The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-11-09
A PHOTOGRAPHERS VIEWS.
EpIrYINa INTERVIEW WITH A MAN
WHO TAKES ICTURES.
How People Siroy Their vanity Fc-
fore The Camcrn.--Fsc cut, aritN so 7
PcoII. who Have Pictures TAX en-.

and children, and about as many OF them
are children as women. A large number
of the children are babies. If there are
any parents in this country with baby
four weeks old and upward who have not
had its photograph taken am not aware
of the fact"
''To what extent do Cupid's opera
tons promote your trafiicg"
"Just about one half of all my patrons
of both sexes have recently become en-
gagged to be married, and get their like
ncsses taken with view of tanning the
flame of affection in the hearts of the
persons to whom they are engaged.
"To what extent do the human family
appear to be proud of their good looks!"
''Well, have been in the photograph
business for twenty years, and / have yet
to meet with the first human being who
thought himself or herself homely. Some
times when they come in here they say to
me: 'Of course you couldn't be expected
to make a handsome picture out of such
homelv person as am But they say it
with SMILE and show very plainly that
the remark is a piece of conventional aiIcc-
tation. Some of them are plainly aware
of blemishes in their physiognomy and
personal appearance, but even they, when
they have struck a balance feel that there
is after all something attractive about
them"
GLOW do they show their vanityl'
"Well, some men have photographs
taken of their entire families every six
months, and it is a common thing for
Young men in the vealy state, say be-
tween sixteen and twenty-five years of
age, to have their likeness taken seven or
eight times in three years. Then they
show their vanity by the disappointment
with which they contemplate the first
negative. OF course the sunbeams have
iimned them and there can be no mis-
take, but they loudly insist that they
know they never looked like that This
feeling is so general that it led photog-
raphers to requiring pay in advance, as
before they did so not more than two
persons out of five ever returned to get
their pictures
"Then they are willing to take flat
tering pictureg
Indeed they are, whether they are
handsome or homely. Probably it will
surprise YOU to know that ten per cent.
of all the women who have their like
nessess taken in my gallery say to me: Il
it is like me or not. And a great many
more feel and act that way about it,
though they do not like to say it.
never saw any men who were as greedy
for flattery as that, but | never saw any
one who. like Bromwell, wanted to be
painted as he was. They are all perfectly
willing to have their facial blemishes
concealed. Indeed, it is common thing
for women to speak of the OBJECTIONS in
their countenanccs and ask me pointedly
whether could take their likeness so as
to conceal these repulsive features. But
after all they are often more concerned
about their clothes than about their faces. :"
How is that "
ooh, about half the Gkenesses that are
taken are taken because the lady has a
new dress in which she wishes to sit, and
one half the sittings are made because
the first sitting did not bring out the
glorics of that new dress or new hat.
Why, some of the women are so infatua-
ted about this that they become Indifferent
whether the picture is likeness or not
I had case not long ago in which the
lady wore a rich brocade velvet dress.
She sat repeatedly to get the dress better
taken. At last | got the dress to take
magnificently, but to do so had to turn
her face almost entirely out of the mega
tive. That pleased her immensely, and
she took the picture without moments
hesitation. The women feel the same
way about the clothes of their children
took photograph of baby the other
day, and the mother insisted on the
whole of its long dress appearing in the
picture. l put it all in, but to do so
had to minily the baby's head until it
could hardly be seen at all. In the
mothers mind, though, the likeness was
a grand success. Most ladies are anxious,
for the same reason, to have full-length
pictures taken, though | reason Il good
many of them down to Il three fourths
length. Gentlemen sometimes show the
same weakness, but not very often.
" How many people dislike to sit for
their likenesscs!'
"About one-quarter of those who sit
at all dislike it, and say they only sub
nit to it at the request of friends. Some
times a man drops in who informs me
that he would as soon have tooth drawn
as to sit for his likeness, but when | offer
to draw his tooth instead of taking his
likeness, as | always politely do, he in
variably says he was only joking. | have
noticed that ladies over thirty-five years
old have an aversion to the process
g How often do people sit before they
are satisfied"
" Colored people never sit but once
and are always pleased with the first neg
ative, and the Germans are apt to be the
same about it. Men are easier to satisfy
than women, but most women like to sit
at least five fines They tbnn almost in
variably select the first negative out OF
the whole batch"
"Do they like to select their own
postures!"
Some of them are very fond OF
choosing their own pastures and theil
own accessories on the first sitting, and
they always make a botch of it. A girl
with "A sharp, turned up nose, who has
spent most of her life over the wash tub,
will sometimes insist on having Il profile