Genre:

News-Commentary, Drollery

Relevant illustrations:

wdct.

Subjects:

Evolution, Darwinism, Animal Behaviour, Photography | Photography, Exhibitions, Taxonomy, Representation

    The 's' of the first word of this article is made from the tail of a monkey in an illustration next to the text. Like PU1/40/19/4, this reverses the roles of man and his supposed simian ancestors. It shows a gorilla and a monkey trying to take the photograph of a frightened human explorer/traveller, who has evidently been trying to photograph the monkey and gorilla, and whose rifle the gorilla now holds. The monkey is seen opening the lens cap of the photographic apparatus, while the gorilla warns the traveller with a finger. The article discusses the controversial proposal by the commissioners for London's forthcoming International Exhibition to class the productions of the 'Photographic Art' with the 'articles of mechanical apparatus comprised in Section II'. Punch backs the argument made to the commissioners by the Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Jonathan F Pollock, that the Photographic Society seeks to promote photography 'in connection with science and the fine arts' and that while it agrees that photographic instruments should be placed alongside other apparatus, its 'results' should be placed with 'Modern Fine Arts'.