Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-22
TAKING SPIRIT PICTURES.



THE ART EXPLAINED By A PHoroGRAPHKR-
FRAUD DETECTED By STUDYING THE
LIGHTS IN PIcrURE-HINrs WHICH WILL
ENABLE AMATEURS TO PHOTOGRAPH SPIRITS
A STAR reporter was talking to Mr.. George
Prince, the photographer, the other evening.
about spirit photography. at Is a fraudP' he
said, with emphasis. IA man brought spirit
photograph to show me the other day. He be-
lieved in it implicitly, but I think 1 convinced
him before he left that he was q dupe. There is
nothing strange or marvellous about the thing
to an experienced eye. In the picture he
brought me there were three spirit faces on
the card with the mans own picture. There
was this popularity about them: The lights did
picture he adjusts the light 80 that 1t will fall in
q certain way in the room and on the face.
All objects in one impression are lighted
it may be. In this picture the light fell upon
the face Of the man from the left. So IL
did upon two of the spirit faces. That
lighted from the opposite direction. showing
clearly that they were taken In different lights
and at different times. The fact is the spirit
for the mans picture. In this case the me
dunn was not careful to select pictures with
the same light He evidently selected from a
promlscuous lot OF pictures, and took their i'm
pressions lightly upon the plate. These impress
sions are very easily taken. They can be taken
ny ramp lSuG OF Gay ligQt, ana tney generally
take a shadowy or imperfect impression. Or il
they want they can get the old plates with the
impressions already on them from other photo
graphers. Some photographers sell their old
plates for practice pieces, &c. 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
Wen, 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. He
might show you a plate with half a dozen inn
pressions on 1t and you could not see them! But
put the plate in the basin and put q little de-
veloper on 1t; they will show plainly enough
one, not photographer, might easily be de-
ceived. As far as the representation of the
features of some departed friend are concerned,
In nine cases out of ten the features are dim and
an excited Imagination fills out the vague lines.
Nearly all faces having the same general out
line are similar when shown with certain
degree OF indistinctness. But sometimes the
to be. 1t is not difficult to get au exact i'm
preston 1t the person ever had picture taken
before death. 1t may be had from some friend
OF the deceased, or from the photographer. 1t
might be, too, that the picture would be diff
Ierent from any you had ever seen of the
persona different view OF the face, for
instance. Get the name of the photographer
may not be unlikely that he had several plates
taken In various positions, none of which he
used. 1t would be easy for the medium to 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. Why, took several spirit pho
tographs for the gentleman speak Of, just to
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