Giphantie: Difference between revisions

“You“Thou know,knowest that the rays of light, reflected from different bodies, formmake pictures,a picture and paint the imagebodies reflected onupon all polished surfaces, for example, on the retina of the eye, for instance, on water, and on glass. The elementary spirits have soughtstudied to fix these fleetingtransient images;: they have madecomposed a subtlemost subtile matter, very viscous, and proper to harden and dry, by meansthe help of which a picture is formedmade in the twinklingtwinkle of an eye. They coatdo cover with this matter a piece of canvas with this matter, and placehold it inbefore frontthe ofobjects thethey objecthave a mind to be takenpaint. The first effect of thisthe clothcanvas is similar to that of a mirror,mirrour; butthere byare meansseen ofupon itsit viscous natureall the preparedbodies canvasfar and near, aswhose is notimage the caselight withcan transmit. But what the mirrorglass cannot do, retainsthe acanvas, fac-simileby means of the imageviscous matter, retains the images. The mirrormirrour representsshows imagesthe objects faithfullyexactly, but retainskeeps none; our canvascanvases reflectsshow them nowith the lesssame faithfullyexactness, butand retains them all. This impression of the imageimages is instantaneous.made Thethe first instant they are received on the canvas, which is thenimmediately removedcarried andaway depositedinto in asome dark place.; Anan hour laterafter, the impressionsubtile ismatter drydries, and you have a picture so much the more preciousvaluable, inas thatit nocannot be imitated by art cannor imitatedamaged itsby truthfulnesstime.” (95-96, [[Project Gutenberg|Gutenberg]] translation)</blockquote>