Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-03

.
graph at Emner's. l buried through my
breakfast so as to be in time, for 4 rea-
Soned it would never do to make the spirits
wait, MY summons at the meeting place
of the spirits was answered by MIR. En-
ner's little girl, just the size of the child
who had materialized at the seance and
forgot her lines The professor was eX-
pecting me, and no time was lost in escort
ing to- the seance room, now a spirit
Photographic studio, all ready for the spir-
its The chairs had been removed and l
pair of black curtains while the camera
was aimed at me. At the suggestion or
the spirit photographer l remained per-
fectly quiet while he got a focus of me
and the spirits lowering around 1hen
putting the cap on the lens he bowed his
head in respectful awe and waited mo-
ment. This was to get the spirits in posi-
lion. he afterward told me- He waited
moment two and then exposed the plate
and in a fash it was all over.
- Why did you wait while you covered
the caInera2' | inquired.
II waiting for the spirits to get
Into position he replied.
Then there We're really spirits about
me- | gaSped.
Yes they were all there he said
What did they look like?' asked earn
estly.
Wei. one of them was an elderly
woman with hair combed over her temples.
She had pen in ner hand
Il recognized this Mrs Southworth,
The spirit who. according to Mrs. Warneke,
1 wonder IL she has anything to do with
this. I guess not.
Were there no Others? inquired
"'Oh. YES there were several others but I
paid very little attention to any of them
except the face of little baby
Twas 1t on the right sideg I anxiously
inquired. for Mrs Warneke had said at her
circle that my little baby would be on my
right side, and I was somewhat concerned
about II.
IS Yes, it was on the right side,' he said.
"a InT-
the picture and the spirit faces lowering
about me were unrecognizable I did not
expect they would be, but thought perhaps
SC me attempt might have been made to so
Disguise the faces that 1 could not deter
mime who they were or what they really
looked like. The professor did not have the
nerve to tell me anything about them. but
shifted the responsibility to Mrs Warneke
and she did not hesitate to give each one
designation. But I have already re-
1erred to what she said in another part of
this article.
Several days of rain prevented the pho
tographer from making any prints AS
soon as the sun came out I made another
visit to the professor, and he handed me
two finished portraits, each one bearing
th' following notice pasted on the back:
Special Notice.
As the law governing the probation of
this class Of pictures is not generally un-
derstood, will not assume any responsible
itY, make any representations, claims,
promises or assertions (as to their origin)
other than those made by any ordinary
photographer. We court the strfctest in
Nestgation. ]. EMNER. Jr.'
1T will be noticed this feature of the pic
ttIre-taktng. comes last Were it a condt-
tim precedent, how many would pay the
So
How They Are Made.
Thoroughly convinced by my confederate's
experience that spirit photography was
worth looking into. set out to learn the
trick which had fooled so many people,
and by the practice of which one man at
least in Washington is earning liveli-
hood. First showed the spirit picture to
several photographers. They all said at
once it was a fake. but were NOT acquaInr-
ed with the process. This was disappoint-
ing since [ had counted upon having a
photograph Of myself taken in a regular
studio with spirits lowering round me- Dur
ing my investigation L happened upon a
medium who had several spirit photo
graphs. From one of these i learned the
name of a downtown photographer. who
Lad evidently made a print and mounted
il for some medium So l set forth to find
my man and was rewarded after a search.
Assuming an air of a medium (they have
atmos9heres Of their own. you know.
boldly asked him If he would take spirit
picture of me- He smiled grimly and said
he was not in that business, but if l would
bring him spirit negative he would make
making spirit picture. he said he guessed
he wasn't medium enough for that. And
he chaekied to himself and looked away.
Here was lust what l wauted-a pho-
t"grapheF who knew all about spirit pho
Biography. yet too honest to deceive me-
lie waited for me to say something and l
reJoined, after a pause:
Inc truth is, am investigating spirit
PHOTOGRAPHY OF course, l do not believe
any such nonsense"
Well. in that case perhaps l can help
although / ON of
those crazy fellows who imagine me-
chanical device like the camera can see
spirits when the naked eye falls"
suppose you make a spirit Photograph of
me- suggested.
You will have to get some faces to act
as spirits. he said. So 1 hunted among
some old prints and cut out several pic
lures. As Perry Carson had figured in my
former expose, l was glad to find picture
% the genial colored leader. and grouped
him alongside of pretty little girl just
above me. I cut out others, and. after the
photographer had made a quick exposure
Of the faces which Were to be my friends
from the spirit world, posed in respectful
awe before the camera and had my image
projected upon the same sensitized plate
Below you see the result. and If you look
carefully you can see that I am full of
spirits. for one, who. by the way is the
brother of a weh-known Ohio representa-
tive. is coming out of my mouth. Pressing
the photographer for a short talk on spirit
Photography, he said:
Spirit Photography.
Spirit photography is, perhaps, one of
the simplest tricks in the photograph
art While to the uninitiated it appears
difficult and to many inexplicabIe, 1t really
IS quite simple All that is necessary is to
cut out the pictures OF the spirits You wish
10 appear about you and arrange them on
4 black screen. The camera is adjusted
and the faces brought into focus A Quick
exposure Is made. say one-third the time
necessary for an ordinary picture The
spirit faces are then removed, and the per-
son VINO is TO be surrounded takes his seat
and the same plate Is used. When deyeI-
oped YOU get the spirit faces In thin ont
Enc. because Of the short exposure while
the picture OF the person posing comes ont
strong. The curious part of the negative
Is the location OF the spirit faces. They are
here. there and everywhere, seeming to
come from the garments of the person
Photographed The reason for this / have
explained. and the thinness of the negative
gives 10 tie finished picture the ethereal
appearance Any amateur can duplicate the
trick IT takes but a very little common
sense to appreciate the fact that the camera
cannot take picture of spirit unless the
eye ear see il, and the sprituaiists will tell
you they are invisible to every one but me-
aOr,la