Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly (1903 (Heft 1))

the “ Gentle Art of Making Enemies ” most delicately and artfully as an
accent to the different moods of his audacity. It is, in fact, his seal and
hall-mark, which he places upon such work as he is willing to acknowledge
as his. A large number of photographers make use of such marques,
familiar to those acquainted with photographic prints. Those of Mrs.
Käsebier, Mr. Keiley and Mr. Steichen, among the best known, are fanciful
plays on their names or initials. The place of the signature in the print has
a real bearing upon the composition, for while it may overweight one portion
of a print, in another it may find a proper place. Rarely is a print so per-
fectly balanced that a small mark, worked in somewhere, will not contribute
to it some virtue. Its color and tone may be kept so close to that of the
print itself that it will not be obtrusive. Sometimes, as a spot on a scantily
filled space, it will give relief; at other times just a touch of color will key
up the scale of the print to advantage. The marque is sometimes placed on
the mount, Mrs. Käsebier and Mr. Steichen preferring this fashion. This
effect is very agreeable, and unites the print with its mount by appearing to
defer to it. Mr. Keiley, on the other hand, always places his marque in the
print itself, where, upon the whole, it seems most rational to place it, because
in framing, the mount is frequently removed, and thus the mark of identifi-
cation may be lost. It is well worth while to study Japanese prints for their
suggestiveness in this special direction, there being probably no other source
so rich in suggestiveness in all the ways of art. Mr. Keiley and Mr.
Steichen both show the effects of this influence in their inventions. Much
of the charm of Japanese art is due to the appreciation by these picturesque
people of the importance of the agreement in spirit of all parts, which gives
that beautiful sense of unity that is expressed in all their surroundings.
NO doubt the whole question of signatures is a minor one among the
principles of picture-making; yet it is part of a most important principle.
In one sense there is nothing either great or small, in the field of Art —
everything having an importance. The great principle of art is harmony.
If the effect can be enhanced by an apparent discord, accidental or inten-
tional, the justification is sufficient. But as finish implies the presence of
only such details as are useful accessories, and as finish is necessary to a
complete work of art, so even the seal of finish should not belie itself by
becoming a disturber of harmony. Its presence, the final touch of the
maker, should be the evidence that he has passed judgment on his own
creation and confirms the intention of unified expression throughout his
work . Eva Watson-Schütze.