The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-04-08
THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
How Frauds Are Detected and Also Aldet
by 1t.

How Frauds Are Detected and Also Aided
by 1t.
The writer has often been asked
whether photography can lie. The
fact that it now plays an important
part in life renders the question rather
serious one, and one that | am cer-
tain many would like to have answered
Well, then, photography can lie and lie
bad enough to bring blush to the
cheek of the worthiest disciple of
Ananias.
The wonderful strides made by
photography during the past few years
have not only enabled men to achieve
great things by its aid, but it has also.
unfortunately, assisted others to de-
ceive and defraud their fellow-crea-
lures.
Photography assists the forger in so
closely initiating bank notes as to de-
ceive the most experienced; but it also
assists the scientists to detect these for
geries and, in some cases, has aided
justice to discover the offender
An amusing case appeared some time
ago in one of the law courts II was
a dispute between two persons about a
wall. The plaintiff complained that
the defendants wall INSTRUCTED the
light, to which he had right Defend
ant denied the charge.
The most amusing part of the case,
however, was when tho complainant
handed the judge some photographs OF
the obstructing wall, and the judge OBJ
served that it was evident from them
that the wall certainly did obstruct the
light and was apparently of unneces-
sary weight and size
Then up rose the counsel for the de-
PENDANT and, with smile, handed to
the learned judge his photographs of
the same wall. The learned judge was
perplexed, and we'll he might be. In
the first set of photographs the wall
was OF immense size, towering above
all the windows; in the second, how
ever, it was of liliputian dimensions-a
most insignificant thing, unworthy of
any dispute.
Now, these different effects can all be
brought about by using lenses of diff
ferent angles-that is to say, lenses
which collect and throw a more or less
amount of view on plate of given
dimensions
A wide angle lens is one that includes
lot of views in a picture, and. as the
angle is long way different to that of
the human eye, the picture in no way
gives correct representation of the
scene.
Readers should beware of house
agents photographs of the houses and
property they have for disposal. They
are nearly all taken with wide angle
lens With such an instrument it is
possible to make a small London back
garden resemble a large, open park.
The reason is that it causes all objects
near at hand to appear very large, and
those little distance away to recede
far away in the background.
The writer had in his possession a
photograph of a man playing chess
with himself and looking on at the
game. There were, of course, three
figures in the picture, but all of the
same person in different positions
The writer used to do something sim
liar to this when making long pano-
ramic views. A little slit runs along
OiiC oChoioiNC PidOC anu iudhCS buC CA-
posture, and it is quite possible to in
clude the same person in the picture in
a dozen different places and in di fferent
attitudes
BY photographing three pers ons ar
ranged between two mirrors placed in
position thus V, photograph will be
produced of thousands and thousands Of
persons crowded close together.
Spirit photography is another form Of
deception. Photographs are made of
sitter with figure leaning over him.
The figure retires when the exposure
is half over, and thus has a misty, weird
appearance in the picture.
BY composite photography almost
anything can be done. This is accom-
plished by cutting out different parts Of
several photographs arranging them
together, and rephotographing them.
The society lady when she goes to
her photographer would be Mortified il
she were to see her photograph as it is
first produced by photography. The
negative is, however, placed in the
hands of the retouching artist whose
duty it is to take out all wrinkles, spots
and blotchcs in the face. make the
mouth little smaller, the eyes brighter,
and perhaps the eyebrows bit darker
and the nose a bit shorter Large
Jumps are then carved ont of the waist
and the figure otherwise improved.
When the finished portrait is handed
over to her ladyship she is charmed
with it. Perhaps the appearance is not
exactly the same as that shown by her
looking-glass, but she consoles herself
with the reflection that photography
cannot lie-oh, dear, no; impossible