Year: 1889

page_text: 1, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of London, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents. 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:-
This invention has for its object to produce a substitute for porcelain photographs
or like pictures, which shall possess the desirable qualities of softness and delicacy
without the brittleness of porcelain work, and which shall be much cheaper. To
these ends my invention consists in the improved picture which I will now proceed to
describe:
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,
Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved picture, certain parts being
broken away and two sheets of gelatine being employed.
Figure 2 represents an enlarged section on line x-x of Figure 1.
Figure 3 represents another enlarged section, showing the picture with but one
sheet of gelatine.
Figure 4 represents a section similar to Figure 3, but having the print embossed
in imitation of canvas. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all
the figures.
In carrying out my invention I take a sheet, a, of gelatine and secure to one of
its sides, by a transparent cement, a photographic print or other picture b on paper,
the cement employed being of such a nature that it will not only secure the print to
the gelatine, but will also permeate the print and make it nearly transparent. I
prefer to use a cement composed wholly or largely of balsam fir.
The gelatine sheet is preferably at the back of the print, and while in some cases 1
cement another gelatine sheet to the front of the print, as hereinafter described,
I prefer, when economy is an object, to use but one sheet of gelatine, as shown in
Figures 3 and 4. I also prefer to emboss the print to give it a surface resembling

page_text: canvas, as indicated on an enlarged scale in Figure 4, the yielding gelatine backing
enabling cells or depressions of suitable depth to be formed in the print.
The back of the gelatine sheet may be painted upon to give the desired tints to
the picture.
The picture thus produced is flexible, not casily broken, and has a
particularly soft and pleasing effect. It may be produced at a very small expense as
compared with ordinary porcelain pictures.
The transparent cement permeates the print and a portion of it dries on the outer
surface of the print and forms an air proof film which prevents the cement from
drying between the print and the gelatine sheet, so that the cement is kept in a
trausparent condition. A coating of transparent varnish may be laid upon the outer
surface of the print.
The article of manufacture composed of the superposed sheets, respectively of paper
and gelatine united as described, the paper sheet having a print or picture, is
intended chiefly for the use of amature or would be artists, who can apply oil colors
to the rear surface of the gelatine backing. Colors thus applied, though crude and
dauby when viewed directly, present a much better appearance when viewed through
the medium of the print and gelatine, and have a soft and usually pleasing and
satisfactory effect. A very marked advantage of this article for the purpose above
stated lies in the ease with. which the colors can be removed from the gelatine
without injury to the latter, so that an amature can color the same picture
repeatedly.
Turpentine or linseed oil may be used to dissolve oil colors and remove them from
the gelatine, neither of these materials having any injurious effect on the gelatine.
I prefer to apply a thin coating of waterproof varnish to the back of the
gelatine to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere and being warped
thereby.
To make a more substantial and bulky picture I secure a gelatine sheet a¹ to the
front of the print by the same transparent cement, thus protecting the sheet on both
sides with gelatine (see Figures 1 and 2).
Upon the back of the sheet a are printed such details of the picture as are necessarily
close to the print, such as the eyes and parts of the hair and flesh tints.
I then place a
frame against the back of the sheet a, said frame being composed of strips of sheet
metal bent into U-shape in cross section and interlocked at their corners, as shown.
Against the back of the frame I place a sheet c of gelatine; or if preferred two
sheets cc, the duplication of said sheets being for the purpose of securing greater
thickness and stiffness. When the two sheets c c are used, I secure them together by
a transparent cement, which additionally stiffens them.
The sheet or sheets c are separated from the sheet a at the back of the print by a
space s, equal to the thickness of the frame strips. Upon the back of the sheet or
sheets c are laid suitable colors (as shown at d, Figure 2), arranged to coincide with
different parts of the print; said colors being subdued and softened when viewed
through the outer gelatine sheet a', the transparent print b, the inner gelatine sheet a,
the spaces, and the back gelatine sheet or sheets c.
Back of all I place an opaque backing e of thick paper, cardboard, or other suitable
material. To the front surface of the outer gelatine sheet a¹ I apply a waterproof
coating of transparent varnish, to protect the gelatine against the moisture of the
atmosphere and keep it bright and transparent.
The several superposed layers above described are secured together by a suitable
frame or binding, which may be composed of cloth or paper strips 9 bent over the
edges of said layers and cemented thereto, or strips of wood suitably interlocked at
their corners.
The transparent cement which is used to secure the print to the front and back
gelatine sheets, permeates the print, as above described, and is protected from the
drying action of the air by the gelatine sheets between which the print is interposed.
The back sheets c c are also kept bright and transparent by the transparent cement
between them. The front sheet a¹, print band back sheet a may be used alone, all
the colors being laid on the back of the sheet a.

page_text: It will be seen from the foregoing that a picture composed of a paper print and a
sheet of gelatine attached to one side of the same comes within the scope of my
invention, as well as a print with gelatine both at the back and front.
A paper sheet and one or more sheets of gelatine secured thereto by transparent
cement as described, constitutes a flexible transparent composite sheet which may be
used as a substitute for glass for various purposes.
said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. As an article of manufacture, a flexible transparent picture composed of super-
posed sheets, respectively of gelatine and paper, united by a transparent cement, the
paper sheet having a print or picture on one side and being embossed in imitation
of canvas on the front side, as set forth.
2. As an article of manufacture, a flexible transparent picture composed of super-
posed sheets, respectively of paper having a print or picture, and gelatine, united by a
transparent cement, the gelatine being protected from the atmospheric action by a
waterproof coating applied to the back of said gelatine sheet, as set forth.
3. As an article of manufacture, a flexible transparent picture composed of super-
posed sheets, respectively of paper, having a print or picture, and gelatine, united by
a transparent cement, the gelatine being protected from atinospheric action by a
waterproof coating applied to the back of said gelatine sheet, as set forth.
4. The improved, flexible, transparent picture composed of the gelatine sheets a
and at and the print interposed between said sheets and united thereto by transparent
cement, as set forth.
5. The improved flexible, transparent picture composed of the front gelatine
sheet a having a transparent waterproof coating on its outer surface, the back gelatine
sheet a' and the interposed print 6 secured to said sheets by transparent cement, as
set forth.
6. The improved picture composed of a print, front and back gelatine sheets a a' to
which the print is secured by a transparent cement, the front gelatine sheet having a
transparent waterproof coating on its outer surface, the back gelatine sheet or
sheets having color laid upon it coinciding with the print, the metal frame
interposed between the sheets a and c and forming a space s therebetween, as set
forth.
7. The improved picture composed of a print, front and back gelatine sheets a a¹
to which the print is secured by a transparent cement, the front gelatine sheet having
a transparent waterproof coating on its outer surface, the back gelatine sheet or
sheets c having color laid upon it coinciding with the print, the metal frame inter-
posed between the sheets a¹ and c and forming a space s therebetween, and a marginal
binding securing all of said parts together, as set forth.
8. The improved flexible transparent picture sheet composed of superposed layers
of paper and gelatine united by a transparent cement, the gelatine being protected
from atmospheric action by a waterproof coating applied to its exposed surface, as set
forth.
DL
A 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.