Letters on Natural Magic; Addressed to Sir Walter Scott, Bart.Brewster, David
History
Letters on Natural Magic; Addressed to Sir Walter Scott, Bart.
Brewster, David
Scientific recreations
The nose is obviously the principal feature which produces this
change of direction, as it is more subject to change of perspective
than any of the other features; but Dr. Wollaston has shown by a very
accurate experiment, that even a small portion of the nose introduced
with the features will carry the eyes along with it. He obtained four
exact copies of the same pair of eyes looking at the spectator, by
transferring them upon copper from a steel plate, and having added to
each of two pair of them a nose, in one case directed to the right,
and in the other to the left, and to each of the other two pair a very
small portion of the upper part of the nose, all the four pair of eyes
lost their front direction, and looked to the right or to the left,
according to the direction of the nose, or of the portion of it which
was added.
But the effect thus produced is not limited, as Dr. Wollaston
remarks, to the mere change in the direction of the eyes, “for a
total difference of character may be given to the same eyes by a due
representation of the other features. A lost look of devout abstraction
in an uplifted countenance, may be exchanged for an appearance of
inquisitive archness in the leer of a younger face turned downwards and
obliquely towards the opposite side,” as in Fig. 27, 28. This, however,
is perhaps not an exact expression of the fact. The new character
which is said to be given to the eyes is given only to the eyes in
combination with the new features, or, what is probably more correct,
the inquisitive archness is in the other features, and the eye does not
belie it.
Dr. Wollaston has not noticed the converse of these illusions, in which
a change of direction is given to fixed features by a change in the
direction of the eyes. This effect is finely seen in some magic lantern
sliders, where a pair of eyes is made to move in the head of a figure,
which invariably follows the motion of the eyeballs.
[Illustration: _Fig. 28._]
[Illustration: _Fig. 27._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account