Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-30
COLOR PHOTOGRAPH
The Problem Would Seem to
Have Been Solved.
SIMPLE IN THEORY
BUT IN PRACTICE IT LOOKS
MUCH LIKE MAGIC.
Parisians Have Taken It Up as a Fad
How the Pictures Are
Made.
SIMPLE IN THEORY
Special Correspondents Of Tho Evening star.

ors Of nature No dabbing on OF paint-but
the direct chemical effect Of light waves,
you understand? No eros or Ducros three
printing" no Lippmann screens" but
magical piece of newly-invented sensitive
paper!
All Paris is making photographs in color.
Every boy and girl who has kodak or
one of hundred makes Of pocket cameras
is hunting up his Tor her) favorite old mega
tive-to print it in the tues OF nature.
In the street. in cafes. in business houses.
men take gorgeous proofs out of their pock-
cts and pass them around
my own work.
Fine ladies'. also. at o'clock teas.
Literally it is the sensation of the hour.
The daily papers devote columns to 1t.
1t is wonderful discovery, or invention.
nothing less than q revolution in photo
graphy.
You have heard Of photographs in colors
heretofore-the delicate half success of
Lippmann and the Ingenious manipula tons
of Charles CrOS and DucOS de HaurOn.
NJ. Lippmann, by utilizing the interfering
qualities of thin screens. arrived at direct
color photographs: but his process. marvel
Gus it Is from the point of view of pure
science. Is not generally practical. 1t Is OF
an unimaginable delicacy-a laboratory Gu
| riosity. and each time when one print has
been made you must begin all over again.
The three printings'' process was dis
covered the same day by two Frenchmen
| who did not know each other-Charles eros
and Ducos de Hauron. This Is indirect
photography In colOrS 1t, too, Is or I'M
mense delicacy.
The new playthng of Parisians is differ
| ent from all that. How utterly novel 1t Is
| may be judged from one detail-to bring out
| the colors you must dip the printed paper
| in hot water!
| Professional photographers. what do you
say to that?
The thing is the invention of an Austrian
savant named de Slavick. working In con-
| junction with German savant named
HeZekiel-Dr. HeZekiel.
DR.. Hezekiel and Prof de Slavick-being
of their day and generation-worked the
new discovery Tor invention) up to the point
of true commercial practicability. Then
they sprung it suddenly in Paris, Berlin.
Vienna, London and Rome In one day.
That day day before yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon got my first packet
of their marvellous sensitive paper.
And this is how 1 made my first photo
graph in colors:
/ will tell you in advance, until you get
a certain practice in the operation, It is
best to choose one of your best negatives
one that Is neither too hard. nor too under
or over-exposed. or clouded.
Not at All Difficult.
You begin the night before. but don't get
scared. 1t is not difficult. You take an ex-
act litre OF water. In 1t you put twenty
five grammes Of crystalized bichromate Of
potash and twelve grammes Of pure ammo
mac.
When these are completely dissolved in
the Itre Of water you take your pieces of
the newly-invented sensitive paper. plunge
them into the solution just three minutes,
avoiding the formation of air bubbles. At
the end of three minutes take them out
by the corner, let them drip and then hang
them to dry in cool. dark place-any
closet.
The paper dries during the night. In the
morning when 1t has just got dry 1t is be-
come sensitive and ready for use.
1t was only this morning that began
printing.
The new paper Is. black. It stays black
while the sunlight prints It's ray into 1t.
Therefore you cannot watch the progress Of
the printing, as In ordinary photography.
to Judge If it be done yet. Therefore you
must use photometer.
A photometer is little machine that
costs 40 cents. I began according to the
printed directions. 1 fed a little band Of
ordinary sensitive paper into the photo
meter
Then chose a good negatives land
scape with two human figures in II.
1 put 1t in the printing frame. I put
square Of the new paper next to 1t. At the
same moment / exposed 1t to the sunlight
started the photometer. (You must not
print in direct sunlight. but in shadow)
1t being a good negative. waited till the
division 1917 appeared on the photometer.
have waited for the 1921 division: IL cloud
ed, the division 12-13)
Mysterious Work.
The suns rays had done their mysterious
work. I believed So hoped SOL was fol-
lowing the directions. took the still black
paper from the printing frame and pressed
It exactly against a corresponding sheet Of
white paper Called papier de reporD. Then
dipped the two stuck thus together) into
cold water just long enough to wet them.
So they stuck together. Immediately
slapped them (still sticking together) on a
nat plate of glass; and my next three min
utes were occupied in scraping over them
with rubber scraper (no roller) in order
to make the two pieces Of paper adhere
tightly to each other. with no air bubbles
between them. tight. tght-so that they
seem to form one.
was now ready for the last magical
manipulation-the fairy surprise.
You must try 1t yourself to appreciate
the wonder Of It,
For sure 1t is revelation in Photographic
My side partner had prepared basin Of
hot water You never heard Of such a
thing as that before, did you? Where pho
tographic generaine is concerned 1t seems
outrageous. My side partner had cold
water in pitcher. With the aid Of Their
mometer she brought the mixture Of hot
and cold water to exactly 40 degrees Gen.
tigrade.
Into this basin OF water at 40 degrees
Centigrade I dipped the stuck-together pa
pers.
Just an instant!
Under Water.
At the same time I squeezed one of the |
corners. When I saw 1t begin to sweat |
red began to pull the papers apart dag
onally. beginning at the corner. This must |
be done while holding them still under |
water. |
In a moment had the papers separated. |
Throwing the useless one away, I kept the |
true print. |
1t had been black
Now 1t was a vague red.
My side partner continued to keep the |
water always at 40 degrees Centigrade- |
naturally, by adding little hot water now /
and then.
l continued to soak the vague red print |
in this water for a few instants more, The |
red side down.
1 pulled 1t out. still red I placed 1t fiat |
on plate of glass. red side up And. fol- |
lowing the directions. l began and contin- |
ued pouring little stream Of the 4O-degree |
water over 1t by means of little glass
funnel.
Wonder of wonders!
Little by little the colors began appearing |
Little by little the photograph in coiors be-
gan showing Little nv little the mira Gle