Improvements in Photography.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 13th May, 1893
-PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photography.
I, HENRY VANDER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Artist and Electric Light Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in photography, particularly portrait
photography, and has for its object to enable the photographer to idealize, to a
certain extent, the subject without sacrificing the fidelity of the portrait and so
remove the artistic reproach under which photography has always suffered that it
is incapable of foreshortening without exaggeration (e.g. a hand or foot extended
towards the camera) and cannot give that appearance of dignity to a figure which a
master in portrait painting is able to impart by slightly enlarging, reducing, or
otherwise modifying certain portions of the figure.
My improvement therefore has for its object not only to enable the proportions
of certain parts of the subject to be varied, for instance to reduce the size of a lady's
lead or increase the length of her neck or waist or of the skirt of her dress or to
lengthen a gentleman's legs, for the purpose of imparting greater dignity to the
figure, but also to correct the distortion due to the effect of foreshortening or to
produce other effects whether artistic or grotesque, such for further example as to
cause the apparent rotundity of an obese figure or face to be diminished instead of
being exaggerated as is usually the case in a photograph, or the size of the hands
to be diminished or the 'fingers to be lengthened or tapered, or the eyes to be
enlarged and the size of the mouth to be reduced, without necessarily altering the
shape, size or expression or changing the character of the other features, or
sacrificing the likeness of the portrait, all these artistic modifications being quickly
effected and visible to the manipulator so that their effect can be readily appreciated,
the degree of modification obtainable being almost infinite.
It is preferable to apply my invention in the copying or enlarging of an ordinary
transparency, negative, or photograph, with which comparison of effect may be
readily made with a view to avoid undue distortion, but the invention is equally
applicable while photographing the original subject.
For the purposes of caricature the image can be so distorted as to produce the
most comical effects, such as exaggerating the head diminishing the lower members
or lengthening or broadening the whole figure or contorting it into eccentric
attitudes.
In landscape photography a great variety of artistic effects may be obtained
according to the direction in which the distortion is effected, for instance a picture
of ordinary landscape proportions can be photographically distorted or altered in its
proportions to fit any frame, even an elongated upright panel, without losing any of
the details.
The method whereby these modifications or distortions are effected consists in
interposing between the subject (whether it be a person, landscape, picture,
photograph, or negative, to be copied or enlarged) and the photographic lens, or
between the lens and the sensitive plate, of a transparent medium having lens-like
properties so as to vary the direction of the whole or any portion of the of
light according to the effect to be produced.
rays
The curvature of the lens-like medium would of course depend upon the effect it
is desired to produce, for instance for the purpose of varying the relative proportions
of the whole or part of the image, say the lower half, in one direction only, the
curvature of the lens would be in one direction, but for altering the proportions or
changing the shape of isolated details, lens-like surfaces of spherical, oval, regular, or

page_text: eccentric curvature would be used and to prevent any shadows or lines of demarcation
being visible on the picture the curvatures of the lens-like surfaces would be reversed
or otherwise gradually merge with a plane surface so as to allow the distortion or
modification produced by the interposition of the lens-like surface to melt or flow
into the surroundings.
For the purpose of varying in a more or less conventional or general way the
broader proportions of the subject, I would employ lens-like media formed partly
with plane and partly with curved surfaces, such media being formed beforehand
and kept in stock for general use.
For this purpose glass plates having curved or partly curved surfaces or lenses
cemented to glass plates or independent lenses supported in any suitable manner
would be used, but for artistically varying the smaller details of the subject it is
necessary to prepare a special lens-like medium for each particular subject, and my
invention comprises the novel method of artistically preparing such a medium and
the novel application of the material employed for the purpose.
For the purposes of this part of the invention it is necessary to have a clear
transparent crystalline material whose surface is capable of being easily scraped,
engraved, or fashioned by melting at the ordinary or at a very moderate temperature
without necessitating recourse to the troublesome operation of polishing.
Amongst other substances available for this purpose I especially claim the.
employment of ice in the form, say, of a plane slab of moderate thickness upon the
surface of which I operate by means of tools of suitable curvatures, it being
sufficient to apply the tool to the surface of the ice in order to cause the latter to be
locally melted by the conduction of heat from the tool itself.
For the purpose of operating on the surface of the ice the slab would be placed
in the same position with regard to the subject and to the eye of the operator as it
will occupy in regard to the photographic lens in the operation of photographing,
the subject being clearly visible through the slab so that the necessary modifications
of surface may be effected in correct local position to produce the effects desired.
In order to preserve the ice during the operations of working on, and photo-
graphing through, it the ice slab would be enclosed in a sort of frame containing a
freezing mixture by which to cool the surrounding atmosphere sufficiently to
prevent the melting away of the ice.
My invention further has for its object to impart to a photograph the effect of a
line or other engraving in which the modelled effect is produced by deviations and
variations of breadth and spacing of the lines.
