Improvements in Photographic Back-grounds.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Back-grounds.
I, WILLIAM WATSON, of 37 Naburn Street, Glasgow, Photographer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
My improvements in photographic backgrounds consist in representing, by a
background having, preferably, interchangable parts, interior or exterior views of
a railway carriage, "Pullman car," tramway car, or omnibus. The background
can be made with a framework of wood covered with cloth and painted. There
may also be used a background behind representing a view of a station, landscape,
or street &c. Interchangable letters may be slid or fitted into the frame so as to
represent the name of any place or of the car, or carriage belonging to any company
or person.
The interchangable letters may, if desired, be fitted or slid into a grooved or
equivalent frame which may be fitted on or to the background instead of the letters
being fitted into or on the background itself. The interchangable letters may be
made of metal, wood, paper, or other suitable material having a piece projecting
from the edge of that part which is in the groove to keep them, when in place, at
equal distances apart.
With this invention parties or individuals may be photographed as just going
to or stepping into a train or car or as looking out of the window or sitting in a
seat etc.
Dated this 19th day of November 1890
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Back-grounds.
I, WILLIAM WATSON, of 37 Naburn Street, Glasgow, 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 improvements in photographic backgrounds, consist in representing, by a
background having, preferably, interchangable parts, interior or exterior views
of a railway carriage, "Pullman car," tramway car, or omnibus. The background
can be made with a framework of wood, covered with canvas, calico or other cloth
and painted, or the background may be of paper or cloth and mounted on a roller,
or otherwise. There may also be used a background behind representing a view
of a station, landscape, or street &c. Interchangable letters may be slid or fitted
into the frame so as to represent the name of any place or of the car, or carriage
belonging to any company or person.
The interchangable letters may, if desired, be fitted or slid into a grooved or
equivalent frame, which may be fitted on or to the background, instead of the
letters being fitted into or on the background itself. The interchangable letters
may be made of metal, wood, paper, or other suitable material having a piece pro-
jecting from the edge of that part which is in the groove, to keep them, when in
place, at equal distances apart.
With this invention parties or individuals may be photographed as just going

page_text: to or stepping into a train or car, or as looking out of the window, or sitting in a
seat &c.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended four explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon:-
-
Fig. 1 shows a background a, representing in part, the exterior of a railway
carriage. b is a second background, representing the inside of the carriage and the
interior of a station, placed behind the background a.
Fig. shows two backgrounds, one c, representing the interior of a railway
carriage and the other, d, a landscape view with house.
Fig. 3 shows the method of photographing with backgrounds a, b, as in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4, shows a method of photographing with backgrounds c (Fig. 2) and b
(Fig. 1).
Figs. 5, 54, and 5B, show a method of fitting the lettering.
Fig. 6, shows one of the letters.
:
"
The photographic background a, representing the exterior of a railway carriage,
or it may be any other conveyance, such as a bus or car, is made of a
skeleton wooden frame, to which canvas or other cloth is fitted. Holes are left
to represent windows and the door is, preferably, hinged and movable, so as to be
opened and shut, as desired. The cloth and the frame is suitably painted to
represent a carriage. If the party, who wishes to have his or her photograph
taken, desires to appear as if just about to step into a train, the party is placed just
before the background a and the door may be left partly open. Or, if the party
wishes to appear as inside a carriage, the photograph may be taken as at Fig. 3.
In this case the background a is slid or placed in front of the party and he or she
may look through the opening representing the window of the door, as shown, or
may look through one of the windows; the second background bis placed behind
so as to produce a natural appearance and effect.
In Fig. 4 a different interior view is shown. In this case the background c,
Fig. 2, is used. This background has, preferably, small hinged or folding seats
fitted to it, so that a party can sit down at each side of the compartment, as
shown (Fig. 4).
The draperies, representing blinds and curtains and the straps, may be real and
be fitted to the background.
In some cases, if so desired, the background may be made reversible and be painted
on one side to represent the exterior of a carriage, whilst the other side is
painted to represent the interior. In this case, of course, if an interior view is
desired, the background is simply reversed. This saves the use of two separate
backgrounds.
The background d, Fig. 2, may be the
photographic studios.
same as those usually employed in
The backgrounds are, preferably, full size or nearly so, so as to give a realistic
effert.
The backgrounds may be made of any suitable material and be worked like the
shifting or drop scenes of a theatre.
Parties having their photographs taken, often desire to have the name of the
place where they belong to, to appear on the photograph. In order that this may
be done, lettering is fitted on the background, similar to the boards on railway
trains. Fig. 1 shows the background a with the name of "Glasgow " thereon
and Fig. 3 shows the same background with "Torrance" fitted thereto. The
lettering is, preferably, done in the manner illustrated in Figs. 5, 54, 5B and 6. A
number of wood, cardboard or other letters, like A, Fig. 6, are used. These
letters, which have each a guide and distance piece, such as f, are slid into a
groove g (Fig. 5B) of a frame or board h, which is hung by hooks or otherwise to
the background. When all the letters are slid into the board h, the board is hung
up in the position indicated at Figs. 1 and 3. i, Fig. 54, represents, in section, one
of the letters in place in the board h. The board is, preferably, painted, so as to
coincide with the appearance of the rest of the carriage.

page_text: Instead of fitting the letters in a board, they may be slid or fixed in position on
or to the background itself.
Parts of the backgrounds may be interchangable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. One or more photographic backgrounds, made or arranged so as to give
interior or exterior views of a railway carriage or other vehicle, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination with photographic backgrounds, representing interior or
exterior views of vehicles, of interchangable lettering arranged so as to give
the names of places on the photograph, substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 14th day of August 1891
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.