Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-07-03
I PHOTOGRAPHY.
How SOme Old Magazine Pictures We're
Reproduced.
Rochester UniOn.l

hOchester OnlOn.l
The apparent mystery in the spirit
photography business is one that has
been puzzling a good many people in
this and other cities. Ardent Spirit
ualists believe in the matter firmly,
while skeptics think the matter is a
humbug. The only laboratory where
these photographs are turned out in
the city is Miss Hedley's gallery, on
State street. Two ladies' were desir-
Gus of ascertaining the truth of the
matter. They both set for a picture,
which, when finished, showed a spirit
alongside of each. In the first photo
graph the spirit was that of a young
lady on a balcony with her hand to
her face, her hair and costume being
in the style and fashion of thirty
years ago. The other photograph
showed the spirit of a woman dressed
in a costume of about the same period,
her hair done in ~ringlets, banded on
the top near the temple with strings
of pearls. In her hand is a flower in
tending to represent a rose. The
pictures of the ladies themselves are
clear and sharply defined, while those
OF the intruders are hazy, but witb,the
outlines clearly defined. When the
pictures were finished the ladies took
them home, and in examining them
closely concluded they had seer the
spirit part somewhere before, and in
turning over the leaves of some old
lady's magazines they had at the house
ran across the ~eRgrayings of the Origi-
nails. The first one is taken from an
engraving representing Nourmahal, "
and the second is from an engraving
by 7. Fleming, intending to represent
THE Last Rose of Summer" On
comparing the photographs with the
~engravings there can be no doubt on
the subject, and this discovery has
punctured the hqmbqg, at least so far
as Miss Hedley is concerned.
Yesterday afternoon the photo
graphs and pictures came into the
possession of a representative of this
paper, and 10 order to ascertain how
the negative was worked to have one
picture very sharply defined and the
other so hazy as to be nearly undis-
tinguishable, he visited the gallery of
a leading photographer on State
street, who showed him in a practical
manner the modus operahdi. A neg
alive is first taken Of the engraving.
When the sitter comes for a picture
the negative is turned the other side,
the oOllodlon put on and the glass put
in the camera. In this manner the
portrait of the sitter is on one side Of
the glass and what is intended for the
spirit on the other. When the mega
tive comes to be printed the paper is
placed against tho sldo Of the glass
having the portrait of the sitter and
exposed to the light. The spirit be-
ing on the other side of the glass has
to strike through it, which gives it
the hazy appearance, while the pOr.
trait, being on the side next the
light, comes out clearly defined. Any
oHe who Is desirious of doing SO can
test this for himself, and the illqstpa-
ton shown by the photographer ex-
planned the matter fully to the eyes of
the inquiring newspaper man. The
more artistic a photographer is, of
course, the more unearthly he can
make the work, and the gentleman in
question said he could produce a pic
ture Of the most CHASTITY description.