VAN RAALTE CLUB

VAN RAALTE CLUB

Formed 1926 as the
DILETTANTI CLUB

17th January 1934 changed name to
VAN RAALTE CLUB

The Van Raalte Club was a photographic club formed in Perth in 1926 under the name of the Dilettanti Club. Its founder was Mr Augustus Knapp of Perth. Knapp was a member of the The Western Australian Camera Club who felt that while the club was concerned enough about the advancement of photography, it wasted a lot of time on formal procedures. So he formed a new club whose object was to encourage the study and practice of pictorial photography using the camera as an instrument of perception rather than a mere recorder of superficial detail. Membership in the club was restricted to 12. Minutes were kept of meetings and there was a new chairman each month. To enter the club you had to be an advanced amateur photographer and be invited by two-thirds majority of all members. The club changed its name to the Van Raalte Club on 17th January 1934 and ceased to function in 1963 although it appears never to have been formally dissolved.

AUGUSTUS KNAPP

Born 31st August 1873 Manchester, England
Died 23rd April 1943 Perth, Western Australia

OPTICIAN
Perth, Western Australia

Henri Benedictus Salaman VAN RAALTE

Born on 11th February 1881 at Lambeth, London - Death on 4th November 1929 South Australia

Henri Benedictus Salaman Van Raalte (1881-1929), etcher, was born on 11 February 1881 at Lambeth, London, son of Dutch-born Joel Van Raalte, merchant and his English wife Frances Elizabeth, née Cable. Educated at the City of London School, St John's Wood Art Schools and the Royal Academy of Arts schools, he became an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers and exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Henri migrated with his brother to Western Australia in 1910 and on 6 July 1912 at the Claremont registrar's office married Katherine Lyell Symers.

The etcher retired with his wife, three sons and his press to a rented cottage at Second Valley, on the coast, where he produced some of his finest work. Alcohol became his demon. Despite his acceptance by the local community, to whom the dapper artist was a familiar figure in his old T-model Ford, Van Raalte's melancholy was exacerbated by financial stress. On 4th November 1929, in his wife's absence, he sent two of his sons for the doctor, then shot himself in the head. He died an hour later and was buried in the nearby Bullaparinga cemetery.

For more information on Henri Van Raalte

Thursday 24th May 1923 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 6

Art Photographs — With work in which he has followed the lines of the etcher, eliminating non-essentials, producing soft effects and details in shadows instead of violent contrasts of light and shade. Mr A. Knapp yesterday opened a 10 days exhibition of art photographs in the vestibule of the shop of Mr A.L. Tilly, chemist, of Hay-street. To the public, interested only in the artist's productions, the pictures should have no small attraction; to the most recent recruit to the ranks of amateur photographers they will be of immense interest, because Mr Knapp gives his secrets regarding exposure and development as well as the hour and season at which, often after several failures, he succeeded in achieving his successes. Mr Knapp seeks to keep out of his pictures all distracting accents and incidents. For instance, "Perth, Town Hall" is an effort to depict the beauty of the architecture of the clock tower and for that reason, with the aid of water color lamp black, while the print was still wet, he suppressed all high lights elsewhere; glaring signboards were blotted out and women's white dresses greatly subdued. His plan has been to watch for days on which he can get the best atmospheric effects, because only occasionally in this regard is the camera able to record scenes of unusual beauty. He secures an absence of violent contrasts by making exposures from four to six times as long as prescribed in the text books thus getting more detail in poorly lighted places and by a shorter period of development. Using 5in. by 4in. and 3in. by 2 1/2in. plates, he has met with much success by following the lines suggested by Mr Henri Benedictus Van Raalte, the etcher, in lectures on composition to the The Western Australian Camera Club. Among the pictures on view are "The Poetry of a Distant City" and "Dawn", which were hung by the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1922. There are also a portrait study of a girl's head, which won the silver medal at the The Western Australian Camera Club's competition in 1917 and "Mr. Henri Benedictus Van Raalte, etcher", which was awarded the champion silver plaque as the best picture in the Dunedin exhibition of 1922. There are numerous other subjects of conspicuous merit.

Thursday 17th July 1924 Western Mail (Perth, WA) - Page 29

CHRISTMAS NUMBER
PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
JUDGES COMMENTS
Judging of entries in the "Western Mail" Christmas number competition, which closed on June 17, was kindly undertaken by Messrs. A. Knapp and H.G. Beach, two gentlemen whose experience of photography is long and of generally recognized value. They advised the following awards and the Editor has accepted their selection.

BEST ACTION STUDY:
Mr J.J. Dwyer

BEST HUMOROUS STUDY:
Mr H.V. Logan

The award of five guineas accordingly goes to each of these competitors. The winning photographs of course, will be published in the Christmas number. For the information of the large number of competitors the following comments by the judges are published:

All the prints, with the exception of perhaps twenty or so, were from negatives which could have been given from four to ten times the exposure which they had actually received. This no doubt, is because the competitors have not mastered the principles of correct exposure. Cameras which use Kodak roll films may be roughly divided into four classes Box form of Brownie, folding Brownie, folding cameras with rectilinear lenses, (the stops on these lenses are marked 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128) and high-priced cameras fitted with anastigmatic lenses.

No. 2 FOLDING AUTOGRAPHIC BROWNIE BROWNIE BOX CAMERA circa 1910

Box Brownie and folding Brownie cameras should always be used with the largest stop in front of the lens. Suppose we wish to take a photograph of an average subject such as a bush road or of the road in the King's Park, from the King's Park-road gates. The time of day is 11am and the sun is shining. A reasonable exposure with the box Brownie camera would be one-quarter of a second, with a folding Brownie one-tenth of a second and with a rectilinear lens with the stop at 4, one-twentieth of a second.

The longest instantaneous or snapshot exposure with the three first-named cameras is about one twenty-fifth of a second. The result of under-exposure is that no record is made on the film of the shadows or more poorly lit portions of the subject. When such, negatives are printed the shadows and green leaves of trees are rendered as blank dark masses. Not only were all the negatives under exposed, but, with the same few exceptions, they were all over-developed.

The result of over-development is a negative in which there is too much contrast between the density of the high lights (usually the sky) and the shadows. When such negatives are printed from, the sky will come out as blank white paper and the shadows will be represented by the dark blank masses above described. But if such negatives have to be printed from the worst possible paper to print them on is undoubtedly gaslight paper. And gaslight paper was unfortunately the choice of all the competitors excepting only three out of the hundreds who submitted prints.

Over developed negatives with dense black skies and clear shadows will print reasonably well on P.O.P. and still better on fast bromide paper, which is developed in the same way as gaslight paper, but being more sensitive must only be developed and handled in a room, lit by a ruby lamp or suitable safe light. A still better way of producing better prints is to produce better negatives and that means much longer exposure and shorter development. That is the only road to good photograph, as exemplified by the leading workers of the world.

It is a fact that in the South-West portion of this State much longer exposures are necessary than would be required in the Eastern States of Australia for the same class of subject. We sincerely hope that these remarks may be of service to that vast army of snapshotters to whom your paper is appealing for photographs of local interest. Readers of the "Western Mail" who wish to improve their photographic methods will be glad to know that Mr Knapp has generously assented to a request that he should write a series of simple articles upon the subject. It is hoped that the first will appear in next issue.

Saturday 28th November 1925 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 10

Some 20 odd examples of the remarkably fine photographic art of Mr A. Knapp ARPS, were placed on view yesterday at the Hay-street premises of Kodak (Australasia) Proprietary, Ltd. They include a number of the studies recently exhibited at the display by the The Western Australian Camera Club and referred to in these columns on that occasion; also some others. With the exception of two, they are concerned, with Western Australian subjects. One notes "The Hill of Vision" (a view from the vicinity of Buckland Hill towards Fremantle), which Mr. Knapp showed at the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain this year. There were only, two Australian exhibitors on that occasion. Some delightful impressions of the Swan River, near the Causeway and also further west, claim attention. Mill Point, seen under a lowering sky, provides a fine picture, likewise "The Poetry of the Distant City". The South West has afforded one striking piece of work which bears the title, "The Ti-Tree and the Traveller". The latter is seated below a gnarled and picturesque giant of the bush. These pictures which merit the attention of all art lovers, will be on view for some days.

