Improvements in Christmas Greeting and other Cards.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1891
COME LEIE DIEUITIVATION.
Improvements in Christmas Greeting and other Cards.
We EDUARD SCHMIDT and CARL HEYMANN of the firm of Heymann and
Schmidt of Berlin N. Schönhauserallee 164 in the Empire of Germany, Paper
Manufacturers 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide means for reflecting light in such a way
as to illuminate Christmas greeting cards and the like made as hereinafter described
so as to obtain sunshine, sunset, moonlight or like effects in a manner more realistic
than can be obtained by simple painting or colouring.
The improved card is made as follows. Any picture suitable for receiving effect
of lighting such as the landscape shown in the annexed drawing is lithographed or
printed in colors on paper of such thickness as to allow the light to pass through it
to a certain degree. The border round the picture and such parts of the picture
itself as are to remain dark are backed with thick paper or card, and on the other
hand those parts of the picture which are to appear strongly lighted are cut or
stamped out, for instance in the landscape shown in Fig. 1, the sky, the windows
and the parts between the branches of the trees. Behind these places so cut out is
pasted thin transparent paper. Any parts which are to be especially brightly
illuminated are left as free openings in the picture.
The lighting is done by means of a reflecting card K placed on the back of the
card as in Fig. 2 and arranged to be supported for instance by the stands at such
an angle as best to reflect light onto the back of the picture. This card K is
covered on its upper surface with pieces of coloured foil so arranged as to reflect
their respective colours to that part of the picture intended to be lighted with that
colour.
If the card is stood up back to the light the picture will be seen as illuminated
with a fine effect of gradation of tone and color or tint, the places cut out and left
uncovered with transparent, paper will appear the most brilliantly lighted as here
the reflection from the foil passes direct to the eye. The transparently covered
openings in the paper are less lighted and the uncut out parts of the picture less
still, while the parts backed with card or thick paper remain dark.
By placing the picture more or less steeply before the light, the lighting may be
increased or diminished and thus various lighting effects be obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;-
The combination in a Christmas greeting card or the like of a picture having
different parts rendered of greater or less transparency, and with or without
uncovered cut out parts; with a reflecting card on the back of said picture having
on its face pieces of coloured foil and arranged to reflect the light upon the back of
said picture for the production of effects of lighting appropriate to the subject of
said picture substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of August 1801
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.