Part 1
E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana)
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 39691-h.htm or 39691-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/39691/pg39691-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39691/39691-h.zip)
Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/American Libraries. See http://archive.org/details/photographicamus00wood
PHOTOGRAPHIC AMUSEMENTS
Including A Description of a Number of Novel Effects Obtainable with the Camera
by
WALTER E. WOODBURY
Formerly Editor of "The Photographic Times," Author of "The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Photography," "Aristotypes and How to Make Them," etc., etc.
Revised and Enlarged by
FRANK R. FRAPRIE, S. M., F. R. P. S.
Editor of "American Photography"
NINTH EDITION
American Photographic Publishing Co. Boston 17, Mass. 1922
Copyright 1896 By the Scovill & Adams Co., of New York.
Copyright 1905, 1909, 1914 By the Photographic Times Publishing Association, New York.
Copyright 1922 By American Photographic Publishing Co.
Printed in the U. S. A.
The Plimpton Press · Norwood · Mass ·
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION THE MIRROR AND THE CAMERA THE PHOTO-ANAMORPHOSIS STATUETTE PORTRAITS MAGIC PHOTOGRAPHS SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY FOR HOUSEHOLD DECORATION LEAF PRINTS TO MAKE A PEN AND INK SKETCH FROM A PHOTOGRAPH PHOTOGRAPHS ON SILK PHOTOGRAPHING A CATASTROPHE PHOTOGRAPHS ON VARIOUS FABRICS SILHOUETTES PHOTOGRAPHING THE INVISIBLE HOW TO MAKE A PHOTOGRAPH INSIDE A BOTTLE PHOTOGRAPHS IN ANY COLOR THE DISAPPEARING PHOTOGRAPH FREAK PICTURES WITH A BLACK BACKGROUND HOW TO COPY DRAWINGS SYMPATHETIC PHOTOGRAPHS DRY PLATES THAT WILL DEVELOP WITH WATER CARICATURE PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPHING SEAWEEDS STAMP PORTRAITS LUMINOUS PHOTOGRAPHS FLORAL PHOTOGRAPHY DISTORTED IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHS WITHOUT LIGHT ELECTRIC PHOTOGRAPHS MAGIC VIGNETTES A SIMPLE METHOD OF ENLARGING MOONLIGHT EFFECTS PHOTOGRAPHING SNOW AND ICE CRYSTALS PHOTOGRAPHING INK CRYSTALS PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY FREAK PICTURES BY SUCCESSIVE EXPOSURES WIDE-ANGLE STUDIES CONICAL PORTRAITS MAKING DIRECT POSITIVES IN THE CAMERA INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIFICIAL MIRAGES BY PHOTOGRAPHY THE PHOTO-CHROMOSCOPE COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHY TELE-PHOTO PICTURES LIGHTNING PHOTOGRAPHS PHOTOGRAPHING FIREWORKS DOUBLES DOUBLE EXPOSURES COMICAL PORTRAITS THE TWO-HEADED MAN DUPLICATORS AND TRIPLICATORS PICTURES WITH EYES WHICH OPEN AND CLOSE PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOKPLATES LANDSCAPES AND GROUPS ON THE DINING-ROOM TABLE NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHS ON APPLES AND EGGS
INTRODUCTION
As Mr. Woodbury stated in his introduction to the original edition of this book, in order to avoid misunderstanding, it would be well to explain at the outset that it is not intended as an instruction book in the art of photography in any sense of the word. It is assumed that the reader has already mastered the technical difficulties of photographic practice and is able to make a good negative or print.
It was the purpose of the author to describe a number of novel and curious effects that can be obtained by the aid of the camera, together with some instructive and interesting photographic experiments.
The contents of the work were compiled from various sources, chiefly from "The Photographic Times," "The Scientific American," "The American Annual of Photography," "La Nature," "Photographischer Zeitvertreib," by Herman Schnauss, and "Les Recreations Photographiques," by A. Bergeret et F. Drewin; and the illustrations were likewise taken from various sources.
In conclusion the author or compiler modestly lays claim to very little himself, quoting the words of Montaigne, who said:--
"_I have gathered me a posie of other men's flowers, of which nothing but the thread that binds them is mine own._"
And yet so popular did the book prove that in the course of its first ten years of life, it ran through edition after edition.
The publishers of "The Photographic Times" later acquired the copyright of the popular volume and published three editions.
The publishers of AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY acquired the book during the Great War through their purchase of "The Photographic Times," but in spite of a steady demand for the book after the limited stock had been sold out, did not find it advisable to reprint it until now.
