in reference to the next two figures, how the end is attained by placing
a pair of dark spectacles upon a regularly-featured face, or adding a
little flesh to the lower portion of that at Fig. 39.
But not to forget the "Art" in the "Sport," let me add, that by sketching
the plain oval, and remarking whereabout the lines of their features would
cut it, you may, without difficulty, attempt likenesses of your friends
and companions.
Now fill your slates or sketch-books with ovals, and try the effects of
which the above are but indications. Your imaginations will furnish an
endless variety of subjects. The omission of one eye, or its being covered
by a shade, or closed while the other stares; the nose slightly on one
side, the mouth a little wider than usual--these are all sources of the
humorous, which, however, is far from being heightened by _ugliness_.
Indeed, it should be borne in mind, that great distortion or hideousness,
so far from contributing to humor, destroys it by raising painful images
in the mind. True humor is closely allied to kindness.
Now let us take the simplest elements of the profile or side face. This
is also formed upon the oval, with a slight variation. And here we must
go a little more into the "Art" than at first sight the "Sport" seems
to warrant. You will perceive by Fig. 41 that the oval used for profile
purposes is divided as before into four about equal portions, which are
appropriated in the same manner. That is to say, the central line across
is for the eye, and the other two for the limit of the hair and the bottom
of the nose.
[Illustration: 41]
But take notice that portions are cut off--_e. g._, at the back where the
neck is inserted; a little has to be added for forehead, chin, and hair;
and some modification takes place about the region of the eye.
Suffice it that the oval forms essentially the basis of the structure of
a well proportioned face, such as is shown in the Fig. (41). Draw for
yourself, or trace from Fig. 41, a figure for your basis. Next make a
number of these tracings upon a clean sheet of drawing paper, and marking
them in very lightly, in pencil, proceed as directed in the case of the
front face in the last lesson; altering the feature lines, lengthening or
shortening the chin, nose, and forehead according to your fancy. This will
be a sufficient guide for you, and illustrations of this are accordingly
omitted here.
[Illustration: 42]
[Illustration: 43]
Let us proceed a step further. The last hint only dealt with the depth
relatively of the several parts of the face. Now, as to their prominence.
How very easily, by means of a few magic touches, which, by this time, you
are magicians enough to impart, may you summon up our ancient acquaintance
Mother Hubbard, or the modern hero Punch. (See Figs. 42, 43.)
[Illustration: 44]
[Illustration: 45]
Observe that the peculiarity of these comic physiognomies consists
merely in their deviation from the regularly formed head of Fig. 41.
They are constructed upon that figure, which may be seen underneath in
dotted lines. The variety of ways in which this exercise may be worked
is infinite. Subjoined are a few. In Figs. 44 and 45, beards, mustaches,
eyebrows, the hair cut absurdly short, or left redundant, joined to the
sinking in of the facial angle, produce the effect of comicality. In Figs.
46, 47, the same end is attained by the simplest means, and with even
less exaggeration. And here I again repeat, that the less deviation there
is from the proper proportions the better.
[Illustration: 46]
[Illustration: 47]
As a pendant to the comical landscape given No. 27 I give you the annexed
(Fig. 48).
[Illustration: 48]
[Illustration: 49]
Every one will recognize it as a model drawing--such as is to be found
upon walls, and occasionally upon the margins of school-books. This the
artist (!) intends from a comic drawing. Of course it is no such thing.
We will new take up the grandest object of art the Human Figure. In
designing the human figure, there are three principal rules to be
observed:
First, the standard height of the human body may be reckoned as eight
times the length of the face. Dividing the entire length by eight, as
shown in the annexed diagram (Fig. 49), it will be perceived that the face
comprises one of the spaces: the second reaching to the chest: the third,
to above the hips; the fourth cuts the entire length into two equal parts;
the fifth extends to the center of the thigh: the sixth, to the knee
joint; the seventh to half way down the leg; and the eighth, to the sole
of the foot.
The second rule is, that no part of the body, viewed laterally, is more
than twice the thickness of the head. In very young children, however, the
rule is, that where the head will go, any part of the body will follow, as
the experience of most people has tested.
