SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

On 14 August 1885 the following advertisement appeared in the Advertiser: ‘photography – A First and General meeting will be held at A. Flegeltaub’s office, Freeman-street, on Friday, August 14, at 7 p.m., for the purpose of forming a Photographic Society. All amateurs wishing to become members are requested to attend or send in names.’

The following day a report of the meeting appeared in the same paper: ‘Letters having been read from a number of town and country intending members, the chairman (Mr Flegeltaub) stated that he had called the meeting with the view of forming a society, the object of which should be to encourage amongst its members the exchanging of ideas, photographs, and suggestions on all branches of photographic chemistry. It was resolved that either amateurs or professionals should be eligible as members; and that the society be called the South Australian Photographic Society. It was moved that the subscriptions be £1 for town and 10s. for country members, but the decision on this matter was referred to an adjourned meeting to be held next week.’ In October the Society’s secretary, H. Tamber, advertised a transparency night which was to be held at Mr Flegeltaub’s office in Freeman Street. Mr A. Flegeltaub (q.v.) was a dealer in photographic equipment.

****Little is known of the early years of the Society. Records of the Society held by the Mortlock Library (SRG55??) are one letter book (18??- ??0) and one minute book (19?? -- ??). The first president (or chairman) was S.J. Dailey (q.v.) who appears to have held the position until about 1890, and in August 1899 he was elected a life member of the Society.***

By October 1887 the Society had included ‘Amateur’ in its title to become the South Australian Amateur Photographic Society, under which name it was awarded a certificate of merit for photographs exhibited at the Jubilee Exhibition held in Adelaide in 1887. At another exhibition held in Adelaide in 1891 the S. A. Amateur Photographic Company (Society) had on show ‘a picturesque department of photos of South Australian Scenery.’

A copy of the ‘Rules and Bye-Laws’ of the South Australian Amateur Photographic Society was reproduced in the Australasian Photo-Review for June 1949. A list of officers appeared above the rules: ‘President - His Excellency the Right Honorable the Earl of Kintore, G.C.M.G. [the Governor]; Vice Presidents - Prof. Bragg, Dr Cockburn, Dr Rennie; Chairman - Mr S.J. Dailey; Secretary - Mr F.C. Krichauff; Vice Chairman - Mr G. Stace; Treasurer - Mr R.B. Adamson; Committee - Messrs. A.R.S. Craig and J. Robertson.’ Some of the Rules and Bye-Laws were:

‘1. Name. That this Society be called the South Australian Amateur Photographic Society.

‘2. Objects. That its objects shall be the exchange of photographs, the interchange of ideas and suggestions relating to Photography, the formation and maintenance of a photographic library, the promotion of a closer acquaintance among amateur photographers in this and other Colonies, and photographic excursions.

‘3. Members. That members may consist of either sex.

‘4. Definition of an Amateur. That an amateur photographer shall be considered one who practises photography, but does not make a livelihood thereby.

‘5. Members. That members will be expected to attend the meetings of the Society, take a personal interest in its proceedings, and show their work for criticism.’

The date given in the caption to the copy reproduced in the A. P-R. was 1883, which was obviously incorrect as the Earl of Kintore did not become Governor of South Australia until April 1889. The names of the officers suggest a date of 1890.

On an undated printed list (NC) of officers of the South Australian Amateur Photographic Society (1891 or 1892) the positions of President and Vice Presidents were merged and they had become Patrons, the Chairman became President, and Vice-Chairman became Vice-President. By this time the Society had five important figures as Patrons: The Governor, Sir E.T. Smith M.P., Mr (Sir) Charles Todd, Dr J.A. Cockburn M.P., Dr E.H. Rennie, Professor Bragg, and Mr J.J. Green.

By August 1893 the Society had removed ‘Amateur’ from its title, was in a ‘flourishing condition’, and had 58 members on the roll. Annual conversaziones were being held where members, friends and visitors could inspect an exhibition of members’ work hung on the walls and table displays of sterescopic pictures, photographic apparatus, and other photographic items of interest. An exhibition of lantern slides, with commentary, was usually a part of the proceedings.

