FIG. 21.-PAINTING BY N. SICHEL.
From which the "Spirit" Photograph opposite was made.
We hope that it will not be inferred that we desire to explain how to deceive persons with regard to photographs of spirits, for this is not so; we only hope that they will be made merely for amusement, and if possible to expose persons who practice on the gullibility of inexperienced persons.
Fig. 20 is a reproduction of a "spirit" photograph made by a photographer, claiming to be a "spirit photographer," and to have the power to call these ladies and gentlemen from the "vasty deep" and make them impress their image upon the sensitive plate by the side of the portraits of their living relatives.
Fortunately, however, we were in this case able to expose this fraud. Mr. W. M. Murray, a prominent member of the Society of Amateur Photographers of New York, called our attention to the similarity between one of the "spirit" images and a portrait painting by Sichel, the artist.
A reproduction of the picture is given herewith, Fig. 21, and it will be seen at once that the spirit image is copied from it.
In a recent number of The Australian Photographic Journal we read of the following novel method of making so-called spirit photographs: "Take a negative of any supposed spirit that is to be represented, put it in the printing frame with the film side out; lay on the glass side a piece of platinotype paper with the sensitive side up; clamp in place the back of the printing frame and expose to the sun for half a minute. Now place in the printing frame the negative of another person to whom the spirit is to appear, and over it put the previously exposed sheet film side down; expose to the sun for two minutes until the image is faintly seen, then develop in the usual way and the blurred spirit photograph will appear faintly to one side or directly behind the distinct image. Sheets of paper with different ghost exposures can be prepared beforehand."
Spirit photographs might easily be made by means of Prof. Roentgen's well-known X-ray process of impressing an image upon a photographic dry-plate without uncovering the shutter. The process would however entail considerable expense and would necessitate the use of so much costly apparatus that we will content ourselves with the simple mention of the possibility.