Tag Archive | early multiplicity photography
March 15, 2018  

Lewis Reed Shows Off His “Photoshopping” Skills… 100 Years Ago

If you take a look at the state of photography today, such as the advances of digital cameras and the artful image manipulation by Photoshop, it is easy to forget that back in the 1900s photographers couldn’t just go into a computer program and change their images any way they wanted. They did what they could with the tools they had. Double image exposure was one tool Lewis Reed had in his photography tool belt. He was doing crazy things to images and creating humorous effects over 100 years ago. With double exposure technique, you could create certain effects like placing the same person on both sides of a picture simultaneously. Photographs were pieced together in the darkroom from separate photographs.

Below are eight (circa 1920s) photographs from Lewis Reed’s collection that will make you do a double take. No digital manipulation here. (click on photos to enlarge)

1900s double exposure image

A double exposure image of Lewis Reed’s brother, Edgar, seated on both sides of a table.

1900s double exposure image

Lewis Reed standing on both sides of a steamroller

1900s double exposure image

Another double exposure wonderment. Wanna Fight?

1900s double exposure image

Oh No! What on earth are they doing? I don’t know, but this one is epic.

1900s double exposure image

Don’t Shoot! Lewis Reed is standing both front left and front right in this photo

1900s double exposure image

Surrealistic, ghost-like effect of Lewis Reed standing next to a tree in the middle of train track.

1900s double exposure image

More “photoshop” fun. Lewis Reed pushing the same man in baby carriage on both sides of the photo.

1900s double exposure image

It’s a bird, it’s a plane .. no, it’s a man up in a tree!

 

May 4, 2014  

Photoshop 1900s Style

Vintage Double Exposure

A double exposure image of Lewis Reed’s brother, Edgar, seated on both sides of a table. Think about doing this without Photoshop. Photo by Lewis Reed

If you take a look at the state of photography today, such as the advances of digital cameras and the artful image manipulation by Photoshop, it is easy to forget that back in the 1900s photographers couldn’t just go into a computer program and change their images any way they wanted. They did what they could with the tools they had. Double image exposure was one tool Lewis Reed had in his photography tool belt. He was doing crazy things to images like this one over 100 years ago.

With double exposure technique, you could create certain effects like placing the same person on both sides of a picture simultaneously. Very hard to believe this image was not created using Photoshop, it is just too cool. No digital manipulation here.