The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-19
AN OLD PHOTOGRAPHER.
VETERAN eooARous WRITES ABOUT
SECRETS OF THE TRADE.

why the Au,atsur Are Doing So Well.
Resuits Of Careieasness-The Photog-
rnpher's ratrons--0ood Advice-Produc-
tion Of Coiors.
Il REQUIRED work, money and time. and
sreat quantities Of II, to bring photog-
raphy IN to its present standard; 1t re-
'onired the combined intellect Of the best
chemists and the best manipulators' IL
required the finest mechanism to construct
the necessary apparatus, and 1t required
great care. taste skill. Judgment and ex
perience to make good picture
One man will excel in lighting and pos
ing. and perhaps Is not successful with
the chemical part: another Is good WIN
the chemicals, but cannot pose or ilgh'
the sitter; another Is perfect with the
mechanical part. and cannot pose to sat
isfaction or use the chemicals to produce
good work. few men combine all. The
sitter sees nor knows but very little OF all
this He thinks II he looks his best and
gives up his most agreeable expression
that is all there is TO be done. II he
would 90 with me into the dark room and
sec. the care necessary to develop the neg
alive In the dark. to bring the whites SO
they will print black. and the blacks so
as TO print white. and yet leave all the
half tones, he would soon be enlightened
that the "smile Of the sitter was but a
very small part Of the operation.
OH but, you say. see how well anna
teurs arc doing Granted But. remem
Der all the work of the operation has been
simpliiied 1t was not so simple to men
who worked with hand and brain 20
simplify it. Again. the amateur does not
have to prepare his chemical plate; 1t can
be bought already coated The careless
amateur will often expose the same plate
twice gentleman usually successful,
exposed his plate on ali organ grinder and
his monkey The next day, forgetting
which plate had been exposed. he focused
on a beautiful country seat. When the
plate was developed house, man and
monkey were somewhat mixed. the head
Of the organ grinder coming out OF the
chimney and the monkey perched on the
head Of the lady of the house, who had
so carefully struck an attitude on the
piazza More plates spoiled by careless
working than by bad chemicals, has
passed into saying" in the fraternity
A photographer sees many little his
tories young gentleman has some
pictures Soon after a bashful young
lady calls. and showing one of his pictures
wishes hers taken the same size and
style We understand the situation
Before long the now bride is taken in her
bridal dress Next the baby in its long
dress then in its short dress In the
q; in, l.; Grsf n
his uniform as he comes home from
boarding school, soon In that most i'm
portant period of his young life when he
attempts his first mustache at college
And then he brings his best girl, and so
on in regular progression from generation
to generation.
Many sitters spoil what would other
wise have been good picture by trying
to put on al expression. Try TO look
like Yourself is the best advice ! can
give One looks too cross; the next smiles
too much miss from the country
brought her lover for a picture. Now,
said She, Josh, kinder smile and kinder
not" That was about as sensible advice
as | ever heard given. after over forty
years In making faces Photography has
been called Justice without mercy" but
by retouchng the sitter can be made to
look much Younger than Is real. Retoucb
ing the negative is done In q dark room,
with small opening in frame that GOV
ers the window The negative is placed
over this small opening. and the work
man. by the use of pencil and brush, re
moves all the roughness Of the skin. and
can remove all frowns and lines Thus
ha aA m
improved But in many instances the re
TOUGHER does too much, by taking out all
the character of the face People wishing
a true likeness never wish this done
Others do 1t depends very much on the
age of the sitter have had people 50
and 20 years old ask Can you take my
likeness without showing any wrinkles
The answer always Is, Yes. but where
will the likeness be-" Many, many com
plants have had of the picture looking
too old. and but very few instances of its
being pronounced too young | remember
several instances where the parties eX-
acted promise to break the plate after
one impression had been printed They
wanted one for self. but none for friends
under any circumstances.
Efforts to get pictures of young ladies
are often made OF course, pictures of
actresses and public people are sold to any
purchaser. but the pictures of private
parties honoring me with their patronage
Il always considered sacred All kinds of
persuasions are made by young men to get
the pictures of pretty young ladies.
Will the colors ever be photographer
We'll, in these days of wonders we are
hardly surprised at anything Electricity
had long been known and used for vari
Gus purposes, but it remained for Morse
to send it whispering around the world
and photography has made rapid strides
and some mind more fertile than others
may produce the colors, but all attempts
by the best chemists of the world have
mot been successful thus far.
Several claims have been made, but on
Investigating have been found false
About the year 1850 a man named Hill Of
Catskill, N Y. claimed to be able TO
daguerreotype the colors Of course. it
was a great secret All the daguerreo
typists Immediately suffered from color
on the brain. A meeting was called at
the gallery of Mr. Lawrence to inves
tigate 1t was decided to send a com
'mittee to Catskill with money to buy the
wonder. but he could not slow anything
satisfactory.