Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-11-05
BIG PHOTOGRAPHS.
How the Mammoth Pictures of the Public
Buildings are Made. 80.

How the Mammoth Pictures of the Public
Buildings are Made. 80.
[From the Washington Star,
II don't know that they are the larg-
est photographs ever made, but they are
the largest thatI have any knowledge
Of" The speaker, Mr.. T. w. Smillie,
the photographer of the National Mu-
scum, was looking at an immense pho
tograph of the Treasury building which
was standing in his laboratory in the
Museum building, as he answered in
this way the question of Star reporter.
The picture in question is one of Sc
ries of thirteen of all the public build
ings in the city, and the distinct out
lines and vast extent of the photographs
gave an impression that was vividly
real. All these photographs are seven
feet long and four wide, and are in
tended to form a part of the govern
ment exhibit at Cincinnati and New
Orleans. The process by which these
large photographs are made is one of
great interest, and Mr.. Smile was
obiging enough to give somewhat in
detail the method of their production.
"These photographs" he remarked
to the reporter, differ in the process of
their production from the ordinary pho
tograph, because the latter is printed by
contact with the paper. There is no
development needed, and the picture is
printed at once to the depth we re-
quire.
I'm the cases of these large photo
graphs" continued Mr.. Smillie, "an in
strument similsr to a solar camera is
used, except we apply the electric light
with it. The process is a modification
OF the ld:fashioned whey and silver
process. We first take strong, heavy
paper, which we get in rolls 200 feet
long and fifty-four inches wide, and
salt it with whey containing iodine and
bromide of potassium, with trace of
chloride of ammonia. The paper is
sponged over and then dried. Then
the negative is placed in the enlarging
instrument. The negative is to 10
inches; very clear and sharp, being made
especially for this purpose. The light
passing through it projects the image
upon screen from the instrument de.
termining the size of the photograph.
Then the paper is spread down on the
table and flowed over with solution of
nitric of silver. This combines with
the iodines and bromides already in the
paper, forming iodine and bromide of
silver. The paper is then hung on the
screen and exposed to the light, that is
the light image projected upon the
screen. After being exposed until the
image just appears slightly, it is laid
down on the table and developed,
which is done by flowing a solution OF
pyrogaic acid over the surface. When
the proper point of development is
reached it is stopped by throwing q
solution or salt in the water. Then the
salt is washed off and the print is firmly
fixed in solution of hyposulphite OF
soda. When it is washed out the pict-
ure is done.
'Do you find the use of electric light
an advantage?" asked the listener.
'Yes," he replied. "We are not af-
fected by the weather in the first place
and we can work on cloudy days or at
night. Then the pictures are sharpey
with the electric light. We get finer
definition. With the solar light the
pictures would not be so successful.
Our picture of the Washington monu-
ment, at it's present height" continued
the artist, sis one of the most effective
we have made. The monument looks
so immense in the picture and every.
thing else SO small. The buildings OF
the printing bureau is shown in the
background, but it is only six inches
high, while the monument is six feet
In the use of the electric light Mr.
Smile said they employed an electric
governor, on resistance dial, which is
similar to q governor in steam en-.
gine. By means of this governor the
strength of the current is regulated and
the light is kept at one point constant.
ly. The steadiness of the light adds to
the sharpness and distinctness of the
outlines of the picture.