Thursday 8th November 1928 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 20

ART IN PHOTOGRAPHY
A NOTABLE EXHIBITION
Formed two years ago the Dilettante Club of Perth has assumed the function of teaching amateur photographers the elements of artistic picture-taking on the principles laid down by Mr Henri Benedictus Van Raalte, some years back. The club consists of few members, but its ideal of photography is high and despite its name it insists that its members must work hard if they are to remain members. The club's first exhibition is now being held at Kodak's premises in central Hay-street. Glancing over the 30 or so mounted pictures of land and seascapes, one is amazed at the extent to which artistic principles, can be applied to a purely mechanical process. Here in this display are photographs as finely done as one might expect to find in any part of Australia. Some of them would be worthy to take rank in any photographic display in the world and this is not idle flattery, for Mr A. Knapp, one of the sponsors of the club, has had pictures accepted by the Royal Photographic Society and is an associate of that body.

The work of Mr Knapp and Miss Helen Ogden first attracts attention. In developing its art, the Dilettante Club has paid great attention to the factor of composition, realizing that absence of color, must cause the value of a photograph to rely much more on correct balance and picture-construction than in painting. The composition in Miss Ogden's work is very deft. She has a rare capacity for choosing an interesting subject and for selecting the most interesting point of view from which to photograph it. Add to this a technique for giving a milky, soft, poetical light to her scenes and the result is a series of very artistic prints. St. Paul's across the Thames, Winter Morning at the Thames embankment and Westminster bridge, a crane beside a wharf, a Cotswold valley seen from behind trees, a house-walled lane in France, are some of the charming subjects, she chose for pictures while in England recently.

Mr Knapp has a distant view of St. Mary's Cathedral spire, Perth, with the crane beside it, photographed at dusk, a sun-illumined cloud behind providing the only light in the picture. He has also two pictures of distant valleys and hills, taken in South Australia and printed with extreme technical cleverness. The light and shade masses and the construction of "The Doorway", a scene of an open yard from within a dark entrance, are also interesting. Some beautiful work is also exhibited by Dr. A. Badock. Like Mr Knapp, Mr Eustace Cohen needs no introduction as an amateur photographer. Balance and rhythmic light and shade massing are characteristics of his pictures of old houses - "An Old Welsh Farmhouse" and "A Hillside Cottage". Three fisherman around their boat are also depicted artistically. Mr J.S. Jenkins has some fine views, particularly "The Long Day Closes", a sheet of water. Other pictures decidedly finished and eye-soothing and well built up from the raw material given forth by the camera have been done by Miss V. Albert, H.T. Phillips, W.J. Mannix and L.E. Pearce. The exhibition should attract much attention.

Friday 9th November 1928 The Daily News (Perth, WA) - Page 2

ART IN PHOTOGRAPHY
INTERESTING EXHIBITION
The great possibilities of photography as a branch of pictorial art are strikingly exemplified in an exhibition now being held by the Dilettanti Club, of Perth, at the Kodak premises in Hay street. Founded two years ago, the club has as its main objective the carrying on of the traditions with regard to camera art left behind him by Mr Henri Benedictus Van Raalte, who was formerly so prominent in this city. Mr A. Knapp, one of the leaders of the movement, remarked today that "This is a reflection of Mr Van Raalte's influence on art and the most definite evidence of such yet provided in W.A". While seeking to foster keenness among amateur photographers, the club demands a high standard and no member who does not afford evidence of hard work is permitted to remain on its list. The exhibition comprises some 30 mounted pictures of land and seascapes, covering a remarkable variety of subjects. The factor of composition is emphasized throughout, one of the chief aims being to produce depth and proper perspective, thus avoiding the "flatness" which characterizes the average photograph and distinguishes the product of the camera so sharply from that of the painter's brush.

VALUE OF ATMOSPHERE
The advantage in the matter of atmosphere, which the photographer in England has over his confrere in Australia, is seen in the enhanced softness and mellowness typical of several studies made in the Old Country. Miss Helen Ogden shows such pictures, for instance, as "A Cotswold Valley", "Winter Morning, Westminster" and "Sussex Cliffs", all notable for the qualities mentioned. Mr Knapp has a number of beautiful pictures, including "Hills and Valleys", "Country Road" and "A Swamp", while his "Doorway" is remarkable for the impression of depth it conveys. Dr. A. Badock is a prominent exhibitor with "Milking Time", "Still Waters", "Aristocrats" (a delightful tree study) and other skilfully executed pictures. Mr Eustace Cohen, Mr J.S. Jenkins, Miss V. Albert, Mr H.T. Phillips. Mr W.J. Mannix and Mr L.E. Pearce are other photographers who present convincing evidence of their skill and artistic sense. Camera enthusiasts and art lovers generally should find much to interest them in the exhibition, which is attractively arranged.

Friday 16th November 1928 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 26

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Large numbers of people have inspected the artistic landscape photography done by members of the Perth Dilettanti Club and exhibited at the premises of Kodak Pty. Ltd., in Hay-street, Perth. The pictures will not be on view after tomorrow.

15th January 1931 Page 17 - Vol. 38 No. 1 The Australasian Photo-Review

THE COLLEGE CHAPEL
H.S. Lucraft
First A.P.-R. Competition - September

14th February 1931 Page 85 - Vol. 38 No. 2 Australasian Photo-Review

This is a small photographic club, started in 1926, something on the lines of the Sydney Camera Circle and others of similar standing. The outstanding object of the club is to encourage the study and practice of pictorial photography and other arts. Membership is obtainable by invitation of a two-thirds majority of all the members and each meeting is presided over by a chairman, members taking it in turn to act in that capacity.

The chairman arranges the program and procedure for the meetings over which he presides and at every meeting each member is expected to produce some specimen of work done by himself during the previous month. This is a very popular feature and the stimulus which it provides to better and more artistic work is reflected in the quality of the prints submitted for criticism month by month. The demonstrations and lectures provided at the monthly meetings are also a great help to the same end. Demonstrations have been given, for instance, of the Bromoil process, the Carbro process and on retouching and spotting negatives and prints, all by men who are expert in these main branches.

Mr A. Knapp, whom, by the way, we must congratulate on his recent election to the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society, was chiefly responsible for the foundation of the Dilettanti Club and its success and continuance are largely due to this gentleman's enthusiasm and driving power. It is quite likely that there may be in Western Australia other workers who may desire to become members of such a society. If so, we suggest they get in touch with Mr Knapp.

14th February 1931 Page 78 - Vol. 38 No. 2 Australasian Photo-Review

THE OLD MILL
H.S. Lucraft
Second A.P.-R. Competition - October

14th March 1931 Page 116 - Vol. 38 No. 3 The Australasian Photo-Review

THE TOP OF THE HILL
H.S. Lucraft
Second A.P.-R. Special Competition - Landscape with Figures

Friday 12th June 1931 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 24

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE
NEW METHOD OF DEVELOPMENT
The announcement of a new method of acquiring control in the development of photographic negatives, promising important results to pictorial photography and X-ray photography. was made at the monthly meeting of the Royal Society of Western Australia on Tuesday night by Mr A. Knapp FRPS, who gave an outline of the new method in the course of an illustrated address on photographic technique. Several photographers present in the audience evinced great interest in the process.

Mr W.E. Shelton presided.

