Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-02-03
NEW YORK LETTER.
THE PHOTOGRAPHERS ART SAID 10
FAVE pEcLIyED.
An Interesting Talk with a Kew York
Photegraphsr-rhs Lovs stsry OF
Mrs. vilisrd's Girlhood.
tcOrsspoudsncs Of N. Richmond Dispatch.

y
iug dows the results OF Inventions that have
snsblsd az 10 do all sorts Of tbiugs by pho.
| Biography that the esry psotogrsphish dld
| not even dream OF. II 10 uAdsniable, bow.
ever. that ~ . medium OF reproducing
artistic portraits photography TO-DAY 10 not
| what II once was. and this Is due In part 10
some OF the very inventions that are re-
gstdsd rs the most important In the art.
The dry plate, for example, enables Us TO
take q negative 10 from bali second to Two
seconds. The old wet plate often required
fifteen seconds or longer, bnt 1t gave more
round rsss TO the picture and made better
portrait. II We should ask customers 10 SIT
| fifteen seconds now we should soon lote our
trade. Modern haste has sscrihcss some
thisg that we obtaiued with ease twenty
yssr ago."
INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
would enable you still iulthsr TO hasten the
processes. Would II Give less satisfactory
results than you new obtsiny"
"Tbs time occupied In taking negative
! by instantaneous photography IL slmest In
! appreeiabls, say enc ten.h Of q sscsnd, but
| inst process is not ussd 10 Photographic stu
dos To get a satisfactory portrait under a
skyIigbt We cut OF some of the lisst and
thus tone down effects. The instantaneous
process needs strong light, such as you OBJ
/ tam IN The open air,
Here" contausd Mr. ssrsny, drawing
from his pocket small negative, ais an In
tsrestiHg little thing thst illustrates WHIST
an saying. Tsis 10 q little interior that
took at bsme on dark. rainy afternoon by
exploding powdered magnesium. | could
have Ak-s 1t quite q, we'll Ut midnight. You
see that the furniture IL very distinct, aRd
even tbst "a mi aiurs Of cherub and the pho
togrsphs on the mattel are perfectly pro-
duced. The boy 10 little dim, because he
ran away when the explosion came. Yes, it's
an actual ipct that be wAss scared on by the verF
light that was to take his picture. lie was not
quick enough, however, az you see, and
there be IL. The prseess PROBABLY occupisd
enc tenth OF . sccssd. II IL done By blow
Ing powdered magnesium aero. on alco-
bolc fsne. The fash is hrei but intense.
1t could not he satisfactorily used, however,
in producing portraits, fer the reason thst
the phstogrspb ist would have no opportunity
10 poss bis subject and study in the camera
effects OF light and shade.
TEE AMATEUR.
#In,tsntansous photography has greatly
AIDED the amateur, and the rssut has been
TO drive proies'en photograph SIS out OF
the opep-Air business. 10 does not pay
photoxr. phist to devote himself 20 outdoor
| ~
compttties. 1 sbink II is not generally
known, bv ths way. thst many artists In this
coustry and in Europe are smsteur photo
ersphiSts, and that they use our art in aid OF
! their own. | believe that the marvellous
misntsnrss Of heissOnBier's work Is due to
the fact that he paints great deal from pho
togrsphs. lie has been an amateur photo
grsphlst since the days OF The ambrotype.snd
| have 30 reason 10 believe that no has
changed bis mstbed.
AID TO P0RTRAIT.riISTLEs.
al am told that Jerome also uses photo
GRANNY in his work. and 1t is easy to be-
leys when ons recalls the character OF
ais picture. IL seems 10 me a perfectly
legitimate art. The srtist just makes bis
sketch from nature and then relieves bis
Model from lassrious posing by working
FROM photographs In the mstter OK detail.
One thing that has been done ny portrait
painters il net quits so defensible. Last
yssr a foreign porirsit.p.inter with
great reputation came ever here ana
painted MANY portraits OF wealthy persons
At great prices. In one instance he painted
the portrait Of rich woman, and 1t IL an alb
seluts fact that he photographed her on cam
vas AID painted over the photograph. IL was
regarded % "spPaking likeness" and the
artist was paid s. 600 er $4,000. Now, 1t Is
Est many years since that sort OF thing was
dene by photographers in this country, but
the artists made such an outcry that II was
stopped
Mr.. CLEVELAND GOOD POSER.
"It il an amusing thing TO see the attempts
| Mt posing made by peftrslt-palntfrs, VINO
bring their alters TO US for photographs.
The artist believes that he can get just the
right effect by posing the subject himself,
aud Ia surprised to find that the negative
shows an utterly different result from what
he bad expected. Trained photogrsphists
under.tsnd the art OF posing. and persons
obtain most siti'factory portraits by giving
themselves into the hands OF tue photo2ra-
phi.t. We have found Mr.. Cleveland a pa.
tisnt and tractsbc sitter. He does not at
tempt TO instruct the oper,tor, and The result
issxsod photograph. The ssue is true oil
Mr.. Gould. Mr Depew, and Mr. Cornelius
Vanderbilt.
INDIANS AND NEGROES BAD SUBJECTS.
owe have occasionally taken Indian
chiefs, but have never been able 10 pose
them. They were tu,plcous Of the camera
aud slwsys insisted upon locking straight at
the instrument. Nothing would induce then
To turn their Gaze ssids. The result was
that they we're always taken with full face.
We found the Siamess embassy unmanaze-
able. They were curiously sristecrstic In
their notisns and bearing. They sever un-
bent for an instant, and the result In each
case was an extremely stif photograph.
+. Full blsoded negroes do not photograph
well because the shining quality OF their
skin gives klsring white where the light
strikes. sna this costrasts IN rsther start
ling mfsner With The extreme blsekness OF
tue shadows"
"would rot photographic in colors aid
You in making race dIstinciionsi"
"There IL no such thing as photogrsphing
In cOlors, and l see ne prospect OF its per-
fectlon. what Is aeu called photosraphlng
Is merely 40 eject OF lithogrsphy. No, the
future improvements In phetoersphy are
likely 10 result from the study OF posing, and
the management OF light aud sh,de. Ju,t
NOW general exceIlsncc and novelty in style
are the photographer aims"
MRS. vIILAKp's GIRLHoOD.
al am told" ssys tsat celebrated traveller
Russian, "thst in New York there Is 4 market
for grsndfathers; that 10 one can enter the
haut ton there without al least ere or two
to his back, aud that as there are no real
ores TO be had, In the society msanisg oil
the term, q nan, when he has accumulated
sufficient wealth to support style. orders the
carriage aHd drives 10 store for ancestors
any Kind that suits him" Rustas II hyper
bolIcal or nothing; but il he had represent
cd the New Yorker with iield-glsss sesrch-
ivs the past for prexenltors he would have
GENE near TO the truth. Having been
found, however, i am obliged TO confess that
the peor cid prosenitor Is often arrayed IN
clothes winch never belonged 10 him, and
herein lies legitimate cause for snecrs, for the
embcllishraest usualy seceives noas but the
oweers. | once knew family uhs furnish
ed the efiigy of their Ersat-grsudiatber with
cooked bat and swerd, but butchers
apron could be seen night through the gold
lace snd epsulettes, aud while the family
we're thinking the deception complication
they hsld 1t aloft. AZ kline. Diss Debar's dupe
held hts canvas. and could not see II them
selYes--the whole town was laughing at
them.
WITHOUT FAMILY TREE.
But there are exceptions in everything
and occasionally q person will make his way
into the nlgn ton without climbing up a
family tree. One OF the most interesting OF
| these exceDiious Il tady who sossss Of q