Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-02-06
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AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY.
A woman's View OF the art OF which Her
Husband is a Devotee.

A Womafi's View OF the art OF Which Her
Husband Is IA Devotee.
GrNrLxsEN--A letter from you addressed |
10 nay husband has come to hand. You ask |
him to write you an article for your Pho
tographic Annual that is 70 be published |
next year, and you put in some tally about
his being well known amateur, and some
stuff about what be writes being Of interest,
and that sort OF thing. Ny husband is now
on Photographic tour, as he calls it. and Of
course / open an his letters. 10 is not likely
that my husband will be back in time to
write the article you. wish. When he goes Of
with that COMPOUNDED camera Of his you
never know when he win come home. So ]
am very pleased 70 give you n woman's view
Of amateur photography, and il you print it
in your annual l think you will not have
another article just like it.
My unfortunate husband was stricken with
the amateur Photographic plague about three
years ago Up TO that time ! always consid
cred him reasonably sane. / made no objec
ton at the time to his joining the array Of
Photographic cranks, because, you sse, knew
nothing Of the subject. have done every
taing l could since that time, but, although
he has quit smoking at my request, he refuses
10 give up the camera habit. At the time he
began this 80 called recreation my house, or
perhaps | should say our house, was one Of
the neatest in the neghborhood. You ought
to go through it now. Ny carpets have been
ruined with those abominable chemicals
which he uses. ] don't gretend to know their
Names but know well the effect they have.
Then the bathroom is something frightful TO
behold. He uses that for shat he calls his
dark room, and has contrivances for shutting
out the light
I 49, - fI,1
him, Daguerre was the inventor Of photog-
rRphy He may have been she inventor OF
photography, but think it was another sui
phurous gentleman with the same initial who
was the inventor Of amateur photography.
My husband was reasonably good tempered
until he took up your diabolical art / one
time opened the door Of the room in which he
was working. It was all dark inside except a
fearful red lamp, which threw a ruddy glow
on his face. and made him look as If he were
going TO have an epileptic fit. The moment /
opened the door and let some light into the
room that man went perfectly crazy. He
claimed had spoiled a dozen Of his plates,
although had touched nothing, and l came
near suing for divorce because Of his awful
remarks. II the evil one was not the inventor
Of amateur photography then / would like to
know who was. Then the pictures he does
turn out when he gets them finished are per
fectly awful He has tried at different times
20 photograph the children, but the poor
little dears looked like wooden images in the
pictures. wentinto the bathroom once with
the baby and put him in the bath tub. There
was some water there already, and it looked
clear enough, but in it was some horrible
solution Of silver that turned most Of the
baby jet black, and we haven't been able to
get out the color to this day.
Then the cost of tho thing is something
frightful, although my husband carefully
conceals what he spends on it. came across
one Of the Photographic dealers bills the
other day, and it was enough to make ones
hair stand on end Pyrogallic acid, what
ever that is, was fifty cents an ounce.
Just think, if had TO pay that price for
SUGAR. Eight dollars pound, instead Of ter,
centsl
Fifty cents an ouncel And that wasn't
the worst of it. Now what do you think
chloride Of gold costs7 For fifteen grains he
is charged fifty cents. Now that, as you
know well enough, is very near $40 an ounce,
and SEQ an ounce is over $500 pound. |
don't know how many pounds Of the wretched
stuff he uses every week, but If he uses ten
| pounds OF it. and / am sure ten pounds of
sugar doesn't 80 very far in q house with a
large family like ours, you would see that
that is s., 600 for that one thing alone, not to
mention the dozens Of other chemicals he
uses, and am sure 1 don't know what the
price Of them is
| tell you that amateur photography was
| invented to drive poor woman crazy who
has a husband that is victim Of the villain
Gus practice. No wonder he says he can't af-
ford a new dress for me when / ask him for
it. The house is stained with horrible solu-
tons from cellar TO garnet, and I'm always
afraid to use any cups or glasses for fear
there is some dreadful poison in them. The
cat took some milk out of a saucer that had
something or other Of potassium in it and it
lust curled W aaa died.
I'm always afraid to sweep in any part Of
the house for fear it win raise q dust that
will spoil something that he has tackled up on
a board to dry I wouldn't mind all this SC
much il he ever took picture that was worth
looking at but, as I said before, he never
does. There now, print that in your miser
able photograph book il you want to.
Mrs. JOHN TRIPoD
N B-If you ever write to my husband
again telling him that his articles on photog
raphy viii be appreciated ! will burn you
letter and you viii lose your postage stamp
So just remember that Mrs. J. T.-Detroi
Free Press.