For this purpose I prepare as last above described a lens-like surface in correct
relation with regard to the outlines and details of the subject of the picture but
instead of photographing the picture through such lens-like surface I photograph a
surface upon which an engraved line or stipple tint has been printed, the effect being
to produce a negative in which the wavy line effects are produced by the local
distortion of the lines to correspond to the outlines and contours of the picture, so
that by stripping such negative and superposing it upon the negative of the picture
a. compound negative will be formed in which the engraving effect will be superposed
in the form of white lines upon the soft gradations of the photographic modelling,
or in black lines by the process of double printing.
Dated this 14th day of June 1892.
HENRY WANDER WEYDE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photography.
I, HENRY VANDER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Artist and Electric Light Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
.:
My invention relates to an improvement in portrait photography whereby to
enable the subject to be idealized without sacrificing the fidelity of the portrait, by
locally modifying the relative dimensions of certain portions of the subject so as to
impart an appearance of dignity and remedy the distortion due to inaccurate
foreshortening heretofore inherent to ordinary photography. For instance the size
of the head and of the hands and feet may be reduced, or the length of the neck or
waist, or of the skirt of the dress, or the size of the bust, or the breadth of the
shoulders or hips, may be increased, without otherwise altering the proportions of the
picture. These artistic modifications may be effected either in photographing
the living subject or in copying, or enlarging, a photographic negative or positive
and the effect produced is visible to the operator and may be duly appreciated
before the photograph is taken.
The invention consists essentially in interposing in the pencil of rays, lens-like
media of peculiar form whereby the rays of light which are transmitted from those
portions of the subject whose relative dimensions it is desired to modify will be so
refracted as. to produce the effect desired and yet the part or parts so modified will
flow. into and merge naturally with the surroundings. The said media may be
interposed either within or without the camera, according to circumstances; for
instance when photographing the living subject they would be situated within the
camera whilst in copying or enlarging they may be in the same position or situated
between the original and the camera or in both these positions conjointly. It is
however to be understood that the same form of lens gives the reverse effect
according as it is situated within or without the camera, so that to produce similar
effects in the two positions lenses of opposite curvature would be used. Such lens-
like media are convex or concave, according to the position in which they are used
and the effect to be produced, but it is essential, in order to modify the dimensions
of a portion only of the image whilst leaving the remainder unaltered and yet shew
no line of demarcation or break of continuity between the two portions, that the
lenses shall differ from ordinary lenses in that the curved surface of the lens portion
shall gradually merge with or graduate into a plane surface by which the rays
of light are not appreciably refracted, so as to cause the effect produced by
the interposition of said lens-like media to melt or flow naturally into the
surroundings.
The invention also comprises a method of fashioning a refracting medium by
superficially melting the substance of which the refracting medium is composed so
as to rapidly form therein plano-concave lens portions adapted by their configuration
and position to produce the desired local effects.
Reference. is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation, shewing the lens-like media
interposed in the pencil of rays both between the original photograph and the
camera lens, and between the latter and the sensitive plate.
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, are perspective views illustrating different forms of the
refracting media producing different effects
Figure 7 shews, a lens to be supported adjustably on a flat plate of glass. All of
these lenses may be made of glass and kept in stock for general purposes.
Figures 8, 9, 10, illustrate the effect as applied to the reduction of the head of a

page_text: :
i.
:
figure in copying, or enlarging, Figure 8 being the original, Figure 9 the effect
which would be produced were an ordinary lens to be used, and Figure 10 the effect
produced by the lens of the peculiar form shewn in Figures 11 and 12.
Figures 14 and 15 illustrate the effect as applied to the reduction of the hands
(represented as clasped in front of the knee of the sitter) the reduction being in one
direction only and obtained by the use of an oval lens, shewn in face and edge view
in Figure 16.
at
Referring to Figure 1, A is an ordinary camera provided with the usual
photographic lens. B is a plate of glass fitted within the camera just in front of,
and covering the whole surface of, the sensitive plate. This plate B is plane except
that there is formed on its surface a lens-like convexity b, shewn also in Figure 2,
in such position that the image of the head will be projected through it, supposing,
for instance, that it is desired to reduce the size of the head. As the position on
the plate of this part of the image is generally about the same, this lens may be an
integral part of the plate but as the position of the hands is more variable it.
is more convenient, in modifying the dimensions of these parts of the image, to use
separate lenses, such as shewn in Figure 7, which by merely moistening their flat
surface may be made to adhere to the plate B in any desired position, as shewn
The effect produced by these lenses is visible on the focussing screen, and
they are readily accessible for adjustment. The lenses and 6' may be thus used
within the camera both in the operation of photographing a living subject or in
copying or enlarging a negative, transparency, or other picture. The lenses are of
% the peculiar form hereafter described and their effect when used within the camera
is to locally reduce the proportions of the parts of the image which they refract.
If it were desired to locally enlarge a portion of the image, a plate having a
concavity in its surface, as shewn in Figure 3, would be used instead of the
convexity b, but, instead of using adjustable lenses of plano-concave form which
being necessarily thick at the edges would shew a sharp line on the photograph,
needing to be retouched out, I would prefer to use the same lenses 6' and produce
the opposite effect by affixing them to a plate D placed in front of a photographic
negative, transparency, or picture, in copying, or enlarging, as hereafter described.