In February 1894 twenty four members of the Society took part in the third annual excursion to Mount Barker at the invitation of one of its patrons, Dr Cockburn. ‘After being welcomed by the doctor, the whole party, armed with their cameras, proceeded to search for and photograph some of the interesting spots of the neighbourhood. The visitors were first driven through the township and then along the road to Friedrichstadt. There some good views of the quaint German homesteads were obtained. A charming spot on the banks of the Onkaparinga was selected as a camping ground for lunch, and full justice was done to the good things provided by the worthy host.

‘After wending their way for a little distance along the river, the blocker’s township of Naylor was visited. The return journey to Mount Barker was by way of Echunga. At Mrs Barr Smith’s house a halt was made, and some photographs of the house and grounds were taken. Mrs Barr Smith further honoured the visitors by providing light refreshments.’

After a ‘substantial tea’ at Dr Cockburn’s home the Doctor and Mrs Cockburn were thanked for their kindness and hospitality then, after a group photograph had been taken, the party left to catch the train for Adelaide. The president offered two prizes for the best lantern slides taken during the excursion.

At the annual meeting held in July 1894 Doctor Cockburn was made the Society’s first life member, and the secretary reported that the Society was still ‘in a flourishing condition.’ Monthly meetings were being held at the Chamber of Manufactures, there had been ‘a marked increase in the membership’ (to 65 on the roll), and an increased attendance at meetings and in the interest taken in them. The library contained 58 volumes and five serials. The last conversazione and exhibition of work had been a success with a marked improvement on previous years ‘both as regards the quantity and quality of the work shown.’

In August 1894 the Photographic Review of Reviews said, ‘The South Australian [Photographic] Society is, perhaps, the best intercolonial sample of photographic progress. Its meetings are said to be always well attended, and some of the members are always on the look-out for opportunities to make membership additionally attractive; added to which it has an earl, two knights, and sundry professors on the list of patrons, a live secretary, and a committee that takes an actual interest in its welfare.’

Despite the ‘trying weather’ twenty members of the Society took part in the annual excursion to Mount Barker in February 1895. They left Adelaide on the 7.30 train and reached Mount Barker at 9 am. After photographing the streets and beauty spots of the town they were taken to Dr Cockburn’s home, ‘Fairfield’, about a mile and a half from the town. ‘A luncheon was laid out under one of the fine old oaks, and the refreshments provided by the genial host proved most acceptable after a rather hot morning’s work. The musical members of the party having rendered songs, and a number of good stories having been told, cameras were again called into requisition, and the afternoon spent in photographing the house and grounds, sampling the fruits in the orchard, and wandering over the farm. After the inevitable group photograph had been taken an adjournment was made to the dining-room, where a sumptuous tea had been prepared… Shortly afterwards the visitors left to catch the train for home.’

At the conversazione and exhibition held in 1895 ‘all branches of photography were ably represented’ and ‘among the most noticeable were microscopic slides by Mr Bussell, views by Mr J.J. Dailey, instantaneous yachting pictures by Mr C.F. Clough, almond blossoms by Mr E.W. Belcher, transparencies by by Mr A.H. Kingsborough, and coloured photos by Mr E. Cooke.’ If photographs belonging to the new Pictorial movement were on show, they were apparently considered not worthy of mention.

At the 1896 annual meeting the secretary reported that the number of members on the roll had reached 69, and that three had been struck off for non-payment of subscriptions. In this and previous years the making and showing of lantern slides seems to have occupied a significant part of the Society’s programme, and evenings devoted entirely to the making or showing of lantern slides were not uncommon.

The members were shown specimens of Röntgen ray (X-ray) photography in June 1896, and in October the monthly meeting was held at the University of Adelaide where Professor Bragg, a former Patron of the Society, gave a lecture on Röntgen ray photography and demonstrated the effects of the rays by providing members with ‘an opportunity of inspecting their own limbs made transparent by the invisible rays with the aid of a fluorescent screen.’ A further demonstration of the rays was given at the annual conversazione in November when the president, Mr A.W. Dobbie, assisted by Mr Scott, took some photographs with the aid of the rays, developed them, then had them projected on a screen with a magic lantern. ‘They included photographs of a little girl’s hand and of articles such as keys, watch-chains, &c., handed up by the audience.’

