The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-06
BABY'S PHOTOGRAPH.


And Marvellous Results Reached-Fash-
ionable society Under a Bishops Mi
croscope-Humor the Sick.
The taking Of the baby's first photo
graph is an occurrence in the family only
second in interest to the advent Of the
baby itself. The average infant makes
it's first acquaintance with photographfng
apparatus when it has attained six
months of existence. For days before it
is carried out to be posed before the
camera its small features are studied
closely to discover some signs of express
sion. Its amm talks all the sweet
nothings in the vocabulary of adoring
mothers to it in the hope of elicitinG some
facial signal or intelligent response. LII
by any chance its lips part in anything
resembling a smile she is seized with
transports of Joy. She will tell It's fond
father that she really believes baby knew
what she was talking ABOUT. The ION
father will then try his hand at develop
ing its embryo consciousness. He puck
ers his mouth and whistles to his off
spring. He claps his hands and snaps his
fingers to attract its attention and wake
its interest.
Ii the baby gives any heed to his pleas
lug endeayors it's mother will clasp 1t JOY
fully to her bosom and spring upon the
poor mites unsuspecting ears the query
which daily affords babies all over the
land untold p~erpiexity:-
'sDoes 'e little Blessed sing want to go
by-by wild e ann and have e picture
taken? Does it? So it does. Well. it
SAL so by-by and dit q pity picture OF
its own, owny, tweet little self for its
papa"
1t is a stoical baby, indeed, that is not
thrown into paroXysms of fear at the
sound of this strange language and the
vague threat it contains.
AS the weeks of its existence round
toward six it finds itself the object of con-
tinual observation and comment. 1t is
held first in one light andthen in another,
1t is chucked under the chin to make it
simulate a glee it cannot feel. 1t hears
continual remarks about itself. 1t it has
the blessing of a grandma the good soul
trots it On her knee until it forgets its
trouble II sleep oyertakes its wearied
brain. Then she will stretch its tiny
form on a pillow placed in her lap, and
just as it is about to sink into a blistful
slumber it will near her voice SAYING
Now, Julia, / think the baby would look
prettier lying this way when he has his
picture taken n al any other"
"Just the first pleasant day we must
take it TO the photographers" declares
the admiring aunt. Old ladies usually
advise the mother to have 1.-THE little
thing taken without a stitch on it" but
she usually demurs at this. She fears it
will catch cold, and wait until it is some
what older to perpetuate it's young anat-
omy on cardboard.
Finally. when the momentus day
arrives and the baby is al last carried to
the photographers gallery n turned
over to the mercieS of the operator, she
finds out that there are but two ways OF
l.. - ~--1I 1919 r. - IA ND
on a cushion or it can be held in range of
the camera by some adult individual.
Few mothers are willing to submit this
delicate undertaking to any Il else, and
insist that no heads but their own shall
support their darling. They seldom. wish
to be photographed with the baby, and If
they consent to this arrangement invari-
ably turn their faces to one side, absorbed
in contemplating the child. Usually they
are concealed behind a table or curtain
drapery, and nothing is seen in the photo
tograp but a small dot of humanity in a
long white robe, with rather a puckered
expression, if any, on its countenance, as
if engaged in the solution of the awful
conundrum which has been puzzling it
from the first two weeks of its earthly
life.
The day of crying babies, laughing
babies, kicking babies, and babies gener-
ally afflicted with antics is over in the
photograph world. The instantaneous
method has worked acomplete revolution.
Before the child can recover from its
anlazement at its strange surroundings,
and alter it's expression into one of Joy o II
wailing, the photograph is taken. TIT
average baby's expression, therefore, as
seen in photographs, is simply n of con-
templative astonishment. The other
babies are seen no longer in photo
graphers' collections.
IL attribute the recent craze for having
babies photographed nude" sale a man
who mas been taking pictures for more
years than most of the mothers have
lived ito a niger development of art
appreciation. There is nothing so lovely
in existence as hat emblem OF innocence,
a cherub, and many mothers are wise
enough to have their babies photographed
so as to display all their %infantile lowell
ness.
"A part of q photographers outfit in
the time preceding the introduction OF
present methods of photography was a
lot of noise-producing toys. a drum,
music box and harmonica. When these
failed some one wildly shook a bright
colored cloth to Keep the baby quiet.
1.-THE majority of women nave but n
anxiety about their babies photographs.
1t is the same they eviuce about their
own. 1t is to have the pictures pretty, no
matter how ugly or in-featured the child.
We are in the habit continually of max
ing lovely pictures of exceedingly homelV
babies. If they are cross-eyed we
straighten their eyes. If their noses are
crooked or their moths one-sided we
correct that error, too. Women are usu-
ally very sensitive about the physical de-
ticiency of their offspring, n seem to
| try and reach the ideal Of what they wish
the child might be through the skill of
the negative retoucher. He can convert
| a child as ill-favored as the one which
| turned into a pig into q pig in Alice OF
| Wonderland's' arms into a beauteous in
fant.n
Fashionable Society.
Bishop f. d. Huntington. in the Oc-