Thus C is a photographic negative or positive to be copied or enlarged. D is a
plate of glass interposed between the original C and the camera-lens. In the
surface of this plate D there is formed a concavity d. The effect of this concave
lens d applied in this position is the same as that of the convex lens b applied within
the camera, as before described, so that by using the one plate (either the plate B
or the plate D) in the position shewn, in conjunction with adjustable lenses b' applied
thereto, or to a plain plate in the position of the other plate, any number of desired
local modifications may be effected.
..
It is to be observed that, in both the convex and concave forms of these lenses,
the curvature is wave-like, that is to say reversed towards the margin of the lens.
portion so as to graduate into or merge with the plane surface of the plate in or on
which the lens is formed or applied, the object of this reversal of curvature being
to cause the effect produced by the central portion of the lens to gradually flow or
merge into the surroundings of the part so modified without shewing any break of
continuity or lines of demarcation. The plane portion of the plate in or on which
the lenses are formed or applied is of such dimensions as to cover the whole area of
the picture and no apparent effect is produced by the refraction of the rays passing
through the plane portion, but that part of the image which is refracted through
the middle portion of the lens is reduced or enlarged, as the case may be, the
opposite effect being produced where the curvature of the lens is reversed, so that
the proportions of the picture as a whole undergo no change.
If, however, it be desired to vary the length, say, of the lower part of the picture
over its whole width, a plano-convex or plano-concave lens, such as shewn in
Figure 4 or Figure 5, would be used the lens portion being situated at one end of,
and extending across the full width of the plate through which the whole of the
image is refracted, the part of the image refracted through the lens portion alone

page_text: undergoing any change. The form of the lens used would, as previously described;
depend on the effect to be produced and upon the situation in which the lens is
applied-i.e. whether within or without the camera. Similarly if the plate instead
of being plane be bent, as shewn in Figure 6, the middle portion e forms a concavo-
convex lens which. has its curvature in one direction only and extends quite across
the plate whilst the upper and lower plane portions e¹ are oppositely inclined so:
that the curved surfaces of the lens gradually flow into the inclined surfaces. The
effect of the plate E when applied in front of the negative to be copied will be to
contract the portion of the image refracted through the lens portion e and to vary
the whole length of the picture to a corresponding extent, the opposite effect being
produced if the plate E be placed within the camera.
From the foregoing examples, it will be understood that the curvature and form
of the lens-like medium will vary according to the desired effect and that the above
described fgures represent what may be termed stock forms suitable for general use
to which I do not, however, necessarily limit myself.
For the purpose of adapting the shape and position of the lens to the part to he
modified, I may, in some cases, prepare a special lens for a particular subject, by the
employment of a plane plate of clear transparent crystalline material capable of
being easily melted such as ice in some portion of the surface of which I fashion a
concave lens by locally melting the ice by heat, thus forming a lens of the desired
shape, position, and qualities. The ice slab is obviously not so well adapted for
forming convex lenses, and in thus operating on the surface of the ice the slab
would, for the purpose of local reduction, be placed in front of the original
negative, or for the purpose of local enlargement it might be placed within the
camera, the lens-like concavities being in either case made in correct local register
with the parts to be modified..
Referring to Figures 8, 9, 10 it will be observed that in Figure 9 which is
supposed to be a reproduction of Figure 8 modified so as to reduce the size of the
head by the interposition of an ordinary plano-convex lens such as shewn in
Figure 13, the light rays are refracted as shewn in that figure, the consequence
being that there is a distinct break of continuity in the image which no amount of
retouching could disguise, whereas in Figure 10 where the same reduction is
effected by a lens of the special form shewn in Figures 11 and 12 the light rays are
refracted as shown in the latter figure and there is no such break the outlines
harmonizing with and flowing into the surrounding portions of the picture.
Similarly with regard to Figures 14 and 15 in which the reduction is in one
direction only so as to render the hands slimmer, this effect being obtained by a
lens of approximately oval form, such as shewn in face and edge view in
Figure 16.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
—
1. The herein described process of locally modifying the dimensions of the image
in the operation of photographing, copying, or enlarging, by causing the light rays
transmitted from a portion or portions of the original subject, negative, or picture,
to be refracted through a lens-like medium interposed in the pencil of rays either
before or after transmission through the camera-lens, substantially as specified.
2. In the herein described process the employment, in combination with a
photographic camera, of a refracting plate having a local lens-like portion whose
curvilinear surface flows or graduates into the plane surface or surfaces of the
plate, the plate being interposed in the pencil of rays before or after transinission
through the camera lens whereby to cause certain of the rays to be so deflected as
to produce local modification of the image photographed in the camera, substantially
as specified.
3. In the herein described process, the employment, in combination with a plane
plate of glass, of plano-couvex lenses whose curvatures are reversed so as to

page_text: gradually flow into or merge with the plane surface of the plate to which they are
caused to adhere, as and for the purpose specified.
4. In and for the purposes of the herein described processes, the method of.
fashioning a refracting medium so as to produce therein a local plano-concave lens,
which consists in superficially and locally melting the plate, substantially as
specified.
Din ruh ɔ
1
1000
j
H. VANDER WEYDE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.