, 1886-04-21
a N E WITHOUT LEGS
Photosr.phinE n swayinx ship Ia Mid
Ocsan-Uss In Art ork-Triumph.


rhotoEr.phinE = swayinx ship Ia Mid
Ocsan-Uss In Art Work-Triumph-
One day last summer the passengers on
an ocean steamer that snorted its way
through the restless Atlantic watched
with curious interest the movements OF
two men in the lower rigging Of the ship.
One of the men was q brawny seaman.
the other was a slender young man, slung
from whose shoulders was a small, black
box. The seaman grasped his compan-
ion in such a way that he was in no dan
ger Of going overheard. The young man
held fast to the black box so that a circu-
lar aperture in one end of it faced the
bow of the ship and the group OF passen-
gers on the forward deck. Then with his
right hand forefinger he pressed a con
cealed button on the foot Of the box,
and a sharp click told hat the black rub
Der window of the aperture had opened
for the 120th part of a second. When the
two men descended to the deck the pas
sengers learned that the ship had been
photographed. The black box was a de
tective amera. The young man was its
inventor.
Nhth Oho bhAhkh VI bhho tDAooAc Oh
ship-board, this photographing Of a
swaying ship in ~mid-ocean, it is difficult
to realize that photography is so young
an art. 1t is not 80 many years since the
action OF light on nitrate of silver was
discovered. The present century WAS
well advanced when the Frenchman,
Daguerre, succeeded in his experiments,
and a number Of years elapsed before the
-Daguerreotypes" gained recognition. SO
far as the products go everybody is per-
fectly familiar with Photographic prog
ress. The present era has seen some ex-
traordinary advances. To begin with,
it has witnessed the recognition OF the
negative as a useful adjunct to legiti-
mate art. At one time artists not only
sneered but scowled at the professions of
the photographer. Nowadays, 10th
though he may often be to acknowledge
the debt, the successful artist owes
much To the camera
So thoughtful a student of the human
figure as aMr. Thomas Eakins Of Phila-
delphia has found 1t to his advantage TO
become proficient in photography, which
has long been associated with the art
work at the Philadelphia academy. Mr..
Eakins has conducted within the past
few months an important series of ex-
periments with rapids plates and a re-
volving disk, with a view TO aiding both
science n art to a knowledge of the
sacrets OF animal locomotion. with re-
gard to which both science and art have,
~singularly enough, been until recently
but very imperfectly informed. The
ra~.rIfo f&w ~ EolrtA,f r.atkDI haa hoo,
the taking of a series of impressions on a
single plate. The special advantage Of
the plan has been the preservation of
accurate views of objects in motion
while the point Of sight is not changed.
So little has beer cared for pictorial
effect that many of the experiments rave
been conducted in such a manner as sim
ply to secure a series of impressions, with
accurately recorded time, of glittering
christmas tree" balls, fastened TO the
joints of animals in rapid motion, or
stuck with wax up and down the backs
of human models, to show the move
ment of the spine and. pelvis in walking.
Aside from these purely artistic and
scientific relations OF photography it has
phases which appeal more directly to
pOpuldI Interest,". Inc INSTANTANEOUS pro-
cess, developed since the invention of
the "dry plate" method, has been the
source OF much novelty and delight. A
new interest has been added to reproduc-
lions of nature. Maud s., at the top of
her speed, appears in h silver print
with every swelling muscle, every subtle
grace of outline as clearly cut as if she
had posed steadily for four seconds, as
Daniel Webster did with his hat ON for a
notable daguerreotype. A public pageant
now goes down to history in the impair
tial ines Of an instantaneous photograph.
The president, making his inaugural
speech, is caught in the midst of a ges-
ture.
Once rapid plates were accomplished
the regulation camera began to seem
clumsy. Portable as they are now
made, they can not be placed in position
with sufficient rapidity to catch an OBJ
ject in motion unless the operator is pre-
pared. What was wanted was a cam
era without legs. When a rumor came
over the Atlantic that some one abroad
was experimenting with this idea, Yam
kee genius went to work. The ground
glass focusing difficulty had to be put
out of the way. Many other problems
had to be solved. Several energetic Amer
lean photographers and men of mechan-
ical talents have been named as the in
ventor OF the instrument which repre-
sented the conquered problem.-Alex-
ander Black in Philadelphia Call.