Re: "Photographic Amusements"


Jan Kapoor (jkapoor@lightwork.cnchost.com)
Sat, 15 May 1999 22:30:06 -0400


I have a copy of the 1937 eleventh edition which I found in an antique shop in
Savannah. The authors are Frank R. Fraprie and Florence C. O'Connor. It makes
for fascinating reading; but I'm glad we now have Photoshop! Some of the
techniques sound pretty laborious.

Jan Kapoor

Judy Seigel wrote:

> On Fri, 14 May 1999, Richard Knoppow wrote:
> > Another interesting book with obscure and arcane material in it is
> > _Photographic Amusements_
> > I no longer remember the original author, it may have been E.J.Wall. This
> > went through many editions from the early 1930's to the early fifties. In
> > the US it was published by the American Photographic Book Publishing
> > Company, Boston.
> > ----
>
> Actually, my earliest Photographic Amusements is 1914 (can't lay hands on
> it this minute), though first printing was I think 1898 (I resisted an
> 1898 edition for $100 last month). There were at least 8 editions, each
> had many printings. My latest is 1938, which had by that time some "names"
> in the "portfolio" section, including Brugiere, & company.. There were
> more editions after that, which, alas I don't (yet) own.
>
> Which is to say, the material, far from being "obscure and arcane" is the
> very stuff of "crooked photography" since day one. The book was VERY
> widely owned and known .... I don't think I've ever been to a
> Photographica Fair that didn't have at least one. And a friend FROM THIS
> VERY LIST actually gifted me with one was deaccessioned, if you could
> believe, from the Hackensack Library! (Let's hear it for Hackensack!!!
> That's NEW JERSEY, folks.)
>
> Yes, of course I'm bragging. You would too. The book is a treasure. The
> one true classic of photography that has NOT gone out of date. Like I say,
> those "tricks" are classics. (That's where I got the one about do your
> dust-on memorial portrait with the deceases's ashes.) Guess I shouldn't
> say this, drives up the price even more. It is my assumption that
> Mortensen studied it well, and I show some evidence, part of what's taking
> me so long with this %^&*&^%$, er, excuse me *wonderful* Issue #3.
>
> (PS. I suspect the shade of Edward Weston crept in during the night and
> hid two or three of them I don't see at this moment.)
>
> Judy

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www.lightwork.cnchost.com



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