Talk to Edinburgh Photographic Society, Digital Immaging Group - November 10, 2008

Sir David Brewster

Calotype by Hill & Adamson

- Born in Jedburgh in 1787

- Attended Edinburgh University from the age of 12

- Awarded an Arts Degree by Edinburgh University in 1900

- Became editor of the Edinburgh Magazine, later Scots Magazine, aged 20.

- Editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica for 22 years

- President of Photographic Society of Scotland from 1856

- President of Royal Society of Edinburgh, 1864

- Principal of Edinburgh University, from age 78 until his death, 9 years later.

Sir David Brewster

by Orange

Brewster and Talbot

by Moffat

Horatio Ross

Self portrait, preparing a collodion plate

- Born 1801. Named after his godfather, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.

- He was a wealthy landowner

- 1832-34: MP for Arbroath,

- Won the first steeplechase on record.

- Represented Scotland at shooting.

- He once walked from the Dee to Inverness, without stopping, 97 miles.

- 1856: Vice President of PSS.

- 1884: Shot his last stag.

1st Exhibition - Dec 1856

1,050 Prints

77 calotypes by Hill & Adamson.
Photolithographs of Venice by MacPherson of Rome
22 collodion photos of deer stalking by Vice President Horatio Ross
Portraits by Claudet of London
Portraits by James Valentine of Dundee
Portraits by Rodger of St Andrews
Portraits by Moffat and by Tunny of Edinburgh
Daguerreotypes by Ross & Thomson of Edinburgh
Collodion landscapes by Fenton, Photographic Society, London
Landscapes by George Washington Wilson, Aberdeen

The National LIbrary of Scotland has a catalogue of this exhibition.

8,000 Visitors

The exhibition attracted 8,000 visitors, and made a profit of £23 9s 11½d, thought the Council declared profit was not their objective.

Their main objects in instituting exhibitions were:

- to aid in increasing the public taste for Art.

- to afford the Members an opportunity of contrasting their own works with those of their fellow Members, and of photographers at a distance.

Press Comment

"Another Exhibition has opened to delight our pleasure-loving Auld Reekieites who are noted as dillettántí and Fine-Art rhapsodists.

Photography already appears scarcely less marvellous than the electric telegraph"

[Caledonian Mercury 22 December 1856]

"This is a most extraordinary exhibition; and we suspect that very few persons, if any, who have not visited it can have the most remote idea of the immense progress which Photography (or Sun Painting, as some term it) has made during the last few years."

[The Edinburgh Evening Reporter & Scottish Record - Dec 31, 1856]

Poem 1

A poem appeared in The Courant describing the society’s exhibition at 60 Hanover Street ended:

“ Old Sol had scarcely spoken thus, when forth I went straightway

To his Great Exhibition-Room, my shilling there to pay;

And scarcely had I passed the door, and laid my money down

When I exclaimed “A shilling’s worth! Why this is worth a crown.

He really is a painter! His own account is true.

I only wish we saw him here far oft’ner than we do.”

[The Courant 22 January 1857]

Poem 2

A few days later, The Daily Scotsman, on 31 Jan 1857, told its readers of the marvels to be seen at the Exhibition. It published a poem, 'Temple of the Sun'. Here is an extract:

“ But even such a favoured street acquires a new renown,

And gives a brighter lustre to that corner of the town.

When day by day both grave and gay are thither seen to run

With eager anxious haste to seek the Temple of the Sun.”

[The Daily Scotsman: 31 January 1857]

Some Prominent Exhibitors

Antoine Claudet [London]

Roger Fenton [London]

Hill & Adamson [Edinburgh]

Robert MacPherson [Rome]

John Moffat [Edinburgh]

John Pouncy [Dorchester]

Horatio Ross [Scotland]

Henry Peach Robinson [Leamington]

Ross & Thomson [Edinburgh]

George Washington Wilson [Aberdeen]

Letter from H P Robinson. The printing on this letter includes many of his PSS Medals

Exhibitors' Requests

Many exhibitors gave precise instructions.

Maxwell Lyte, wrote several letters to PSS about 12 views of the Pyrenees and Spain that he submitted to the 1859 exhibition.

Requests

Maxwell Lyte wrote:

- Please handle these pictures carefully, and take care not to bend the board or crease it by handling it roughly - and take care to touch with clean hands."

- It is particularly requested that they may not be injured in the custom house."

- If there is no regulation pattern of frame to be used throughout the Exhibition, let the pictures be placed in plain gold-beaded frames of narrow beading."

- Take care that the pictures touch the glass. I like glass as free as possible from flaws."

- Paste up the back board with paper all round, so as to keep out the dust.

- Be careful of thumb marks and do not handle the board roughly or crease it by taking up the pictures in one hand.

Result

However, in its report of the exhibition, 'The Daily Scotsman' described one of Maxwell Lyte's photographs as an excellent specimen. It added:

- Other specimens of the same artist are equally good; and we are happy to add that the injury these beautiful views sustained in their transmission to this country, by a nail being driven through them has been skilfully repaired.

Controversy at 2nd PSS Exhibition

Two Ways of Life

O G Rejlander

- O G Rejlander's photograph, promoting photography as Fine Art.

- Photograph printed from from 32 negatives.

- Highly praised when exhibited in Manchester.

- PSS Hanging Committee declined it because of its semi-nude female figures.

- Daily Express was vexed with the decision and wrote:

“OG Rejlander: - ‘Two Ways of Life’ was exhibited in the Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester. The Prince Consort has three copies of it. Sir David Brewster, the President has one copy. It will scarcely be credited that the amateur ‘hanging committee’ of PSS rejected it because there were half-draped female figures in it."

"Call at Mr Wood’s, 88 Princes Street, where the rejected photograph may be seen.”

- A compromise may have been reached. I have read a report that the picture was displayed with one half hidden behind a draped cloth, though I'm not sure where it was on display in this way.

- Professional photographers tried for more representation on Hanging C'tee.

- They failed.

- They began to meet informally.

- They formed Edinburgh Photographic Society in 1861.