The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-12-18
In Photograph Gallery.

A great many people think that photogra-
present with us some of these fine days when
we are busy at work you would see that we
cannot always sit down and play checkers and
tell stories. Perhaps the first thing in the
morning lady who has set the day before,
will come in to see her proofs. and say, "Oh,
what horrid pictures. My hair does not look
well. My dress does not look like that. My
eyes look as if | was cross-eyed; and oh what
a frightful expression" She says she will call
in tomorrow and have RESTING, and gong
out slams the door. The next day she comes
| two hours later than her appointment. We
| have sitters, but she wants Us to put them off,
and sit her. as She is in a hurry. But she has
to wait her turn, which at last comes. She
takes possession of the dressing room, and it
takes her three-quarters of an hour to arrange
| her hair, and fiXings, and once more she is be-
| fore the camera. We succeed in making some
| fine negatives The proofs are shown and a.
usual, she does not like them, but at last selects
| the verv poorest position, says she will have
three made from it and wants them finished in
A style.
gentleman comes in, sits short time. We
show him proofs. He eXclaims They are
good enough, you could not do any better if
you tried a week." pulls out his wallet, pays Us
| for three dozen, and orders them sent to him.
| A country customer comes in, looks around
our beautiful reception room and wants to
know if we think we can make il picture of
him. He points to if, size crayon portrait
wants to know the price, we tell him "tifty
dollars" He eXclaims. "Whew, What IA
price," We show him our India ink, water
| color, and plain photographs and he remarks
that all of these are too much; he cannot afford
such pictures. We show him our tin type
work, the cheapest we make, four for fifty
cents, and he wants to know if we will make
| two for Il quarter. We tell him four is the
least number we finish. swell, you're awful
high, but guess Will have four took if you
think you have got machine strong enough to
do the business. We invite him up stairs and
in a few minutes he finds himself before the
camera, and in q short space of time we have
some tins for him. tie is satisfied.
Once in while, for change, mother
comes in with (what she calls darling baby
IA good child. But we are not always taken in
at the first impulse, a> it is only one baby in ten
that you can get any where near. The most
of them generally set up a grand howl as soon
as they see the artist. But with the instan-
taneous process we get many very pleasing
pictures oil them.
OF course with our hard subjects we some-
| times have a little fun, and thinking of fun re-
| minds me of little story once read. Scene,
photograph gallery. SUBJECT, an aged gentle
man standing for his photograph. Operator,
with watch in hand, all ready to expose, re-
marks; "Now, sir, please look in the d;rec-
ton Of those young ladies. Very still, sir;
| wink if You please Indignant old lady, Qhe
wife of the subject gets excited at these re-
| marks and with her umbrella in a threatening
attitude eXclaims. "Let me see him wink at
those girls if he dares.' An outburst of laugh
ter and the spelling of that plate is the result.
The operator cries out: "Anothcr plate
James
Photography is slowly but surely advancing.
Look AT the pictures made twenty-five years
ago, and compare them with the work of The
present. Twenty-Five years ago, photograph
was hardly known. The daguerreoyype, am
brotype and ferrotype We're the only pictures
made. About twenty-three wears ago the pho
| tograph was first introduced in Maine on Il
plain sated paper surface. But As the art of
photography slowly advanced new improve
ments We're made in the manufacture of our
paper, and by the Invention Of the hurni,her
we are enabled TO produce a tine gloss on our
pictures of to-day. And in our chemical rooms
our chemists have made many very important
discoveries i'll chemistry.
Yes, photography ha, already become popular
among The masses, full of advantages To them,
and dearl, beloved because of its undenitd
truthfulnesS and the kno owledge and happiness
which it brings into the family. IL Ltlpe to
hold the memories of the dead dear ones ever
fresh and it comforts the SOrrowing in all
lands, the rich and the poor And vet, inn
portant, helpful. enterpri>ing, useful, ndi,-
pensabe as it is, photography claims to no
perfection. 1t is a great sinner, and yet it
grows and grows r. is never grown on 1t
grows. EDWARD \. WIGHT