The Society’s 1897 conversazione and exhibition was held in the Victoria Hall in November. A report of the event said that the Soviety’s members ‘always provide an instructive, artistic, picturesque, and intellectual treat for their friends at their annual conversazione, and that engagement invariably attracts a large number of people.’ The hall had been ‘tastefully decorated with flowers, foliage, and flags by the ladies’ and ‘round the room were ranged tables upon which were disposed in the best position beautiful photographs of natural objects, scenery, landscapes seascapes, portraits, and pictures of a most artistic character. On smaller tables were stereoscopes and kindred instruments, which vastly entertained the visitors. A series of transparent photos of pretty bits of water, plain, and forest, compelled a great deal of attention; so also did a lavish assortment of small views of notable spots and buildings in England, Italy, and South Australia, which had been remarkably well taken by the hand camera without the tripod. Several surprising pictures of the moon through the Lick telescope and a huge album of cloud effects delighted many who were interested in that branco of photography. There were also photos of bullets in full flight, and these also excited wonder and admiration.

‘On a table near to the platform was an instructive exhibition of beautiful process work, with the blocks, proofs, prints, and completed picture all suitably set out. One of the treats of the evening was the series of pictures exibited by the oxy-hydrogen light under the management of Mr R.B. Adamson, and cast upon a large screen. The members rallied up splendidly and the large attendance of friends, including the ladies, was a proof of the popularity of the Society… A capital string band played at intervals during the evening, and the programme carried out was an entire success.’

In 1898 the Society’s meetings were still dominated by lectures and demonstrations concerned only with the technical aspects of photography, including such subjects as: Isochromatic Photography, Instantaneous Photography, Cyanotype Printing, Photographing the Moon, Photo-Micrography, and Photography in Colours. Photographic realism appears to have been the general aim of the Society, with members concentrating on the production of sharp, clear photographs which were full of detail and with a wide range of tones. Although Harry P. Gill, Director of the School of Design, Painting and Technical Art and Honorary Curator of the Art Gallery had become a member of the Society in November 1894 there appears to have been little attention paid to the ‘artistic’ side of photography.

In July 1897 John Kauffmann had become a member of the Society when he returned to Adelaide after living for 10 years in England and Europe where he had become an enthusiastic worker in Pictorial Photography (q.v.). The pictures made by the new Pictorialists, as they were called, were vastly different from those the members of the Society had been accustomed to making and seeing at exhibitions. Instead of being sharp and full of detail they were fuzzy and would have appeared as if poorly focussed, and instead of having a wide range of tones their tonal range was limited.

However, a few of the Society’s members embraced the new photography, and it may be that the arrival of John Kauffmann gave others the courage to bring out of the closet any experimental pictorial pictures they had previously preferred to keep from the view of the ‘realists’. Kauffmann had shown specimens of his work, presumably pictorial, at the July 1897 meeting of the Society, and at a number of subsequent monthly meetings.

A departure from the usual technical nature of the meetings did occur in June 1899 when E.W. Belcher (q.v.) spoke on ‘Artistic effects in light and shade.’ To illustrate the points made lantern slides of portraits, figure studies and flowers were projected. ‘Some were beautiful examples of artistic lighting, the roundness and relief of the principal objects being particularly noticeable, whilst general softness and the entire absence of harsh contrasts were the principal feature in others.’ A photograph of Pichi Richi Pass ‘served to show the wealth which a repetition of form added to a picture, while a number of exquisite flower studies were used to demonstrate the advantages of controlling and mofifying the strength of light in order to produce results without excessive contrast, yet full strength and detail.’