The third rule concerns the center of gravity. By reference to the fig.
(49), a vertical line will be perceived, drawn through the center of the
figure. Whenever the body is at rest upon its legs, standing at ease, as
one may say, this imaginary line must always pass through its center.
We shall see more about this hereafter, at present confining ourselves to
the consideration of the first two rules These must be considered as only
generally true.
[Illustration: 50]
They have, however, to be well considered in connection with our present
subject; for as we said with the face, any great deviation from them leads
to oddity, and is at the root of caricature drawing.
Trace out, or sketch out any size, the figures (Fig. 49 and 50), or any
others for yourselves: or taking any well drawn figure in a print which
may not be too costly to use so, draw with a black lead pencil upon the
print similar lines to those in the figures, that is to say, divide its
length into eight parts, first dropping a central line perpendicular to
the ground.
You will thus test the accuracy of the rule, and familiarize yourself with
the proportions of the figure. Then, for the purpose of comic drawing,
you will vary these proportions. A face too long or too short, a body too
large or too small for the legs, or legs otherwise disproportionate to the
rest of the body, will yield the desired results. It will be seen by the
Figs. 51 and 52 that their oddity has been arrived at simply by this rule,
or by the deviation from the strict rule of proportion.
[Illustration: 51]
[Illustration: 52]
[Illustration: 53]
Fig. 53 is given in illustration of the remarks upon the second rule. The
form is correct enough as regards height, and deviates in the matter of
lateral proportion.
We now come to consider the third principle--that of the center of
gravity.
Observe in the annexed figures how the first (Fig. 54) being at rest,
commends itself to the reason like a mathematical demonstration. The next
diagram shows a partial deviation from the center of gravity, is in a
false position, and we begin either to pity or to laugh--poor diagram!
The two following figures are other cases of the same sort--we feel
instinctively for them--they are very far gone. Try this rule upon your
slates or sketching blocks; and after that we will go on to the next
subject. In the diagrams (Figs. 58, 59), the same principle is enforced.
The first is at rest, because the line passing through the center of the
figure is a vertical line. In the next figure, that line being out of the
vertical, the balance is disturbed, and the figure topples; so with the
next. This is so plain that argument is not needed to demonstrate it.
[Illustration: 54]
[Illustration: 55]
[Illustration: 56]
[Illustration: 57]
[Illustration: 58]
[Illustration: 59]
[Illustration: 60]
Try this also for yourselves as before. Nor need we confine our
experiments to figures comparatively at rest: forms in every variety of
action come under the same rule--it is a law of nature. There is a central
line drawn through the whole system of the universe, through every tree,
and plant, and stone, and every upright thing, could we but see it.
[Illustration: 61]
[Illustration: 62]
The first of the following figures is in full action, but it may go on
for ever, as its balance is not in any way disturbed. The second is fast
hastening to its fall. The third is much nearer still to that consummation.
[Illustration: 63]
[Illustration: 64]
[Illustration: 65]
[Illustration: 66]
It will suggest itself to every reader to apply the rule to other objects
than the human figure. Trees in the positions of Figs. 64 and 65 are never
seen unless through some violent accident; they may bend, and twist, and
meander, but taking the objects as a whole, a central line, vertical to
the horizon, will be detected, as shown in Fig. 65.
If we turn our attention in any direction upon natural objects, the
clouds, the earth, the sea, flowers, trees, or animal bodies, we cannot
fail to see that _a curved line_ is always to be made out in their forms.
Indeed, just so far as they are graceful and pleasing objects to the eye,
this curved line is distinguishable. On the contrary, square lines offend
the eye when met with under such circumstances. It is almost impossible
indeed to imagine a square cloud, a square flower, or a square horse. When
we see a square headed man, we are not impressed in his favor. We may have
met with representations of natural objects, such as rocks, hill tops,
mountain precipices, and the like, which had a square or nearly square
appearance; but such things are almost always presented to our view as
phenomena--_i. e._ things violating the regular order or general rule of
nature. This curved line, which is the line of beauty, must pervade all
nature; it is the natural law; and we cannot sufficiently admire the truth
that that which is most necessary is also most beautiful.
