The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-06
DOUBLE PHOTOGRAPHS.
The Latest Fad In the Way Of a
Sun-Painted Portrait.
1t Originated with the Police, but 1t Wa,
Too Artistic to BE Limited to a
Rogues' Gallery-Precaution
About Fading Letters.


marked q leading photographer the
other night to n Chicago Mail man.
What is the latest wrinkle? Why, the
double photograph, of course. There is
nothing really new about it, for there
are many years back of it, but it seems
to be popular fad just now"
"What is the double photograph? Is it
photograph of two persons, or a COM
posite AFFAIR.""
ut is neither. 1t is q single photo
graph showing two views of the samo
persona profile and front view, both
taken by the same negative. Difficult?
Oh, no; not at all. It is very simple
matter. The person to be photographed
Is placed beside n mirror, and the camera
records the image in the glass as we'll as
the counterfeit prescntment of the sit
ter. In this way two views are OBJ
tanned. If the sitter is so placed as to
secure profile picture, the image in
the glass shows a front view, and vice
versa. 1t is pretty scheme, and seems
likely to become rs popular as it is
pretty.
but, as remarked, few people, be-
lieve, know whore the double photo
graph originated. 1t is n French idea,
and comes to us from the rogues' gallery
of the Department of Police of Paris. 1t
is not always an easy matter to identify
a person from single photograph.
In the first place all pictures arc moro
or less unnatural, the sitter often is
made up for the occasion, and his pho
tograph does not show him as he APP
pears in real life. Then, too, n profile
mir
of the actual front-vicw appearance in
real life, and vice versa. This point-of-
view difference is greater than would
be imagined by those who have not in
vcstigated the subject. 1 have fire.
quently shown two photographs of the
same sitter, giving profile and a front
view, and those who have looked at
them casually have not discovered that
they were not pictures of two individ-
uals.
''The Paris police were first to simpli-
fy the matter of identification through
the introduction of the double photo
graph But, from an artistic stand
point their method is too valuable to
be limited to the rogues' gallery, and it
has already obtained firm foothold
throughout Europe, and has made it's
appearance here. With q good mirror
the reflection makes n fine, clear-cut
photograph, and its advantages are OBJ
vious. With front view how can
beauty show her coifrurc? Or her
arched eyebrows and daintily -curled
bangs in profile view?
"Any other new things? Well, yes;
there is always something new crop
ping out in our line of business, but it
is rarely any thing in which the public
is interested. The fact is, great many
things which you newspaper men say
occur in photograph studios 1 have
never seen at all. For instance, was
surprised a few months ago to learn
from the papers that high society young
ladies were hocking into the studios
and galleries to be photographed in
tights, and to have their feet and
ankles, their hands, their arms, nccks
and shoulders photographed for the
benefit of their own particularly en-
elusive circle of relatives or acQuaint-
ances. Perhaps that story was true.
don't say it was q canard; but 1 do
say that don't believe word of it.
"Of course it is a common thing for a
woman with whom nature has dealt
kindly to modestly display her personal
charms to the camera, and think such
course entirely pardonable; but 1
have never heard of such a wholesale
anatomical exhibition of society odds
and ends as the newspapers described.
81 had an experience the other day
which has interested me more than any
thing of similar nature which has
happened to me in all my business ex-
pcriencc. A young lady who moves in
the best society brought me three
letters, and photographed them for
her and ut her request destroyed the
negatives. The letters were the most
tender and ardent love missives imagin-
able. They were addressed to the lady
herself, and were signed by II name
which am sure you would recognize
instantly were to mention it. l will
confess that curiosity got the better of
my judgment, and 1 finally said:
"'You1l pardon me, but this job is
little unusual, isn't it?'
sis it.? she said, smilingly.
"'1t strikes me So replied. Il
don't see why you want photographs of
those letters since you have the letters
themselves
"'Don't you? Well, do. Suppose the
letters were lost or burned, or destroyed
in some other way?'
"'Wouldn't the photographs be de-
stroyed as easily as the letters?'
Perhaps not; especially if they
were not kept in the same place with
the letters. But I'm not afraid Of losing
them by fire or in any such way as
that. The fact is, the ink is fading
out, and in a short time it is likely to
be illegible.'
''There is n girl for you who doesn't
nrOnOca tn talxa INV cbanoao