Alfred Seaman and the PCUK

The Photographic Convention. (Editorial from the Photographic News July 26 1895)

 

The meeting at Shrewsbury passed of very satisfactorily, and Mr. Drage, the new Hon. Secretary, as well as Mr. Martin Harding, the local one, and his energetic Committee, must be congratulated upon having scored a distinct success. There were no hitches from first to last, the arrangements being perfect, from the organisation of the various excursions to the pleasant heat radiated from the plates at the toothsome annual dinner. The only circumstance that at all detracted from the enjoyment of some of the visitors was one for which the Convention authorities could not fairly be held responsible—we mean the lack of good hotel accommo­dation in the town. There are, doubtless, rooms enough to he had at ordinary times, but it so happened that last week the Assizes were held at Shrewsbury, and the lawyers held some of the hotels with a firm grip, as is the way with gentlemen of the long robe. The others were crammed full, and not only were sitting rooms con­verted for the nonce into indifferent bedrooms, but late-coming guests were billeted out by the hotel proprietors upon such neighbouring householders, cottage holders, and, in some cases, dog-kennel owners, as might be in­clined to earn a honest shilling or two in that way. Hence some of the Conventioners were prompted to ask one another why they had left their comfortable homes, their bath-rooms, and other conveniences for temporary sojourning in cupboards which did not afford room enough to swing a cat, as if the swinging of cats was the one purpose for which the Convention had been held. And there is no knowing what would have happened to these grumbling ones had it not been for the comforting condolences bestowed upon all and sundry by Mr. Bedding, who adjured them in the most friendly fashion to cheer up.

The headquarters of the Convention were at the George Hotel, and all the resources of that capacious hostelry were strained to such an extent that the commercials who were in the habit of finding' accommo­dation there, but were now supplanted by the Conven­tioners, were madly careering about the town, cursing Daguerre and all his works. Of the table appointments at the George it is not for us to speak; suffice it to say that the massive silver plate, in the shape of several extremely antique milk jugs and sugar basins, were brought out for the occasion. The only regret was that these articles were each one of them unique, and, in consequence, the scramble at breakfast time to get a view of them was rather exciting.

As usual at Convention meetings, there was at this last one an exhibition of photographs and apparatus, and the exhibitors shared with the visitors the advantage of a very large hall. At this hall the meetings were held, and to it the members and their friends adjourned on Wednesday evening for a smoking concert after the annual dinner, of which more anon. The hall had, how­ever, one drawback in its extreme resonance. This was of course no stumbling-block to those accustomed to public speaking, but to the majority of the Convention speakers it proved ,a serious matter, for they could not make themselves understood.

The exhibition, if not very large, was select, and included some very good work. Notable amongst the novelties was an immense frame, sent by the Eastman Company, which contained a number of prints, treated in all kinds of different ways—enlargements and contacts-on one sheet of paper, the size being about 7 ft. by 44 ft. Only one negative was employed, the rugged face and head of an old man, and the way in which the printing was carried out reflected the greatest credit on the operator, and was a fine testimonial to the variety of tints—from pure white to deepest black—obtainable on Eastman Company's platino-matt-bromide paper.

Messrs. Elliott & Sons, of Barnet, must be commended for a fine show of portrait studies, some direct and some enlarged, and comprising examples of bromide paper and carbon work. One of these was a most beautiful life-sized picture of a beautiful lady. The Shropshire Club had quite an imposing series of pictures, and many of the members present were enabled by their aid to point out to their guests the landscape and other beauties which were to be visited in the course-of the Convention excursions.

The European Blair Camera Company had an exhibit of their various cameras, spools, &c. Messrs. Morgan & Kidd contented themselves with a frame of fine enamel pictures.

Messrs. Adnitt & Naunton, of Shrewsbury, showed a number of cameras, &c., by different makers, besides other things interesting to photographers.

Another local exhibitor was Mr. James Laing, who showed numerous views of Shrewsbury, and later on excellent copies of the Convention group, which was taken by him.

To tell the truth, the lantern slides were, as a whole, very inferior in quality, and it is a matter for wonder that some of them were shown at all. Poor washed-out things, from poor washed-out negatives. Of course there were exceptions to the rule, as in the case of some of those taken by Mrs. Ward. But the best were Mr. Hindley's—one, a sunset scene, eliciting a storm of applause. Mr. Hindley's pictures were from hand-camera negatives exclusively, and, compared to the best of the others shown, were as prawns unto shrimps. It seems astonishing at this time of day, after so much has been talked and written about lantern-slide making, that it should be possible to collect together so many wretched examples of this class of work. We hope that at Leeds, next year, some steps will be taken to select from the pictures sent in those which are worthy of being exhibited, and that the duffers will be ruthlessly rejected.

The slides suffered from the light employed to show them. It seems that the owners of the hall would not allow the limelight to be used except under certain stringent conditions, and it therefore became necessary to use the electric arc lamp. The lamp employed jumped about and flickered to such an extent that sonic of the pictures seemed to be illuminated by a series of lightning flashes. Sometimes the light went out altogether, and the exhibition of lantern slides was, in a great measure, spoilt in consequence of these vagaries.