In putting the book to press at this time, most of the original plates have been used. A number of the old pictures have been replaced by more modern examples and 14 pages have been added to the book, including several new topics.
The publishers would be glad to receive manuscripts and pictures describing and illustrating novel and interesting photographic effects not mentioned in this volume, to be published in AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY and incorporated in the next edition of PHOTOGRAPHIC AMUSEMENTS. They also request that photographers who make photographs illustrating any of the topics treated in the book, and especially those illustrated by wood cuts, may submit them for consideration, as they are prepared to purchase such as may seem available for the next edition.
FRANK ROY FRAPRIE.
BOSTON, January, 1922.
PHOTOGRAPHIC AMUSEMENTS
THE MIRROR AND THE CAMERA.
Quite a number of novel effects can be obtained by the aid of one or more mirrors. If two mirrors are taken and placed parallel to one another, and a person placed between, the effect obtained is as shown in Fig. 1, where one soldier appears as a whole regiment drawn up into line. To make this experiment we require two large-sized mirrors, and they must be so arranged that they do not reflect the camera and the photographer, but give only multiple images of the sitter. This will be found quite possible; all that is necessary is to make a few preliminary experiments, adjusting the mirrors at different angles until the desired effect is obtained.
A process of multiphotography which was at one time quite popular consisted in posing the sitter with his back to the camera as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In front of him are arranged two mirrors, set at the desired angle to each other, their inner edges touching. In the illustrations here given the mirrors are inclined at an angle of 75 deg., and five reflected images are produced. When an exposure is made and the negative developed, we not only have the back view of the sitter but the full reflected images in profile and three-quarter positions as well.
In the diagram, Fig. 2, reproduced from "The Scientific American" the course taken by the rays of light, determined by the law that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, is plainly marked out. We see here their passage from the sitter to the mirror and back to the camera. Provided the mirror be large enough, images of the full length figure can be made as shown in Fig. 4.
For photographing articles where it is of advantage to secure a number of different views of the same object this method of photographing with mirrors opens up quite a wide field of possibilities. In France it is used for photographing criminals, and thus obtaining a number of different portraits with one exposure.
The use of an ordinary mirror in portrait work has enabled photographers to produce very pleasing results. There is often a very striking difference between the full and side views of a person's face, and by means of such a combination as this, one is enabled to secure a perfect representation of both at the same time. In making reflection portraits it has often been noted that the reflection has a more pleasing effect than the direct portrait. The reason of this is that it is softer and the facial blemishes are not so distinctly brought out. There is naturally a slight loss of detail, but this is by no means a drawback. The worst fault of the camera in portrait photography is the tendency to include every little detail which the artist would suppress. It not only includes all the detail, but often exaggerates it to a painful extent. By making a portrait by reflection this defect is avoided. Of course the image is reversed, but this is in most cases of little consequence; in fact, the sitter himself would be more likely to consider it a far more truthful likeness, for when we look into a mirror we do not see ourselves as others see us, but a reversed image. With some faces the difference is quite striking.
Very many amusing effects can be obtained by the use of a convex mirror. Even an ordinary, well-polished spoon may be made to give some curious results. (See Fig. 6.) The thin man becomes an elongated mass of humanity to whom Barnum would have given a big salary, while the fat man may be reduced to the proportions of a walking-stick.
Convex mirrors for producing these ludicrous effects can be purchased at any mirror manufacturer's store. The advantage of the camera lies in the ability to secure permanently the curious images produced.
Even more ridiculous-looking images can be secured by the use of a piece of uneven glass silvered. For a method of silvering glass we are indebted to the kindness of Dr. James H. Stebbins, Jr., the well-known analytical chemist. Dissolve pure nitrate of silver in distilled water in the proportion of 10 grains to 1 ounce, and add carefully, drop by drop, sufficient strong ammonia solution to just dissolve the brown precipitate at first formed, stirring constantly during the addition.
Make a solution of Rochelle salt, 1 grain to the ounce of distilled water. Clean the plate of glass thoroughly with a little wet rouge and polish dry with a piece of chamois leather. Warm it before the fire or in the sun to about 70 to 80 deg. Fahr., and lay it on a perfectly level surface. Then mix 1 ounce of the silver solution with half an ounce of the Rochelle salt solution and pour the mixture on the glass so that every part of the surface will be evenly covered with it.
