Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-22
COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHS.
How the Camera is Used TO Obtain .
Typical Face.

APPLICATIONS OF COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHY TO
SCIENTIFIC woRK-AFPARArUs DEVISED Fon
TAXING Such PICrUREs-THE PICTURE OF THE
"AcADENN SOME INTERESTING REsULTs-
great many people who saw in TIE STNa
OF last Thursday picture OF mans head.
beneath which vas the explanatory title. The
Academy" wondered at first what kind of =
typographical error had been pcrpetrated. and
there are doubtless some persons who came TO
sudden conclusion that there was a blunder
somewhere. There was no mistake made in
denominating that engraving The Academy"
for that Is just what ii was in the composite
Photographic sense. About thirty OF the
savants OF the National Academy sat for their
photographs TO Mr.. Thomas W. Smile. the
photographer to the National museum When
the gallery was complete the pictures were
turned over 10 Prof. Raphael Pumpeilv and
the result of his labors was a face in which
there was no individuality. no striking likeness
20 any one member, but in which a general re-
semblance TO pretty nearly all the bearded
men could be traced.
APPLYING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHY.
Among scientists practical application is now
being made OF composite photography. For
years artists had been striving 10 secure typical
faces of various nationalities or communities
but their success was limited because each
artist certain 20 be attracted 10y the indi-
riduality of some one of his sittcrs. and the
result would be the destruction of the typical
The problem thus presented remained unsolved
until 1877, when Prof Francis Gallon. IN his
address 10 tue anthropological subsection OF
the British association. suggested the blending
OF the portraits OF individuals of a group by
means of photography.
\ year later Mr.. Gallon submitted 20 the
anthropOlogcal institute the results OF his ex-
perrments. which were entirely successful. al
though the apparatus was necessarily crude
In 1881 he devised special apparatus for the
work. and since then number at Others inter
ested IN the fascinating subject have discovered
WAYS ana means tor securing oyor-improying
results.
How 1T Is PRODUCED.
How is the composite picture constructed?
asks the lay public. The process is simple. but
it has to be carefully conducted The pre-
liminary photographs are taken bv means of
an ordinary camera and in the usual way. The
sItters are placed in the same position. COM
monty full face or profile, and photographed
under the same conditions of light and shade.
aud OF the same size, and the devo loplncnts Of
the negatives has TO be so managed that they
viii be of equal density. To make the COM
posite the operator photographs the photo
graphs IN rapid succession ON one sensitZed
plate. The exposure in each case is brief. so
that the sum of all the time of all the exposures
amounts TO what would be required 10 get a
good negative from one photograph. of cousse
care must be taken TO have an of these brief
exposures of the same length. 30 that
no one face will he impressed on
the composite more strongly than others.
The images which fall upon the sensitized
plates must all be brought upon the same spot.
and in such a way that the prominent features
are accurately superposed Carclessness in
this matter of adjustment upsets the composite
and practically destroys H. for il will have
several mouths. noses and pairs of ewes. The
various negatives from which the composite is
10 be made usually show a considerable varia-
ion IN the proportion of the faces. 80 that IT,