The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-19
OF COLOR PHOTOG-
RAPHY.
Its Fascinations and Methods Discussed
From an Art Point of View.

| The result of the experiment conducted
by Prof John Jolly of Dublin for the ad-
yanced process of photographing in colors
was recently displayed before the Royal
Society in London. He demonstrated that
this branch of Photographic art has passed
beyond theoretical promise into an easily
/ accomplished fact. And it may happen
some fine afternoon that a person with
his camera under his arm will walk out
and make collection of pictures that lack
breath only to be alive. Such pictures
are seen in the camera obscura, where
natural tints are brought out with start
| ling fidelity.
| Conditions at present are such that it
requires from three to five seconds to take
picture with fairly open stop and rapid
lense when the landscape is bright. That
will be overcome in time and snap shots
in colors, though not at all common, will
be too numerous to be novelties
The possibilities of the color photo
graph are fascinating. By its use scenes
from an open-air performance, such as
ssThe Merry Wives of Windsor" at Sara
toga, might be packed away for further
amusement. Picturesque costume, in
| which color is the strongest element, and
is not shown in the ordinary photograph
would be given in most minute detail,
and the players make up-a most i'm
portant feature-with tints, would kbe
faithfully reproduced.
| The photographs shown by Prof. Jolly
were transparencies on glass plates The
portrait Of gentleman seated on a bench
| in. garden was produced with great
naturalness. Pansies of brilliant yellow
and brown, deep purple, pale blue, snow
white, and velvet brown appeared in an
other picture with equal fidelity.
| Other pictures showed an exterior of q
red brick building in Trinity College,
Dublin fronted by a lawn with haw-
thor1s; and above the greenish states a
pale blue sky. Another is reproduction
| of a water color drawing of an Irish peas
ant girl wearing a red handkerchief over
a blue dress, the worn sunburnt flesh
tints matching the original drawing with
almost faultless coloring. The original
was placed above Tor comparison. There
were pictures of delicately colored Indian
china and blue china thin green glass
tnmbler, with subtle play of green and
yellow light; and, finally, the visible
spectrum.
| IL is said that Mr. Joly's process is as
far in advance of others and as near meet
| ing all demands as can be devised.
Thirty years ago Cross and Ducos du
Hauron of Paris tried to produce natural
colors, but the results were unnatural, as
proper complementary tones were not en-
ployed The process is described as re-
quiring glass plate, possessing in num-
erous layers three different oolors succeed
ing each other, placed in front of the
sensitive film and in contact with it when
the latter is exposed in the camera. The
plate, which has been exposed under this
screen, is developed in the usual manner.
Although possessing triple character the
negative differs little in appearance from
the ordinary negative or transparency.
Red. green. and violet are the tints re-
neated over and over again on the taking
screen. 1t is said that Prof. Jolly has a
large amount Of capital behind him in
the person of Spencer d. Schuyler of the
| Maxim Gunpowder and Torpedo company,
who is backed by the Cramps, Philadel-
phia shipbuilders. Thirty thousand dol
lars have been paid for the rights in this
country. All this gives assurance of sue
cess, and the coming Of the new beauty
of photography is certainly in the near
| future.