The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-07-02
THE CAMERA ABOLISHED.
A Simple Pocket Device for Landscap
Photography.

The art of photography has taken
some remarkable steps of late. Francis
Cations composite portraits, merging
dozen faces into one characteristic type,
the instantaneous picturing of the light
ning-like strides of a race-horse, and
the photographing of stars invisible to
the naked eye, date back less than
year; but it has remained for a st. Louis
gentleman to make II discovery that
promises to completely revolutionize the
entire present process of the art. Dr.
John Van Zandt, chief of the medical
corps of the United States marine hos
pital of this city, held in his hand an
ordinary tin blacking-box. A little
piece had been cut out of the center OF
the lid and over the aperture scrap OF
copper foil, pierced with a very minute
hole, was soldered. A tiny cap could
be placed over the copper, and the in
side OF the box was painted black. Plac-
ing a piece of sensitized paper on the
bottom, DR.. Van Zandt has with this
absurdly simple apparatus taken just as
good photographs as it would be posi-
BILE to obtain with the most costly CAM
era.
He calls them 'defraction pictures"
For long time students of what might
be termed the curios of science have
known that light passing from an OBJ
ject through very small hole would
produce faint picture of the object on
a screen. The smallest hole that this
was ever tried with was about as large
as a pin and the apparatus regarded
simply as scientific toy. Nobody knew
why the image appeared, but it was sur
missed that the edges of the hole in
some way acted upon the rays of light
There was no refraction, as would be
the case with lens, so the term de-
fraction was applied to it. A couple OF
years ago DR.. Van Zandt, who was then
scientific fact, and the idea of fixing
the defracted image by sensitive paper
at once occurred to him. He began ex-
perimenting, but found the great tror-
BILE was that the image was so faint and
shadowy it was of no value as basis
for photograph. Then he tried max
ing the hole smaller. The effect was
instantly to sharpen the outlines and
render them distinct. All that then re-
manned was to project the picture so
formed against sheet of sensitive
paper, or n negative glass, and the
picture was fixed. Thus the apparent
impossibility of photographing without
lens was accomplished. DIR. Van
Zandt's apparatus is, in plain English.
simply box with hole in it.
The hole is pointed toward whatever
it is desired to photograph, and little
picture of it, upside down, appears re-
fiected on the bottom. The hole varies
in diameter from Il five-hundredth to a
SEVENTEEN of an inch. The smallest
produces the clearest-cut pictures. 1t
would be impossible to make such tiny
oriiices without the aid of a microscope.
Under the powerful lens the doctor
places fragment of copper roll, such
as mother-Of-pearl buttons come on,
and pricks it with the finest sewing
needle known. The hole, which must
be absolutely and automatically round,
is measured by a micrometer under the
glass, and in that way brought to the
proper size.
Dr. Van Zandt has large number of
photographs he has taken with his APP
paratus, and many of them are very
fine. AS a bright light is required, the
process is better adapted for outdoor
photography than gallery work, and
would probably be unexcelled for anna
teur use. 1t ought to be made for less
than dollar, and could be carried in
the pocket of the coat without incon-
venience. Taken altogether, it is a
very remarkable discovery, and one
probably destined to attract great and
speedy attention. - 81. Louis Globe
Democrat