Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-06-10
PHOTOGRAPHY.
THE LATEST STEPS, SCIENTIFIC AND
ARTISTIC.
How to Make n ''Pistolagraph"-The "Ph D.
tosraphic Hat'-The Twenty -Four
TLousandth Part of u Second
AT Homo" Pictures.
New York Tribunal

A prominent photographer Of this city
had just finished photographing fine speci-
| men Of the common or domestic infantine
howl the other day, when he was asked
whether it were possible TO turn the moder
policeman into n peripatetic Photographic.
ready at any instant TO take anything on his
beat from a burglar TO n glass of lager.
-Why, certainly said he There Is M
reason in the world why the finest
shouldn't carry camera as readily as
club and operate 1t with more certainly
of execution, to say nothing of its greater
safety when applied to law-abid-
ing citizen. 1t would not be Eeces-
sary that they should pass an ex-
animation by Professor Chandler in chemis-
try, tut with what might call 'pistola-
graph they could do better execution than
with a revolver, hit the subject, and take
the plates to the proper person to be devel-
opei and printed. large picture is not
necessary for the purposes OF Identification.
In fact, IN ali Photographic work sharpness
is more or less sacrificed TO size For in
stance, the Photographic portraits known to
US as cart sde-visIte' are shsrper ard moro
distinct than the larger ones' 50. the like
ness Of u criminal, taken on a plate an inch
square. would lie unnistakabie Here is a
=
and you that you could at once recog
nZe the man If you had ever seen him be-
fore
SO sharply defined was the little picture
that this was readily admitted
Now continued the photographer, I'll
tel you how to make pistolagraph': Take
the stock Of an ordinary pistol. In place Of
barrel put on a little half-inch objective OF
portrait combination lens with focus of
say, an inch. In place Of the hammer, trig
ger, and spring We fit a little DARK cham
Der, IN which could be-arranged an ld justa-
be or fixed focus, the little sensitive plate.
A spring worked with trigger could in
simultaneously open or shut the lens, while
small piate-holders could be carried in the
pocket, to be in, erted rs those in the dark
chamber were usel W, The whole contri
vance would occupy less space and be lighter
TO carry than an Urinary bulldog pistol.
It's uses are apparent. Armed with 1t po
liceInan could photograph any number of
suspicious characters On his b.. whom he
did not feel justified in arresting. Ia fact,
lie could take them without running them
IN
~Have you heard of the Photographic
hat, Ii was invented by a Mr.. Mendoya OF
London for the benefit Of those who want to
take photographs ON the sly in public places
a lens is fitted in the top Of the hat, which
by "A casual observer might be taken for
veniilaror Inside is the camera with ar
taGZ-ncEts for focusing and changing ia
plates
How about the story of the young man
who was Autographed at midnight while
kissing his sHeetAeart:'
Il saw that IN some OF the papers. but
81,
ing part Of it. | never photographed a kiss
myself Ii is. however. barely possible to pre-
pare a plate 20 sensitive that the small amount
Of light to be fOuni ON 4 star-lit night would
TX an image on it. 1t would have to be pre-
pared III total darkness, however, and ii Is
next door II impossible TO carry on tue deli
cate chemical operations necessary without
any light nj all on the subject. So sensitive
however, 1t Is now possible TO make plate
that by daylight we can make a picture by
exposing the plato just :. two-hundreth part
Of second. y photographer has made
picture, and 1t was reported in The Tribune
IL the twenty four-thuusandth part of a
second Don't smile. 1 cannot tell a lie. |
did IT myself with my little camera The
object Wa an electric flash from a Leyden
i-r"
4 don't want to seem even to doub: your
word, hUt-how do You know you did!7
do y0u see that black disk with the
wh:te spot on tho edge. Well. that is our
teli-tale. We rcyolve it al a definite speed
a one revolution in Z second. and then
photograph it by cur instantaneous shutter.
IL Is easy then to see how many degrees of
tie circle the white spot had Travelled dur
inS tie exposure. aal IL that we can calcu-
l,.;e what fraction of n second was occupied
ia taking the picture. Suppose for nstance. |
tie SPOT moved one degree; that would
clearly show that the time was i-3GJth part |
o; "a second
That ought t. do for scientific novelties.
Are there any new artistic ideas to DE
noted.'
Yes, there is what We call the At-Home' |
pictures. People nowadays feel that their |
rooms are really part OF themselves. or that !
they are part of their Rooms, whichever you |
prefer. :, now, instead Of coming t, the |
the photographer goes 10 them. |
He takes with him supply Of instantane-
Gus plates, poses his subject in his or her |
own particular armchair, and, with good |
taste and Judgment in the arrangement Of |
tie light and pose, re : likely to secure a re
-ult FAR removed from the conventiOnality |
f tie gallery picture. The cost Is not great,
and find there j Il "rowin. S>..-Si for
tniS form # portrait. arr educating my
artists to thu work, AMI occasionally so my
self
Does tn growing taste for photography |
among amateurs hurt the regular business
n.uch.'
Il hardly think 50. On tho contrary. 1 |
think we owe much To the amateurs. The /
number Of them is rapidly Increasing md /
the work OF some Of the more experienced |
compares favorahly with that 81 the hest
professionals. In fact. some OF the most |
harminS novelties come from the Patient.
intelligent, leisurely work of the amateur.
They have an advantage over the PROBES
'iDnal artist both in the choice of fine sub
jects ami the pursuit OF scientific expert
Iuent> for their time is their own. TheI
-ociety here has large membership. and Is \
much respected in England, whore their
work Coe; IN exchange for that If the |
European societies. Both here and in Eng |
land the most aggressive eXperimentalists
ne scientific amateurs