New-York tribune., 1902-12-26
COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY.

The possibility of reproducing color as well
as form with the camera is approached from a
comparatively new point of view by II. y.
Dresser in a recent number OF Nature" This
writer is not a photographer. nor an artist, nor
a publisher. He is primarily a naturalist his
speciality being birds eggs. In order to repre-
sent some of his specimens TO other people he
wants pictures, and has been considering how
best TO get them Photographs in black and
white. obtained by the old methods and colored
by hand, are not absolutely faithful when it
comes to delicate tints and are not altogether
satisfactory for lantern slides. Adequate
sketches for the color printer cannot be pre-
pared by water color artists, because of the
minute detail often exhibited in the markings
of eggs and other objects which II is desirable
TO portray. Mr.. Dresser. following the example
of one or two other men who In the same
predicament sought the services of n color
photographer who employs ono OF the three
color screen processes which are now common,
and succeeded in obtaining some admirable
half tones. \ few OF these are exhibited in
Nature" and reveal the hopelessness OF trying
to get accuracy by any kind OF hand work, no
matter how skiful. They also illustrate the
progress which is steadily being made by the
printing press with inks Of different colors and
plates secured with n special camera.
In the preparation of the pictures here re-
ferred to Mr.. Dresser evidently had no part be-
yond supplying the material 10 be represented.
The exposure Of the sensitive plates, the ad-
justment OF the color screens through which
the three negatives of each set were obtained,
the subsequent chemical and mechanical ma
nipulations necessary TO produce the half tone
blocks for the press. we'll the actual print
ing, were all done by some one else. 1t is not
unreasonable IN though hat before MANY
years the apparatus for color photography will
be so simplifed that an amateur can manage It
almost as easily as an ordinary kodak. Lect-
urers, tourists naturalists and other people
often see things in their wanderings of which
they cannot possibly find ready made picture.
There is a distinct and great need for color
cameras that can be operated by a person of
average intelligence after Il little training He
may need to send his plates to professional
photographer TO be developed but the ex-
posures he will want to make himself When
color screens are used more time is required
than in ordinary black and white photography
a man who takes up this new class of work
will need little experience i'll addition to that
requisite for satisfactory results by old meth
DDS. His instruments will cost more. too Both
of these requirements can easily he met though
when the right sort of camera can be had at n
moments notice
OF the various methods yet proposed for repro
ducing colOrs photographically the three plate
system Of Bierstadt and KurtZ has thus far
proved the most practical. Lippmann's process
was more nearly ideal, but it did not admit of
making copies of a picture when the camera
had done its work. STILL the three plate plan
has its drawbacks 1t Is not automatic 1t
requires the interposition of further skill after
three half tone blocks have been made for the
press to make all Of the impressions on a
sheet Of paper come in precisely the same
place The incest kind Of registration" as the
printers call it, is essential The choice of
pigments, red, blue and yellow, is also beset
with peculiar difficulty. Finally there is dan
ger that the proper balance will be upset bv a
slight excess Of one Of the three inks employed
Surprisingly beautiful and accurate results
though are often obtained by book and maya
zine publishers by this system. Ives who has
made number of ingenious improvements in
apparatus, has a unique way of exhibiting his
composites TO a single pair of eyes
The most marked advance in lantern slides
whereby large numbers of people are minis
tered to simultaneously, is probably that
achieved by an Englishman. Sanger Shepherd
Nature briefly mentions it. From his three
negatives he makes positives which contain ab-
solutely no Opaque material They are films
of clear gelatine with the pattern in relief.
Light and shade are represented only by un-
equal thickness. When these films have been
carefully stained and laid on top of the
other they effect beautiful combination. IL the
work has been properly done. Professor
Poultons lectures on insects at the Royal Insti-
tuition this year were illustrated by this sys-
tem and delighted critical observers. When
the tourist and naturalist can have the proper
instruments for making his own exposures,
therefore, he can feel fairly confident that his