INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCOVERY.

Evening Star, Issue 3452, 16 March 1874, Page 3

INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCOVERY.

The Melbourne ‘Argus’ says :-Tho poet laureate tells us that the wise of heart will nhfc be disconcert* d at the temporary triumphs of a turbulent faction, because tbey may be—“ Certain, if knowledge brings the sword, that knowledge takes the sword away. ’ We may derive a similar consolation from the reflection that if science enables the unscrupulous to practise certain delusions upon the public, science will also enable ua detect and expose them. a few months ago, the sect of table-rappers was excited by the intelligence that some skilful operator had aucceeded.in taking what he called spiritphotographs. As a matter of course they were greatly in demand, and we dare say the ingenious photographer made a good deal of money by the trick. His modus operandi has recently been brought to light. At the meeting of the British Association at Bradford, Dr Gladstone exhibited some interesting exam pits of the application of washes of a solution of bisulphite of quinine to sheets of white paper. With this solution he wrote some letters on a card. They were invisible to the eye, hut wpen subjected to the operation of the camera they came out with great distinctness in the resulting photograph. A fanciful description is given in the 'Journal of Photography’ of a young lady who heard the paper read, went home and procured some ef the solution, and delineated a death’s head and cross-bones upon her forehead. She then went to a photographers to have her likeness taken, aud the poor man was horrified by the discovery of the insignia of the King of Terrors legibly depicted on the forehead of his sitter ip the negative. Subsequent experiments Were attended by similar' results, and the conclusion he catoe to was that the young lady flausfc be related to the “carlin” who plucked out the tail of Tam O’Sh&nter’s mare. At anyrate, an intelligible explanation is now afforded of certain phenomena which appeared to border the marvellous, for in this application of fluorescenae, as the ‘ Journal of Photography * observes, we may “discover a means whereby the so-called ‘ spiritphotographs ’ may be taken under what are known as test conditions, for upon a plain background-that is, one plain to the eye of sense-may realty exist forms and figures which shall be perfectly visible in a photograph, and visible not merely in a hazy and °l anner > with a considerable degree of boldness.” fa