Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1884-04-09
HER OWN GALLERY.
A Woman's Success in Photography
...Her Patrons Mostly Women
and Children.
NEW York Sun. ]

New York sun.
The photographer, q tall, fair woman, with
n clear cut and handsome face and graceful
figure, moved about rapidly, attending to the
details of her work as she chatted with the
reporter.
at required nine years of incessant labor
for q man on Sixth avenue to enable me to
run q gallery Of my own" she said. IL am
the only lady photographer in New York, l
think. took up photography from choice
good many years ago, studying under the
man of whom Ispoke. After had worked
for him couple Of years he gradually placed
more and more responsibility upon me, until
was practically the head OF the business ]
worked for him like galley slave for nine
wears, and then told him l was going to
start gallery of my own He
looked shocked, but recovered him
self shortly. and made me proposal of mar.
riage. Nine years of him was quite enough.
was idle for year, and then bought this
place. A man can never realize INV de-
lightful it is for woman to be absolute mis-
tress of her own affairs. 1 keep my own
books and attend personally to everything"
"You said that most of your subjects are
women and children"
81 forgot to mention" said the proprietor,
with slightly culpable smile, shat clergy
men should be included in the category"
They're fond of coming here, are theyp
"Oh, yes. They like to be treated gently,
too My greatest successes have been with
nervous and excitable subjects. Last week a
lady brought her son and daughter to me.
She had tried several of the leading pho
tographeIs, and none of them had succeeded
in making even a passahle picture. l ap-
pointed morning for the sitting, and it took
Just five hours to photograph those two
children. The girl had a twitching eye, and
at first she could not sit still two consecutive
minutes to save her. / looked at that
twitching eye with so much professional
gentleness, and treated her with such vast
amount of patience, that in the end she gave
up completely, sat still, and was pho
tographed with thorough success. had just
as much of a struggle with the boy. After
they had gone I was tagged. To-day re.
ceived these flowers from the children's
mother.
"Next to dead subjects the unfortunate
deformed are the least desirable subjects we
have to handle. Nobody knows so well as q
photographer how sensitive cripples are re-
garding their infirmities. They are always
anxious that their particular defects should
not appear in their pictures, and yet they
preserve studious silence concerning the
very features about which they are the most
anxious.
"Some years ago was struck with the re-
pulsive look which all photographers gave
their pictures of the dead. The majority OF
these pictures of dead people were simply
dreadful, and this was particularly the case
when the subjects were children. had often
seen little ones who had recently died, and
was often struck with their natural and
lifelike appearance. Children dead fire.
quently look like children asleep. Iresolved,
| as soon as I started in for myself
that would make success of the first dead
subject which came under my notice. I had
only been established a few days when &
sweet-faced woman in deep mourning came
in and told me her only child had died the
day before, after an illness of only two days
| I went that afternoon with my apparatus
and my assistants and took the photograph
l have kept copy Of it ever since. Here il
is"
The picture showed a child lying a
though asleep in his crib. One chubby ittl'
hand was pressed against rounded cheek
while the other lay naturally by its side. The
position vas grace ITSELF and there was not a
suggestion of death in the picture. 1t looked
like child who had just fallen asleep.
"This picture" said the proprietor, 4broughi
me many other patrons, and I made quite q
reputation. It is not pleasant work, but i
always pays to be thorough and original.
love my work earnestly, and I am very
harry, in If y