About This Page
This page is part of the Museum of Hoaxes' Hoax Photo Archive, a catalog of photo fakery throughout history. Images are categorized by theme, technique of fakery, and time period.
Hoax Museum Archives
The Rope Trick
Status: Staged
Technique of Fakery: Staged Scene.
Date and Time Period: ca. 1888; (Before 1900)
Themes: Striking a Pose
Technique of Fakery: Staged Scene.
Date and Time Period: ca. 1888; (Before 1900)
Themes: Striking a Pose
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A young lady (top) poses on a swing in a photographer's studio. Except, she isn't really on a swing. Nineteenth-century photographers needed their subjects to remain stationary in order to get the proper focus and exposure. So swinging back and forth was out of the question. The swing was actually a prop available from a catalog (bottom). The ropes remained rigid and were not attached to anything above.
References:
Lothrop, E.S. (July-Sep 1984). The Rope Trick. History of Photography. 8(3): 236.
Lothrop, E.S. (July-Sep 1984). The Rope Trick. History of Photography. 8(3): 236.
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