Tuesday was given up to excursions, and the fortunate visitors could choose between three tempting items pro­vided for their delectation. The A excursion was to Buildwas and Wenlock Abbeys, with Mr. Laing and Mr. Delia Porta as leaders. Here is the short description of these old buildings, as furnished by the Convention handbook:—

" Buildwas Abbey, founded 1135, originally Saviginac, and finally Cistercian, occupies a beautiful site in the Severn Valley, and presents features of great interest. The situation, to the north of the church, of the cloister and chapter-house is unusual; the latter is an oblong building", vaulted in nine compartments, supported by two octagonal and two circular columns. "Wenlock Priory (Cluniac), once the site of a Saxon nunnery, founded by St. MHburgh, and again, two hundred years Inter, of a church founded by Earl Leofric. Earl Roger's foundation of Benedictines was affiliated to the mother church of Cluny. The ruins cover thirty acres, and consist of part of the south of the nave, a considerable portion of the south transept, the chapter-house, and the Prior's Lodge, which last pre­sents an unique example of the domestic arrangements of the period. The chapter-house is especially note­worthy, and there are other interesting features in the parish church and in the old, half-timbered houses in the town of Wenlock."

Excursion B was to Bridgnorth and Arley; leaders, Messrs. Bromwich and Lawson. And the C excursion, only occupying half the day, was to Stokesay. This last excursion seems to have been enjoyed as much as any. Stokesay Castle is described as being a fortified mansion of the 1.3th century, in a state of perfect preservation, and therefore almost unique. It consists of three toler­ably distinct parts: a tower at the north end, which is probably the earliest portion, the banqueting hall, and the great tower on the south. There is a magnificent oak chimneypiece of Jacobean time. The gate-house is a fine example of a Tudor black-and-white building, and the court was surrounded by a moat twenty-two feet wide. The tower is of unusual form, presenting exteriorly the appearance of a double octagon with battlamented parapet. The church is close by.

Wednesday was certainly a busy day. Some of the Conventioners might have been seen as early as 7 a.m. taking shots at the town, but these were the very energetic members of the crew. The rest were content to breakfast between eight and nine, so as to attend the general meeting in the Council Boom, at ten. The minutes were duly read and sundry resolutions made and passed, the most interesting perhaps being the one which decided upon Leeds as being the place at which the Convention is to meet twelve months hence. After the meeting closed the various members sauntered off to the Infirmary, not that any of them required medical advice, but because the building lent itself to photographic grouping, it has a portico with four fluted columns, and upon the steps of this portico the ladies and gentlemen attitu­dinised in the various ways peculiar to them, and were photographed by Mr. Laing. Four or five negatives were taken in all, and very good ones they were. It was just the day to get a good result, for there was plenty of light, but no direct sunshine. Various members of the party took snap-shots as the group was being arranged, and altogether the expenditure of dry plates must have been rather serious. Then everyone adjourned for lunch and at two o'clock were once more abroad, mounting various brakes which took them for a short afternoon. excursion to Haughmond Abbey and Hill.

This Abbey dates from the early part of the 12th century, and is a well-preserved ruin which possesses many picturesque features. Between, the Abbey and the high road is a large pond overshadowed by trees, and this alone would afford many beautiful pictures. Pre­sumably this piece of water was the only remains of the fish-ponds belonging to the old monks of Haughmond, that necessary appendage to every monastery without which its inmates would go dinnerless on Fridays,

Fasting was really a deprivation then, for one cannot imagine a more nauseous food than the mud flavoured dace and carp caught in a land-locked piece of water. The descendants of these good old monks mortify their flesh on Fridays with salmon mayonnaise, devilled white-bait, stewed eels, &c, and think themselves hardly used. In spite of what has been written and sung about the monks of old and their jolly ways; in spite of the pictures which have been painted, associating them with wine-casks and other vanities, some of the members of these religious houses must have had a rough time of it.

Haughmond Abbey had certainly never been so much photographed before as upon this July afternoon, and, as each picture taken must inevitably have included about half-a-dozen photographers taking other pictures, the results cannot have been entirely happy.

Then a pleasant walk through a wood, rich in splendid beeches, with the bracken half way up their trunks, and enough flies to start another plague in Egypt. Half-an hour later the party strayed, by twos and threes, into the hotel at Uffington, where, on a lawn at the back, fringed with arbours they broke up into a dozen separate tea parties. Flies now gave place to spiders, but, as the latter were neither as aggressive nor as numerous as the former had been, the cakes and bread and butter quickly disappeared, and the Conventioners once more drove back to Shrewsbury, to be in time for the annual dinner.

We need say no more about this well-managed and well-served function than that it was a big success. The Mayor sat on the right of the President, and on his left was Colonel Peel, the Chairman of the Reception Com­mittee. The speeches were not too many and not too long, and some of them were witty. Then came an adjournment to the Exhibition Room, where a smoking concert finished the proceedings.

Thursday morning saw all the members astir early, looking none the worse for late hours on the previous night. There is something very tough about the photo­graphic constitution; it may be that a proportion of the noble metals used are absorbed into the system, and give extra tone (tone is certainly the right word) to the muscles. There were men who are commonly described as veterans—notably one who hails from Tunbridge Wells— hopping about, and playing leap-frog, as if they were boys. This is one of the pleasantest features of the Con­vention meetings. Long may these grey-haired youths be spared to join in them!