The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-15

street that Jenny Lind came to this coun-
try, and believe that / was the first to
put her face into a daguerreotype. l
called upon her and got her to sit to me
week after she landed in New York and
before she sang. The people were crazy
over her, and the day she came To sit they
blocked up the streets for a long distance
on each side of the entrance, and We had
to let her out through a back door to avoid
the crowd. She was not a pretty woman,
but her face was pleasant one. 1t was
rather square than round, was fiorid and
OF the Swedish order. | took Andrew
Jackson at the Hermitage shortly before
ne died, and I have made a number of
photographs of Abraham Lincoln. |
have chair in my gallery which came
from the Senate and which was given me
by President Lincoln. 1t was finely
carved, and he presented it to me on ac-
count of the discomfort which he found in
accommodating himself to the chairs in
my gallery. He was very tall, you know,
and his legs came high up in the ordinary
chair As he complained about it he said:
"'Mr. Brady, | wish you had one of the
Senate chairs in your gallery. They are
just right for me, and / think you could
take much better picture in them
"'Give me an order and | will get you
one,' said +. He did so. | presented it
and got the char. and have it now"
1.-The first time took President Lincoln
was just after his election. He was COM
ing through New York on his way to
Washington City. and | remember that l
had considerable trouble in arranging him
for the camera. He was so tall, gaunt and
angular and his neck was so long that [
found great trouble in making cookbook
ing picture of him. and when | got him
before the camera / asked him if l might
gan to pull it up.
"'Ah,' said he, I see you want to
shorten my neck"
That's just it, said, and we both
laughed.
1.-The result of the sitting was splendid
picture. 1t had a wide sale and was car
ried in different forms to every part of the
country. President Lincoln used to speak
to me about it afterward, and he once told
me that l was the man who introduced
him to the United States"
Did you ever photograph President
Grant?" asked.
Yes" replied Mr.. Brady, II was the
first man to make him known to the peo-
pie. photographed him when he came
East at the close of the Nicksburg cam
paign. l caught him at the depot. and he
came to my gallery at 4:30 O'Clock one
afternoon with Secretary Stanton. STAN
ton came first, and told me that Grant was
ready to have his picture taken. and
told him to come right in. A moment
later General Grant was standing in my
gallery with half-doz cameras bearing
upon him to take him from all sides.
1t was so late in the afternoon and the
light was SO weak that we feared to lose
him, and we proposed to use every means
possible to get good likeness. then sent
one of my assistants up to the roof to pull
back the skylight to its full length. The
man appreciated our anxiety to get the
picture. He was very nervous in the pres
ence of General Grant and was so excited
with the fear that we would lose the sit
ting that he stumbled on the skylight and
fell full length. knocking an immense pane
out of the plate glass, which fell down
at the feet of General Grant Had it
him, and when 1t fell everybody started up
the action of Grant. He never moved and
not feature of his face changed, saving a
slight satirical curl which appeared upon
his lips. l can see him now as he stood
there looking at the plateglass at his feet.
"a somewhat similar incident" con-
tinued Mr.. Brady, though a much more
comical one, happened at my studio in
New York. Senator Thomas Benton, the
man who wrote The Thirty Years View
was being photographed. He was very tall
and ponderous, and he weighed, think,
about 200 pounds. He appreciated the i'm
portance of his position as senator of the
United States, and as he stamped across
the studio he dislodged big horizontal
paper shade which We used for
arranging the light, and which hung
Just over him. As he came beneath this
it fell and struck him so that his head
went through it and made it look for the
moment ike the pretty girl in the circus