The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-06-23
----------7 - 9 - -
SpHRlT PHOTOGRAPHERS.
HOW the ShadOWy FERNS Are Pilot
grnphcd by Mediums.

HOW the ShadOWy FERNS Are Photo.
graPhcd by Mediums.
A reporter was talking to Mr.. George
Prince, tho photographer, the other even
ing, about spirit photography. ct is o
fraud u he said, with emphasis. GA man
brought spirit photograph to show me
the other day. He believed In II implicitly,
but l think convinced him before he left
that he was dupe. There Is nothing
strange or marvellous about the thing to ON
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 not correspond. When photographer
takes picture he adjusts the light SO that
it viii fall In certain way In the room and
on the face. All objects In one impression
are lighted from the same direction-right
or left, as II may be. In this picture the
light fell upon the fnce of the man from the
left, az 1t did upon two Of the spirit faces
That was oil right enough But the third
face was lighted from the opposite direction
showing clearly that they were taken in
different lights and at different times. The
fact is the spirit faces are taken ON the
plate before II ia exposed for the mans pic
ture. In this case the medium was not
careful to select pictures with the same
light. He evidently selected from pro-
miscuous lot of pictures, and took their i'm
pressions lightly upon the plate. These
impressions are very easily taken. They
can be taken by lamplight or daylight, and
generally take shadowy or imperfect I'M
preston. Or II they want, they can get
the old plates with the impressions already
ON them from other photographers. Some
photographers sell their old plates for prac-
tice 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 you see there is
nothing on 1t. Well, l can show you a''plate
IN which have taken your picture, and
you won't see anything on IL. The im-
preston on plate is never visible until IL
Is treated. He 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 ON il they
will show plain enough then. You see the
trick Is very easy; any one, not photog-
rapher, might easily be deceived. 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 ex-
cited imagination fills out the vague lines.
Nearly all faces having the same general
outline are similar when shown with GER
tain degree of indistinctness. But some
times the face 10 actually that Of the person
II 10 pretended to be. II Is not difficult TO
get an exact impression il the person ever
had picture taken before death. IL may
DO had from some friend Of the deceased,
or from the photographer. II might be,
too, that the picture would DO different from
any you had ever seen OF the person. Diff
ferent view of the face, for instance. Get
the name Of the photographer from any
picture you may see, and II may not be I'M
likely that he had several plates taken In
various positions, none Of which he used.
II 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 ono to take away and destroy or do as
they please with. Why, l took several
spirit photographs for the gentleman
speak Of, Just to show him how easy Il
vas.n