Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-19
BLENDED FACES.
by the Methods cr co
posite Photography.
IChicApn Trih11nn1

lChicago Tribunel
Inc scientific photographers bovo 90
fIonpllshed a wonderful thing Tho C
nave succeeded in producing an aetna
poitIaIt OF The man who exists and WHOM
no man ever saw. '''' " ii'iii
Inc assertion is not as fanc;f,,l ., :.
seems. In the last issue of Science an.
pear -FOUR portraits illustrating what has
peen accomplished. The methods 81
composite photography, devised oriU-
inIaIly by Francis CASTOR, are sinoni1,
eIese: Given anumber of men or women
enauoWy photographs of each are taken
ana rom al! these shadows blended IL
produced face. 1t is face of no one ~
.nose VINO sat, but it is the face of bn-
man pelng whose countenance ernrassoa
an thelr traits. This is the theory of tbo
photographer The face produced hears
out the idea. 1t is a clearlv-defnad
countenance, with an expression of it,
mating. anu lascl-
IN one OF the photographs printed
WE'VE mathematicians have their facos
blended In a new countenance II ;o az
typical mathematician. Sixteen not,,roI
lists faces form one, those of thirtv-ona
painters another. There is a wonderful
resemblance between the two faces tb,Is
produced. Naturalists and painters alike
are students of form and color and ON
line. 1t is a new face produced IT,
remarkable device eliminates that eonrne
so far as it appears in the faceNof 90
nuch OF our happiness and unhappiness
.he personal equation" Like the BODY
aIter death, 1t disappears, but still exists.
tlough, unlike the body after death, it is
not dlsslpated through all nature, but is
condensed INTO one entity, visible thing.
The striking thing about these COM
Poslte faces is that the blending seems to
orlng 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 ma
ture OF class, its strength and weakness
Its degree of kindness and dignity. it's
faults and follies. 1t is the reflection of
the soul of the group. What studies
might be made on this idea, what social
and political reforms suggested bv IFS |
pursuit, and how curious and interesting |
would be the result of some combina7 !
tons
1t is the fact that the central idea so |
protrudes in the developed countenance |
which makes the experiment attractive,
1t would be interesting to combine the |
faces OF a score of prize-fighters to secure
the resultant conscious brute, to minrle
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 dozen clergymen
revel one with kindly eye for the sisters
and a look betokening that ''calr,
would be felt for that place offering the
largest salary? And what sort of face
would the combination of those of a dozen
leading editors produce?
There is charm about the idea. What
a face could be constructed from a group
Of the money-makers, the men who steal
franchises and live on indirect taxation
Of the public How the S mark would
come out in that countenance, how foxy
would become the nose of which in the
individual we scarcely note the dishy,
indentation. And so might be
made experiments with a hundred types.
Perhaps by thousand tests, blending
the faces of those with at least clean
records, a picture could be produced
which would tell better story, which
would be recognized without debate as
belonging to the ideal man strong, with
ierce but restrained passions, but kind
md wise. Unfortunately the man in the
iesh could never be reproduced. Our
system of blending blood in real life
would not allow the ages upon ages of
'equisite stirpiculture
Of course these are but fancies. Yet
n Gaeston's discovery there is probably
he germ of what will result in a thous-
md practical benefits. The average of
orms is frequent requisite of the artist
md the naturalist. A use for the aver
Ige of faces will soon come.