The Dickinson press., 1888-08-04
SELLING BY PHOTO.
rHE CAUSE OF THE DECLINE OF
THE DRuMMER's GRIP.

Bulky Samples Have Given Way to Photo.
graphs-Colored Presentments of Deli.
ate Wares and Intricate Mechanisms.
employment for Women.
The commercial tourist is being divorced
from his travelling bags, or, to speak more
ter'ely, the drummer isdrcpping his grips. u
The only infallible mark of the drummer
will now he the pockets which bulge with
paper covered novels. Tho cause of the de-
cline of the gripsack Is this colorcd photo
graph. The bulky samples that the travel
ing man used to bear from place to place,
and which were, SO to speak, his badge of
Office he has replaced with counterfeit pre-
sentiments of the same.
Delicate, true, light and C, impact, these
pictures, carried about in the pocket, cal,
represent all immense quantity of goods in
such u manner that there is 10 installing
tint, quality, texture or size. They repre-
sent everything from machinery to bric-a-
brac and from kitchen stoves to ladies' Slip
pers. Tho,e which need no coloring--like
the stoves snd machinery-are simply pho
tographed in black and white. But the pho
tographs IRE the very best of shcir kind, and
set forth each part with Il faithfGlness that
is remarkable. In the most intricate ma
chincry every bit of betting, every wheel,
cog, arm and elbow is most understandable
produced from every point of view.
But the inviting albums are those which
contain the colorcd photographs. These are
used in particularly large quantities by tho
crockcry and the furniture houses. Tho for
mer find Use for them because their wares
are so fragile; the latter because they are so
cumbersome. The pictures of the bric-a-brac
and the fine china are wonderfully delicate,
and it is n surprise to learn that the micro
scope is never used in the painting of them
The work is done entirely by young women.
One photographer keeps eight or ten quite
steadily employed. The work is taken to the
houses of the artists, and done there as
usual thing 1t requires much more art than
the ordinary painter of photographs uses in
putting touch of carmine on the cheeks or
dash of azure Oh the eyes of n portrait The
painting of texture is several degrees above
this, and this must he thoroughly understood.
The soft satin wear, the Worcester and royal
Dresden, the queen and Bohemian, the cays
and porcelains, all have very different fin
ish, which must be preserved in the photo
graph if it is to be Of any value. 1t needs
not only accurate but strong eyes, a steady
and delicate touch, and a most painstakint
patience.
Young women are the very ones out of all
the world in whom all of these qualities are
combined, and that is the reason that this
pretty toll is given them SO universally.
But there is another reason-an old, famil-
lar reason. A man could not make enough
to keep him. The work must be done by
girls who have homes. To he sure, one can
make $3.50 II day at the coloring of the photo
graphs of china or bric-a-brac, and now and
then ny working over hours and very stead
lily it might be possible to make 81. Such
;,r,uous work could hardly be repeated on
two successive days, however. But, though
this wage is not bad, it has the drawback of
being fluctuating and unreliable. One week
there may be quantities Of work, the next
week none at all.
One of the conditions of successful photo
graph painting of this fine nature is absolute
silence. A positive concentration of the
faculties is needed, and most of the girls who
do the work have little studios where they
can quietly work 10y themselves. Here, with
big aprons protecting their dresses, their
photographs set on a little inclined
board before them, and their case of
liquid paints close at hand, they patiently
strain their young eyes over the almost in
tinitesimal figures which they are coloring.
1t is very confining, and no doubt the spas
mo'lic demands are blessings i'll disguise, for
continued application to it would be apt to
tell seriously upon the nervous system.
The tinting of the photographs of furni-
turc is simpler on the whole, although many
wholesale houses have their furniture up
holstered in cretonne before it is photo
graphed. Cretonne, of course, admits of
coloring, which plush does not.
The business is one which is likely to i'll
crease steadily and to extend to many
branches of commerce which have not vet
investigated it.
This fact has been recognized by the deaf
mute school OH the west side, and the art of
coloring commercial photographs is among
the industries in which the pupils arc being
instructed. The abnormal development of
sight and touch which all deaf m,ltes possess
makes them especially fitted for this work.
a woman who was one of the first to advise
teaching artistic branches i'll this school said
the other day: mo one who has not
watched the development of these chill
dren can imagine what a difference the
introduction of the light arts has made in
their lives. They have gained in self respect
us we'll as in enjoyment of life Many of
them had been regarded us little less than i'm
beetle in their own homes, and some had been
the recipients of all the cuffs and kicks that
that an ill-natured household chose to bestow
upon them. AT the very best they were con-
sidered great cross.
SIN the school, after thorough system of
communication had been established, we in
structed them i'll the common branches and
then gave them an industrial course. The
girls were taught dressmaking, the boys car
pentering. But it seemed to us finally that
we were making mistake in putting then,
i'll competition with such great number as
overcrowd these trades. AS an experiment,
we put a teacher i'll modelling in the school.
You can imagine nothing more touching than
the scene the first morning we gave them the
clay. They took to it as ducks do to water.
There was nothing of the awkwartlness in
| handling it which most children show at first.
| Why, they began making things of their own
accord Immediately, and some of the faces
which had always been rs blank as wall
previously were lit up with sudden vivacitv.
1t was the same with drawing, for which VIC
engaged n teacher from the Art institute
From these experiments we gathered courage
We perceived that we could make engravers
designers, wood carvers, architects and deco
rators out of our poor unfortunate children
and in time we shall try to do all THAT
Chicago Times.
| The I.nyvS of Nat,ro