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The
first artificially-created human clones date back
to the 1860s. Clever photographers, ever on the
watch for new ideas to boost business, developed
several techniques to duplicate people --- causing
them to appear twice in the same photograph. "Every
Man His Own Twin!" boasted one ad, neatly
explaining the appeal of this novelty. These
double-exposure images were no passing fad-- they
were popular for more than three decades.
Special
plate-holders and rotating partial lens caps were
among the devices used to expose half of the
negative at a time. After the first exposure, the
subject of the photograph would quickly move into a
different position so the second half of the
picture could be made.
Of
course, real twins of various ages were also
photographed in similar studio settings, making it
difficult to determine which double portraits are
the result of photographic manipulation. One
indicator is the presence of a slightly lighter or
darker line bisecting the photograph, but sometimes
this line is so artfully concealed that the trick
goes undetected.
In
many cases, the novelty of camera-created cloning
was enough to satisfy a studio's clientele, but
there is little of interest to the modern viewer in
two awkwardly-posed portraits of the same person
shown side-by-side. The images in this exhibition,
however, demonstrate that creativity and
imagination can elevate a technical innovation
beyond the level of gimmickry. It's an important
lesson: even the most innovative digital effects of
the 21st century can fall flat if they serve no
narrative purpose.
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