Thursday 9 June 2011

Another Move-O-Graph Portrait

A year ago I posted an article about Move-O-Graph, The Live Portrait, a gimmicky idea from an era well before the advent of video cameras, even before Super 8 home movie cameras. Tony Rackstraw posted a similar Living Portrait on his blog, Early Canterbury Photographers.

Image © and courtesy of David Brook

Recently I received another example of a Move-O-Graph portrait from David Brook, depicting his father Archibald Brook (1888-1967). It was probably taken in the late 1910s or early 1920s. The mechanism, which from Tony Rackstraw's description appears to consist of two layers, has survived intact. The lower layer consists of a composite photographic image made from two distinct views, and the second is a covering "filter" of cellulose with very narrow vertical black strips. The "movement" effect is created by the gaps between these strips alternately revealing first one image and then the other, as the filter is moved slightly from side to side.

Image © and courtesy of David Brook

The reverse of the card which encases the photograph has printed instructions for achieving the full effect. The pencilled "530a Oxford Street" was added by the subject at some stage.

Image © and courtesy of David Brook

I've used images sent to me by David in an attempt to recreate this "movement" digitally using an animated GIF. The effect is a little unnerving, and David ensures me the original is even more so.

Image © and courtesy of David Brook

To be honest, I can't imagine why a perfectly good-looking gentleman like Archibald Brook, pictured in a more conventional portrait at around the same time above, might want to preserve his features in such a manner. None of the examples I've seen so far - and several more have appeared on the net since my last article - have been very flattering, and I would even be bold enough to say that most are positively bizarre. I'm not particularly suprised that the format apparently never lasted more than a few years.

If you have a Move-O-Graph that produces a pleasant effect - I would even settle for somewhat comical - please get in touch so we can share it. For the moment, I'm adding this one to my newly created "What were they thinking?" category.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for posting this - I'm Archibald's granddaughter - it's great to see him online :)

    Apparently, moving his hairline was his party trick, so maybe he wanted to capture this. I'm pleased to report my father inherited his handsome looks as well as his lively sense of humour.

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  2. Thanks for posting Laura. David, too, suggested that Archibald's sitting for this portrait was done as joke more than anything else. Nice to be able to share this with my readers.

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  3. How neat! Yes strange and funny, but fascinating too! I learned something new today. I have some old photos that look just like this, small, in a sleeve with the circle on the back, I wonder if they do this too? I will have to dig them out and take a look!

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  4. savethephotos - I'd be keen on seeing scans of your old photos too! Perhaps we can even fashion another animation, if they are Move-O-Graphs.

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