Mr Knapp said that there had always been two problems which had confronted every photographer in making the negative and these were the problems of correct exposure and correct development, neither of which could be considered separately. In the past it had been held by authorities that it was impossible to control the relative speed of development of the high lights, half-tones and shadow detail in negatives. It thus became the recognized practice to give a relatively long exposure followed by a short development. A consequence of this short development, which was necessary to stop the development of the high lights before they became too dense to print on any paper, was that the shadow detail latent in the negative could not be completely developed. It was obvious that a much better negative could be produced if it were possible to develop first the shadow detail to its maximum, then the half-tones and finally the high lights. He had recently succeeded in systematizing such a method of developing negatives. The developer used was prepared by dissolving 11 grains of anhydrous sulphite of soda in one ounce of water and then adding 2 grains of amidol (1 1/2 grains in summer). The negative was immersed for 30 seconds in the solution and then placed in a water bath for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes; back in the developer again for 40 seconds and then returned to the water bath; placed again in the developer for 50 to 60 seconds and again in the water bath, the process being repeated according to the requirements of the negative. Development was still going on during the time the plate was in the water bath by means of the developer contained in the emulsion on the plate. As this small amount of developer was quickly exhausted in the "high light" area of the negative no further development of this area could proceed, but as there was less work to do in the "shadow" area development could proceed in this part long after it had ceased in other parts of the negative. One of the most unexpected issues arising out of the use of this water bath method of developing was its effect in reducing markedly, the exposure time in securing shadow detail. From such brief experiments as had been made up to the present, exposure times in winter could be reduced to a third of that necessary under the old methods of developing and to as low as one-fifth in summer.

Experiments in conjunction with Perth radiologists, added Mr Knapp, indicated that the water bath method of development would prove of material value in taking X-ray photographs for medical work. X-ray photographs were taken of bodies of varying densities, necessitating over-exposure in places, thus losing all the detail. The new process would permit all bodies of great variation in density (as for instance the human foot) being photographed without any detail being lost in any portion of the picture.

A vote of congratulation to Mr Knapp for his success was carried at the instance of Mr L.W. Phillips, who gave a brief account of the chemical theories attempting to explain the formation of the photographic image.

Friday 4th September 1931 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 15

HONORS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Advice has just been received that the judges of the Victorian International Salon of Photography have accepted pictures from the following West Australian exhibitors:

"JAVA"
Miss V. Albert

"REEFS AND SURF"
Mr Craig Balmer

"AFTER A SUMMER SQUALL"
Mr A.J. Burgess

"CHURCH DOORWAY, BISHAM"
Mr Eustace Cohen

"THE VALLEY OF MYSTERY"
Mr F.W. Flood

"PEDESTRIANS"
Mr F.W. Flood

"THE ARCHWAY"
Dr. H.S. Lucraft

"ANCIENT AND MODERN"
Mr L.E. Pearce

"PEACE"
Mr A. Knapp

"FOUR TREES"
Mr A. Knapp

"THE GREATFUL SHADE"
Mr A. Knapp

No less than seven out of the eight successful exhibitors are members of the Dilettanti Club and are between them responsible for ten out of the total of eleven exhibits.

Thursday 5th November 1931 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 6

Connoisseurs will find a good deal to interest them in the display of photographs by the Dilettanti Club, at Kodak Ltd., Hay-street. Some "noted performers are to be seen in action". Subtle grace and charm invest water studies by Mr A. Knapp, who sees everything in an artistic light. A photograph, in the hands of some persons, becomes translated from something mechanical and artificial to a thing, almost sentient and living. Mr Eustace Cohen has done choice studies in England, including a beautiful old abbey doorway and views in the lake country, one, a scene with horses ploughing in the foreground and a great expanse of sky, conveying a strong sense of poetry and rhythm. "Early Morning on the Avon" has enabled Mr F.W. Flood to produce a graceful study of quiet reflections and he has a striking view, taken from a high building, of persons walking in the strong sunshine below, with their shadows projected before them. Mr L.E. Pearce has been busy and secured a number of good studies, including the river foreshore and Mr H.S. Lucraft, among others, adds materially to the interest of the collection.

15th April 1932 Page 177 - Vol. 39 No. 4 The Australasian Photo-Review

AFTER THE BATH
H.S. Lucraft
Second A.P.-R. Competition - September

Saturday 16th September 1933 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 15

WEST AUSTRALIAN EXHIBITORS
A TRIBUTE TO MR HENRI BENEDICTUS VAN RAALTE
"The exhibition of the Royal Photographic Society sets a standard for the world", said Mr A. Knapp yesterday, when discussing his success at the exhibition "and it is considered a great honor to have work accepted. The Royal Photographic Society receives about 2,000 prints from every part of the world. No exhibitor is permitted to send more than four prints and frequently not more than 120 photographs are hung at the exhibition".

It is not the first occasion, that Mr Knapp, who has made a close study of photography, has had work accepted by the Royal Photographic Society, for he was a successful exhibitor some ten years ago. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and he is now the only Fellow in Western Australia.

Mr Knapp paid a tribute to the late Mr Henri Benedictus Van Raalte, the etcher. Pictorial photography in this State at the present time, he said, represented the development of the Van Raalte teaching. When Mr Henri Benedictus Van Raalte began his aquatint work in Perth some years ago, Mr Knapp saw that there were possibilities in the process which might be applied to photography. Mainly as a result of Mr Knapp's research and experiment, a new quality of print, with unusual roundness and softness was obtained. The new print attracted attention and favorable comment in London.

Details were given by Mr Knapp of a Dilettante Club in Perth. The club, said Mr Knapp, had neither President nor committee. It had nine members, three of whom had had photographic exhibits accepted by the Royal Photographic Society. The third member was Mr Eustace Cohen, who had had some work accepted about three or four years ago. It was an amazing record for a little club that three of its members had been successful in the Royal Photographic Society's exhibitions and it demonstrated that pictorial photography was an extremely teachable subject. Dr. Julian Smith, of Melbourne, who had had a pair of photographs accepted by the society, was probably the leading amateur portraitist in Australia. Dr. Lucraft's "Ironing Day" was an exquisite child study and one of the best, things he had done.

Mr Knapp added that he had submitted four photographs to the Royal Photographic Society and he did not know which one had been accepted. The photographs submitted were landscapes, very simple in composition.

"The Royal Photographic Society is to the photographer what the Royal Academy is to the artist", said Dr. H. Lucraft last night, when discussing his success. It was only in recent years, he added, that he had taken any real interest in photography. Four years ago he knew nothing of the pictorial side of the work. He had received cabled advice from England that, in addition to "Ironing Day", another photographic study, entitled "The Pool", had been accepted by the Royal Photographic Society.

Monday 25th September 1933 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 8

AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS EXHIBITION
The first exhibition of pictorial photographs by members of the Dilettanti Club, which has been in existence for about seven years, will be opened this morning in the Trade and Industries Department. The photographs will be exhibited in the Barrack-street window of the department and will remain on view for a week. Twenty-seven pictures will be shown. Among the exhibitors are Dr. H. Lucraft, Mrs V. Pearce and Messrs. A. Knapp, L.E. Pearce, Roper, Baldock, A. Kniep, Hallam, E.A. Coleman and Jones, all well known amateur photographers. Some photographs by Dr. Lucraft and Mr Knapp have been hung in the Royal Photographic Society's exhibition in London this year and both photographers were exhibitors in the Victorian Salon. Messrs: Coleman and Jones are members of the Bunbury branch of the club.

Wednesday 5th September 1934 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 18

The three winning photographs in the competition conducted recently by the Perth Technical School Camera Club are being displayed for a fortnight in a window of Kodak's, Ltd., Hay-street. The contest was open to members of the club, who were instructed during the past year by Mr Augustus Knapp. Mr Knapp also judged the entries. First prize was awarded to Miss Wright for a picture of sheoaks (familiarly known as "paper barks"), growing in swampy country. Printed on rough grade paper and slightly diffused, it was highly commended for the technique of exposure which produced a natural sky. A waterfront picture taken by Miss P. Shaw won the second prize and here again, a fine cloud effect was gained. Third prize was won by Mr E. Hogben for a fine portrait of a girl reading. Shadow detail was good and the picture was not obviously posed.

