Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-25
GHOSTS IN \ PICTURE.
How Some People are Taken in by
spirit Photographs"

spirit photographs"
Here Is something that may interest
YOU" remarked a well-known photo
graz her Yesterday. As he spoke he
handed NEWS reporter a cabinet photo
graph OF young man. In the back
ground were three or four indistnct
faces.
THAT" said the photographed, sis what
some people call a spirit picture. Inc
faces YOU see in the background arc sup
posed to be those of three Of the young
mans relatives who have gone hence.
Tie picture was brought here the other
day by the young man whom 1t repre-
sents and who believes implicitly IN spirit
( photography. There never was bigger
/ piece Of hunbuggery. though. and
any one with a disposition to look into
/ the matter can see at once that II is
/ fraud"
The photographer took up the photo
graph. and. looking at it "A moment
closely, called attention 10 the tact that
the lights on the different spirit faces did
not correspond. "When photographer
takes picture" he said. "he adjusts the
light so that it will tan IN certain way
in the room aud on the face. All objects
IN one impression are lighted from the
same direction-right or left, as it may be.
In this picture the light fell upon the face
OF the young man from the left. So it did
upon two of the spirit faces That was
all right enough! But the third face was
lighted from the oppOs tie direction, show
ing clearly that they were taken in differ
emit lights and atdiderenttimcs. The tact
is the spirit faces are taken on the plate
before it is exposed tor he mans picture,
In this case the 'mediUm was not careful
to select pictures with the same light. He
evidently selected from a prOmiscuOus lot
ofplctures, and took their impressions
lightly upon the plate. These impressions
are very easily taken. They can be taken
by lamp light or day light, and they gen
orally take a sfRdowy or imperfect impress
sion, Or il they want they can get the old
plates with the impressions already on
them from other photOgrap ners. NOmephO-
tographers sell their old Plates for practice
pieces, etc. They are easy enough got.
But the medium photographer shows
you the plate before he puts it in
the camera! OF course he does! And
you see there is nothing on it. Well, /
can show you the plate on which ! have
taken your picture, and YOU won't see
anything on it. The impression on a
plate is never visible until it is treated.
lie might show you plate with half
dozen Impressions on il, and you could
not see them! But. put the plate IN the
basin and put little developer Oh it, they
Will SHOW plainIy enough LDF0. 1 on see
the trick is very easy; any one, not
photographer, might easily be deceived.
las far as the representation of the
features of some departed friend are con
cerned, in nine cases out OF ten the tea-
lures are dim and an excited Imagination
fills out the vague lines. Nearly all faces
having the same general outline are sim
liar when shown with a certain degree of
indistinctness. But sometimes the face
is actually that of the person it is pre-
tended to be. 1t is not difficult TO get an
exact impression if the person ever had
picture taken before death. 1t may be
had from some friend OF the deceased, nr
from the photogra pher. 1t might be, TOO,
that the picture would be different from
any you had ever seen of the persona
different view of the face, for instance.
Get the name of the photographer
from any picture you may
see, and it may not be un-
likely that he had several plates
taken in various positions, none OF which
he used. 1t would be easy for the eme-
dunn 10 get some OF these. Why, we
frequently have bags full Of old plates,
and we give them to some one to take
away and destroy or do as they please
with. ] took several spirit photographs
for the gentleman | speak OF, Just to show
him how easy it was, but in spite of it
all, he insisted that there is something in
IT. that he cannot understand"
"DO people ever come to YOU for spirit
pictures?' asked the NEWS man.
Il have had one or two calls, but | told
them was not in the spirit business -