PSS
History
1857-1858
Session
Appeal
for more Lecturers
At
the start of the Session, PSS Members received a letter encouraging them to
contribute Papers to the Society. The letter said:
"One of the main objects of the
Society is to promote the advance of the Art by affording a means of mutual
communication in reference to new discoveries, new adaptations, new methods of
manipulation ……
There can be no doubt that almost
every member of the Society has made discoveries of importance in the process
to which he devotes himself which, if made public would greatly facilitate the
progress of others."
Monthly
Meetings
During
the Session, all lecturers except Lyndon Smith were PSS Members.
Their subjects were:
The
Pyrenees .............................................. Rev T M Raven
The
Alabastine Process .............................
JT Taylor
The
Law of Copyright
and Photography .... JM Duncan
The
Wet Collodion Process and Printing ..
Lyndon Smith
Actinic
Phenomena
......................................Prof. George Wilson
Glycerine
in the
Collodion Process ...........
CGH Kinnear
More
New Members
In
early1859, a variety of photographers, artists and professional gentleman
joined the Society; 25 new Members in the first 4 months including:
-
George Washington Wilson, photographer, Aberdeen
-
Miss Taylor, photographer, George Street,
Edinburgh. [It was an unusual event to attract a lady who was not a titled Lady.]
-
Melville S Swinton of the Bengal Civil
Service, Edinburgh, and
-
Peter Dow, Station Master, Linlithgow, adding a little variety
to the occupation of the members, amongst the Professors, Doctors, Teachers,
Lawyers and other
professional gentlemen.
Silver
Medal for TM Raven and Lyndon Smith
A
Competitive Photographic Exhibition was held in 1859.
Two Silver Medals were awarded, chosen by a vote amongst the PSS
Members. By a clear majority, the
winners were:
-
Best Photograph in the
Exhibition by an Artist
Mr
Lyndon Smith: "The Rising Mist " (Calotype)
-
Best Photograph in the
Exhibition by a Member of the Society
Rev TM Raven:
"Pierrefitte"
(Calotype)
Both
the Medal winners had delivered Papers to PSS during the 1858 - 59 Session.
Gold Medal for Fox Talbot
The
Committee also took the unusual step of awarding a Gold Medal in March 1859.
The Society had voted unanimously that this medal should be awarded to
Fox Talbot:
"in consideration
of his discoveries in Photography."
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