Tuesday 18th September 1934 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 9

VAN RAALTE CLUB
At recent meetings of the Van Raalte Club several letters and papers have been read which show that the work of the club still continues to attract the attention of scientists of repute and well known writers on the scientific aspects of photography Among others, a letter was received from Mr Olaf Bloch, in charge of the research department of the huge Ilford manufacturing concern and who was recently responsible for the enormous development which has been made in photography in the infra-red portion of the spectrum, which has recently attracted world-wide attention. Mr Bloch's letter enclosed 'characteristic curves of strips of special rapid an chromatic plate' which had been developed with a view to demonstrating the effect of the Knapp system of development in contrast with ordinary methods Mr Bloch says: "You do get very considerably softer negatives by the Knapp method, while retaining much the same speed in the shadows as if you had used a stronger developer".

Another paper of much interest was specially written for the club by Mr P.C. Smethurst, a well-known writer on photographic matters in English technical journals. Mr Smethurst's paper dealt with another aspect of the Knapp method of development and was in tended to point out the special suitability of this process in the production of studio work. Mr Smethurst had measured the intensity of the light falling; on the bright and shaded sides of his models and found that very great contrasts in lighting could be quite easily controlled by the water bath method of development, but were productive of unprintable negatives when developed by ordinary methods.

Wednesday 19th December 1934 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 21

LOCAL EXHIBITORS SUCCESS
Nine prints from Western Australia were accepted for an International Exhibition of camera pictures held at the Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne, last month, Captain A. Burgess, of 114 Vincent-street, North Perth, won a bronze medal in the landscape section for a river study entitled "After a Summer Squall".

ATHENAEUM GALLERY, MELBOURNE

The exhibition was held under the auspices of the Victorian Salon of Photography and over 1,200 prints from all parts of the world were received. About 300 of these were hung. Three sections were created. They were (A) landscape, (B) portraits and figures and (C) still life and other subjects. In each section one gold medal, five silver and five bronze medals were awarded. Salon members excluded themselves, from competition for medal awards. No one was allowed to submit more than four prints.

Of the Australian exhibitors Western Australia was third in the number of prints submitted. Five of the nine accepted were from members of the Van Raalte Club, Perth. These were "Ti-Trees", "Winter Sunshine" and "Fishing Boats", by Mr Augustus Knapp and "Turkey Point W.A." and "The Fair City", by Mr E.A. Coleman. Other West Australian exhibitors were Captain A.J. Burgess ARPS, Mr F.R. Berry and Miss Nancie Ford.

Commenting on the exhibition, the judges said that there was a high percentage of good quality prints in the 1,200 submitted and although it proved comparatively easy to select the first 200 the selection of the remainder was difficult. There was a scarcity of freak work and an almost universal return to a sane outlook was noted.

Monday 29th April 1935 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 20

THE WORK OF THE VAN RAALTE CLUB
A collection of photographs by the Van Raalte Club is now on exhibition in one of the windows of Kodak Pty Ltd., in Hay-street, Perth. While the exhibits are not large in number they are not able enough in quality to be worth attention; indeed, one might offer a few words of appreciation for the self restraint shown by the members in limiting the exhibition to a small number of carefully-chosen pictures.

Among them Dr. Lucraft's "Ironing Day" is an impression of a child busily at work. In this soft focus has eliminated all unnecessary detail. At the other end of the scale, full of rich detail, Is Mr J. Hallam's beautiful dark-brown print of "The Lady Chapel at St. Mary's Cathedral". In contrast to the velvety darks of these two pictures, Mr A. Kneio, a new, member, gives us "Morning", a charming river scene in delicate silvery greys. As an example of the possibility of filling a print with detail, without letting the detail become Irritating? is "The Graceful Tree", by Mr F. Roper. English travel is evidently responsible for the picture of the lonely ploughman at work in a setting of misty hills, beneath a stormy sky, shown by Mr Eustace Cohen; while Australian heat and light drench the rolling hillside called "The Knoll", the work of Mr F. Roper.

While one cannot claim that there is any example of startling originality, such as one is apt to expect, in a modern photographic exhibition, the works shown are far more than mere photography. They are an effort also to show us some thing of the minds of their creators and that being so, are a distinct gain to the work of the State.

Wednesday 24th July 1935 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 18

VAN RAALTE CLUB
EXHIBITION OF CAMERA STUDIES
The watercolor section of the Art Gallery is housing for the first time an exhibition of pictorial work by the members of the Van Raalte Club. The studies are arresting. Some of them are almost as delicate as etchings and the wonder is that the camera can produce so artistic a result. One notable study is that of figures in a wet street, entitled "Tilbury", by Dr. Harry S. Lucraft, who also contributes another fine street study in "The Canongate", a scene to stir the heart of a Scotsman. "Mongers Lake" receives graceful treatment at the hands of Mr W.H. Vincent, who has selected a quiet, sequestered part with bushes and trees. Another study by him is called "Ti-trees". A practical and deeply interesting scene is "Lakeland" by Mr Eustace Cohen, a ploughman and his horses in the foreground and dark crests in the back ground making a well-balanced picture. A Tudor fireplace is shown in another study by Mr Cohen.

There is nothing more graceful in the exhibition than "Morning", by Mr A. Knapp, a water scene with a small craft set midway between two cliffs — a delicate and well-considered piece of work. "Evening", a strong picture of bold, rocky cliffs and washing seas; a landscape, with central brickworks giving balance to the composition and "Camper's Breakfast", a fine study in light and shade, are other examples of Mr Knapp's work.

"Jocelyn", a naturally-posed young girl, is an excellent piece of work by Mr E.A. Coleman, who also is responsible for an interesting study of the silhouetted buildings of Perth, as seen from the river and an artistic picture of Turkey Point. Under the title "Ambitions", Mr H.C. Jarvis submits a wharf scene, with big black-hulled steamers and a small boy gazing longingly. "Storm Clouds" is another piece of his work. Mr F. Roper shows a striking study of a big tree, beside water and another study of typical Toodyay country. "In the Sunshine", by Mr John H. Hallam, pictures a patch of sunlight against a background of deep tree shade and his "Moorings" is a graceful water scene. Mr G. Pitt Morison, the curator of the Art Gallery, who viewed the studies yesterday, spoke enthusiastically of the standard attained.

GEORGE PITT MORISON

Born 31 August 1861, Melbourne
Died 4 September 1946, South Yarra, Victoria

CHIEF CURATOR of Art
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ART GALLERY

Thursday 25th July 1935 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 21

THE UTILITY OF ART
VAN RAALTE CLUB
DISCUSSION
The doctrine that art was useless though aesthetically satisfying was criticized, by Mr Augustus Knapp in a paper read at a recent meeting of the Perth Van Raalte Club. The paper was written as a criticism of points raised by Mr Eric Newton, art critic of the "Manchester Guardian", in an article in "The Listener" read at a previous meeting of the club by Mr A.E. Coleman. Mr Newton said that all works of art, poetic or visual, though satisfying to a hunger as universal as the hunger for food, were useless creations of personal experience and possessed a form or rhythm which gave them the characteristic of beauty. In expanding his argument about the non-utility of art, Mr Newton, said that the primary condition of all art was that it should be contemplated. So long as it gave real pleasure through one or more of the five senses it was doing its job. The visual arts had a double appeal, the human and the aesthetic. The appeal of a good advertisement was almost entirely human. The idea was not primarily to please the eye but to make the mind think of a certain commodity. On the other hand, a piece of printed cretonne had no human appeal, but was pure pattern. Neither appeal was alone satisfactory as a basis for painting pictures. Visual art should strike a balance between the two. The production of a painted illusion of reality was one of the least important things in the visual arts. No artist had ever achieved immortality by producing a painted illusion of anything, whether a teapot or a crucifixion. The question to ask before a work of art was: Does the painting give that magical pleasure which comes from the artist's experience of the subject expressed in paint in a rhythmical way?