Does any one ask what particular reference these observations have to
"Art in Sport?" Let us say that they alone can properly understand what
is comic who have learned to appreciate what is _not_ comic. The distance
between the sublime and the ridiculous is said to be very small--only one
step. At any rate, the student who best understands the first will best
appreciate the second. Socrates did not disdain to write an essay upon
this subject, insisting that the very same qualities were essential in the
comic and the tragic artist. But this is digressive.
[Illustration: 67]
Let us resume: In the annexed figure (67) you perceive the curved line.
In proportion as you are able to make this perfectly, you will succeed in
drawing gracefully. I must presume that very many of my readers will have
no difficulty in copying the few natural objects suggested below. Practice
upon your slate or board the figure (67) until you can do it easily. Then,
for the purposes of "sport," proceed as follows. You wish to produce a
droll "bit" of landscape. Take any simple view, such as submitted in Fig.
68.
[Illustration: 68]
In this you will readily discover, as I said above, the curved, graceful
lines of beauty--in the clouds, the outline of the distant hills, the
foliage, the meandering stream. Let me advise you to practice this lesson
somewhat perseveringly; apart from the new source of amusement which it
is the object of these papers to open up, a beautiful lesson could be
impressed upon the mind. Nothing is more calculated to refine the mind,
to ennoble the thoughts, than to withdraw one's self from the artificial
world, and to gaze upon the fresh face of nature. And if we are able to
do this intelligently--in other words, if, having learned the alphabet,
we are able to peruse as it were the book of nature--the delight and the
advantage is proportionably increased. Now turn to the example shown in
Fig. 69. What do we see? The lines of beauty have given place to others
less pleasing to the eye, and (except as a source of merriment) less
acceptable to the mind. Fig. 69 is a comic landscape; how it has become so
must be clearly apparent.
[Illustration: 69]
In Fig. 70, the same process is carried out, and the result is similar.
[Illustration: 70]
I hope that I shall not be understood to mean, that in order to be
graceful everything must be round, or that everything round is graceful,
or that every square object is ungraceful; or, again, that by making
any curved line into a square or straight one the end we propose is to
be obtained. Doubtless many round things are ungraceful, as many others
composed entirely of straight lines at various angles to each other are
exceedingly graceful. But what is meant is this: that natural objects, in
which, left to themselves, the curved line predominates, are made odd and
comic-looking when drawn upon the square.
[Illustration: 71]
In Fig. 71, not only the lines of the shepherd's form are curved lines,
and, therefore, conducive in a degree to its general pleasing character,
but the _attitude_ is formed upon a curved line. This will be perceived
clearer by reference to the next figure, (72,) in which, without using a
single straight line in the parts of the form, the oddity is attained by
making the whole attitude stiff and angular.
[Illustration: 72]
The student will find no difficulty in multiplying examples for himself:
those given will suffice as hints. We must now proceed to show how comic
designs may be made and applied to the slides of magic lanterns. The
proper course of procedure is as follows:
Procure a piece of clear common window glass, without specks or scratches;
let this be made perfectly clean. Prepare your design, which should be
made the exact size you intend it to be painted upon the glass; color it;
and when quite dry, place it beneath your slide of glass, to which it
might be fastened at the corners by means of a little gum or varnish. Now
commence to paint upon the glass an exact fac simile of the design, which,
of course, you see clearly enough through the glass.
Common camel's hair brushes will do; those made of sable are, however,
much better; but the first will suffice for ordinary purposes.
The colors necessary are what are called silica colors, and are procurable
of most artist's color makers.
It will be necessary to let your first colors dry before putting on your
shades; and it is desirable not to work in too hot a room, as the nature
of the varnish with which you work is to dry very rapidly.
Bear in mind too, that upon glass you cannot wash in a tint. Broad
surfaces, such as skies, must be stippled in, as in painting upon ivory.
In originating this paper on "The Magic of Art," the author did not
propose to himself to give a complete treatise, but simply to point out,
by some very easy processes, at source of amusement and instruction,
available to almost every intelligent reader. It is hoped that, in
this subject, he has not entirely failed, and that all will find some
entertainment from,
"Art in Sport."
