Popular Meeting Comments:   Intro        1860s       1870s       1880s       1890s       1900s

Popular Meeting Lists               1860s      1870s       1880s       1890s       1900s

EPS Popular Meetings

Comments -1860s

The First Popular Meeting

The first EPS Popular Meeting was held in George Street Hall in 1861.  The British Journal of Photography reported that:

"every part of the hall was densely crowded by the Members and their friends, nearly one-half of those present being ladies."

The Second Popular Meeting

The second Popular Meeting in 1861 was held at Dowell & Lyon's large Hall, George Street.  It was reported that:

"The Hall was quite filled with members and friends, a great number of ladies being present.  Mr Moule’s patent photogen was next exhibited.  A small quantity of a peculiar powder was ignited in the lantern-looking apparatus in a receptacle for the purpose, and the light generated was of such a nature as to admit of a photograph being taken with an ordinary camera in little more than a dozen of seconds.  Some gentlemen from the audience then sat for their portraits"

Admission Charge

Initially there was no charge for admission to the Popular Meetings; but at the EPS AGM in 1863 it was agreed that only members would be allowed free entry, and a small charge would be made for others.  The charge was subsequently set at 6d.

Popular meetings continued to be well attended.  In 1863 they were held at  St Cecilia’s Hall.

At the Annual General Meeting in 1864, there was discussion as to whether the public should be admitted free to Popular Meetings, or whether they should be admitted , as in the previous season, by ticket at 6d each.  A compromise was reached;  it was agreed that one free ticket should be issued for each Popular Meeting to each member, for admission of  a friend.

Mr Pouncy and the PSS

One of the rare occasions when the EPS and PSS (Photographic Society of Scotland) publicly acknowledged the existence of the other was at the EPS AGM in 1864.  The EPS Members received an invitation from PSS to attend a PSS Popular Meeting on 13 December 1864, to meet Mr Pouncy who would explain his carbon process.

Subjects of Popular Meetings

At about half of the Popular Meetings in the 1860s, lantern slides of Britain were shown.  At almost all the remainder lantern slides of places abroad were shown.

Four EPS photographers - Mr Davis, Mr Musgrave, Mr McGlashon and Mr Burns - supplied  slides for  Views of Old Edinburgh in 1866.

George W Wilson of Aberdeen provided the pictures for two lectures on Highlands of Scotland and Land’s End to John o’ Groats.

Magic Lanterns - 1865

On 23 March 1865, Popular Meetings moved to 117 George Street. The first of the dealt with the Construction and Application of the Magic Lantern.  The subject of the lecture was the sources and scenery of the Niagara and St Lawrence Rivers - with illustrations

Some of the illustrations were opaque / others transparent - requiring the use of two lanterns

Magic Lanterns - 1869

There was further discussion of the Magic Lantern four years later - a description and exhibition of Chadburn’s New Lantern.

Magic Lanterns were to be the used to display lantern slides at Popular Meetings for the next 30 years - initially by the oxyhydrogen light.

Popular Meeting Comments:   Intro        1860s       1870s       1880s       1890s       1900s

Popular Meeting Lists               1860s      1870s       1880s       1890s       1900s

 

 

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