, 1855-04-21
COUSrERyErrrSe BANK Bus BY THE

CoUNrEREEInNG BANK BiILs BY THE
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRocEss-M Much has been
said Of late in relation to the new and dan
gerous process Of counterfeiting which has
lately been discovered, and a desire has
been expressed to obtain further knowl
edge upon subject Of so much Importance
to the community. 1.-THE suggestion of
gentlemen connected with banks in this
city, Mr.. John a. Whipple, the well known
daguerreotypist, has prepared the follow
ing paper, in which some account is given
Of the process by which these counterfcts
are made, and Of the means by which the
banks and the community generally may be
protected:
Having for long time been aware Of
the danger to which the community was
exposed by perverted use of the photo
graphic art, and having, since the publca
tion Of various articles in relation to it,
been so often asked my opinion upon the
subject, / am led thus publicly to express
1t.
feel confident that for the future there
Is far more to fear from this new method of
counterfeiting bank bills, than from any
other method heretofore known or prac-
tsed, and unless immediate measures are
taken to render it impossible for bank bills
to be duplicated in this manner. AT the
present moment, there are very few persons
in the United States who have sufficient
acquaintance with the art TO be able to
copy them successfully, or who, as far as
personally known to me, are not above sus-
picion Of such perversion of their art.
But knowledge of this new and beautiful
art is being rapidly disseminated through
out the length and breadth Of our land,
and it is impossible but that it should fall
into the hands Of persons who will use it
for evil; and in such hands it offers won
derful facilities, for by this process, when
an impression is once successfully made up
on the glass, it serves in place of steel
plate from which thousands can be chemic-
ally printed, the last as good as the FIRST.
And from experiments have made, it is
my firm conviction that it would require
but few months, for one thoroughly skilled
in the art, who would bend his whole en-
ergies upon it, to possess the ability to
make these negative glass plates of any
bill issued, (not printed in colors, aud be
able to reproduce them at pleasure, SO near
like the original in all respects, as com
pletely to deceive the unwary, if not, in
fact, the beet judges Of paper money.
To render bills perfectly safe from being
eounterfeited in this manner (for the pres
ent, at least o sure and simple remedy
presents itself in the manner of printing
them. A blue color copies rhite, or light,
and red always dark or black by every pho
tcgraphic process on paper now known, or
soon likely to he known, for the scientific
world has labored much to accomplish that
desired object, (the reproduction Of the CO.
lors Of nature and, thus far, with only
the faintest prospects Of success.
Those bills partially printed in red nre
safe, except where it would be possible for
an artistic rogue to color them red after
they had come black in the COPY, but if
the more delicate aud intricate parts of
bills were printed blue, aud the larger let
ters black, as usual, 10 give strength, it
would be utterly impossible to reproduce
them BY the agency Of light and the da.
guerreotype instrument, for the parts Of the
bill printed in black only would appear
with any distinctness, the blue giving no
impression, or a very faint one, and would
become in the copy but little more than
blank white paper.
As means Of detection, bromide Of
iodine in solution is one of the many, and
perhaps best tests for Photographic coun-
terfeis. The moment this powerful agent
touches the paper printed by this process,
the impression is removed This chemical
agent having no immediate effect upon
printing ink, it offers sure and ready me-
thod Of distinguishing the spurious from
the genuine notes"
NJ The Washington correspondent Of
NJ