How few amateur photographers there are who thoroughly enter into the
enjoyment of the art-science as a pastime. Many of these, perhaps,
must be excused for the reason that they are ignorant of its
capabilities. Indeed, how many there are who imagine that the art of
photography consists in making negatives and, from these,
prints--good, bad and indifferent. All the friends and relations are
called into requisition "to be taken." At first they do not mind,
thinking it a fine thing to have a portrait made for nothing; but when
they see the result they very naturally object to be caricatured, and
the amateur loses many a friend, and the maiden aunt leaves all her
money to the home for stray cats. If he is a married man and delights
in a happy, cosy home, neatly and artistically decorated, photography
can be of very great assistance to him--how much, few realize. There
are a thousand different ways in which it can be of use, and the
photographer has always before him some permanent record of his
travels and skill.
[Illustration: FIG. 22.]
Let us take, for instance, the making of transparencies. These are
very simply made. Any moderately rapid dry plate can be used for the
purpose. Every amateur becomes possessed after a time of a large
number of negatives, good, bad, and indifferent. Let him carefully go
through these, selecting all the printable ones and the pictures that
he most admires. From these, transparencies can be made, either by
contact, or enlarged or reduced in the camera. Persons residing in
cities often have a nicely furnished room utterly marred by an
unsightly outlook. Perhaps a view of chimney pots and dirty back
yards. In such a case all that is necessary is to fit in place of the
lower panes some neat photographs on glass, backed with thin
ground-glass. These can be puttied in or they can be fitted in neat
brass frames and hung up against the windows.
The craze of the present day appears to be in the direction of bright
and gaudy colors, except with the more highly cultivated, who
recognize the artistic value of unobtrusive colors and delicate tints.
A photograph, provided it is a good one, is always to be preferred to
colored pictures unless the latter are by good artists. We once
constructed with a half dozen of transparencies a very neat lamp
shade. Some idea of it can be obtained from Fig. 23.
[Illustration: FIG. 23.]
A brass frame is first constructed, and any wire worker will execute
this so as to hold the six or eight pictures. The transparencies are
made, cut down to the size and shape required and fitted in; then
ground glass of the same size and shape is fitted, small brass tabs at
the back being used to keep them in their places behind the
transparency. The glasses should not fit too tightly in the brass
frames or, on expanding by the heat, they will crack.
A hall lamp can be treated in the same way, the colored glass removed
and photographic transparencies substituted. Photos on glass can in
the same way be used for a variety of other purposes, such as fire
screens, candle shades, etc.
Next look up your stock of prints, scraps, waste prints, etc.
[Illustration: FIG. 24.]
Often from a large, spoilt picture you can get a neat little bit about
a couple of inches square or less; look up all these and from them a
photographic chess-board can be made. Our illustration in Fig. 24 is
intended to show what is meant, although our artist has not been happy
in the selection of his material to represent photographic views and
portraits. First mark out a square the size you wish the chess-board
to be. Divide it into sixty-four squares and draw a neat border round
it. Thirty-two of the squares are then neatly pasted over with
selected photographs as varied as possible in subjects. Sixteen are
fitted one way and sixteen the other. Our illustration is incorrect in
this respect. The sixteen pictures should be placed the right way on
the sixteen squares nearest to each player. When the photographs have
all been pasted on and dried the whole is sized and varnished. If,
however, it is desired to preserve this photographic chess-board, and
at the same time to use it frequently, a better plan is to cover over
with a glass plate and bind all round the edges to prevent dust from
entering.
In a similar way a neat card table can be manufactured. Fig. 25 is
intended to illustrate the top of the table covered with photographs
and protected by a glass plate.
A little consideration will no doubt give various other similar ideas
to the reader.
Those who can work the carbon process successfully have it in their
power to transfer photographs in various colors to all kinds of
supports, to wood for instance. The panels of a door can be very
considerably improved by the insertion of photographs on fine grain
wood, varnished.
[Illustration: FIG. 25.]
Pictures can in this manner be transferred to plates, china and
ornaments of every description.
Various methods of printing on silk and various fabrics have from time
to time been given. Perhaps the best for our purpose is the primuline
process, as various colored images can be produced, with but little
trouble, on all kinds of material. A description of the process will
be found in another part of this work. (See Page 39.)
These the amateur can hand over to his better half or female
relations, who with the natural feminine abilities will produce all
sorts of pretty artistic articles for decorating the room.
We are well aware that we have by no means enumerated one half of the
various means in which photography can be employed for decorating the
house, but hope at least to have given the reader some idea of what
its capabilities are.