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 14: This is done easily enough, but the following directions
may not be needless for some. Draw a straight line for a base of any
length. If you wish to form a equilateral triangle, _i. e._ one of which
the three sides are equal, divide this base line by two, and at the point
of division set up an upright line; then from each end of the base line
slant against the central upright line one the length of the base. These,
of course, will meet at the top, and the triangle is formed. Any other
triangle may be formed in a similar manner, the length of the sides being
at the choice of the artist.]
SECRET WRITING.
[Illustration]
The art of communicating secret information by means of writing, which is
intended to be illegible except by the person for whom it is destined,
is very ancient. The ancients sometimes shaved the head of a slave, and
wrote upon the skin with some indelible coloring matter, and then sent
him, after his hair had been grown again, to the place of his destination.
This is not, however, properly secret writing, but only a concealment of
writing. Another kind, which corresponds better with the name, is the
following, used by the ancients. They took a small stick, and wound around
it bark or papyrus, upon which they wrote. The bark was then unrolled and
sent to the correspondent, who was furnished with a stick of the same
size. He wound the bark again round this, and thus was enabled to read
what had been written.
This mode of concealment is evidently very imperfect. Cryptography
properly consists in writing with signs, which are legible only to him
for whom the writing is intended, or who has a key or explanation of
the signs. The most simple method is to choose for every letter of the
alphabet some sign, or only another letter. But this sort of cryptography
(chiffre) is also easy to be deciphered without a key. Hence many
illusions are used. No separation is made between the words, or signs
of no meaning are inserted between those of real meaning. Various keys
are also used according to rules before agreed upon. By this means the
deciphering of the writing becomes difficult for a third person not
initiated, but it is also extremely troublesome to the correspondents
themselves, and a slight mistake often makes it illegible even to them.
Another mode of communicating intelligence secretly, viz. to agree upon
some printed book, and mark the words out, is also troublesome, and not
at all safe. The method of concealing the words which are to convey the
information intended in matter of a very different character, in a long
letter which the correspondent is enabled to read by applying a paper to
it, with holes corresponding to the places of the significant words, is
attended with many disadvantages: the paper may be lost, the repetition of
certain words may lead to a discovery, and the difficulty of connecting
the important with the unimportant matter, so as to give to the whole the
appearance of an ordinary letter, is considerable.
There are many kinds of sympathetic inks. They are so called because the
writings or drawings made by them are illegible, till by the action of
some chemical agents, such as light, heat, acids, or other substances
are brought in contact with them, when they appear. A weak sulphate of
iron will be invisible in writing till washed over with a weak solution
of prussiate of potass, which turns it of a beautiful blue. If we write
with the nitro-muriate of gold, and afterwards brush the letters over with
dilute muriate of tin, the writing will appear of a beautiful purple.
If we write with a diluted solution of muriate of copper, and when dry
present it to the fire, it will be of a yellow color.
Chemistry was also in great request for secret writing, and various
substances were found to afford a fluid which would leave no mark behind
the pen, until some chemical agent were applied. For example, if a letter
be written with a pen dipped in the juice of lemon, the words will be
invisible until the paper is held before the fire. This is caused by the
action of the heat. Again, if a solution of nitrate of iron be the fluid
used, the writing cannot be seen until it is dipped into a solution of
galls, or even into tea, which will act upon the iron, and become ink.
It was found that if a plain sheet of paper were sent, and intercepted,
the very fact of its being plain rendered it suspicious, and every means
were used to render visible any writing that might be on it. A letter was
therefore written with ordinary ink, on indifferent subjects, and between
the lines the required information was added in some sympathetic ink.
