The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-01
with Cooper Hewitt
Light, Photographer
Is Independent of Sun.
Soft. Artistic Portraiture Is Pos.
sible at Any Hour in Any
Weather.

A new light fog exposing plates Ia the
latest inlprovemeht in modern photography.
Ever since the Introduction of the dry
plate, twenty years ago. the tendency of all
effort to improve the art OF picture making
has been along the limo of freeing the cam
era from the sun.
In the ol6 days when the sun refused to
shine the photographer grew grave and.
with tears In his eyes. turned much ready
cash away from his door. bidding it return
when the sun should shine again.
The lay mind. through long training. be-
!ieves Thoroughly to-day that II It is rain
ing. If it is overcast. 1t rs not a good day
fer pictures"
When one thought Of Photography one
thought of the sun. upon whose smiling
face results depended.
But such strides have been made In the
art that the sun has almost ceased to exist
for tho camera
Plates have been rendered to quick that
an exposure OF one oue-hundredth part OF
a second is an everyday occurrence under a
cloudy sky. whi!a q thoustandth part Of a
second is not impossible In the strong sun
light, and results can be obtained even at
night by time exposure.
anu lHttc ID pA.tCliCdAas no iiUlll 10 WIaI
q photographer can do at night.
The flash light lamp Eliminates the dark
est halls, and since the invention OF tho
quick-printinE paper. which. like a sensi-
tized plate spread out on paper, requires
but an tnstants exposure to daylight. cleo
trio light or gaslight. picture can be mace
at midnight and be on its way through the
mails to its prospective owner before the
sun is up next day.
1t is no exasgeration to say that the sun
never shines on some pictures
NEW ARTISTIC LIGHT.
But with all the improvements in light
and material there had never been found a
light which could be used for artistic light
Ing
The hard ''stary' effect of the flash
light is apparent TO every one and the ex-
posures made under electric lights are lack
ing in softness and modelling.
The new light has none Of these defects
and will enable the artistic portrait pho
tocrapher to work under all conditions of
weather 1t is the invention of Mr.. Cooper
Hewitt. son OF the late Abram S. Hewitt.
II is really an electric light working
through the fusing agency of mercury-a
form of Crockes tube.
Imagine a vacuum tube about H. inches
in diameter and inches long standing on
end and surmounted by glass ball. In
side. at the bottom. is about an inch Of
mercury.
Wires extend from # at the top and bot
tom. When the current is turned on i'm
mediateIy there appears in the tube a blue
white LIGHT. 1t spreads to the top of the
titf rT,riDty ps ba 81, n
it in the form of a vapor
When Il reaches the top of the glass the
cooling influence of the bali comes into
play. and the vapor is converted again in
to mercury. and falls down to the bottom
of the tank, to repeat the action as long
as the light is being used. The light itself
which CLOVIS from the glass tube is rich
in purple purity.
To the eye it does not seem so bright
One can look at it steadily without expert
encing any uncomfortable results.
The first man to use the new lamp is Prize
Macdonald OF New York. who makes a
specially Of photographing men.
He uses three of the tubes in what he
calls his lamp. Unlike most photographers.
he has no top light in his studio. secur-
ing his light from two large windows
placed side by side
In the jamb separating these two windows
is his lamp
The three tubes Of light cost about $500
1t takes ia volts to run them. backed by a
power equal to 2.S amperes.
He estimates the combined power of light
at $50 candies
Il believe l am the first photographer to
use this lamp said Mr. Macdonald. land
although have had it installed only a few
weeks. 1 would not now be without it. be-
cause 1 have learned to depend upon it.
You see. my difficulty has always been the
question of light. 1 use very little light
only what you see coming through these
two windows. A bright. Elaring Light, a.