The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-08-26
PICTURES OF
DEAD POPE.
Millions Of Them Scattered
Over the World.
SIXTEEN MILLION BUTTONS
This Was the Product ola Jersey Fac.
tory-Twenty.five Thousand Pho.
tographs Made in a
Month.
SIXTEEN MILLION BUTTONS

The following story Is from the New
York Sun:
Pictures Of tho late Popo Leo XIII.
are now scattered throughout tho civil
lized world in unnumbered millions. a
fair share of them started on their Jour
neyings from Newark.
One firm turned out no less than 49,
10000 buttons bearing the face OF Leo
xiii, with a narrow mourning band
around It. They were bought up by
the dealers In lots varying from thou
sand to a million and more and were
shipped with all possible haste In every
direction.
Work on these buttons began at least
a month before the Pope died. Barrels OF
them were ready for shipment before
he had breathed his last. and were even
on their way to the delivery points.
Another concern. which in ordinary
times deyotes itself to making nickel and
penny-in- the-slot photographs and has
large plant, threw all this business aside
when the Pope's last illness drew to
critical stage and worked upon nothing
but pictures OF Leo XIII. It made, In less
than thirty days, 25.ooo pictures.
All these photogra phs started from one
oil painting. Every means that could be
thought Of was used to facilitate the va
rious stages OF the Photographic process
and the concern believes that, for the
equipment 1t came near making a record
Once the ca mera was focused on the OH
painting It was easy to make as many
negatives al were wanted. 1t consumed
not moro than five minutes to get the
proper focus -Four by FIVE inch negatives
wore taken.
A second and a half exposure was made,
and as fast as a plate was exposed the
rlate holder was pulled out BY the pho-
tographer and handed to an assistant,
who with the other hand gave him a,
fresh plate holder. A hundred negatives
were made In this way In less than four
hours. .@5
The drying OF the plates consumed FIVE
or six hours. but at the end OF the frst
day the hundred tives were READY
for the toning. On the second day the
plates were toned in patches OF twenty
Ave at time. in very large trays. It
was tlckllsh work. and as 1t happened to
be very hot just then. the greatest care
Had to be taken with the plates to see
that the Aims were not damaged.
No printing was done until the hundred
plates were ready. Then two expert pho
tographic printers were put to work
They had great pile OF plate holders,
and after loading one hundred they
placed them in two great rows on a
sIanting bench in the sun. Each man
handled fifty, and had q helper at his
elbow. !f3 s
or course, the time Of exposure varied
With the intensity OF the light, the posi-
ton OF the sum- &C., but on the average
a hundred prints were made In six or
seven minutes. The printer stood at one,
III ~ Int MI and
continually examined two or three OF the
frames nearest him to see how the print
Ing was going on.
When one was printed sufficiently he
descended on the long row OF frames with
a rush. swapping them open with a pur-.
ring catter. and throwing out the prints,
which were gathered up rapidly BY the
helper. Once he finished emptying the
frames they were promptly loaded again
BY other assistants while the prints al
ready made we're put In a box and taken
out Of the daylight.
soa On the first day OF printing no tonlng
was done. At the end OF that day bout
thousand prints were made. On the
next day the toning began, and after that
the toners were kept busy by the printers,
who had days start.
Two or three hundred prints were toned
at once. There was a great diversity In
the prints as toned, OF course. for with
30 large a number in tray at once 1t
was not possible to give each print much
attention, A few baths Of water over the
whole mass had to suffice. AS consc-
quence some were very light ana others
were dark. AS fast as they were dried
and mounted they were packed and ship
ped.
The shop wns an odd sight after about
two week. Of this work. There We're
damaged pictures OF the Pope every
where, strewn like snowflakes " tho
dark room and all around.
The Pope was still alive at that time.
but as the daily dispatches showed no
could not recover and that the end was
drawing very near the photographers
redoubled their efforts to finish the con-
tract Besides, the dealers were clamorlnI
for their pictures.
dull day threw the establishment into
deep gloom, for sunlight Is cheap. and
lie electric printing had been resorted to
the pictures would have cost more than
could DO realized on them, as the con-
tracts were made at very low figure,
the manufacturers contentng themselves
with a very small margin OF profit on
each picture. The pictures were mounted
on cardboard, and were certainly sur
prisIngly good, considering the great haste
In which they were made,
Oddly enough there are verw few OF
these pictures or buttons to be seen In
and around Newark; they have been
hustled of to distant points
sg
WAREHOUSE WAS