From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 04/22/02-10:55:03 PM Z
On Sat, 20 Apr 2002 Grafist@aol.com wrote:
> Hi List,
> "The Principles of Pictorial Photography" 1923 by John Wallace Gillies
> "Used as a Supplementary Text in NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY."
> Publishers:- Falk Publishing Company. Inc.
> 145, West 36th Street, New York.
>
> Does anyone have info on the above institute.....if it still
> exists?
> I have a copy of the book signed by John Wallace Gillies to a
> Mercedes Desmon Gillies (?)
> Very inspiring and nostalgic reading with several blow ups from
> 35mm cine film of NY waterfront and some formulae.
> Regards John Grocott - Photographist. London
>
>
Hi John,
The NY Telephone book lists, just above New York Institute of Surgical
Hair Replacement,the New York Institute of Photography -- at 211 East 43
St, at 3rd Avenue. I would assume however that it's a technical school
(at best) these days...not a name one hears in "art" (whatever that is,
pace Halvor) circles.
I'll add that I have the book you cite, but am afraid I found it fairly
tiresome, mostly the wordy "rules" of photography, of composition, or
right thinking, so customary in the amateur photo press of the period.
It's certainly true however, that some of the photographs shown in rather
flat and too small repro, if well reproduced & large enough to SEE would
indeed have been "inspiring and nostaligic," or so I imagine.
However, what do you make of the "Japanese Fencing Mask" by Edward Weston?
And what do you make of his acerbic commentary? Here, for the general
delectation is the editor's response:
========================================================================
Mr Weston, my very good friend and a man of impeccable honesty, has fallen
in with words, written by gentlemen who use them to hide behind. With the
exception of Sherwood Anderson and John Tennant, these gentlemen who talk
glibly about the logic of things, using photography as a blind, are all
more or less lost in delusion and smoke a a sort of mental pipe together
when they produce their manuscripts.
We find America under the criticism of two gentlemen named Seligman and
Rosenfeld. Need America do anything except proceed upon its way without
reply?
Happily there is no doubt about Alfred Stieglitz, his being perhaps the
finest thought in photography.
===================================================================
Has anyone ever heard of Seligman & Rosenfeld? Not I ! However, I'm also
having the pleasure of, in the odd moments I remain awake after a day of
indexing, reading a semi-tirade against Stieglitz by a man named
Christian Peterson in a book called After the Photo-Secession... A curious
work I'd never heard of before this year, tho it was published in 1997.
Mr. Peterson, unfortunately, doesn't know one part of speech from another,
which I always find disturbing in a serious book. He also has a tin eye,
and overstates his argument by about 500%.... Nevertheless the
reproductions are fabulous, making the good works look great, and the
tacky ones almost tolerable.
The other good thing about the book is a lot of data, info on
photographers NOT in Beaumont Newhall, or Naomi Rosenblum either.
best,
Judy
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