Beginning in 1895 and ending in 1897, English professional copperplate etcher, engraver, and printer Walter L. Colls of London issued yearly portfolios of photogravures on behalf of The Linked Ring commemorating their annual Photographic Salon which debuted in 1893. Colls, an amateur photographer himself exhibiting his own work since at least 1885, etched and printed the very fine photogravures issued with these portfolios. Colls also taught the Peter Henry Emerson (who championed "Naturalistic Photography") how to print his own photogravures in the late 1880s. In addition, Colls etched the printing plates for photogravures that appeared in later issues of the English series Sun Artists in 1891. It is known that at least three separate Photographic Salon portfolios were issued for the years 1895, 1896 and 1897.

The very first issue of Camera Notes, published by The New York Camera Club and edited by Stieglitz in October of 1897 pronounced its‘ approval of The Photographic Salon 1895 portfolio: calling Colls photogravures capitally done, and the portfolio as a whole was one of which not only the Salon and Mr. Colls, but photography itself may be proud. [1] . Fully half of the images from this 1895 publication were later duplicated in issues of Camera Notes. The photogravures in Camera Notes were not only the same size as those in the salon portfolio, but also printed in similar ink colors. Stieglitz made no secret of his source for these images, crediting Colls and reviewing the portfolios in the magazine. [2]