The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-09-04
HAVING A PICTURE TAKEN.
How Some People sit Befor" Phot"g'
raphrr's Camera.


"Oueer sittersp Hundreds of them
said o. b. de Morat. the photographer,
Yesterday, repeating n question ana
answering IL. "My greatest troupe
with sitters IL that they will almost in-
yariably sit rs if they had swallowed
ramroi. A man wilt come in, SIT
down as stiff as poker, and say: !
want my picture taken this way. !
take it that way, AND rs a matter OF
course no is dissatisfied. He'd ne sAlg
to me, Take II the way You think
best he would have been sure OF o
good picture. Very few people know
how to assume proper expression
and really they have no business to as
sumo any expression but natural one.
like to see business men come In. for
they give me very little trouble, having
no desire to look better than they
are,
1t is very funny to see some people
trying to look pleasant. One day a
philanthropist, whose countenance is
as mild as a woman's, and beams with
gentleness. wanted to be photograph
ed. His face had strained look as he
sat in the chair, and told him to as
sumo a more cheerful expression, The
poor man screwed up his face In such q
manner that he looked like red-hand-
ed murderer worked with him for
half an hour, and during that time he
managed to make himself look ridicu-
lops In q hundred different ways. One
moment he looked like an imbecile, the
next like stage villain. finally got
negative, but nobody would have
taken 1t for the picture OF philan-
thropist. Now, II he had only looked
natural thore would have been no trou-
BILE at all.
81 don't want to be thought ungal-
liant, but am forced to acknowledge
that the ladies are far more trouble
some than men. Nearly all of them
want to look sweet and smiling, and in
their efforts TO do 50 some of them
shipper In way that Is almost enough
to break the camera; and they all want
to look young. That's woman's
weakness. An old lady about 60 call
ell on me one day, and, selecting the
photograph of young and voluptuous
actress, said she wanted her picture
taken like that. The actress in the
picture had on a low-necked dress, and
looked charming. DO you want it ex.
actly like thatp' asked. Yes, sir,
replied the lady with determination.
| photographed her and exhibited q
proof. That's not the kind of pic.
ture want, she cried, 1T doesn't
look y bit like the one showed you.
But, madam, ! expostulated, u car
not make lady of your age look like
a young woman of 20 My age! she
screamed; my age! and bounced out,
boiling with indignation.
"rhe ladies have got neat little
dodge now that bothers us good deak
Say, for instance, that Mrs. y. want:
to be photographed. OF two of hel
fayorite dresses she does not know
which would look best in the picture.
How does she overcome the difficulty
Very nicely. She has her picture tax.
Ell in one of the dresses. She suisse.
auently calls TO look ut the proof, anl
after cursOry glance saysit does no
suit her. OF course she must sit again
| This time she Is attired In the Othel
picture suits her, and frequently take.
the first, after all. The Photographic
who can get ahead OF n woman deserves
monument,
"Ah, the ladies are queer set, A
rule, lady does not bring her friends
with her when she comes to be photo
graphed. But when she calls to exam
Inc the proof she is accompanied by
dozen. Eleven of them will look n
the proof and pronounce it charming
but the twelfth-ah. there is the STUN
bling-block. She looks at it very care
fully, gaZes at me as if had robbc'
her, and then says, in voice tina
warns me not 10 contradict her, tina
the picture IL miserable and does no
look at all like her friend. The other
take another look, while the Twelfth
lady calmly points out the imaginar,
defects, and finally all agree that tn,
picture must be taken over again.
Country people are frequently
amusing. Two very green country
girls came to be photographed. Whils
I was taking the negative OF one Of
them the other got very curious and
wanted to look into the camera. told
her to 60 on, and she poked her head
under the cloth. One peep was enough.
She looked Mortified. The lens, you
know, reverses the picture on the TO
cusing plate, and she saw her sister up
side down. lost a customer. She
said she wouldn't have her picture TAX
en- that way, and all my explanations
were in VAIN