EDISON PERFECTS HIS KINETESCOPE
It Shows Photographs That Have All the Action ot the Original Objects
FORTY-SIX PICTURES A SECOND
Experiments with the New Camera Made for the First Time with Sandow Posed.
SHOW OF BRAWN AND BRAIN.
The strongest man on earth, to quote the play bills, and the greatest inventor of the age met yesterday at Menlo Park, New Jersey. The meeting was an interesting one, and the giant of brain and the giant of muscle found much to admire in each other. Sandow marvelled at Edison's Inventions, and the Wizard gazed longingly and enviously at the prodigious muscles of the strong man.
The latest development of Edison's genius in the line of photography, on which he has been working for the past five years, the kinetoscope, was practically completed a few days ago, and in casting about for a unique subject for the first photograph by the new process Edison chose Sandow as the most fitting and striking character.
Accompanied by John Koster, of Koster & Bial's, Manager C. B. Cline and B. T. Haines, of the Northwestern Telephone Company, Sandow took the Delaware and Lackawanna train at eleven o'clock yesterday morning for Menlo Park. Edison met the quartet at the depot.
TWO GIANTS ARM IN ARM.
The main principle of the kinetoscope, as is already known, consists in the taking of a great number of impressions by a camera in a limited space of time, thus obtaining a continuous photograph of the entire motion of the object or person. The photographs follow each other in such rapid succession that no lapse of time can be detected between the impression recorded, and the series of pictures becomes in effect but one picture.
Then proceeding to the studio Edison and Sandow walked arm in arm. The studio is a building apart from the factory. It is so constructed as to move with the sun, so that the luminary which shines through an aperture about twenty feet in width will always shine directly on the object or person being photographed, the object being to get a perfect focus. The building as it turns rolls like a ship, being erected on a sort of pivot.
The walls, floor and ceiling of the studio are black. The machine for taking pictures consists of a large, square box, about four feet by three. The slide, however, is different from the ordinary, as it is revolving. Back of the spring Is a sensitive gelatine plate in the form of a band that runs on two rollers-. The rollers are revolved rapidly by electricity.
FORTY-SIX PICTURES A SECOND
Forty-six pictures are taken in one second, and the exposure lasts twenty seconds—the length of time required to unroll the band.
The camera Is kept behind a curtain in complete darkness, and when the person is ready to be photographed the curtain is drawn aside, the camera pushed forward on rollers and the exposure takes place.
The opening in the camera is but three inches in width and the pictures are an inch square, though the inventor says he will be able to take pictures of a larger size soon.
Sandow showed his eight well known movements for the distension of the muscles. These bad to be done within twenty seconds, the time of the exposure, so it necessitated some practice beforehand.
The plates secured were declared perfect.
"Let’s get our pictures taken together." said Edison.
"I should consider it an honor and a privilege," replied Sandow, and in a few moments the picture was taken.
New York Herald, New York, 7 mars 1894, p. 9.