Mr Knapp said that the quality of rhythm had not necessarily any relationship to art as, for instance, the rhythmical pattern of a brick wall or the noises of Perth's traffic. When rhythm entered the domain of art it was rhythm of a designed, balanced and decorative character. In discussing the utility of art it was necessary to remember that Nature, not man, was the inventor of art. It was to the passion for the decorative that art owed its birth and growth. When one examined the delicate ornamentation of sea-shells, the colors and patterns of fish scales, flowers, butterflies, birds and sunsets it was hardly possible to imagine that this wealth of beauty, was either haphazard or useless. Unless Darwin was mistaken, natural beauty and the pursuit of it played a very important part in the evolution of beautiful men and women from their simian ancestors. If regarded purely as an inspiring influence, the cult of "perfection for perfection's sake" had its utilitarian aspect. Joseph Conrad was able to recognize this as the deciding factor in the racing of sailing boats. Most people recognized that it was this which made effort a pleasure and a spur to further effort. The contention that works of art were solely expressions of personal experience was also only partially correct. It would be more correct to say that works of art were the result of an effort to present idealized versions of imaginary incidents or visions prompted by experience. Most works of art were conceived in the imaginative faculty.

Monday 7th September 1936 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 16

CAMERA ART
A FINE DISPLAY
All who were acquainted with the late Henri Benedictus van Raalte found that among the most outstanding of his many admirable qualities was his unswerving fidelity to the highest principles of artistic practice.

Again and again I have heard Henri Benedictus van Raalte say to his students (who worshiped him both as man and artist), that nothing he could teach them would be of any avail in making them genuine craftsmen until they learnt the first and most important lesson that truth of perception is what counts in art and that until the faculty of accurate observation is developed, no work, however it may appeal to the popular taste, is any thing but a sham and a delusion.

HENRI VAN RAALTE

Indeed, in his fiercely truthful moods, Henri Benedictus van Raalte would say just what he thought of "that empty and ugly thing called popularity" and would ask "Will any man suppose it is worth the gaining?" Quoting Stevenson, he would remind us that the artist works "entirely upon honor" and that the public knows little or nothing of those merits in whose quest he spends his main endeavors. "Merits of design, the merit of first-hand energy, the merit of a certain cheap accomplishment which a man of artistic temperament easily acquires - these they can recognize and these they value. But to those more exquisite refinements of proficiency and finish, which the artist so ardently desires and so keenly feels, for which (in Balzac's vigorous words), he must "toil like a miner buried in a landslip", for which, day after day, he recasts and revises and rejects - the gross mass of the public must be for ever blind. Under the shadow of this cold thought, the artist must preserve from day to day. his constancy to the ideal".

No better memorial to our great West Australian etcher could have been devised than an organization dedicated to the principles which he laid down and which he himself so consistently observed, as is testified by all his work which remains to us. Such an organization exists in the Van Raalte Club, which has done a great deal to prove to us if any proof were needed - that photography is entitled to a high and honorable place among the graphic arts. The club members are imbued with a determination to achieve beauty only by legitimate means and to avoid all that smudgy out-of-focus "artiness" by which second-rate photographers, instead of developing the individual technique of their own craft, have often made the grave error of imitating other and fundamentally different media of expression.

An exhibition of recent work by members of the Van Raalte Club, which will be officially opened by Mr G. Pitt Morison in the Newspaper House art gallery at 3pm this afternoon, is without doubt one of the finest displays of its kind yet seen in Perth. The level of craftsmanship is high and in many instances the attainment of artistic and technical perfection has clearly been the photographers main objective. But this is not to suggest that other qualities are lacking, for in the remarkably comprehensive range of subjects depicted many interests other than the purely aesthetic have been catered for and the general result is a most absorbing and inspiring reflection of the life and scenery of the State. "The mission of art" Henri Benedictus van Raalte was wont to emphasize, "is not to copy Nature, but to express it" and these pictures make one realize to what a notable extent photography (despite what is often said to the contrary), may penetrate below externals and present not only the obvious details of a scene, but the very atmosphere.

STIMULUS TO APPRECIATION
Present-day art criticism in Australia is all to often a mere conglomeration of vituperative epithets; therefore it may occasion some surprise that in an endeavor to give a just estimate of this exhibition, one can find nothing but good to say of it. In more senses than one it is a liberal education, this vivid pictorial commentary on phases of our daily activities and on our varied and beautiful landscapes and seascapes. These camera studies make us aware, with a sudden emotion, of the glory of our great national heritage; they make it possible for us to gaze, with something of the photographers own discernment, upon scenes with which, in some cases, we may have been long familiar, but which now take upon them a new splendor and a new significance.

The work of these artists is established and built on truth and not the least part of their achievement, one feels, is that it interprets us to ourselves and gives us a glimmering of what prompts and lies at the bottom of our thoughts when we are stirred, somewhat vaguely, by love of country. The Van Raalte Club artists produce work which calls us, with an all-persuasive voice, to the higher and nobler patriotism which consists in an understanding of what our land itself really is and what our affection for it really means.

"The sun is God", said the dying Turner and the merit of many of the pictures in the Newspaper House exhibition resides not only in their skillful composition, but also in the fervor of their orisons to the sun-god. Balanced and harmonious arrangement and evidence of a sure instinct for the decorative, are by no means lacking, but what is even more satisfying is the brilliant treatment of light and shade, the presentation of Nature's own ingenious chiaroscuro - her gleams and glooms and all the mysterious loveliness of her intricate patterning and subtle gradations of tones and half-tones. Excellent in this respect are the pictures by Mr A. Knapp, that experienced and talented artist whose work for many years past has won high praise in salons all over the world. It is, of course, to his initiative and imagination in the judicious use of the screen in printing methods that the club members owe a large part of their success, as they willingly and gladly acknowledge. In all the best of the 114 exhibits in the display, the fine grain and other qualities of texture show how great a part the screen has taken in the attainment of these excellent results.

The exhibitors are A. Knapp, H.S. Lucraft, E.A. Coleman, E. Cohen, F. Roper, T. Phillips, J.A. Jeffery. A. Badock. J.H. Hallam, D. Vincent, J. Dent, L.E. Pearce, V. Pearce, A. Kniep, R.C.S. Steele and R. Scott. Next in order of merit after Mr Knapp's work comes that of Dr. Lucraft, but while those two artists undoubtedly lead the van, the rest of the exhibitors come very close on their heels, with pictures whose diverse beauty will be a revelation to many people. The exhibition will be open daily until next Saturday, between the hours of 10am and 6pm.

Thursday 4th February 1937 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 22

VAN RAALTE CLUB
EXHIBITION OF CAMERA STUDIES
Sixteen pictorial photographs taken by members of the Van Raalte Club were placed on view yesterday in the water color room of the Perth Art Gallery. They took the place of a previous display by members of the same club and will be on exhibition for the next three months. The subjects are mostly West Australian in character.

The Curator of the Art Gallery (Mr G. Pitt Morison) said that the photographs had been taken with great care and skill. Members of the club appeared to be fully alive to the importance of correct composition and balance and other qualities which made not only for good drawings or paintings but were essential qualities in photographs. The trustees of the Art Gallery some time ago granted the club permission to display a new set of pictures in the gallery every three months.

The President of the club (Mr A. Knapp) is represented by three fine photographs. One is a charming rural scene, well balanced in composition. An other is architectural in motive, showing the refectory at the University of Western Australia. His third photograph, depicting a lad and his dog, is well composed and makes a charming picture. Among the three pictures shown by J.A. Jeffery one entitled "And the Day Begins" is outstanding. It gives an interesting view of the Swan River at the Causeway. His picture of three gulls is an excellent rendering of the flight of birds. The exhibition includes examples of work done by H.S. Lucraft, F. Roper and D. Vincent equal in quality to those already mentioned.