Allow this to stand in the warm sunshine from half to one hour, when the reduced silver will be deposited as a fine film over the surface of the glass. When this is done wash off the glass with distilled water and wipe the entire surface very gently with a little wet wadding, which will take off the roughness and render it easier to polish. When perfectly dry the silver should be polished by rubbing with some smooth, hard surface. The plate is then varnished by pouring over it a suitable varnish and is ready for use.
THE PHOTO-ANAMORPHOSIS.
The name anamorphosis has been given to two kinds of pictures distorted according to a certain law, and which are of such a grotesque appearance that it is often impossible to recognize the subject of them; while viewed with proper apparatus they appear as perfectly correct images. One kind is designed to be viewed by reflection and the other is reconstituted by means of a special rotary apparatus.
[1] From "Experimental Science." Published by Munn & Co., New York.
Until quite recently, these pictures were drawn approximately from the reflection of the object as seen in a convex mirror, the position of which was indicated on the drawing and which restored it to its real form. M. Fenant conceived the idea of employing photography for obtaining these pictures. Fig. 9 reproduces a photo-anamorphosis from a negative by M. Fenant. If a cylindrical mirror be placed on the black circle shown in the reproduction the photograph will appear in its original form. Our illustration represents a portrait, although the features are barely recognizable. Similar pictures may be obtained by photographing the drawing or subject reflected in a cylindrical concave mirror placed perpendicularly.
The second kind of anamorphosis is produced by the distortion of the picture in the sense of one of its dimensions. To reconstruct it, it is caused to rotate rapidly, at the same time that a disc, perforated with a slit through which the picture is viewed, is rotated in front of it at a slightly different speed.
The apparatus invented by M. Linde for producing the anamorphosis is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. _G_ is a camera provided with a revolving plate-holder, _T H_ are revolving discs the movement of which is made to bear a certain relation to that of the plate-holder by means of the band F and the pulleys _D D_. The whole is set in operation by a piece of clockwork and the cord _F_. _A_ is the axis of the camera, _B_ that of the plate-holder, and _C_ that of the revolving disc. On this disc is fixed the picture from which it is desired to make an anamorphosis. The relative motions are so regulated that when the plate-holder has made a complete revolution the disc has turned through an angle of 60 to 80 degrees in the opposite direction. Between the plate-holder and the lens is a diaphragm pierced with a slit about 10 millimetres wide. The action of the light on the plate takes place through this slit. The negative obtained, prints are made upon plain salted paper and rendered transparent with wax or vaseline. These pictures can be viewed in the ordinary apparatus used for showing anamorphoses of this kind. The print is fastened to a revolving apparatus and in front of it is another disc painted black and provided with a number of slits. The latter revolves at one-fourth the speed of the picture, and the image when viewed through the slit resumes its normal proportions.
STATUETTE PORTRAITS.
These were at one time quite popular, and if properly managed can be rendered very effective. There are several methods of making this kind of picture. If the photographer possesses a pedestal large enough, all that is necessary is to place this on a stand and the person to be photographed is arranged behind.
The breast is uncovered and some white soft material artistically arranged in folds over the shoulders and in such a way as to appear connected with the pedestal. A black background is placed behind and the exposure made. To give a more realistic effect the hair, face, and all other parts showing should be liberally powdered over with a white powder or rice flour. The negative produced will have a clear glass background, but the body of the figure will still be visible. This is removed by cutting away the film round the pedestal and to the arms on each side, leaving only those parts remaining that are required to produce the statuette. In printing we get a white statuette portrait on a dark background.
If the photographer does not possess a pedestal, the next best means to produce these pictures is to get a large sheet of cardboard and cut it out to the shape shown in the figure beneath, and with white paint make the picture of a pedestal, shading with a little gray to give rotundity. The figure is stationed behind it, and a black background used.
A third method involves still less trouble. This is to purchase a ready made pedestal negative. These are film negatives of a pedestal that can be adjusted to the negative of the subject desired to be produced as a statue. After the negative is taken and varnished the film is scraped off round the figure, cutting off the body as shown in the first illustration, after which the pedestal negative is adjusted, fastened, and then printed. The negative is reversible and can also be used for different subjects. The picture shown in Fig. 13 was made by Mr. G. B. Bradshaw, of Beach House, Altrincham, England, by means of one of his pedestal negatives.
MAGIC PHOTOGRAPHS.
Take an ordinary silver print and fix it without toning. Thoroughly well wash it to remove all traces of the fixing solution and then immerse it in a saturated solution of bichloride of mercury, when the image will disappear. The bichloride of mercury changes the photograph into white chloride of silver and chloride of mercury which is also white. The image when on white paper is thus rendered invisible.
