The next pair of composites (full face and profile) on the Plate has not been published before.  The interest of the pair lies chiefly in their having been made from only two components, and they show how curiously even two faces that have a moderate family likeness will blend into a single one.  That neither of these predominated in the present case will be learned from the following letter by the father of the ladies, who is himself a photographer:—­

“I am exceedingly obliged for the very curious and interesting composite portraits of my two children.  Knowing the faces so well, it caused me quite a surprise when I opened your letter.  I put one of the full faces on the table for the mother to pick up casually.  She said, ’When did you do this portrait of A? how like she is to B!  Or is it B?  I never thought they were so like before.’  It has puzzled several people to say whether the profile was intended for A or B. Then I tried one of them on a friend who has not seen the girls for years.  He said, ’Well, it is one of the family for certain, but I don’t know which.’”

[Illustration:  ]

I have made several other family portraits, which to my eye seem great successes, but must candidly own that the persons whose portraits are blended together seldom seem to care much for the result, except as a curiosity.  We are all inclined to assert our individuality, and to stand on our own basis, and to object to being mixed up indiscriminately with others.  The same feeling finds expression when the resident in a suburban street insists on calling his house a villa with some fantastic name, and refuses, so long as he can, to call it simply Number so and so in the street.

The last picture in the upper row shows the easy way in which young and old, male and female, combine to form an effective picture.  The components consist in this case of the father and mother, two sons, and two daughters.  I exhibited the original of this, together with the portraits from which it was taken, at the Loan Photographic Exhibition at the Society of Arts in February 1882.  I also sent copies of the original of this same composite to several amateur photographers, with a circular letter asking them to get from me family groups for the purpose of experiments, to see how far the process was suitable for family portraiture.

The middle row of portraits illustrates health, disease, and criminality.  For health, I have combined the portraits of twelve officers of the Royal Engineers with about an equal number of privates, which were taken for me by Lieutenant Darwin, R.E.  The individuals from whom this composite was made, which has not come out as clearly as I should have liked, differed considerably in feature, and they came from various parts of England.  The points they had in common were the bodily and mental qualifications required for admission into their select corps, and their generally British descent.  The result is a composite having an expression of considerable vigour, resolution, intelligence, and frankness.  I have exhibited both this and others that were made respectively from the officers, from the whole collection of privates—­thirty-six in number—­and from that selected portion of them that is utilised in the present instance.