Tuesday 7th September 1937 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 20

VAN RAALTE CLUB
EXHIBITION OF CAMERA STUDIES
Showing the result of careful study and the adaptation of art principles to photographic work, a set of 16 photographs prepared by members of the Perth Van Raalte Club was placed on view in the watercolor room of the Art Gallery yesterday. The Curator of the Art Gallery (Mr G. Pitt Morison) said that the pictures would remain for public inspection for the next three months, when they would be substituted by a new collection of photographs by members of the club.

The University building and its surroundings at Crawley have been a source of inspiration to some members of the club both in this and past displays. On this occasion a photograph by A. Knapp depicts the University campanile from an interesting new viewpoint. Well composed, it shows the soft shadows of poplars on the wall of the main building and native trees in the near foreground. D. Vincent has also obtained simple yet effective results in his "Italian Doorway" and "Evening Shadows," both of which are samples of architectural photography taken at the University. An other outstanding photograph is Harry S. Lucraft's "Three Men in a Boat," which is natural and interesting. J.H. Hallam's "G.P.O." is a fine piece of night photography and his picture entitled "Con," the only portrait on view, is well lighted and well expressed. John Dent's "Pool" provides a lyrical effect and is perfect in composition. The artist has not been quite so happy in his "Seascape" effort, the strong vertical note of a posed woman being a little out of keeping with the tranquil quality of the sea and sky. "Windswept," by G.H. Baker and "Seals," by H.S. Phillipps, are other good pictures.

Monday 18th October 1937 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 10

ART SOCIETY LECTURE
Mrs Cardell Oliver, M.L.A. (President) took the chair at a meeting of the Women Painters and Applied Arts Society, held at the Perth School of Art on Friday evening. Mr Augustus Knapp read a paper on "Some Aspects of Picture Making", dealing with his subject under the heading of the decorative element in pictures, the sensuous element and the peculiar difficulties which beset the path of the pictorial photographer in his attempts to produce works of artistic merit. An enjoyable evening concluded with supper.

Monday 13th December 1937 Page 22 - The West Australian (Perth, Western Australia)

CAMERA ART
A FIRST-RATE DISPLAY
(By W.G.M.)
There are two great impulses governing man, the impulse of acceptance - the impulse to take unchallenged and for granted all the phenomena of the outer world - and the impulse to confront these phenomena with eyes of inquiry and wonder.

A quarter of a century ago, when photography was still in its infancy, those who practised it exhausted their sense of wonder on their cameras, and in their contact with the visible universe their impulse was to take for granted all that happened to be in front of it.

Nowadays, they are actuated by a very different impulse. It is the camera they take for granted and, masters of their machine, they look with questioning wonder and excitement. at the world within their focus. They do not take the beauty of any scene for granted; they select. They challenge effects of light and the disposition of persons and things, and waiting and arranging, always questioning, they wonder all the time whether they can get something even better. Their work is in the truest sense romantic, for the impulse of wonder is the secret which lies hid in the heart of all that we call romance.

There is abundant evidence of this element of high romance, this impulse of wonder and inquiry, in the recent work of members of the Van Raalte Club, whose annual exhibition will be officially opened in the Newspaper House art gallery at 3pm this afternoon. I recently had an opportunity of inspecting a display in Melbourne by the Victorian Salon of Photography, with exhibits from crack photographers in all parts of the world. I can say in all seriousness and sincerity that after making allowance for its necessarily more restricted scope, and making sheer merit the touchstone of criticism, the Van Raalte Club exhibition compares very favorably indeed with the Victorian display.

A warm welcome should be given to any organized efforts (all too few in this State, unfortunately), to bring artistic expression into close contact with the people, by employing terms which the people understand and treating of themes with which they are familiar, without pandering to sentimentality, and remaining faithful to the artist's special responsibility in the molding of sound taste. Such efforts are being earnestly made by the Van Raalte Club, and those who attend the Newspaper House exhibition will be impressed by the very considerable success achieved by the club's members in their aim to contribute something, however small, to attainment of the great ideal of unifying art and life. It is cause for gratification, and indeed for cheerful hope, that in these unhappy times there exists in our midst at least one organization which realizes that the cult of Art - an escape from life - is sterile pleasure, the cultivation of life through the arts a pressing need.

AIR OR LEISURED PEACE
To succeed as a pictorial photographer requires a great fund of patience and a genuine aptitude for looking about one to seize fleeting aspects of beauty. As we inspect the club's display, and observe composition after composition in which designs of great loveliness have been snatched from some fragment of the actual spectacle of daily life, we feel that many of these camera-artists must have echoed the question asked by W.H. Davies, "What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?" There is a fine air of leisure, the sense of a place where the inhabitants will "hurry no man's cattle", but accept standing-and-staring as normal human behavior, in A. Knapp's placid scenes (remarkable, as ever, for their delicacy and sensitive delineation); in H.S. Lucraft's delightful glimpses of an old Fremantle cottage and of the picturesque Yundurup mill; and yet again in F. Roper's "Solitude", a study of the countryside, so skilfully observed, so eloquent of repose and peacefulness.

To say that photographers have a finer sense of leisure than their brothers of the brush might sound paradoxical, but it is certainly difficult, on the evidence before us, to avoid coming to the conclusion that photographers - the best of them - are in far closer touch with reality than the majority of painters. It appears to be undeniable also that photographers show more initiative, enterprise and originality in discovering new subjects and in exploring the possibilities of new angles of vision. In the display under review there are successful decorative prints founded on the reality of such commonplace objects as cart-wheels (J.V. Finney), steam rollers (J.H. Hallam), and an empty dinghy (A. Knapp). From all of these have been made photographic pictures, and not silly pictures, but compositions which contain elements of genuine interest. Here is high artistic integrity; the beauty which abides in common things has been admirably captured and recorded.

Emphasis has been laid on some alluring scenes of peace and quiet, so that it is only fair to add that there are several prints in which the strenuous life and man's activity have given opportunities to the artist. And if a good deal of attention has been paid to architecture (particularly by D. Vincent with his successful series of university glimpses), there are some fine pictures dealing with the poetry of movement, as, for example, J.V. Finney's "Flight", with its beautiful pattern of seagulls. This peculiarly appealing picture is the photographic counterpart of Sir John Squire's sonorous word picture:

Right and left
A dizzying tangle of gulls are floating and flying,
Wheeling and crossing and darting, crying and crying.
Circling and crying, over and over and over,
Crying with swoop and hover and fall and recover.

DIVERSE CONTRIBUTIONS
There are some notable portraits, especially A. Knapp's "Velasquez" (the late H. Van Raalte in costume), and studies of a girl and a child by J.H. Hallam, and of a man by J.A. Jeffery. "The Assayer", by R.C.S. Steele, though not strictly speaking a portrait, is another impressive piece of work. Further exhibitors are G.H. Baker, E.A. Coleman, J. Dent and W.T. Phillipps, whose contributions, though utterly diverse in style, sentiment and expression, illustrate the ever changing loveliness of the pageant which Nature, every morning, noon and night, provides for all who have eyes to see. With so many wonderful things to look at, surely we should all be as happy as kings (or considerably happier) if only we followed the photographers example and allowed ourselves more time to stand and stare.

The exhibition is a very varied one, not only in the subjects depicted, but in the differing methods of technical treatment. It proves, if any proof were needed, that Perth is by no means lacking in men who worthily uphold the claims of modern photography to an honorable place among the fine arts, and who are able to show that the triumphs of their chosen medium are not limited to landscape and portraiture, but embrace all kinds of expressive and decorative picture-making.