Next soak some strong bibulous paper in a saturated solution of sodium hyposulphite, and, when dry, paste a piece of the paper to the back of the invisible print with a little starch paste, attaching it by the edges only. Of course the image can also be made to appear by soaking the invisible print, without the bibulous paper attached, in a solution of sodium sulphite, hypo, or water with a little ammonia added.
Magic photographs made in the manner above described can also be developed by smoke. A novelty, introduced in Paris some time ago, consisted of a cigarette or cigar holder, shown in Fig. 14, containing in its stem a little chamber for the insertion of a small piece of apparently plain paper, but in reality an invisible photograph produced in the manner already described. The ammonia vapor in the smoke passing through the chamber attacked the print and developed the image. By blowing the smoke on the latent image it may be made to appear, but the operation is rather tedious, and anyone with a little ingenuity can easily construct a cigarette holder with an arrangement to hold small pictures and allow the smoke to pass through.
The chamber of the cigarette or cigar holder must of course be sufficiently large to allow of the print being inserted in such a manner that the smoke can readily attack its surface, otherwise uneven development of the image will take place.
SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY.
Many years ago, in the old wet-collodion days, a well-known photographer was one day surprised by the visitation of a spirit. The apparition did not make its appearance during the nocturnal hours, as is, we have been given to understand, the custom of these ladies and gentlemen from the other world, but, strangely enough, in broad daylight; and not by his bedside to disturb his peaceful slumber, but upon the photograph he was in the act of producing. Had this gentleman been of that soft-brained kind, so easily gulled by the professional spiritualist, it is possible that he would not have done what he did, which was to make a thorough and scientific examination as to the probable cause of the phenomenon. The case was this: A gentleman sitter had been taken in the usual manner upon a collodion plate. Upon taking a positive print from the negative, he was surprised to find a dim white figure of a lady apparently hovering over the unconscious sitter. Upon examination of the negative, the image of the figure was also visible, but not so plainly as in the positive. The explanation of the whole matter was soon discovered. In those days glass was not so cheap as at present, and all old or spoilt negatives were cleaned off and freshly prepared with collodion for further use. In this case the glass had previously supported the negative image of a lady dressed in white. Some chemical action had evidently taken place between the image and the glass itself, turning the latter slightly yellow in some parts. This faint yellow image, although hardly visible in the negative, had, being of a non-actinic color, given quite a distinct image in the positive. The case was not an isolated one, as these spirit photographs, as they were called, often made their appearance when old negatives were cleaned and the glass used again. The precise action producing the image has never, we think, been satisfactorily explained. It could often be made more distinct by breathing on the glass. We do not know if any enterprising humbug ever took advantage of this method of producing spirit photographs to extort money from the unwary, but about ten years ago a work was published, entitled "Chronicles of the Photographs of Spiritual Beings and Phenomena Invisible to the Material Eye," by a Miss Houghton. In this a number of reproductions of photographs of "spirits" were given with a detailed explanation of how they were obtained and the difficulties attending their production, the "spirits" being apparently of very independent natures, only making their appearance when they felt so inclined. It is quite possible that a person entirely ignorant of photographic methods might be led into the belief that they were actually photographic images of the dead, but we fear that the book is hardly well enough written to deceive the experienced photographer. At certain and most unfortunate periods in the process employed, some of the plates had a convenient habit of slipping into the washing tank and there, according to the author, becoming utterly ruined; also we learn that many were ruined by being accidentally smudged by the photographer's finger. We should not, we fear, have a very high opinion of an operator who was in the constant habit of "smudging" negatives with his fingers so as to entirely spoil them, nor can we quite understand what brand of plates was used that "got spoiled by falling into the water."
It is not difficult to explain how these pictures were produced. There are quite a number of methods. With a weak-minded sitter, over whom the operator had complete control, the matter would be in no wise a difficult one. It would then only be necessary for the spirit, suitably attired for the occasion, to appear for a few seconds behind the sitter during the exposure and be taken slightly out of focus, so as not to appear too corporeal.
If, however, the sitter be of another kind, anxious to discover how it was done and on the alert for any deceptive practices, the method described would be rather a risky one, as he might turn round suddenly at an inconvenient moment and detect the _modus operandi_. In such a case it becomes necessary to find some other method where it would not be requisite for the "spirit" to make its appearance during the presence of the sitter.