CARICATURE (Fr., Caricature ; Ger., Zerrbild, Karthatur) A freak portrait obtained by using special backgrounds and foregrounds, distorting the film, copying, etc. Some of the methods of producing caricatures are described below, and others will be found under such definite headings as " Doubles " and " Trick Photography." Large heads on small bodies.—These may be produced in many ways, one of which is to draw the neces sary figure, without a head, upon 4 sheet of white cardboard, the collar, or neck, being at the extreme top, as at A, or a circle may be cut out for the insertion of the head, as at B. If the former is used, the model sits upon a chair and holds the design under the chin. The back ground should be of the same colour as the caricature card, and the junction between the two is spotted out so as not to show upon the finished print. An objection to the above plan is that only the head of the sitter is photographed and the following method may be preferable : Two negatives, one of the head of the size re quired and one a smaller picture of the body, are made ; the larger head is cut from the print and pasted over the smaller head in the other picture, the whole being then copied in the camera. Distorted heads and bodies.—Distorted images may be obtained by warming a partially dried negative before a fire or over a gas flame, the heat causing the gelatine to melt ; the picture can be made to " run," and can be distorted, therefore, to any extent. When dry, the nega
tive can be printed from in the usual way ; but, of course, it cannot be restored to its original state. Another plan is to strip the film from the negative, and to attach it to another glass, stretching it during the process, and allowing it to dry in its stretched position upon the new support. Broad and long faces.—Excessively long or broad faces may be produced by the use of convex or concave mirrors. The sitter is posed in front of the mirror, and the distorted image in the glass photographed ; but great care is necessary to avoid reflections. Another, and a much easier, plan is to copy an existing and proper photograph ; for example, the portrait print is placed in front of the camera, with one edge nearer to it than the other, as in C. The result will be that the width of the face is partly lost, the effect being a lengthening of the face. If an excessively broad face is desired, the print is copied while lying at an angle to the horizontal plane (the less the angle the shorter will be the resulting figure) ; D shows the idea, the bottom edge of the picture being nearer to the camera than the top edge. Many firms sell specially painted comic backgrounds for making caricatures, also negatives of comic scenes into which the head from any existing negative can be printed.