Huntsville gazette., 1888-05-12
PHANTOM PICTURES.
An Ancient Trick of Astrologers and Me.
diuins Intelligently' Explained.

An Ancient Trick of Astrologers and Me-
diuins Intelligentlys Explained.
Nine. Diss Debar' spirit-painting iS
an ancient trick, which has been re
sorted to by mediums. astrologists and
fortune-tellers in this city for many
years. Any one who is familiar at
all with art materials is aware that
canvases for paintings are usually sold
stretched over little wooden frames.
which can afterward be inserted into
gflded frames if desired. The cam
vases are made in certain sizes, so
that it is easy to secure duplicates
whenever desired, and any spirit
painter can promptly furnish an
exact counterpart of any sized canvas
that may DO given to them to operate
upon.
Like every thing else in Spiritual
ism, that which is done must be exc
cuted in the dark. A dim and uncer-
tain light is necessary, and things are
50 arranged as to smack OF the super
natural as much as possible.
You have brought your own can
vas, | see, remarked Q medium, as
the visitor unwound small modern
frame over which canvas was stretched.
'Oh, yes; l thought l would be able
to say that / had convinced myself
that there could be no possibility of
tricks" i.tb Hfass .-H&
Very good" replies the medium.
''The spirits and myself are well
pleased to have the matter placed be-
yond the question of scoffers."
The medium is never discomfited.
She has canvas already painted just
the size of the one brought. and a lit
tic clever work in the way Of sleight-
of-hand is all that is necessary. She
takes your canvas, looks at it
moment and then asks that it be
marked. This is done. She care
fully notes the position of the little
mark placed on the canvas, and leay-
ing the room. she marks painted
canvas in q similar manner and places
it under her skirt, through the side of
which is wide cut large enough to
allow the painted canvas 10 slip out
easily. Returning to the room, the
medium again takes your canvas and
requests you to face a small mirror.
which is so small that any thing that
happens below the level of her
shoulders can not be seen. While
this placing is being done the medium
apparently holds the canvas careless
| ly in her right hand, but in reality
she bitches it to hook cleverly con-
cealed at her waist and draws out the
| painted canvas, which she raises in
such way that the painted portion is
not reflected in the mirror because of
a slight backward slant which is not
noticeable to the visitor.
| Meanwhile, you stand with the can
vas poised above your head before
| glass. and fondly imagine. if you arc
| at all inclined to believe, that the can
vas is the original one, and that trick
cry is out of the question.
''Now,n says the medium, ''jUst
hold the frame very steady for mo-
ment, so as not to disturb the spirit
artist, who is one. of the old school,
and who will reproduce a most valua-
BILE ancient painting for you"
You hold the frame firmly, and look
steadily into the dimly-lighted mirror.
Now" continues the medium,
| sweetly, 'tip it forward just the least
bit" The tipping discloses the paint
ing in such way that it looks like
long, dark streak on the canvas.
Now, tip it slowly forward. for it's
developing. Not too fast" You tip
the painting very. slowly forward.
guided by the hand of the medium,
lest it. be moved too fast, and dispel
the illusion. Theee effect of this, in the
dim reflection of the mirror is to make
the painting appear to develop from
the black streak first seen. To the sub
ject, the illusion appears perfect, and
the cheap print chrome thus developed
seems to the awed imagination gen
uine work of art. 'i MA.
/ To make the trick even more i'm
pressive the medium sometimes places
a touch Of phosphorus in the center Of
the canvas, which naturally attracts
the attention and is watched with
bated breath during the process of de-
velopment
Another system mediums have Of
producing these art treasures is
chemical process known to few. A
picture is painted and is then sized
. over with this peculiar chemical MKT
ure. If an artist were to examine
the canvas he would say that it had
simply been primed. When it is
desired to produce the spirit-pain ting
the canvasis is rubbed with a sponge
dampened in liquid which eats off
the white printing and exposes the
picture rs fresh as when painted.
This can be done on wall as well as
on canvas, and it is in this way that
spirit paintings on walls are produced.
Mime. .Diss Debar paints most Of her
spirit-pictures in this manner The
secret of the chemical preparation
| ,,,oI ;e oorafulIv nuard ad hv those