Improvements in Constructing or Arranging Rooms or Buildings for Producing Optical Illusions.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1891-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1851
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Constructing or Arranging Rooms or Buildings
for Producing Optical Illusions.
1 MAX HEDICKE, Merchant, of 20 Cousin Lane in the City of London do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Johannes Rautmann of Bremen in the German Empire, Clerk) to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to arrange or construct rooms or buildings in such
a manner that, although they occupy but little space and are erected or provided
at comparatively speaking little costs, they will, to the eye, present all the splendour
and appearance of immense suites of rooms and so that the visitor will be deceived
not only as to the extent and size of the locality but also as to the places of ingress
and egress so that the whole will form under cover a surprise somewhat after the
manner of what is known as a maze in landscape gardening.
"
According to this invention I arrange one or more chambers, each chamber
being polygonal in ground plan and line all or part of the sides with mirrors.
Hexagonal chambers will answer exceedingly well. The hexagonal chambers
may communicate with passages of rhomboid or trapeze-like shape in plan and
one or more triangular chambers may also be provided. It will be readily under-
stood that in a polygonal (say hexagonal) chamber lined with mirrors and
appropriately arranged the eye will receive an enormous number of reflections of
each object in the chamber so that the beholder will loose all correct appreciation
of truc distance and, as the entrance is also reflected, will readily loose the sense
of direction also. In like manner the oblique sides of the passages will mislead
the eye and thus in a very small space, containing but few persons the eye will
receive the impression of an enormous space filled by a vast concourse of people.
If statues or pictures are placed in the chamber and passages the impression
produced will be that of immense galleries whilst fitting the locality up with trees
and plants will produce the effect of immense gardens.
It is obvious that several chambers may be fitted in various ways so as to produce
a number of effects under the same roof.
DAN 1900
BERNHARD DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Constructing or Arranging Rooms or Buildings
for Producing Optical Illusions.
I, MAX HEDICKE Merchant 20, Cousin Lane in the City of London 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 arrange or construct rooms or buildings in
such a manner that although they occupy but little space and are erected or pro-
vided at little cost, they will to the eye present all the splendour and appearance
of immense suites of rooms and so that the visitor will be deceived not only as to

page_text: the extent and size of the locality but also as to the places of ingress and egress
so that the whole will form, under cover, a surprise somewhat after the manner of
what is known as a "maze" in landscape gardening.
In the annexed drawings l.have illustrated.my invention.
Fig. 1 is a diagram which indicates what I consider the method best fitted
for finding the lines upon which the walls of the rooms or chambers are to be
erected.
Fig. 2 shows the ground plan of a building embodying this invention.
"
In arranging a "maze 56
ог labyrinth" according to this invention I find the
lines upon which it is best to construct the walls or sides of the chambers or
passages as follows:-
I draw the plan of the ground to be occupied and at one edge of the plan draw
a.straight line (A Fig. 1). Upon this line I erect other lines I forming angles of 60°
with the line A and equidistant from one another. I next erect lines II forming
angles, of 60° with line A and also with the lines I and placed at the same distances
from one another as the latter and thus rhombs B are formed. I next draw
lines A¹ parallel to A through the points where the lines 1 and 1I intersect and
this,completes a network of lines every part of which forms a side upon which
may be erected a rhombus B, a hexagon C, a trapezoid D or a triangle E as shown
by the dotted lines in Eig. 1. All the lines a, a moreover are of equal length
and any of the points.of intersection may be considered as the centre of a regular
hexagon or as one angle of any of the figures above enumerated. Though 1
prefer the angles above stated I may nevertheless vary the same.
Figure 2 in which the dotted lines are the same as in the diagram, show by the full
lines how these lines inay be utilised, thus at 1 the entrance may be formed by two sides
of a rhombus. At 2 re-entering angles, parts of equilaterial triangles are shown, at 3
is a small closed triangle, 4 shows four sides of the hexagon, 5 shows a chamber
with six.sides. 6 shows a large room of apparently irregular outlines though even
these are formed by lines corresponding to those marked a a in Fig. 1.
At 7 trees,
tbushes, or the like may be placed, whilst 7" are half trees so placed against the
mirrors as to produce the effect of entire trees. Stationary fountains and rock-
work may also be used. In addition some of the mirrors may be replaced by
decorations representing, landscapes. The detail of arrangement may be infinitely
varied as taste and circumstances direct. At 8 may be placed the exit. In order
further to confuse the eye columns and pilasters 9 may be placed at the points where
the lines (a a Fig. 1) intersect and these may be connected by articles.
The effects produced vary so much according to the arrangement adopted, the
manner of lighting (whether from above, by lamps standing on the floor, or
otherwise) and the decorations chosen that, it is not possible to describe the same
here beyond saying that in a polygonal (say hexagonal) chamber lined with mirrors
and appropriately arranged the eye will receive an enormous number of reflections
of each object in the chamber so that the beholder will lose all correct appreciation
of true distance and, as the entrance is also reflected will readily lose the sense of
direction also. In like manner the oblique sides of the passages will mislead the
eye-and thus in a very small space, containing but few persons the eye will receive
the impression of an enormous space by a vast concourse of people.
If statues or pictures are placed in the chambers and passages the impression
produced will be that of immense galleries whilst by fitting the locality up with
trees, & plants, will produce the effect of immense gardens.
It is obvious that several chambers may be fitted in various ways so as to produce
a number of effects under the same roof.
I have shown in Fig. 1 how the ground is to be mapped out on lines forming
portions of equilateral hexagons. Similar results may be obtained by making the
lines I and II at angles other than 60°, say 45° or 30°, and various polygonal figures
may be employed, and I therefore do not bind myself strictly to the details shown in
the drawings.

page_text: 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.) A room or rooms constructed in the method illustrated by the drawings and
lined with mirrors as and for the purposes set forth.
2.) The method of finding the lines on which the walls or partitions are most
conveniently erected as planned with reference to Fig. 1.
B. DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.