Annuals. American Annual of Photography, 1912.

Vol. XXVI. Edited by Percy Y. Howe. NY, 1911. Articles on The American Salon, telephoto lenses, photographing against the light, color photography, sensitizing platinum paper by Paul Anderson, stereoscopic night photography, the hands in portraiture, photographing in Bermuda, Ozobrome improvements, The Life Story of a Scantling, and more. Photos by Elias Goldensky, Rudolf Dührkoop, Harold Casneaux, William Crooke, Rudolf Eickemeyer, Knaffle & Bro., Jane Reece, J.C. Strauss, Edgar A. Cohen, Frank E. Huson, Richard Trotter Jeffcott, A.B. Stebbins, Harry D. Williar, George D. Jopson, J.A. Anderson, and many others, including some inserted on special paper and printed in sepia.  Hardcover, Author's edition, very good, custom made clear polyester protective jacket, tips and spine wear, lacks sample Kodak photo. Summary:

The American Annual of Photography, 1912 (Volume XXVI), edited by Percy Y. Howe and published by the Tennant and Ward / American Annual of Photography, Inc., captures a critical crossroads in early 20th-century photography. The volume documents the fierce aesthetic debate between traditional Pictorialism (photography emulating fine-art painting) and the emerging movement toward sharp, straight-documentary realism.

Key Aesthetic and Technical Articles

• Sensitizing Platinum Paper by Paul L. Anderson: A major highlight written by Anderson, a titan of the Pictorialist movement. The article provides highly detailed, practical instructions for hand-coating paper with platinum salts, advocating for the process's unrivaled tonal depth and permanent archival qualities.

• The Hands in Portraiture: A sophisticated look at studio portraiture technique, emphasizing that a subject’s hands are just as expressive and psychologically telling as their face, and offering advice on how to pose them naturally.

• Telephoto Lenses & Specialized Optics: Technical essays break down the evolving capabilities of early telephoto lenses, exploring how long focal lengths were expanding the possibilities of landscape, nature, and architectural photography.

• Photographing Against the Light (Contre-Jour): A masterclass article on the technical difficulties and artistic rewards of shooting directly into a light source to achieve dramatic silhouettes, lens flares, and atmospheric halos.

• Stereoscopic Night Photography: An innovative feature exploring the mechanics of capturing three-dimensional depth in low-light urban environments after dark.

• Ozobrome Improvements: A practical guide detailing updates to the Ozobrome (carbro) printing process, which allowed photographers to make pigment prints directly from bromide enlargements without needing a large, expensive internegative.

• Color Photography & Fieldwork: Features updates on early color experimentation (such as the Autochrome) alongside travelogues like "Photographing in Bermuda," which offered advice on managing intense tropical sunlight and coastal reflections.

• "The Life Story of a Scantling": A unique, narrative-driven photo-essay that serves as an early example of sequential, thematic storytelling through images.

The Portfolios: Masters of the Lens

The 1912 annual is lavishly illustrated with high-quality reproductions representing the world's premier studio and salon photographers:

• International Masters: Features the work of Rudolf Dührkoop (Germany) and William Crooke (Scotland), celebrated for their elegant, painterly approach to studio portraiture.

• The Vanguard: Includes Harold Cazneaux (credited as Casneaux), a pioneer who brought modernism and a distinct Australian light to the pictorialist tradition.

• American Pictorialists & Portraitists: Showcases the moody, symbolist imagery of Jane Reece, the romantic landscapes of Rudolf Eickemeyer, and the elite commercial portraits by Elias Goldensky, J.C. Strauss, and Knaffl & Bro.

• Landscape and Genre Experts: Includes crisp, environmental work by Edgar A. Cohen (known for his stunning California landscapes), Frank E. Huson, Richard Trotter Jeffcott, A.B. Stebbins, Harry D. Williar, George D. Jopson, and J.A. Anderson.

The American Salon Review

A substantial portion of the text evaluates the year's American Salon exhibitions. The editors review the shifting criteria of juried shows, noting a growing tension between old-guard photographers who favored soft-focus, manipulated prints and a younger generation beginning to demand a clean, unvarnished use of the camera's inherent optics.

Significance

The 1912 edition of the American Annual remains an invaluable historical ledger. By pairing Paul Anderson'sdevotion to the handcrafted platinum print with cutting-edge technical papers on telephoto lenses and color chemistry, the book beautifully illustrates a medium transitioning from the twilight of Victorian pictorialism into the modern, industrialized 20th century.