In December 1898 F.A. Joyner read a paper, ‘Suggestions for the future of the Society’, in which he put forward a number of proposals for ‘the advancement of the art and for the extension of the privileges of members.’ They included: a definite policy each year; more help for beginners; quarterly excursions with definite aims and an associated competition; an increase in general competitions; the public admitted to the annual exhibition for a small charge; and prizes to be given at the annual exhibition for competition ‘by members of all Australasian societies.’ Joyner believed that, if adopted, his proposals would produce a ‘considerable influx of new members.’ The committee was asked to report on the proposals and one of them, the introduction of prizes and competition at the annual exhibition, was introduced the following year. At the 1899 annual meeting five guineas was voted for prize money and competition was to be open to ‘all amateurs resident in South Australia, in addition to members of the Society.’ The committee was authorised to procure suitable dies for a special Society medal and certifcates for merit awards.

The Society’s 1899 annual exhibition held in the Victoria Hall in Gawler Place was ‘a complete success, and those who attended were unanimous in the opinion that the display was the best that the society has held.’ The Governor was given a private viewing of the pictures before the public was admitted, and ‘evinced much interest in the show, and congratulated the society on the admirable work done by the members.’ The pictures were arranged in six classes with landscape, the ‘most popular with amateur artists’, considerably outnumbering the entries in other classes. Mr J. Kauffmann was awarded the prize in this section for ‘On the Lake Maggiore’, and pictures of European, English, Indian, Australian, Tasmanian and New Zealand scenery in this class made it ‘a most attractive display.’ Mr A.H. Kingsborough and W.J. Cowell received awards in Seascape; J. Kauffmann for Un-retouched Portrait; F.A. Joyner and E. Gall for Genre; Mr C.L. Whitham for Hand Camera; and E.W. Belcher for lantern slides.

The Society’s 1903 exhibition had three sections, the same as for the previous year: one for competitive works by members of the Society; another for competitive works from societies anywhere in the world; and a third for non-competitive works from any source. Three hundred pictures were hung, nearly double the number of the previous year, and exhibits were received from England, India, Cape Town (60), Australian States and New Zealand. Fifty lantern slides were sent in for competition, and lantern slide exhibitions that were given throughout the week ‘drew crowded houses.’

A feature of the exhibition was ‘the marked absence of glossy prints whose place has been taken by work on matte surface papers, carbon and gum bichromate, resulting in a display of artistic and broad effects.’ At the annual meeting held three month’s earlier the retiring president, Mr Andrew Scott, had referred to the ‘remarkable tendency of photography towards the pictorial instead of the merely photographic, and urged members to aim high, to have some lofty ideal which they may never reach, so that, if they cannot realise their ideals, they may at least idealise their reals’, a statement which may have meant something to the pictorialists in the Society but which was probably lost on the ‘realists’ in the membership.

In his criticism of the exhibition ‘A Candid Critic’ said that the ‘standard of the whole show would have been elevated if the selection committee had possessed a little more backbone.’ He said the committee had hung an extraordinarily large number of photographs that should have been rejected. One that he said should not have been admitted was a photograph of a nude woman. If the nude in art was to be inoffensive, he said, it must have ‘well-defined values,’ and it must ‘represent with nobility and without coarseness the beautiful symmetry of a well-balanced form.’ He said that photography of the nude is a very difficult matter and that ‘crude realism of the kind exhibited will not only evoke contempt and ridicule, but is also likely to pander to the grosser side of human nature.’ He said that a second exhibit ‘of a similar class’ was also objectionable but not quite so coarse.

It appears that by 1904 a division had occurred between the pictorialists in the Society and the scientific and technical workers who wished to produce ‘real’ pictures. In April 1904 F.A. Joyner, a member of the Society since 1906 and by now a confirmed pictorialist, wrote to the leading Sydney pictorialist James Stening: ‘the pictorial workers of our Society are in a minority as opposed to the f.64 photographers… The trouble has now come to a head.’ He proposed forming a new club dedicated to pictorialism but it did not eventuate. The f.64 photographers were the ‘realists’, those who used the smallest aperture on their lens, usually marked f.64, to obtain the maximum sharpness and detail in their pictures. (see entry under F.64)

Although the South Australian Photographic Society had been the leading Australian society for pictorial work and exhibitions at the turn of the century, it importance began to wane after 1903 as societies in the other States gained momentum.

