The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-10-17
A LOST ART.

Sun, being on visit to Westkin, Green
| county, the former residence of Levi
| Lawrence Hill, gives some interesting
"reminiscences of that remarkable man.
He was, perhaps, the greatest natural
chemist that ever lived, and had a ge-
MUS for many other things. He was
| one inventor that might have become
| very rich had he taken advantage Of
his discoveries and quit inventing at
| the right time. He was first printer,
and then a Baptist preacher, and hav-
! ing lost his voice by much exhortation
he became daguerreotypist and trav-
ellcd and took pictures. He asked an
artist one day to show him how to
color daguerreotype, and the artist
told him when he could do that he
would be ahead of all the painters. This
started Hill to thinking and expert
menting, and he worked many years
without obtaining the slightest result.
At length he produced one or two col
Ors, and in the course of time the whole
of them in their various tints and
shades, yellow being the most stubborn
and the last to come at his bidding. In
1850 he announced his success in natu-
raj coiors, and the story was not be-
lieved. But he had the pictures to
speak for themselves. One was copy
of q large colored lithograph. He also
had several portraits to show, which
gave all the shades and details of dra-
perry, flesh, eyes, etc. He was offered
$l25, 600 for tho discovery, but refused
it, because he said the process was not
perfected. Tho offer was repeated for
the discovery as it then was, but he
pcrsistently refused to entertain it, even
when solicited to do so by his friends
for the sake of his family. The CORES
pondcnt says:
81 have seen a number of pictures
taken by Hill with the process. They
are in possession of his brother Robert,
now living in Kingston. Some of them
are fifteen years old, and are yet bright
and fresh. They are not like the ordi
nary daguerreotypes, as no amount of
rubbing will erase the image. Itseems
to be a part of the plate itself. The
finest picture is that of a bouquet. It
is eight by twelve inches. Every color
and tint is perfect. The likeness of a
maid servant, taken from life, is re-
naarkable. The white apron, the red
dress, the bare arms, the black eyes, the
blue ribbon around the waist, the white
edging on the short sleeves, are all
perfect. There is a charming picture
of a valet lacing the corset of maid
The yellow, drab and sea-green tints
are admirably brought out. The pic
ture Of two cherry birds, with all the
delicate shades of yellow, black, red
and pearl-color, is noteworthy. There
is another bouquet, with four colors and
their various shades. The picture of a
large bird shows all the various shades
of brown. A Chinese junk is very
finely produced on the plate.
Chill afterwards realized 100000 for
his process of making what is termed
'sair gass" for lighting purposes, and
sunk it in other experiments. He also
invented a process for depositing pure
silver on glass, and was we'll paid for it.
He perfected a method for securing
universal focus by which Il picture can
be taken with landscape back ground.
There were several other inventions
and processes in chemistry which he
perfected, and which arc now in use.-
Besides, lie nearly completed book
called the 1" Land of Dreams" after tho
style of the " Pilgrims Progress" The
only difference was, Bunyan took his
hero to hcaven-Hiu plunged his into
hell, or would have done so had he fin
ished his design. Several of tho book
sellers offered him fabulous prices for
the work, but he never completed it.
He died in Now York in 1865, and his
secret of taking pictures in natural
cOlors died with him. His laboratory
mula could not be discovered after his
leath.''
fizzle proves several things, viz. : that
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