HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE.
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[WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT IT.]
The pigeon and the baby both
Were six months old to-day;
I told them so at breakfast-time,
To see what they would say.
The pigeon held his head one side,
And gently murmured "Coo";
The baby clapped his dimpled hands,
And gayly shouted "Goo!"
And that is all they said, my dears—
Upon my word, it's true.
[PHANTOM FACES.]
BY FRANK BELLEW.
Fig. 1.
The other night I went to a little party, where a number of young people were gathered together to amuse themselves and each other. Many games were played, and many amusing tricks performed, and among others was one so striking and ingenious that I resolved to record it for the benefit of Young People.
We were ushered into a long parlor, where a number of chairs were arranged after the manner of a lecture hall. At the further end of the room was a long table, draped in front, and having on it two screens about thirty inches apart, making something like a window without any top. But you can judge better of the appearance of the object by looking at Fig. 1, which correctly represents it. Presently a young gentleman appeared at this opening, and told us he was going to show us some magical and mysterious transformations and character representations. After he had made his little address through the opening, the lights in the room were turned down, and all was darkness, save behind the screens, whence a bright light shone on the face of the young man.
"First," he said, "I will show you a Dandy." And putting a fashionable hat rakishly on his head, he fixed himself in position. In an instant a pair of stylish mustaches appeared on his upper lip, and he looked the Dandy all over. He waited a few minutes, until we had taken a good look at him, and then, slowly opening his mouth, the mustaches disappeared down his throat.
Fig. 2.
"Now," he said, "I will give you a representation of Bill Sykes." Changing the dainty hat for a battered stove-pipe, he again fixed himself in position, and instantly he had a black eye, a red nose, and grimy, half-shaven-looking chin and jaws, as represented in Fig. 2. I must confess that he made a rather mild and inoffensive Bill Sykes, but still the transformation was marvellous.
After a few minutes' waiting, as before, the black eye, red nose, and half-grown beard vanished, the hat was removed, and he assumed other characters, as follows: the Sick Man, the Red Indian, the Western Miner, and the Darky.
Fig. 3.
And now I will tell you how he did it, and how you can do it yourself. In the first place, take a good look at Fig. 3, so that you may follow my description. Behind the screens were placed two powerful lights, with reflectors behind them made of tin bent into the shape of a gutter-pipe split open, or a tomato can with the ends knocked out, and ripped down the side—indeed, if you can get no better reflectors, tomato cans will answer the purpose very well. Regular circular reflectors are, of course, the best, if you can procure them, the object being to concentrate as brilliant a light as possible on the face of the performer.
Well, behind the screens, as I said, he had two brilliant lights, which shone directly on his face. The appearance of mustaches, board, and black eye was produced by shadows thrown by pieces of card-board on the desired spot. The grimy appearance of Bill Sykes's face was produced by a half-shadow thrown from a piece of net in a frame. The color of the Red Indian and of Bill Sykes's nose was produced by holding a piece of red glass between the performer and the light. The Sick Man was made to look pallid by using a piece of blue glass in the same way, and the Darky's sable hue by a similar use of glass of the proper color.
Fig. 4.
Now look at Fig. 4. The objects marked A represent the instruments used to throw the shadows for the mustaches in the Dandy, B is the beard of the Miner, C the black eye, and D the grimy jaws and red nose of Bill Sykes. Remember that in each of these cases, except the black eye, you require a pair of the instruments. The instruments A B, C are cut out of card-board, and fastened to wires or thin sticks about two feet in length. D is a frame of wire over which is stretched a piece of common net, such as women use for caps; added to this is a piece of red glass, as marked in the diagram, to throw the red light on the nose of Bill Sykes.
By looking at Fig. 3 you will see how the performer holds his instruments. To the right is a mirror, in which his face is reflected, so that he can see whether he has got the shadows in their proper places. In bringing the shadow-throwing instruments into position they should be held edgeways toward the light, so that they will throw little or no shadow until they have come into their right position; then turn them suddenly with the broad side to the light, and the mustaches or beard will appear like a flash.
When the performer seems to swallow his mustache, the effect is produced in the same way, viz., by turning the shadow-throwers edgeways to the light, and at the same time opening the mouth.
Before exhibiting, the performer must make several experiments in order to ascertain the right distance at which to hold the shadow-throwing instruments from his face, and, indeed, to fix their exact position; this being once determined, he can bore holes in his table, at a suitable angle, into which he can stick the handles of his instruments, so that he need not have the trouble of holding them.
He must also fix the precise position for his head, for which purpose he must have a rest, or a small pad fastened to the wall behind him, against which he can securely lean without fear of wobbling.
One last hint: do not let your audience sit too close to you, but keep them at as great a distance as possible, and amuse them with such small-talk as you can command.