Photographic Notes

and the 

Photographic Society of Scotland

1856-1859

1856

PSS established

The Photographic Society of Scotland made arrangements from the outset for its proceedings to be published in both The Photographic Journal and Photographic Notes

The Society appeared to be in a good bargaining position in their dealings with Mr Sutton, Editor of Photographic Notes, who offered to place the name of the society on the title page of his journal.

On 25 April 1856, the PSS Patron, President, Vice Presidents, Council Members, Hon Treasurer and Hon Sec were all named in Vol 1, No 5 of Photographic Notes.

1856

PSS approaches Thomas Sutton

The Hon Sec of PSS was accordingly directed to intimate to Mr Sutton that the Council was prepared to enter into arrangements with him for the publication of the Transactions  of the Society till March 1857 on the condition:

  -  that he calls his Journal “Photographic Notes and Journal of the Photographic Society of Scotland and also that of Manchester”

  -  that he inserts in the first number of the Journal after receiving them, the short reports of the proceedings, or papers at length as may be provided to him by the Society

  -  and that the Society reserves to itself  the right to publish at any time short notices of the meetings in the Edinburgh Papers, and also to re-publish reports or papers after they have appeared in his journal.

Arrangements with Mr Sutton for publication of the Photographic Society of Scotland’s Proceedings were in fact terminated in March 1857.  At the Photographic Society of Scotland’s 2^nd AGM in March 1857 it was announced that 

"the publication of proceedings in Photographic notes was not entirely convenient and has now expired."

1856

Photogrpahic Notes

1857

PSS considers its own Journal

Mr James Ross of PSS stated that Mr Wood of Princes Street had offered, if the Society would commence a Journal similar to those of the London and Liverpool Societies, to be the pecuniary part of the undertaking on his own responsibility for twelve months    [PSS Council Meeting  -  16 Feb 1857]

1859

PSS considers  its own Journal (again)

In 1859, Sir David Brewster wrote:

“In reference to the publication of the Transactions, I beg to request that an Edinburgh Photographic Journal should be established.  There are now Four or Five journals in England, and I feel assured that if you could finance a clever scientific Editor in Edinburgh a Journal might be got off that would ….. pay its own expenses and contribute to the advancement of Photography.

The arrangement which now exists with the London Photographic Journal need not be disturbed.  Mr D Wilson or Mr Swan or Mr Lang could be induced to take an interest in such a scheme.  I am sure it would proceed and be creditable not only to the Photographic Society but to Scotland.”    [Letter from Sir David Brewster to  PSS Secretary, Kinnear  -  21 Jan 1859]

1869

The Collodion Process - exchange of correspondence

In 1869, Photographic Notes, Vol 13, included controversy between the Edinburgh photographers, Tunny and McCraw concerning the invention of the collodion process.