Science: Photomatic

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The Josepho "Photomaton" — which like Dentist Klein's machine developed positives on sensitized paper — made a series of eight exposures in 18 sec., delivered the finished strip in eight minutes for 25¢. For a while it seemed enormously popular. In Britain a lurid little promoter named Clarence Charles Hatry launched a Photomaton company, saw its stock triple despite the fact that it could not have earned its dividend if every man, woman and child in Britain patronized Photomatons once a year. Then in 1929 Promoter Hatry, juggling gigantic deals, landed with a crash in jail for forging bonds. The U. S. Photomaton company was not technically involved but its business was suffering anyway and in October 1930 it went into receivership. Inventor Josepho had vanished with his fortune. Now the U. S. company is owned by American Portraiture Corp. of Manhattan, has three shops of its own and nine licensees as against its halcyon peak of 150.