The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-20
SHADOW GAMES Tn In
vogue In PARIS
Invention of M. Caran d'Ache,
Famous CartooniSt.
Many Scenes of National Interest Pro
jected Upon Screens in Most
Life-Like Manner.

People in tais country are probably
wholly unacquainted with form Of en-
tertainment which is proving a great
drawing card Ia Paris" said gentleman
who has lately returned from the gay
metropolis of France
M Caran d'Ache, the famous cartoon
ist and illustrator. whose pictures in FL
CARO- and other periodicals you have
doubtless seen reproduced. got up a few
years ago at the Theatre d'Application,
at Paris. a special representation Of Chi
nese shadows which were devised by him,
and are SO superior to anything that has
previously been done in this line that he
has been able tc call them French shad-
ows,' in order to distinguish them from
similar productions.
M. d'Ache takes pleasure in represent
ing the military scenes OF the first repub-
lie and first empire. He projects upon
the screen an entire army. wherein we
see Napoleon the Great with his staff at
different distances amid the ranks. The
defling of the troops is astonishing and
one would think that he was present at a
genuine review
"A Vision IN the SteppeS
"He calls series Of pictures represent
ing NapoIeon.s retreat from Moscow a
Vision in the steppes.' RS shadows en-
titled the Return from the Woods. form
a masterpiece as a whole. and the figures
are SO skillfuiIy cut that the celebrities
OF the day who are seen passing in the
Avenue des Acacias can be recognized
The height OF the figures Is about eighteen
inches.
81 went behind the scenes to see how n.
deAche managed his marvellous shadow
graphs The 5iIhouettes, after being COM
posed and drawn. are cut out of sheet
zinc, which gives them great risidity The
cutting is a very delicate operation and
requires great accuracy.
Some figures. such as those OF cavalry
men. hussars, and dragons of the grand
army. have apeftures In certain parts, and
behind these Is pasted colored transpar-
ent paper. In this way the black s1ad-
ows that move along the screen have Ger
tain parts in color, such as the Dlumes
of the helmets and the horses saddles
"A large number Of the zinc sfIhouettes
act through mechanism. At a grand re-
view, TO the order Garry arms all the
houette is provided with series Of guns
properly arranged upon a rod, which Is
lowered br raised by the action of 2 lever.
How Silhouettes Are Made.
Back Of II CACHES theater the screen
on which the shadows appear is found to
be brilliantly Illuminated by an oxyhydro-
gen lamp, and. the light in the body OF
the theater being turned down. the sill
houettes, in passing, project upon the
screen very strong shadow, which the
spectators perceive. but which is not Wis
| ibIe from the side scenes. Each sill
houette is taken from a large box by q
man. who places it in a groove at the
| bottom of the screen Four OF five OPP
orators suffice to keep the shadows sue
| ceeding one another without interruption
During the epOpee one witnesses
! great combats, the capture Of redoubts
and terrible cannonading- Nothing is
more amusing than the method OF pro-
ducing the effect OF those epic contests
| The cannons are provided with little
! fuses that an operator fires. and. at the
same moment. the Big drum Of the or
chestra initiates the noise OF cannon, and
/ a rattle OF large size initiates the SOUND
| of the discharge of musketry. AS fol
/ the smoke that the spectators perceive
upon the screen, that is produced by thF
| cigarette of one of the Operators, wht
| projects It at the desired place The hghi
| of the discharges and shells is obtained
| by means Of a wad OF junction H6htee
and properly projected