Trick photography emerged as a popular practice in the 1890s following the advent of small, handheld cameras, such as the Kodak. Previously, photography had been the domain of scientists or professionals who could afford the expensive equipment and dedicate time to the mastery of darkroom work. As the cost of cameras decreased and the photo-finishing industry was born, the medium became more accessible to amateurs. A Kodak user could simply send the camera with its finished roll of film back to the manufacturer. The pictures were developed and printed, then returned to the photographer along with the camera, now reloaded with a fresh roll of film. As the company’s advertising slogan put it: “You push the button, we do the rest.”
But amateur photographers still had quite a lot to figure out besides how to press a button. Early amateur cameras were not equipped with light meters, focusing rings, or even viewfinders. Making pictures involved trial and error, as well as an understanding of the basics of exposure, focus, and framing. Sometimes errors were useful teachers: strange results became the foundation of popular trick photos. Underexposing glittering sunlight could transform any scene into a nocturne, which became known as day-for-night shooting. Exposing a single negative twice to produce twins became a mainstay of trick photography though it remained a mistake elsewhere, the result of forgetting to advance the film.
Aspiring trick photographers who wanted more guidance could consult a book. Trick photography was sometimes featured in a slim chapter of its own at the end of amateur how-to guides. But several titles were entirely dedicated to the practice: the German Photographischer Zeitvertreib (1890) and its British translation Photographic Pastimes (1891), as well as the French Les récréations photographiques (1891) and the American Photographic Amusements (1896). Walter E. Woodbury, author of Photographic Amusements, claimed that his book was not aimed at simple button pushers, but many of the tricks he described could be accomplished with a Kodak. The first examples in the book are amusing even without a camera. Using mirrors, the photographer could create a battery of soldiers from just one sitter or the illusion of a cardsharp playing against himself. Woodbury allows that “even an ordinary, well-polished spoon may be made to give some curious results.”