The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-03
A ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHER.

Tho Man Who Always Takes The Queens
Picture.
William Downey is the grand old man
of photographers in England, says the
Pail Mall budget:
lie began to practice his profession
nearly forty years ago, and during that
long period he has photographed EN-
perors and Expresses, Kings and
Queens, Sultans, princes of the blood
princesses of the blood, peers Of the
realm, peercsses of the realm, soldiers
and statesmen, men of letters and
women of letters, queens of beauty,
private beauties, nnd beauties of the
boards.
One of his greatest successes was tho
smiling photograph Of the Queen, taken
twenty-four years ago.
Indeed, Mr.. Downcy says this is his
chef d'eurre, for her Majesty on most
occasions assumes grave and solemn
Imein, as if the lens was dangerous
weapon instead of harmless scientific
instrument, and it is, therefore, the
grave and solemn mcin with which we
always cndow the Queen. Every lover
of dog will be pleased to hear that it
was dog Sharp, the collie on the chair,
that raised that smile to the Queens
face. Sharp altogether declined to sit
still, but John Brown would stand no
nonsense, and, despite the presence Of
his mistress, he gave the dog n good
shaking. Gle won't sit, Brown" said
the Queen. "IIc won't, your Majesty.
He maun obey yc and be complaisant
like the rest OF us. lie maun Sit"
And after another shaking Sharp sat,
and the Queen laughed to see such
sport, and Mr. Downcy made great
hit, all because of Brown and Sharp.
''Thc Queen" continued tho veteran,
''has done moro to promote photography
than any one, for She has always been
great collector of photographs, though
she does complain of their fading"
When Mr.. Downcy began, it was with
the greatest difficulty that photographs
of the Queen could be procured. To-
day all that is altered, and the portraits
of the Queen are in enormous demand,
though it is extremely difficult to Sc
cure n sitting, owing to the many calls
upon her Majcsty's time. Mr.. Downey
relates with Zcst how on one occasion
at Windsor the Queen entered her photo
graphic studio there, took off her bon
net. adjusted her hair, posed against
the hcudrcst, and said: Now, MIR.
Downey, l have just five minutes, Lord
Derby is waiting for me-" Mr.. Downey
Is not n nervous man, SO he got good
result.
''Somc men have the greatest objec-
ton to having their portraits takcn,"
said MIR. Downcy. 'It is u species of
vanity" Mr.. Disraeli was one of these
peculiar people, and we owe it to her
Majesty that Mr.. Downcy's well-known
photograph of the famous statesman is
in existence. One day he happened to
be in attendance at Balmoral, and, after
much persuasion by the Queen, con-
scented to face the lens which was on
the lawn. Mr.. Disracli was always a
dandy, and on this occasion he wore a
light coat and n pair of light blue trou-
scrs, which was not the sort of cos
tune that Il statesman should make his
bow to the world in. The negatives
were not success. Dizzy consented to
sit again next day. The rain was COM
ing down little when Dizzy stepped
out into the grounds wearing n bcauti-
full black velvet coat. The rain an
nOyed him dicadfully, for he was in
great fear about tho welfare of this
beautiful black velvet coat, and insist
Ci upOh th uiiOICll,t DCflR Ucll over
him. The umbrella was held over him,
and the second set of negatives were
failures. On the third day he consent
ed to try again, but for five minutes
only. In those five minutes Mr.. Downcy
took four successful negatives, from
which innumcrablc prints were taken.
From these hundreds Of thousands of
prints have been sold, and to this day,
especially on Primrose day, the demand
is still great.