But writing with these or other sympathetic inks is unsafe, because the
agents employed to render them visible are too generally known. Hence,
the chiffre indéchiffrable, as it is called, has come very much into use,
because it is easily applied, difficult to be deciphered, and the key may
be preserved in the memory and easily changed. It consists of a table in
which the letters of the alphabet, or any other signs agreed upon, are
arranged as follow:
z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a
b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b
c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c
d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d
e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e
f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f
g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d c f g
h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h
i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i
k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k
l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l
m n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m
n o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n
o p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o
p q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p
q r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q
r s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r
s t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s
t u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u
v w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v
w x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w
x y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x
y z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y
z a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Any word is now taken for a key. The word _Paris_, for example. This is
a short word, and for the sake of secresy it would be well to choose for
the key some one or more words less striking. Suppose we wish to write in
this cypher with this key the phrase, "We lost a battle," we must write
_Paris_ over the phrase, repeating it as often as is necessary, thus:
Pa risP a risPar
We lost a battle.
We now take cypher for _w_, the letter which we find in the square
opposite _w_ in the left margin column, and under _p_ on the top, which is
_m_. Instead of _e_ we take the letter opposite _e_, and under _a_, which
is _f_; for _l_, the letter opposite _c_, and under _z_, and so on.
Proceeding thus, we should obtain the following series of letters:
mf cxli b tkmimw
The person who receives the epistle writes the key over the letters
P a r i s P a r i s P a r
m f c x l i b t k m i m w
He now goes down in the perpendicular line, at the top of which is _p_,
until he meets _m_, opposite to which, in the left marginal column, he
finds _w_. Next, going in the line of _a_ down to _f_ he finds, on the
left, _e_. In the same way _r_ gives _l_, _i_ gives _o_, and so on. Or you
may reverse the process; begin with _p_, in the left marginal column, and
look along horizontally till you find _m_, over which, in the top line,
you will find _w_. It is easily seen that the same letter is not always
designated by the same cypher; thus _e_ and _a_ occur twice in the phrase
selected, and they are designated respectively by the cyphers _f_ and _w_,
_b_ and _k_. Thus the possibility of finding out the secret writing is
almost impossible.
The key may be changed from time to time, and a different key may be used
with each correspondent. The utmost accuracy is necessary, because one
character accidentally omitted changes the whole cypher. The best way
of determining the key word is to arrange that any word which occurs at
a certain distance from the beginning or end shall be the key word--the
tenth from the beginning, for example. The key word will thus change every
time, and any combination of letters will make it. This will make it
impossible to be guessed.
The easiest method of working this square is to cut a piece of thin wood
like a carpenter's square, and by applying it to the alphabet the letter
is at once seen in the angle. For example, supposing such a square to be
applied so that one side is on the letter _p_ at the top, and the other on
the letter _w_ at the left hand, the letter _m_ will be in the angle, so
that the trouble of following the lines with the eye will be avoided.
Here is another specimen of secret writing.
A LOCK FOR MR. HOBBS TO PICK.
T:2 21rt:(,)t:2 s21(,)t:2 st1rr6 s,6(,)
1r2 86p : 2rs wr3t 76 : 1-9 93v3-2(,)
T : 1t : 1-9 w:38: t5-29 t:23r : 1r ? 4-6(,)
1-9 7192 t:23r v1r329 .!4r325 s:3-2(:)
3- t:2? 22- :21t:2-s 262 ?16 s22
S6?74!s 3- 5-2 .r1-9 tr3t: 84?75-2(;)
76t 3- t:2 744, 40 744,s t:2r2 !32s
1 ,26 34 r219 t:23r ?6st2r32s (.)
T:2- !2t -4t 013t:!2ss t4-.52 19v1-82
3ts s:1!!4w v15-ts(,)-4r s84002r 91r2
5p4- t:2 71sl2 40 3.-4r1-82
T4 r13s2 1 str58t5r2 40 92sp13r(!)
T:45.: 044!s ?16 .3v2 t:2 w4r!9s t4 8:1-82(,)
92s3.- 1-9 pr4v392-82 1r2 t:2r2(.)
:4w 7!3-929(,)w:4 1t 921t: 1!4-2
T:23r 922p s3.-30381-86 4w-(!)
HERE IS THE ANSWER.
The letters are represented by the figures and symbols below them. With
this key the lock may be opened.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o u y
1 7 8 9 2 0 . : 3 ; , ! ? - 4 5 6
The stops enclosed in brackets, are used in their capacity of stops: thus,
(,) (;) &c.