The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-06

1T REPRODUCES SKIRT DANCES
AND ENTIRE ACTS FROM PLAYS.
Figures, Life Size and Properly Col
Performance Lasting IL Minutes.

NEW YORK, April 4-For the first time
since Edison has been working on his new
invention, the vitascope, persons other than
his trusted employees and assistants were al
lowed Friday night to see the workings of
the wonderful machine. For two hours the
dancing girls and groups OF figures. all of
life size. seemed to exist as realities on the
big white screen which had been built at one
end of the experimenting rooms. So true to
life were the figures. and so perfect was the
reproduction of each motion that the spec
tator would almost believe that the girls were
real and that the machine which clicked and
sputtered had nothing to do with the per-
Torrance.
of his work than the great inventor him.
self. Wrapped in a big overcoat which hung
to his heels and rose to his hat brim, he
walked about the cold room chuckling and
joking with the men who had done so much
to make his work what it is.
The figure Of girl dressed for a skirt
dance was thrown upon the screen The
delicate colors of the shimmering silk were
shown as distinctly as though calcium
light were being thrown upon living dancer
on a real stage. Mr.. Edison watched the eff
feet with much interest. Then he walked
close to the screen to note more precisely
the effect Of the draperies and the flesh tints
on the arms and face Of the young woman.
As the graceful figure showed now and then
when the yards were sent floating high in the
air Edison smiled. Then, as the dancer
smiled and brushed away the locks of curl
ing the dance. the inventor clapped his
said:
That is good enough to warrant our estab-
fishing a bald-head row. and we win do it,
too"
Picture after picture was thrown on the
screen, nearly all Of them being dancing
women who manipulated yards of skirt and
drapery with their arms and legs These
were selected as being the most difficult
to faithfully reproduce, and it was desired
10 give the machine as severe test as pos
sible. That the vitascope worked SO well
was surprise to all, as the conditions of
the test were much against 1t. The room
where the experiments were made was so
cold 1t prevented the films from running
shs perec anS se ads impossible baS to
used in all public exhibitions Besides this
the temperature acted on the machine itself
ana caused II TO jar more than when it
Is operated In warm room.
Not only is 1t possible with the new ma
chine to show Hfe-size figures in every de-
tail OF movement with every tint of cos
tune and change of expression. but groups
of as many as fifty figures can be repro
duced perfectly. With a background copied
enable an entire play to- be shown 'n esac wI
as it Is given by the actors themselves
The possibilities of this have been thor
oughly tested by Mr.. Edison. A scene from
one Of Hoyt's plays in which brass band
marches upon the stage followed by girls
dressed as vivandieres. who. after a brief
dance, group themselves about the chief
actors In the piece, was photographed, the
colors being reproduced In life
By means of vitascope this was then
thrown on a canvas six by sixteen feet AS
the band came on, the drums were seen to
beat, the fingers OF the MUSICIANS to work
| the stops OF their instruments, and the
drum major to wave his baton. At the
same time a concealed orchestra keeping
| time to the movements of the figures, PLAYED
the air which Is rendered in the presenta-
ton of the piece.
The vitascope as Mr.. Edison has named
| the new invention. would be. he says, bet
| ter known kaleidoscope" for 1t works
much on the plan Of the kaleidoscope, only
that IL Is much more perfect. The kineto-
| scope merely reproduced. pictures two or
| three inches in size, and only in black and
white. In addition 1t could only show ac-
ton lasting for one. minute. The vitascope
| shows with groups of figures of life-sze
and is able to reproduce an almost I'M
| limited action.
| The dances shown last night continued
from nve to fifteen minutes.
In England they call the vitascope the
'cinemotographe." IL has been in operation
there some time and nightly performances
| are given at the Empire to crowded houses.