Friday 23rd December 1938 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 7

VAN RAALTE CLUB DISPLAY
A number of charming pictures, some of them West Australian in character, are included in a collection of 16 photographs taken by members of the Van Raalte Club which were placed on exhibition in the water-color court of the Perth Art Gallery yesterday. The curator of the gallery (Mr Pitt Morison) said that the pictures would remain on view for the next three months, when they would be changed for another selection.

Possibly the most attractive of the photographs are those shown by F. Dale, among them "Parliament House, Melbourne" and "Study in Bronze". The first is a fine study of light and shade and architectural detail; the other is a study of a nude figure which appears almost to have been carved from bronze. The next in merit, entitled "Hindoo", was taken by John Dent. This is a charming portrait of a woman, showing the Brahman caste-mark on the forehead between the eyes. F. Roper is represented by a photograph entitled "Twixt Earth and Sky" depicting an overhanging branch. The subject is simple and its Japanesque appearance is most attractive.

Dr. Harry S. Lucraft has a happy choice of subjects. The most striking of them, "Winthrop-avenue", shows an unusual view of the University in a setting of eucalypts. "Blackboys", by the same artist, is also distinctly West Australian in sentiment. The President of the club (Mr A. Knapp) has contributed two interesting pictures, "Lazy River", evidently a Swan River study and "Pagoda," a view of Perth taken from the tearooms on Mt. Eliza. Other artists represented are J.A. Jeffrey, H.C. Jones and L. Vincent.

Saturday 1st July 1939 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 13

MINIATURE CAMERA CLUB
The first exhibition of the recently formed Miniature Camera Club was held at the club's room, 1032 Hay-street, Perth, on Wednesday night, when about 25 prints, mainly photographs on the club's initial outing to Mundaring Weir, were hung.

The first prize, donated by the President (Mr M.J. Bateman), was won by Mr N.G. Ellison, for a picture entitled "At Work". Second and third prizes, donated by the club, were won respectively by Messrs. N.A. Chester "East Perth Power House by Night" and W.G. Conochie "Mundaring Weir". The intended exhibition of examples of night photography in Perth was deferred to July 26 and it was announced that on that occasion an address on landscape photography would be given by Mr Augustus Knapp. An outing to Fremantle on July 8 also was arranged. An address on the camera was given by Mr R.E. Cranfield.

The secretary (Mr H.E. Sainsbury) announced that contests in work with one make of camera were being arranged, with prizes totaling £52/10/, in conjunction with an overseas exhibition of miniature camera art in Sydney next October, with distinct sections for the various branches of subjects. Forty members attended the meeting.

Tuesday 22nd August 1939 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 5

VAN RAALTE CLUB EXHIBITION
There was a strong affinity between photography and art, as it was usually understood, said the Curator of the Art Gallery (Mr G. Pitt Morison), when he opened an exhibition of photographs by members of the Van Raalte Club in the Newspaper House art gallery yesterday. The exhibition will be open daily from 11am to 9pm until Saturday next.

After describing the advance of photographic technique from Daguerre's copper plates coated with silver to the celluloid film and the moving picture, Mr Morison said that he did not think the advance of photography would stop, but its technique would be raised higher and higher.

The photographers, whose work was exhibited, did not merely press their bulbs. They knew what they were doing. The photographs showed the qualities which every artist had to observe, motif, composition, originality. If the artist found that a tree did not compose, he painted it in a different position. The photographer selected subjects which did compose. The photographs exhibited showed originality, for the photographer could find room for originality in his selection.

Mr E.A. Coleman, speaking on behalf of the club, explained that the 13 members were pledged to bring their work to meetings for criticism and to criticize frankly each others work. Photographs which were adjudged by the membership to be of sufficiently high standard were exhibited for a period in the Perth Art Gallery.

Wednesday 1st November 1939 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 5

MINIATURE CAMERA CLUB
At the October meeting of the Miniature Camera Club of Western Australia on Wednesday night, an address on filters was given by Mr W.F. Hooton and members exhibited color slides. Two competitive exhibitions were held and by invitation, Mr A. Knapp attended as a visitor to criticize the prints.

PORTRAITURE CONTEST:			PICTURES DEPICTING THE SPIRIT OF THE ROYAL SHOW:
FIRST Mr W.G. Conochie	SECOND Mr J.R. Drummond	THIRD Mr N. Ellison	FIRST Mr M. Morris	SECOND Mr J. Finney	THIRD Mr M. Morris

It was decided to hold the November outing at Rockingham next Sunday.

Tuesday 28th November 1939 The West Australian (Perth, WA) - Page 9

MINIATURE CAMERA CLUB
At the November meeting of the Miniature Camera Club of Western Australia last week, an address on composition was given by Mr. A. Knapp.

Friday 1st March 1940 The West Australian (Perth WA) - Page 19

MINIATURE CAMERA CLUB
The Christmas recess having concluded, the West Australian Miniature Camera Club resumed its activities on Wednesday night, when 32 people attended a general meeting at the club's room, 1034 Hay-street. Mr Morris Marks was in the chair. The subject of the exhibition contest was holiday surfing and a large number of photographs were exhibited in the separate classes for mounted and unmounted prints. The prizewinners were:

MOUNTED PRINTS:			UNMOUNTED PRINTS:
Mr. N. Chester	Mr. G.S. Smith	Mr. M.L. Morris	Mr. R. Bleakley	Mr. H.L. Heffron

Mr A. Knapp gave helpful advice in the course of a brief criticism of the exhibits.

It was decided that the next outing be held on March 16, on the river and that it be followed by a social at night. Another decision was that the subject of the competition at the meeting next month be child studies on unmounted prints of half-plate and whole-plate sizes. The speaker of the evening was Captain A.S.C. Mansbridge, who has traveled extensively in the Northern Territory and central Australia. He spoke of his experiences during a trip from Port Augusta to Alice Springs occupying 2 1/2 years and declared that, contrary to a common belief that central Australia was a desert waste, it could support a large population with proper methods of settlement, for water could be obtained at a maximum depth of 40ft. within a radius of 200 miles of Alice Springs.

Friday 2nd August 1940 The West Australian (Perth WA) - Page 14

ADVENTURES WITH A CAMERA
Nearly 100 members of the Van Raalte, Miniature, Y.M.C.A. and The Western Australian Camera Clubs enjoyed an interesting and instructive talk on experiences with a camera in unusual places by Captain Frank Hurley on Wednesday night at McNess Hall. The President of the The Western Australian Camera Club (Mr R.C.S. Steele) presided. The South Polar expedition under Sir Douglas Mawson was used to indicate the many difficulties facing a photographer where the very low temperatures affected the films and the operation of the camera and opened up a new technique for the man with the camera. Captain Hurley said that he had the unique experience of seeing the ship's dip needle stand up on end when they were at the south magnetic pole. He related thrilling experiences during the return trip with gales at 70-80 miles per hour, blizzards and storms Which drove the ship 70 miles off its course. A trip across Australia was the next experience, totally different to that of the polar trip, described by Capt. Hurley. A trip south with Shackleton again gave the audience some vivid experiences of the work associated with these explorations. "Comradeship among the members of the crew was my greatest recollections of this trip," said the lecturer.

Tuesday 28 October 1941 The West Australian (Perth WA) - Page 2

"Two pleasing features are associated with this ceremony," said the Curator of the Art Gallery (Mr G. Pitt Morison) on Friday afternoon, when declaring open an exhibition gallery for photographic studies at the premises of Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd. "They are the excellence of the studies presented and the beauty of the gallery made possible by the directors of the company, a gallery which will give added opportunities to the photographer properly to display his art". Mr Morison said that all of the studies were of a very high standard.

He was introduced to the audience by the manager of the company (Mr A. Wonson). Exhibits from members of the Van Raalte Club comprised child studies, life portraits, sea and landscapes, architecture, birds in flight and still life. Among the exhibitors were the President of the club (Mr A. Knapp), Dr. H.S. Lucraft, Messrs. F. Roper, J. Finney, J. Dale, M.G. Ellison, J. Hallam, J. Dent, J.A. Jeffery, E.A. Coleman, J. Groom, D. Vincent, B. Jones, R. Steele, T. Phillips. The exhibition will be open daily.

