Camera Work: A Photographic Quarterly (1907 (Heft 19))

have been too many negative results through over-exposure of feelings; too
much blur of achievement by reason of under-developed convictions ; pushing
of arguments rather than of buttons ; in short, too little reliance on the
camera, too much on jaw. And this excessive wagging of jaws for a time
affected the photographer’s mental attitude. While he should have been
intent only on his work, he was considering its effect upon his adversaries
and admirers. He was the victim of self-consciousness, which is the bane
of men who, not being sure of themselves, are over-sensitive about what
others think of them—an attitude fatal to sincerity.
On the other hand, in America, I believe, the controversial bacillus is
pretty nigh extinct; and, if it is so, the thanks are due to the Photo-Secession.
The latter, springing from a somewhat obscure source in a tiny trickle of
adventure, gathered to itself the force of its own convictions, until it is now
rolling on in considerable flood, pushing forward its course with something
of the indifference that the Mississippi exhibits to the workers and loafers
along its banks. The stream is broad, there is room for many kinds of
craft, and each under its own form of motive power has the freedom of the
river, provided its bow is set with the stream in the direction of the deep,
wide ocean. For no putting back up-stream is tolerated. By this time the
flood is so wide that the shouts of encouragement or objurgation from the
people on the banks are scarcely heard by the navigators, and certainly do
not influence their course.
The ideal, in fact, of the Photo-Secession is results first, and reasons, if
there must be any, afterward. It is a product of that mixture of faith and
logic, of logic jumping with instinct, of back-knowledge, present grip, and
foresight which characterizes its most active leaders. The Photo-Secession,
in fact, is all that one particular strong personality stands for, syndicated.
If, as contemporary judgment seems to admit, photography exhibits in
America a lustier and more varied growth than elsewhere, it is preeminently
due to the fact that the Photo-Secession, keeping track of the men and women
who are doing things, has encouraged them to higher standards. And it has
done this, not so much by exhortation, as by the practical expedient of
exhibiting the best work under the best conditions for studying it. In these
exhibitions, complete enough to make their mark, sufficiently choice in
selection for detailed study, a succession of the most interesting work both of
Enrope and America is being passed in review, so that it is the fault of our
photographers themselves, if they have not profited. But there is no doubt
they have. All are benefitting by one another's successes, partial successes,
and failures, and there is a well-grounded enthusiasm established that is not
limited to the photographers. The Photo-Secession has passed over the
heads of the critics and directly reached the public. It is winning over
people to become serious collectors of photographic prints.
Charles H. Caffin.

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