The Society had a membership of 53 in 1893, which rose to 65 the following year and then remained around 65 until 1899, when it reached 70 with an average attendance of 25 at the monthly meetings. By 1901 membership had risen to 110, then in 1902 peaked at 116 with an average attendance of 38, not including visitors. Although the number of members had fallen to 105 in 1903 the attendance at meetings was the best since the Society was formed, an average of 47 plus visitors. The roll fell to 98 in 1904 and appears to have steadily declined in the following years.

Joyner was president in 1906 and it appears he tried to bring the two opposing groups of members together. In a report he read in June that year he said that in a few months’ time the Society would celebrate its majority, its 21st year, and that while they could reflect on many past successes the Society should not be bound to merely follow the path set by its predecessors. He said that the real objectives of the Society had not been stated and that it should now be declared to be ‘The advancement and encouragement of pictorial, scientific and technical photography’, which he no doubt thought would meet with the approval of all members. The committee formulated a plan for a photographic record and survey of South Australia, to represent ‘The social life and public events of South Australia of today, as well as the reproduction of old prints, maps and records of the South Australia of the past.’ It was hoped that in addition to rendering a service to posterity the project would unite the members of the Society by giving them a common goal, would add to the status of the Society in the eyes of the public, give point and zest to excursions, and bring the Society into touch with isolated workers throughout the State.

In its appeal for historic photographs the Society said, ‘It is highly desirable that photographs of historical interest should be preserved for the benefit of the generations as yet unborn, and people who have pictures to which they do not attach much value, and which might find their way to the fire or dustbin, should give thought to posterity and forward them to the secretary of the society.’ A large number of historic photographs was received, including thirty from Sir Charles Todd which recorded the construction of the Overland Telegraph line, and the Society applied to the Public Library Board for space where the photographs could be ‘framed or bound and placed in safe keeping for ever’.

At the 21st birthday celebrations of the South Australian Photographic Society held at Bricknell’s Cafe in Rundle Street on 15 August 1906 Mr A.H. Kingsborough, ‘the popular secretary of the society’, was presented with a cutlery set. When making the presentation the president of the Society said Mr Kingsborough ‘had been a tower of strength. From 1891 to 1895 he was honorary secretary, and then took office as a committee man. In 1896 he was appointed vice-president. During the next three years he acted on the committe, and in 1900 was again vice-president. He was elected to the presidential chair in 1901; afterwards he again served on the committee; and today he is again hon. secretary. No better secretary could be found, and it would be cheerfully admitted by every member that no one had done as much for the society as he. Mr Kingsborough had ever been an ideal officer, and to him in a large degree must be attributed the present success of the society.’

In responding Mr Kingsborough said that ‘he believed four-fifths of the present members had been connected with the society for 10 years or more, and he thought that the fact that they had so grown up together accounted for much of the society’s success. The fearless and candid friendly criticism of each others pictures had resulted in their work having attained such a standard that the Australian correspondent in Sydney of Photograms, one of the leading photographic papers, had said that the South Australian Society should be called the "Australian Royal Photographic Society."

The officers of the South Australian Photographic Society were listed in the Societies section at the back of directories from 1892 to 1910. There was no entry under ‘Societies’ in the directory for 1911, but there was a brief one in the alphabetical: ‘South Australian Photographic Society (Bond Ltd.) – 51 Rundle Street.’ Records of the Adelaide Camera Club contain a press cutting, the Society of Arts report for 1912-1913, which states that the South Australian Photographic Society had been disbanded. However, there may have been a revival, as one source records the Society as being in existence from 1912 to 1914 with F.A. Joyner as secretary, and from 1915 to 1917 with Charles Radcliffe as president, with A.H. Kingsborough as secretary, although Kingsborough is on record as deceased in 1910.

End.