The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-05
COL0RPHOTOGRAPHY
THE HuEs OF NATURE REPRODUCED
| FROM PHOTOGRAPHS.

A Philadelphia Inventor Has Almost suc-
ceeded In PhotogrAphing the Various
Coiors OF the Rainbow and Preserving
Them In Permanent Form.
The Franklin institute OF this city has
awarded the Elliott Cresson gold medal
Its highest tribute OF commendation-to
Frederick Eugene Ives for his composite
heliochromy Tho committee Of members
of the institute who investigated Mr.. Ives
work was composed entirely Of practical
photographers who were agreed that the
recipient Of the Cresson honor has, by
means of photography, reproduced all the
colors of nature, result never before &c
complished Incidental to their investiga-
ton was letter from the committee to M.
Lippmann, the French scientist, who, it has
been repeatedly announced, has succeeded
in making photographs in colors which
needed only the perfection Of some details
to render his process all that could be wish.
ed. In this letter to Mr. Lippmann the
committee recited Mr.. Ives claims for his
methods and recounted what he has accom-
plished, requesting the French investigator
to describe his process and submit samples
for comparison. No reply was received.
To reproduce geographically the colors
of nature has been from the time of the first
daguerreotype the ardent aspiration OF
every one connected scientifically or in
plain business way with the profession. At
| first it was only devout wish, full of i'm
possibilities. Then 1t alternated from the
hope Of everything to the despair of ALL
For the past two decades it has been will
o'the-wisp pursued by scores of scientists
constantly confident that it was within
their grasp and as constantly stumbling
into the discouraging bog of the impracti-
cable.
The number of seekers after this great
climax of photography was not lessened by
the rewards that were assured successful
outcome of the endeavor. To transfer ma
lures colors to the plate directly by the ac-
ton Of the SUMS rays meant the discovery's
adaptation to nearly all the artistic and to
half the business interests of the world.
The art student need not leave his own
threshold to copy the cherubs in the ma
donna" of Raphael; the carpet salesman
could travel with an album and tooth
brush instead of his towering trunks; the
bull calf would never increase in size while
the conscientious painter devoted months
to masterpiece ON the subject, and the ko.
dak flcnd in his wickedness would rejoice
ut having caught the heavenly blush of his
victim as she surprised him pressing the
button.
Mr.. Ives was born in 1856 in Litchfield,
Conn, and was apprenticed to learn print
ing at the age of ID. During the third
and last-year of his apprenticeship he de-
voted his available daylight hours to anna
teur photography, his negatives being made
with q cigar box camera. Leaving Itch
field when his apprenticeship was finished,
ne obtained employment as a journeyman
Job printer in Ithaca n. Y, but continued
ais Photographic experiments and finally
gave up printing to accept position as OPP
orator in portrait photograph gallery,
When Is years old he applied for the posi-
ton of photographer 10 the Cornell uni
Terslty, and after trial obtained the posi-
ton and remained in charge of the photo
graphic laboratory for about four years
Here he laid the foundation for all his sub
sequent work in mechanical and scientific
photography. lie commenced by perfect
ing the small gelatin photo-engraving
process then operated with equal success
In only one establishment in the country,
and followed this by inventiug his half
tone block process, the first in the world to
be introduced into successful commercial
operation
For 10 years. until 1922 in fact, Mr.. Ives
was in charge of tho photo engraving de-
partment OF large engraving company of
this city bringing out in that period sew
eral minor inventions, for some of which he
was awarded medals by the Franklin nsti-
ute. The most important recent work has
been with his own process Of composite
helochromy. which he published in 1888
aud patented in 1890. At present Mr.. Ives
Is abroad lecturing on heliouhromy. He
received vote of thanks from the Society
- ,ts IN nFta
subject.
Not to be too technical the Ives process
consists of twn devices. The first is n cam
era attachment by means Of which three
pictures representing the effect upon the
three Fundamental color sensations are
, made by n single exposure on a single SEN
sitive plate, and from asingle point of view.
The device as now perfected Is simple be
Ing comprised in n small box which may
be attached TO the front board of an ordi-
nary camera. The division of the light ray
is effected by transparent mirrors in such
manner as to dispose the images syInmet-
REALLY on n single plane, without altering
the position of the camera in relation to the
object
The second device. the heliochromoscope,
contains the same arrangement of mirrors,
turned about so as TO serve to i.eGombine
the three photographs in such manner that
the Photographic color record II translated
into color again rs readily as the sound rec
ord in the phonogram is translated into
sound in the phonograph. The most inn
ppriaut advantage of this device is that it
may be used Mt any time at minutes no.
! tice, like the stereosenpe, and as almost
everybody may possess one it is competent
> to mike the realization of color photogru.
!. ply II household affair.
il is evident that the Ives system cannot
serve any purpsse without the employment
of the helioclliomoscope or an adaptation
thereof, to the projecting lantern. The
u Lippmann process should it ever be per
: tectpa, must necessarily be far in advance
= for hen photographs could be taken in col
ors and duplicated. The leliochromoscopt
is Of the present. The Lippmann invention
according TO many enthusiastic advocates
i, has the future before it, as had Dagne.re's
N Philadelphia Telegraph.
Tho Narrowest Railroad.
The narrowest narrow gauge now in opera
) ton is !0-inch road in North Carolina