IMPROVEMENTS IN THE, MEANS OR METHOD OF PRODUCING OPTICAL ILLUSIONS IN THEATRES OR EXHIBITIONS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Maurice, of Langham Place, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE, MEANS OR
METHOD OF PRODUCING OPTICAL ILLUSIONS IN THEATRES OR EXHIBITIONS."
Sealed the 13th. April 1865, and.dated the 17th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Maurice at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
October 1864.
I, JOSEPH MAURICE, of Langham Place, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN-THE
MEANS OR METHOD OF PRODUCING OPTICAL ILLUSIONS IN THEATRES OR EXHIBITIONS,"
to be as follows:
This Invention consists of certain, arrangements applicable to a stage,
floor, or platform, by means of which optical illusions are produced of a
different nature and character to any that have hitherto been produced by the
ordinary means of exhibiting what are termed ghost or phantom illusions,.
since it has heretofore been the practice to place the real actor or object.out
of sight below the stage, or at some position at or near the side thereof; and
to throw a representation or image of such living or real object. or actor upon
a sheet of glass elevated above the stage, but by my Invention instead of
producing an illusory. representation of a real figure or living object, I cause

page_text: such object to act and speak in the ordinary manner on the stage or floor, and
when desired I cause his figure to be obscured or concealed, without
-apparently interfering with the view behind or beneath him, while he is still
on the stage, and speaking if required. It will thus be evident that my
Invention bears no similarity to those extant wherein the opposite effect or
result has been sought to be produced. Now, in order to accomplish this
result, I cause the actor or object on the stage and in sight of the audience to
vanish by reflecting on them, either by the vertical or other arrangement of
glasses as already in use for producing other optical illusions, a picture, which
I prefer to be as nearly as possible a counterpart or duplicate of that portion
of the scene and stage behind. and beneath him, so placing him in the line of
the shadow cast beyond and beneath him, that the whole of his person may
be bathed in or obscured by the reflection of the duplicate scene, which may
be a wall, a wainscoating, a forest, or other scene.
In the vertical arrangement, by using one or two glasses or reflectors placed
at a suitable angle or angles, and in contact; or in the other, by using a glass
arranged in an inclined position; and in front of the stage. This result is
effected by the arrangement of a false scene or portion of scene with a
duplicate of a portion of the floor or stage attached thereto, placed on the
lower stage, or at the side of the upper stage, and illuminated by a flood of
light produced from the lime light, or the electric light, or other strong light,
so as to be reflected on the glass screen. Now, when it is not required to
obscure the real figure of an actor in his passage across the stage behind the
glass, the stage or scene lights are made to predominate, or the light is turned
down, or the opening in the stage is closed, so that no representation is
reflected on the glass; but when it is desired that a real actor shall vanish,
the scene lights directed towards that portion of the stage are rendered less
powerful, and the reflecting light is turned fully on, so that the false scene is
thrown on the glass; thus when the actor passes between the glass and -the
scene beyond his figure is completely hidden by reason of the representation
of the glass, which conceals his person from observation. I prefer that the
dress of the actor or color of the vanishing objects should be of a darker
or more sombre hue than the scene and its duplicate, but such is not absolutely
necessary, as a screen, or curtain, or blind of the desired color and material,
which I prefer to be a black velvet, may be drawn in front of him; or even a
shifting silvered mirror placed at the desired angle may be used as a substitute
for the transparent glass. '
The duplicate scene I prefer to be an exact representation of and to be
reflected exactly, on that portion of background and stage with which it is

page_text: made to correspond; but it will readily be perceived that if the duplicate
scene be constantly illuminated, the corresponding portion of the background
and stage may be of any color that will readily be eclipsed by the pliantom
wall or scene, and the living actor may thus be made to disappear through an
apparently solid wall. I cause an actor or object to appear suspended,,
walking or flying, in the air, or dancing on a tight rope, by eclipsing or
obsuring by the aforesaid means a raised platform or support, on which they
may be placed, the actor or object thus being above the shadow.
It is not necessary to employ large glasses, as a glass sufficiently large to
obscure by its reflection the figure of an actor or object, is all that is requisite..
Whereas by the system hitherto adopted, it has been necessary to use a glass
or glasses of such scope as to represent the movements and locomotion of the
phantom. I do not desire to limit myself to any express arrangement. or.
position of glasses, the principle of my Invention being that of rendering the
actor or object invisible to the audience by such an analogy and apposition of:
color and position of scene,, and its duplicate and object to be eclipsed,. as,
herein described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Maurice in. the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th April 1865..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
MAURICE, of Langham Place, in the County of. Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen' Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Maurice, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Maurice,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said.Joseph
Maurice, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
Lafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MEANS OR METHOD OF PRODUCING OPTICAL ILLUSIONS IN THEATRES
OR EXHIBITIONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph
Maurice, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in: writing under

