Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-19
AMATEUR PH0TOGRAPHY.
A WOnan,s View Of the ATS of Which Her Husband 1s . Bev0tee.
 Al.> IAo4. IE.ooJ Jlaouu

"A W0040D10 V1oW 01 the AxS Ox " 0ICA
 Her Husbana is . Devotee.
 From the Detroit Free Press.l
 Gentlemen: A letter from you addressed to my husband has come to hand. You ask him to write you an article for your Photo- graphic Annual that Is to be published next year, and you put in some taffy about his being @ well-known amateur, and some stun about what he writes being of interest, and that sort of thing. My husband is now on Q photographic tour, as he calls it, and of course open all his letters. It is not likely that my husband will be back in time to write the article you wish. When he goes of with that confounded camera of his you never know when he will como home. So am very pleased to give you woman's view of amateur photography and if you print it in your Annual think you will not have an- other article just like 1t.
 My unfortunate husband was stricken with the amateur photographic plague about three years ago. Up to that time I always consid- cred him reasonably sane. made no ob- jection at the time to his joining the army of photographic cranks, because you see, knew nothing of the subject. have done everything I could since that time, but, although he has quit smoking at my request, he refuses to give up the camera habit. At the time he began this so-called recreation my house, or perhaps Ishould say our house, was one of the neatest in the neighborhood. You ought to go through 1t now. My car- pets have been ruined with those abominable te know their names, but I know we'll the effect they have. Then the bathroom is something frightful to behold. He uses that for what he calls his dark room, and has con- trivancss for shutting out the light.
 I notice that, in one of the books you sent him, Daguerre was the inventor of photog- raphy. He may have been the inventor of -ve s~1~ sulphurous gentleman with the same initial who was the inventor of amateur photog- raphv.
 Nv husband was reasonably good tempered until he took up your diabolical art. I one time opened the door of the room in which he was working. It was all dark inside ex- cept fearful red lamp, which threw ruddy glow on his face, and made him look as if he were going to have an epileptio ft The moment l opened the door and let some light into the room that man went perfectly crazy. He claimed had spoiled dozen of his plates, although had touched nothing, and came near suing for a divorce because of his awful remarks. If the evil one was not the inventor of amateur photography | the pictures he does turn out when he gets them finished are perfectly awful. He has ] tried at different times to photograph the \ children, but the poor little dears looked like wooden images in the picture. went 1 into 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 the thing is something friRhtful, although my husband carefully | conceals what he spends on 1t. came across one of the photographic dealers bills the other day, ,.and it was enough to make one's hair stand on end. Pyrogallic acid, whatever 1 that is, was 50 cents an ounce.
 Just think, if had to pay that price for sugara Eight dollars pound, instead of 10 l cents.
 Fifty cents an ounce! And that wasn't the worst of it. Now what do you think chloride of gold costsa For fifteen grains he is charged 50 cents. Now that, as you know over $500 poundl don't know how many pounds of the wretched stuff he uses every l week, but if he uses ten pound of it, and am sure ten pounds of sugar doesn't go very 1 far in house with large family like ours, you would see that that Is 5000 for that one thing alone. not to mention the dozens | of other chemicals he uses, and am sure I don't know what the price of them is. l tell you that amateur photography was l invented to drive Q poor woman crazy who has husband that Is victim of the villain
 ous practice. No wonder he says he can't afford g new dress for me when l ask him
 for 1t. The house is stained with horrible
 solutions from cellar to Rarret, and I'm always
 afraid to use any cups or glasses for fear
 there is something dreadful poison in them. The cat took some milk out of saucer that
 had something or other of potassium in 1t, and 1t just curled up and died.
 I'm always afraid to sweep in any part of the house for fear it will raise @ dust that
 will spoil something that he has tacked upon
 board to dry. I wouldn't mind all this 90
 much if he ever took picture that yas
 worth looking at; but, as said befores he
 never does. There, now, print that in your
 miserable photograph book if you want to. MRS. JOHN TRIPoD.
 IN. B. If you ever write to my husband
 again telling him that his articles on photog
 raphy will be appreciated, will burn youl '5 letter, and you will lose your postage
 stamp. So just remember that.