”. 

He referred to this last class as:

“ornamental Members, useful from their position and influence in giving a certain status to a society, not to be despised, and in assisting to augment the funds”.

At the same meeting, Sheriff Frederick Hallard, in his Presidential address said:

“The success of our art-science has been so full and so complete that its progress, on that very account, now seems at a standstill; so much has been done that to all appearance little remains to be done.” 

He had little enthusiasm for the prospect of colour photography: 

“Far be from me the presumption of saying that these victories will never be achieved, … I shall add that I would not feel much grieved if I were assured by some competent authority that the full and competent reproduction of natural colours by photographic means was a thing for ever beyond our reach.”