A miscellany of things today. . .
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My internet provider experienced an untimely death a week ago. 
Unfortunately, any mail sent to my old address (garyewer@poweramp.net) 
since last Saturday, January 25 has gone to cyber-limbo and will 
probably never be retrieved. If you had occasion to e-mail me since last 
Saturday, I'd appreciate it if you could resend the message to...

!!!***  MY NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS  ***!!! 

        

Please update your address books to reflect the change.

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Also, astute wordsmith and DagNews reader Stephen Herbert corrected my 
post of January 22. "Veriest" is indeed a legitimate word and, according 
to my (larger) dictionary, means:
           ...being such to the highest degree; utter
  Hence, "From the most aged to the veriest (utter) child. . ."

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I also intended to preface an announcement for January 31 with the 
following text; here it is a day late:

On this day (January 31) in the year 1846, the following announcement 
appeared in the "Saturday Courier" (Philadelphia; Vol XV. #47):
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  BAER, (SIC) the Buckeye Blacksmith, is taking Daguerreotype likenesses 
at Wilmington, Delaware.
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  On the heels of this notice of the activity of John W. Bear, I would 
like to mention that a portion of his little-known autobiography is now 
available on The Daguerreian Society's web site at:

   http://www.daguerre.org/resource/texts/bear.html

I've extracted a portion of a chapter wherein he describes some of his 
very interesting daguerreian activities.

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and finally something for yesterday. . .

On this day (February 1) in the year 1857, the following commentary 
appeared in "The American Journal of Photography" (Vol.4, No.6):


       T H E   D I F F E R E N C E .

  Photography in the United States, is practiced only as a livelihood--
in Europe as a pastime or amusement.
  In America, Smith or Jones are Photographic Artists--making portraits 
of the people for a few shillings.  In Europe, Lord Nobleborough or 
Prince Royalblood, is a connoisseur amusing himself.
  In America, photography is a business as legitimate as dentistry or 
blacksmithing.  In Europe, it is a fashion for the opulent.
  In America, there are no photographic societies--trade doesn't need 
societies.  In Europe, in every important town, you find an association 
of zealous experimentalists under the patronage of his majesty, and 
presided over by some Sir David or Lord Rosse,
  In America, three Journals, professedly devoted to Photography--
through scissoring, taking pay for puffing quackery, or advertising 
their proprietors' merchandise, eke out a sickly existence.  In Europe 
you find genuine scientific original journals of photography in all 
languages.
  In Europe then, finally and consequently, they make discoveries and 
real progress in the Art and the science, with noble generosity giving 
the fruits of their labor to the world, while we here appropriate or 
steal what we can, and invent only the Hillotype, Hallotype, Balsam 
Sticking, Collodion Gilding, and all sorts of sham.

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Posted for your enjoyment.      Gary W. Ewer      
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02-01-97