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614 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [AtGUST 28, 1891. DOUBLES. BY G. R. CROMWELL. The making of double pictures has been a hobby with me for some time—in fact, several years. But I find I have kept the secret too long to be of any material value to me, or to receive any benefit from my patent application, hav ing paid second money and received nothing; for, as you may know, I have experimented with pictures and the lantern since I was a boy. I remember when I was a child I threw the house into confusion with a tiny lantern. But it was always a passion with me, and what I am about to show you is one of my old tricks. I tried various methods of producing these doubles, with more or less success, as you will see. I finally hit upon a little box, a common cigar box with flaps or doors. With this little box attached to the hood of the lens, the door or flap opened on the side toward the subject, the first exposure is made, viz., with uncapped lens (doors closed) ; open first half (exposure), close again ; and after the subject has changed position the other side, or double exposure, is made. This method is an attachment to the lens, and the doors being opened, first on one side and then the other, the cap cannot be used. But I do this same doubling without the box on any apparatus. This is it: A plain cigar box, blackened on the inside, is placed in front of the lens, covering one-half of the subject. It is as if the lens were an eye ; the same as if I placed some thing in front of my eye. With the box cutting off one side it takes only what it sees ; what the eye does not see it cannot take. This is a great aid to carry out Mr. Champney’s instructions in reference to composing your foregrounds. When I went view shooting in Europe, and when I went to make a picture, I got down crouching behind the camera, and what I could not see I knew I should not get on the plate ; I had no need to use a finder. So you have the same principle in taking double pictures. I also make curious pictures with the guillotine shutter. Open the slide of plate, pull up the shutter, close, cover plate as if finished, change to opposite shutter, pull open the slide of plate again, pull up the shutter, close over plate, and develop. The result will be one background, but one or more figures repeated as placed on either side at the time of the exposure of the plate. The best plan to double images on the plate, maintain ing an undisturbed background, is as follows: To use a cap for the lens, also a box (cigar box will answer), black on the inside and edges at its opening. Place the box in front of the camera on a small stand, at the distance that the plate is from the lens when the focus is obtained. Make a mark on the table at the end of the box, so as to know, in changing its position, that the precise opposite is secured. Now to operate: Box in place, figure to be seen by open half of lens; expose, replace cap, change box and figure, uncap, close, and develop. Result, two figures—one and the same—one background, and no line of demarcation in its taking. Many lantern slides were exhibited to fully illustrate the successful use of the box with doors, the guillotine shutter, and the plain box. The simplicity of the process is at once evident.—Phot. Amer. Pieview. REGARDIXG the Convention at Buffalo, Wilson's Magazine has the following:—“ A large number of amateurs availed them selves of the opportunity extended them to visit the Exhibition, and they generally found there were several things about photographing that their elders could teach them.” Qatent Intellgence. Applications for Letters Patent. 13,887. Arthur KENIPsOX PENX and William Wallace Beasley, Claremont House, Claremont Road, Handsworth, “ An Adjustable Vignetting Frame for Use in Photographic Printing.”—August 18th. 13,950. Joseph Sedgwick, 37, Chancery Lane, London, “ Improvements in Photographic Bags used for Changing Sensitised Plates.”—August 18th. 13,964. Henry Foster, St. Wilfrid’s House, Blake Street, York, “The Opaque-Negative Photo-Printer.”—August 19th. 14,231. Herbert WELD-BLUNDELL, 53, Chancery Lane, Lon don, “ Improvements in and connected with Photographic Apparatus for Surveying and Field-Sketching Purposes.”— August 19 th. Specifcations Fublished. 4,704. March 26th, 1890.— “Magic Lanterns.” F. H. Varley, Newington Green Road, London. Relates to zoetropic cameras, which may be also used as magic lanterns. A sensitive film is wound on drums, one being the winding-on drum, and pass over guide rollers. The drums are actuated by springs in opposite directions, and are also in gear with one another, so that the tension of the spring of one drum serves to wind the spring in the other drum, thus serving to keep taut the sensitive film. The film is intermittently fed, in lengths equal to the part exposed between the rollers, by an oscillating lever terminating in a roller. The movement of the lever in withdrawing a length of film from the drum winds the spring of that drum, and as this winds the spring of the other, the latter winds on the film. Detents are used to prevent a reverse movement of the film. The shutter, which consists of a perforated disc revolv ing in front of a fixed perforated piece, is actuated by cams on a shaft. In a modification, the roller slides are differently actuated, and sliding shutters are used. Also the camera is provided at the back with a slide, which permits focussing, and also enables the camera to be fitted to serve for reproducing the zoetropic representations on a screen. [Patent opposed. Case not yet decided.^ Corresponence. PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN. Sir,—Kindly permit me to remind intending exhibitors that Monday, September 14th, is the last day for receiving “ pack ing cases” from the country by our agent, Mr. Bourlet, 17, Nassau Street, Middlesex Hospital; and that Wednesday, September 16th, is the only day for receiving pictures and apparatus at the Gallery, 5a, Pall Mall East, S.W. Entry forms and further information may be obtained from me. H. T. Lawrance, Assistant Sec. 50, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, W. C. PERSPECTIVE DRAWING AND VISION. Reply to Mr. Wheeler by Dr. P. H. Emerson. Sir,—I do not know what Mr. Wheeler’s theory of the visual perception is, but I feel sure Mr. Wheeler has but sipped at the spring of psychology—that is, to judge by his remarks. Mr. Wheeler ought to know that the 1 ‘ ignoring of well-accepted theory ” is nothing against original experiment, whereas, for “ the confusion of thought,” that may be subjective and not objective. Mr. Wheeler says, “ the accepted mental theory, according to which distance can never be directly seen as such—that is, it can never be apprehended as simple sensation.” Now Mr. Wheeler shows by this remark that he knows nothing of the will of the “ sensationalist,” by whom the third dimension is- considered to be a pure sensation. Such is the accepted theory of the sensationalists, and I am altogether with them, our researches being in their favour, and against the Berkleyans ct in genus omne. Wundt’s life has been spent in constructing a space theory, to my mind valueless, and I can