Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-12
BLENDED FACES.
PORTRAITS BY THE METHODS Or
COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHY.
Something Novel and Fasclnatine-Liks'
ness Of Man Who Exists Whom
No Man Ever Saw--Ths
average Of Faces."
chicago Tribune,l

lChicago Tribune.l
The scientific photo yraphers have accom-
piished wonderful thing. They have sue
ceeded in producing an actual portrait Of
the man who exists and whom no man ever
saw
The assertion Is not as fanciful Is it seems.
In the last issue Of Science appear four por-
traits illustrating what has been accom-
plished. The methods Of composite
photography, devised originally by Francis
Gaeton, is simply this: Given q num-
Dor of men or women, shadowy
photographs of each are taken, and from all
these shadows blended, is produced face. Il
is a face Of no one Of those who sat, but it Is
the face Of a human being whose counten-
ance expresses all their traits. This ID the
theory Of the photographer The face pro-
ducej bears out the idea. It is q clearly-de
fined countenance with an expression Of its
own. 1t is something striking and fascinat-
ing.
In one Of the photographs printed twelve
mathematicians have their faces blended in
q new countenance. 1t is the typical math-
ematicisn. Sixteen naturalists' faces form
one. those OF thirty -one painters another
There is wonderful resemblance between
the two faces thus produced. Naturalists
and painters alike are students Of form and
color and outline 1t Is a oew face produced
by this queer process No one Of the orig.
inal faces is reproduced. The remarkable
device eliminates that source-so far as u
appears in the face-of so much Of our hap
piness and unhappiness. 4the personal equa-
tom Like tho body after death, it disap-
pears, but still exists, though, unlike the
body after death, it is not dissipated through
49, l. -
q visible thing.
The striking thing about these composite
faces is that the blendin. seems to bring out
in bold relief of expression the dominant
trait Of the class. The one prevailing idea
of the group shows in the combined face
strongly. 1t suggests vast possibilities
from the discovery Of the photographers
The face shows the nature Of q class, its
strength and weakness, its degree Of kindli-
ness, and dignity, its faults and follies. It
is the reflection of the soul Of tho group.
What studies might be made on this idea.
what social and political reforms suggested
by its pursuit, and how curious and inter.
esting would be the result OF some combine
tons!
II is the fact that the central idea so pro-
trudes itself in the developed countenance
which makes the experiment attractive. It
would be interesting to combine the faces Of
a score OF prize.fighters to secure the re-
sultant conscious BRUTE to mingls the faces
of city's ward politicians and get the face
OF a creature so crafty, and covetous, and
INSCRIPTIONS as to methods that it would be
alarming. Would the faces of a do zen
clergymen reveal one with kindly eye for
the sisters and a look betokening that q
Hcnllr ha hat Mo of
the largest salary! And what sort Of face
would the combination OF those OF dozsn
leading editors Product
There is a charm about the idea. What q
face could be constructed from a group
Of the money makers, the men who
steal franchises and live on indirect
taxation of tho publici How the :
mark would come out in that countenance,
how foxy would become the nose of which
in the individual We scarcely note the dishy.
side-long indentation. And SO might be
made experiments with hunlre1 types
Perhaps by a thousand tests, blending tho
faces of those with at least clsan records, q
picture could be produced which would tell
a better story, which would be recognized
without debate as belonging to the ideal
man; strong, with fierce but restrained pas
sions, but kind and wise. Unfortunately
that man in the flesh could never he repro
duced. Our system of blending blood in
real life would not allow the ages upon ages
of requisite stirpiculture.
or course thsse are but fauciss. Yet in
Gaeton's discovery there is probably the
germ Of what VIII result in thousand prac-
teal benefits. Tie average Of forms is a
frequent requisite of the artist and the
naturalist A use for the average OF faces