ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15567, 26 March 1914, Page 9

ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY.

WORK. OF SCHMIDT STUDIOS.

The results obtained by photographers of recent years have shown marvellous improvement upon the work done a decade ago. The inartistic and hideous family groups and badly-taken portraits that were wont to deface the walls of the homes of the people are disappearing rapidly, and their, places are being taken by pictures worthy of the name. That is now a generally accepted fact, but should, there be a Doubting Thomas anywhere, he cannot do better than visit the exhibit made by the Schmidt Studios in the No. 3 court at the Auckland Exhibition. Every phase of photographic work is dealt with in this comprehensive exhibit, for the Schmidt Studios are in the happy position of being able to fill every want of their clients. One end of the stall is given to enlargements of the portraits of wellknown public men, and it speaks well for the firm's connection when it is mentioned that among the faces that look down upon the visitor are those of Lord Islington, ex-Governor of New Zealand; the Earl of Liverpool, present Governor of the Dominion Prince George of Battenburg; the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, Prime Minister of the New Zealand Parliament; Major-General Godley, officer commanding the Dominion forces; Mr. Roald Amundsen, the well-known Artie; explorer;-Sir Joseph Wind, Bart., Leader of the Opposition; and many other people of note. Mr. Schmidt, by the way, has held the vice-regal appointment for no less than nine successive Governors. Two fine enlargements, almost life size, of Lady Islington and the Countess of Liverpool respectively, form striking features of the exhibit, and serve the purpose of showing the, firm's skill in making the most of good subjects. Another phase of Mr. Schmidt's artistid

treatment of his work is shown in the production of mythological subjects. At the Exhibition he has placed two especially attractive pictures of this type. The first takes as its subject Ataknta, who, according .to the ancient legend, chose for her husband Hippomenes, the man who, with the aid of Venus and her enticing fruits, managed to outrun the fair daughter of Caeneus., The picture is a fine one, and shows Atalanta stooping in the course of the race to recover an apple dropped by the crafty Venus. The other mythological picture has as its subject Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, King of Crete. Ariadne is shown musing upon the ingratitude of the deserting Theseus, with whom she fled to Naxos, after enabling him to escape from a labyrinth. Mr. Schmidt's skill as a master of the difficult art of posing his subjects is well displayed in that part of the exhibit dealing with portraits of women. There is nothing stiff or formal in the attitudes adopted by the originals of the Schmidt portraits, while, further, the artist has been most successful in Ids endeavour to bring out the characters of his sitters. Included in his portraits of women Mr. Schmidt has exhibited a series of dainty calendar heads, most itrtistically conceived.

One of the most delightful corners of the exhibit is that devoted to studies of children. Admittedly the child is one of the greatest difficulties that confronts the photographer in tha course of his work, hut he who sees the work of the Schmidt studios must acknowledge that it is a difficulty that patience can overcome. Photographs of children in all attitudes may be seen, and in each one the artist has met with success, and has obtained particularly dainty photographs. The firm, since its establishment, has had many successes. At the New Zealand Exhibition, held at Ohristchurcn in 1906 and 1907, gold medals -were won for the effective exhibit of photographic portraits, for enlarged photographs, special art portrait photographs, Voplilective exhibit, and special awards for portraits by photography, and for collective exhibit of photographs and pictures, while at the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908, a gold medal for photographs was won. The firm's latest achievement is to annex a first and special award at the Auckland) Exhibition, a distinction tfcat is certainly deserved. ■ ■...»«'