The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-15

exposures. When ne examined the devel-
oped plates his establishment was without
bounds. The walls Of the room. the furni-
ture. the curtains the carpets. all appeared
in detail, but the subject was nowhere TO
be discovered. In his stead was seen on
one OF the plates portion Of his hand and
on the other part of his boot. while the
rest of his body was concealed by white
spots rising in concentric layers. The pic
ture was made in the investigators own
apartment. in the middle of room closed
and locked, into which no intruder could
come while the professor hypnotized his
subject and extended him on his sofa No
blanket or life material covered the sub
jet. The learned experimenter is unable
TO give any satisfactory explanation Of the
phenomenon.
What are alleged to be genuine spirit
photographs are reported TO the society
tC have been honestly produced by Sir VIM.
Crookes, the eminent English chemist; also
by Trail Taylor, Stanton Moses. Nine.
q Esperance and others. Advocates of spirit
materializations use all of this data to
prove that while you can deceive the human
eye, you cannot deceive the eye of science,
as the Photographic camera has been
termed"
Since the above interview the writer has
been busy with his camera. producing bo-
gus ghost pictures of all sorts and de-
scriptions. Having learned how simple a
matter it is 10 produce weird effects. suf-
ficient to deceive the uninitiated he is not
surprised that this application of the cam
era has already been taken up as a handi-
craft and source Of revenue. Perhaps some
ghostly intruders upon sensitive films and
plates have been bona fide but that does
not alter the fact that these phenomena
can be initiated by an INSCRIPTIONS hand.
SOME GHOSTLY EFFECTS.
BY aid of a few confederates, effects more
sensational than the spook picture Of Lord
D." can be made by the merest amateur
and with the crudest apparatus.
A startling effect can be obtained by pos
ing two confederates. one in ordinary ap-
parel. the other wrapped in sheet. The
two are posed before a background varie-
gated in detail, the one in every day dress
assuming perhaps attitude of grief, as if
heart broken by the intelligence of death,
the sheeted figure standing by as if endeav-
oring to make its presence known. Half of
the proper time is first given the two fig
ures standing together. The shutter of the
camera then being closed for a second the
sheeted figure is instructed to swiftly de-
part. without disturbing any object within
subject posed to represent an individual
OF the flesh is told to remain still. holding
the original position throughout the pause.
The ghost figure. having darted entirely
from the field, the shutter is again opened
time of exposure as allowed for the two
previously. Thus is obtained a single i'm
age of the subject who sat throughout and
a composite picture of the ghost and the
objects Immediately behind it. This COM
posite image. upon development of the plate
or film, gives the sheeted figure a flmy,
semi-transparent appearance and the back
ground family shows through the folds of
the sheet.
Equally startling pictures may be OBJ
tanned by posing the sheeted figure, singly,
before a piano or table and by making an
other double exposure in which the back
ground receives twice the time allowed for
the ghost.
Confederates Of so-called mediums
have now an established enterprise of
making photo portraits of individuals sur
rounded by the filmy figures of alleged
spirits haunting the adjacent atmosphere,
but invisible to the naked eye. The writer
has succeeded in producing also a varie-
| gated assortment Of these. The portraits
| of dead relatives and friends of the sub
| ject are first copied and reduced. Hav-
/ ing been printed the heads, or, perhaps,
surrounding draperies are cut out and
/ pasted upon black board. Weird pictures,
| trimmed from the magazines, can be
| sprinkled in by way of variety, and care
/ must be taken TO arrange these "spooks'
| in an arch. This cOnglomeration of heads
and what not is then copied, the figures
/ being purposely put slightly out of focus.
| The plate, on development. shows them
| against transparent ground
The subject 10 be surrounded by these
| spirit visitors is then posed. care being
| taken TO focus his image on the ground
| glass in position which will not occupy
/ more space than included within the trans
| parent field Of the first picture. The back
| ground is dark and perhaps a mere sug-
gestion of some surrounding objects Is
| allowed. The second plate Is developed
and presents the appearance of ordi-
nary portrait bust. The next step is the
/ placing OF the two plates in the printing
| frame, the portrait of the subject next to
/ the sensiuZed paper. The composite print
shows the subject surrounded by the flmy
spirits through which some figure behind
is perhaps dimly visible. A similar effect
pasted heads and portrait upon the same
plate.
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS, JR.
icrhf