John Falconer, British Library
A Biographical Dictionary of 19th Century Photographers in South and South-East Asia |
Professional, India
Survey of India Photographic Department, Calcutta, 1884-1905.
Head Assistant, Cadastral Establishment, Survey of India Photographic Department, 11 January 1884.
Head Assistant, in charge collotype section and also in charge Silver Printing Section, 16 December 1885 to 30 December 1886.
Head Assistant in charge of Collotype and Silver Printing Sections, from 1st October 1886 to 11 August 1887, and in charge of Negative Section 12 August to 30 September 1887.
Head Assistant in charge of Negative Section, 1889 to July 1891.
[On death of W.E. Batho, Head Assistant of the Cadastral Establishment of the Survey of India Photographic Office in June 1883,] ‘Arrangements have been made to fill his place by the appointment of a Mr H. Haward, from Engand. He is expected to arrive immediately, and will take charge of the special photo-mechanical printing section’.[1]
‘Mr H. Haward, who was appointed Head Assistant by the Secretary of State for India, arrived in January [1884], and as he was specially skilled in working the photo-collotype processes, and brought out with a fresh supply of the necessary apparatus and stores, a commencement was again with this useful but delicate and difficult process. Mr Haward has succeeded fairly well in overcoming many of the difficulties which beset such work in this country, and has reproduced and printed off 1,150 copies of the gold medal award certificates for the Calcutta International Exhibition. The process is exceedingly well awapted for delicate work of this kind, and for other purposes where copies of ordinary photographs are required in large numbers.[2]
‘Notwithstanding Mr Haward’s skill in working the [collotype] process, and the fact he has been working with excellent and reliable formulæ kindly communicated by the Autotype Company of London, great difficulties have been met with in working in the hot weather. With further experience, however, it is hoped that these will be overcome, and the process be made capable of being worked steadily at all seasons. Mr Haward also tried some experiments in making grained transfer prints for the reproduction of half-tone subjects on zinc or stone, but they were not more successful than previous attempts of the same kind.’[3]
‘Mr Haward also continued experiments in transferring strongly-grained collotype prints to zinc and obtained some fair results, though the method requires yet more working out when leisure permits.’[4]
‘Mr Haward has paid a good deal of attention during the year to various methods of obtaining collotype or grained transfers from half-tone negatives suitable for printing from stone or zinc. Such prints, though not so delicate and perfect in gradation as collotype prints, are more easily and quickly produced and are consequently cheaper. The most successful results were obtained from transfers from collotype plates especially prepared with chloride of calcium in order to give a clear open grain. The process is, however, so delicate and requires such care in giving the collotype plates just the proper amount of softness to give the required grain that it seems unlikely to answer practically in this country.’[5]
[On retirement of J. Mackenzie in July 1886] ‘His place has been filled by Mr H. Haward, the Head Assistant, who is thus placed in a position of greater responsibility and usefulness than he occupied in charge of the Photo-collotype and Silver Printing Sections, the work of which can now be carried on by two of the apprentices whom he has trained in that work.'[6]
Footnotes
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1882-3.
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1883-4.
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1883-4.
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1884-5.
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1885-6.
- Λ Annual Report of the Photographic Office of the Survey Of India, 1886-7.
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