page_text: :
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and, cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Maurice, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in, what manner the same is to be per-
forined, to be particularly described and. ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My-improvements consist of certain arrangements which I make on the stage
of a theatre or the floor of the platform of other places for exhibitions, by means
of which certain optical illusions, usually termed spectral illusions are pro-
duced of different nature and character to any hitherto, exhibited. It has
hitherto been the practice in producing spectral illusions to place the real
actor or object out of sight, and to throw a representation or image of such
living actor or real object upon a sheet of glass placed on the stage, but my
Invention instead of producing an illusory representation of a real figure or
figures, permits such actor or figure to act or speak in the ordinary manner
on the stage or floor, and to be at pleasure obscured or concealed without
apparently interfering with the objects which surround him or them, he or they
remaining on the stage and speaking if required. I treat an inanimate object
or objects in the same manner. It will thus be evident that my Invention
differs essentially from those extant, by which, as already mentioned, the oppo-
site. effect or result has been produced. Now, in order to accomplish the
object of my Invention, I cause the actor or object on the stage and in sight
of the audience, to vanish: by. reflecting on or in an unsilvered plate of glass,
vertically or otherwise arranged, a picture, which I prefer to be as nearly as
possible a counterpart or duplicate of that portion of the scene which is behind
or around him for it, and part of the stage or platform around.and beneath him
or it, so placing him or it in the line of the shadow cast beyond and around
him or it, that the whole of his person (or the object) may be rendered invi-
sible by the reflection on, or in the glass of the duplicate scene which may be
wall, forest, wainscoating, article of furniture, or other stage representation..
In using a vertical arrangement. of one or more plates of glass as reflectors
placed at a suitable angle in regard to the front of the stage, this result.is
-effected by the arrangement of.a false scene or portion of .scene.placed at the
side or sides of the stage, and screened as far as possible from the view of the
audience; then, on the false or duplicate scene being illuminated by the lime,
.electric, or other strong light, together with the stage or portion of stage in

page_text: the front thereof, and in front of the glass, so that when illuminated the scene
and floor shall appear on or in the transparent mirror as a portion of the
scene and stage behind the glass. When it is not intended to obscure the
real figure of an actor (or an object) in his or its passage across the stage
behind the glass, the stage or scene lights. are permitted to predominate; or
the light on the duplicate scene and stage is turned down, or other means
used, so that no scene or representation is reflected in the glass, but when it
is desired that a real actor or object shall vanish, the scene lights directed
towards that portion of the stage are rendered less powerful, and the dupli-
cate or false scene and stage before it are illuminated, so that their reflection
occupies the glass when the actor passes (or the object is passed) between
the glass and the scene beyond his figure (or the object) is completely hidden.
by reason of the representation on or in the. glass which conceals his person
(or the object) from view. I prefer that the dress of the actor, or the color
of the objects made to disappear or vanish, be of.darker or more sombre hue
than that which pervades the scene and its duplicate, but such is not abso-
lutely necessary. I would here observe that in my Provisional Specification,
I have mentioned that a scene, curtain, or blind, or other contrivance, such as
a shifting silvered mirror may-be drawn in front of the actor or object, but in
practice I find that the unsilvered plate of glass placed and acted upon.as
heretofore described, is in itself a sufficient screen, and I have no occasion for
the assistance of any of the objects mentioned.
The duplicate scene I prefer to be an exact representation of the back
ground and of the stage in front of which the actor. or object is to dis-
appear, and to be reflected exactly on that portion with which it is..made to
correspond; but if the duplicate scene be constantly illuminated, the corres-
ponding portion of background and stage may be of any color that will
readily be eclipsed by the false scene, and the living actor or object may thus
be made to disappear on his or in its passage behind the glass across such
scene, and the scene may then if desired be varied. I also obscure or shut
off the living actor or inanimate object behind the glass by the reflection of a
duplicate scene and living actor or actors or object, thus changing by
reflection the figure of the actor or object behind the glass to the represen-
tation of the figure or figures or object reflected on the glass, the figure or
figures behind the glass may then retire unobserved and others may take
their places, the lights may then be reversed so as to shew the actors behind
the glass, the figures previously reflected may then be changed, and in turn
again reflected, and so on, thus causing a succession of changes in the repre-
sentations.

page_text: I cause an actor or object to appear suspended, walking, or flying in the
air, or dancing on a tight rope, by eclipsing or obscuring by the aforesaid
means a raised platform or support on which they may be placed, the actor or
object being thus. above the shadow; or I cause certain portions only of such
real person or object to appear by cutting off portions of the duplicate scene,
or by illuminating portions of such figures or objects.
If it be desired to cause the disappearance of an actor seated on a chair
or reclining on a couch without causing the chair or couch to vanish before
throwing the reflecting light on to the duplicate scene-I-place-a-perfectly-
similar chair or couch in front of it.
In working my Invention the employment of large glasses is not im-
perative as a glass of area sufficient to shut out the object which is to
disappear is all that is absolutely necessary..
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark. that I do not confine
myself to the precise details herein given, nor limit myself to any particular
arrangement or position of glasses, or duplicate scene or scenes in producing
my optical illusions in theatres or exhibitions, as such may be varied to suit
the circumstances of particular cases, but I. claim the optical illusion of
causing real and animate or inanimate bodies. to disappear from view,
although remaining on the same spot, by covering them with the reflection of
a scene similar to or differing from that which is on the stage when. effected
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Maurice, have hereunto. set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
:
ALEX. PRINCE,
i
:
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
JOSEPH MAURICE. (L.S.).