Monday 26th April 1943 The West Australian (Perth WA) - Page 2

Mr Augustus Knapp. who was an optician in Perth for many years and the founder of the optical firm of Messrs A. and K. Knapp, of Barrack-street, died on Friday after a long illness at the age of 69 years. Mr Knapp was born in England and came to this State over 44 years ago. He was the founder of the WA Optical Association. Keenly interested in motoring, he was one of the founders of the Royal Automobile Club in Perth. In the early days of motoring in this State. when traveling extensively, he sign-posted many roads and also drew many maps, which were later published by the RAC. He also was the organizer of the motoring reliability trials. As a result of these and other activities he was held in high esteem by the RAC. Mr Knapp was also very active as an amateur photographer and he founded the Van Raalte Club. He is survived by his widow and one son.

Mr W. Davies, a member of the firm of Messrs Ford. Rhodes and Davies, died at his home in King's Park-road, West Perth, yesterday, at the age of 75 years. He was born in Bendigo and had lived in this State for over 40 years. He is survived by his widow.

November 1943 Page 401 - The Australasian Photographic Review

VAN RAALTE CLUB
It is with very much regret that I write to advise you that Australia has this year lost one of her most outstanding figures in the world of pictorial photography, as a result of the death of Mr. Augustus Knapp in April.

Mr. Knapp had for many years been the inspiration of pictorial photographers in Western Australia. Some seventeen years ago he collected a few fellow enthusiasts and founded a Photographic Club, at first called the Dilettanti Club and later the Van Raalte Club. It was a tribute to Mr. Knapp to record that this club, the membership of which has always been limited to about a dozen members, has had numerous prints accepted for exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society annual exhibition in London, on one occasion three members being represented there in one year.

This result was entirely due to Mr. Knapp’s guidance, tuition and encouragement. His own work in pictorial photography, which has probably never been surpassed in Western Australia, served as a stimulus to others. In this part of the world, the ambition of every keen photographer was to produce work of a quality comparable to that of their leader. In this endeavor they were always assured of the most generous and wholehearted help of Mr. Knapp himself.

He obtained a remarkably soft and pleasing effect in his landscape pictures by means of printing them through a screen. His screens were at first made by grinding a sheet of glass with carborundum powder to the stage of ground glass and then rubbing in a little printer’s ink and finally removing as much of the latter as possible. Later screens were made by passing sheets of celluloid with emery paper in contact, through a press. Mr. Knapp’s almost invariable response to an enquiry as to how he got this very pleasing effect in his prints, was to set to work and manufacture a screen for the enquirer.

In 1926 Mr. Knapp gained his Associateship (ARPS) from the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and in 1931 the very well merited honor of Fellowship (FRPS) was bestowed on him. In the same year an admirable portrait of Mr. Knapp by Dr. Julian Smith was shown at the Royal Photographic Society annual exhibition and this was also reproduced in Photograms of the Year 1931-32.

In 1932 Mr. Knapp published in The British Journal of Photography Almanac, his method of water bath development. This method of control of the development of negatives has now achieved world-wide recognition and is usually referred to as the Knapp method.

Mr. Knapp’s versatility was extraordinary. The minutes of the monthly meetings of the photographic club which he founded contain a series of lectures on every conceivable aspect of photographic work, given by him with almost unfailing regularity month after month. In this way he handed on his unique knowledge and the fruits of the very large amount of original research into photographic matters which he undertook over a period of many years.

At the same time, the strength and charm of his character made an impression on all who came in contact with him, that can never be effaced. Australia has lost not only one of its leading pictorial photographers, but also one of its most warm-hearted and lovable personalities.

Mr. AUGUSTUS KNAPP
by Dr. JULIAN SMITH

Wednesday 22nd May 1946 The West Australian (Perth WA) - Page 10

DR. JULIAN SMITH'S PRINTS
The opening of an exhibition of Camera Studies by Dr. Julian Smith FRPS, of Melbourne, attracted a large attendance to the salon of Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd, yesterday afternoon. The subjects, all of which were portraits, included many characters from works of fiction, notably Dickens, well-known public men and character studies. Many of these gained distinction in overseas salons.

Dr. H.S. Lucraft, President of the Van Raalte Club of Pictorial Photography, said, in opening the exhibition, that Dr. Julian Smith was one of the most famous photographers of this century, whose work would attract attention in any part of the world. He disagreed with the contention that the Camera was merely a machine, incapable of producing works of art. He compared the pictorial work of Dr. Smith to the written word of Dickens. It had a touch of the same genius in its portrayal of personality. That exhibition was the result of an invitation from the Van Raalte Club and he expressed pleasure that the portraits on view included two of the Club's founder, the late Mr A. Knapp. The exhibition, which contains 95 prints will be open for several weeks.

Saturday 22nd June 1946 Page 5 - The West Australian (Perth, WA)

PHOTOGRAPHIC ART AT ITS BEST
An exhibition of photography that has recently been attracting a considerable amount of attention in Perth is still on show at Kodak's Salon in Hay-street. This is the one man show of Dr. Julian Smith's work, comprising some 95 prints. It will be closed on June 29. Now that the restrictions on the use of electricity have been removed, the prints can again be seen under lighting conditions that do them justice. The standard of the work is extremely high. Most of the prints shown, in fact, have already appeared in world-famous exhibitions, where only the very best photographic work of the year is accepted. This exhibition, therefore, gives to West Australians an opportunity of seeing a collection of prints judged by the highest authorities to be among the world's best. Every picture shown in this collection is an original idea embodied in a print of superlative quality. There is something here to appeal to every taste. Lovers of Dickens will find among the prints a number of old and familiar friends. Typical of these are Mr. Micawber, Dick Swiveller and the little Marchioness. Many Perth residents will recognize in "The Connoisseur" a remarkably fine picture of the late Mr. Augustus Knapp, founder of the Van Raalte Club of Pictorial Photography. As an example of work in a high key, "Silver Locks", a picture of an old, white-haired man, will more than satisfy the most critical observer. Julian Smith's own preference appears to be for work in a low key, with rich, dark shadows; a type of work in which he has few peers.

NOT TECHNIQUE ALONE
No photographer is likely to come away from a visit to this exhibition without having learnt something of value to him. Western Australia has never before had an opportunity of seeing a collection of prints made by the most famous photographer that our country has yet produced. The technical work is, of course, superb, but the outstanding quality of the work is not due merely to the technique. Anyone sufficiently interested can soon acquire the technical skill necessary to produce a good print from a good negative. Dr. Julian Smith's secret is more subtle than that. It consists largely in his ability to see a picture, often in the most ordinary material and then to record photographically just what he does see, in such a way that the finished print conveys to other people exactly what the artist saw before he began to make the picture. A story is told of Turner, the famous water-color artist. A lady after looking at one of his pictures of a sunset, observed "It is magnificent; but I must say I have never seen a sunset like that". "No, madam", replied Turner, "but don't you wish you could?" Julian Smith has the same seeing eye that Turner had, even though he looks at a different type of subject. This gift, which comes naturally to some people, can nevertheless also be cultivated and it is from this aspect that our local workers can hope to profit most by a study of Julian Smith's work. The appeal of the exhibition, however, is not confined solely to photographers. Most people can appreciate a really fine picture, whether they use a camera or not. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases" and these studies by Julian Smith have probably never been surpassed, in their class, throughout the history of photography. Each one becomes more satisfying, the longer it is studied. Few members of the public will visit this free show without making a resolve to come back again. They will have an opportunity of doing this at any time up to June 29th. The privilege of seeing an exhibition of this standard in Western Australia is unlikely to be offered us again for many years and no one with any artistic sense whatever should miss the chance of seeing this magnificent achievement of photographic art while it is still with us.