Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-12
THE RICHMOND DIsPATCH-TUEsDAY, DECEMBER 70, 1893.

photography during the past decade would
se.rn scarcely credible Photography Is
an art nowadays, while It used to be
nereIy a mechanical process. To have
s.ulcture taken" under the old regime was
indeed an ordeal The unfortunate sitter
was seated In distressingly uncomforte-
HE chair with an iron clamp at the back |
OF his neck His hands and feet were ar
ranged In the most unnatural posiuon
possible; he was instructed TO stare AZ
one spot placed just whore his eyes would
naturally not see II at oil, and the Pho
tographer invariably said: Now look plea
amt" There was seemingly endless ST.
lenco, while the sitter could feel himseit
twitch in every muscle, ana me oeeu
was done. The result was-weli, eVsry-
body has a vivid recollection OF the Old
time photograph album. There is Aunt
Maria seated by @ table, on when one
elbow rests. the hand hanging stifiiy In
air. Uncle George stands beside her,
one ham-like hand spread out on her
shoulder. and ons foot crossed, In profile,
the toe touching the floor. There Is COUSIN
sareh In her wedding dress, with one
enormous white slipper pseplng coyiy pc
meath her petticoat There Is sister Ma
rvs oldest boy. with his hair rohed up
on top OF his head ana pinned with
hair Din so tight his eyes won't go smut.
There Is Maud Biggs in her graduating
dress. with "frlzzes' clear to her eyes
and Langtry knot. ,
Not n one OF the whole lot is anything
but stiff and inartistic. Not one IL
really characteristic likeness. and the col
lection Is one of woe-begone faces, with
here and there the hideous mockery or
smile. All this. however, Is changed, ana
there are In Washington to-day halt
dozen photographers who Will make PIC
lures Of you that are really works OK art
| II you only will let them
I 81 wish 7 could be photographed ana
| look as.well as actresses do" remarked
Young woman in a Pennsylvania
nhotograph-gallery one day last week.
| The photographer smiled. You could n
Won would go at II rs an actress does
| he said. 80 much depends on the sitter'
YOU know" And as he worked away ar
| ranging the lights, pulling odd bits OF
| scenery 10 place and scanning carefully
| his subjects face. he went on TO tell now
! to be photographed successfully.
"a great deal depends on the costume
| one chooses TO be photographed In. In
| tho old DAYS everybody was photographed
| in a black gown, for black was consul
| cred 10 take better than anything eise'
| but nowadays bright-colored gowns are
| unIvsrsallv chosen. 1t IL unwise 10 choose
1 anX gTr1kulk GDlpT EUlllbih"fiSAt 'Nt
| colors lose their values entirely In the
| photograph. Orange will appear as dark
| as red. and pale-blue, white; old-rose
| photographs as dark brown. and gray Is
| always much paler than one would ex-
| nsct Lace IS always dainty ana salts
| factory. much more so than chlftoh. IS
| 10 material any fabric which reflects high
| lqhts is always very effective, PROVIDED
| the gown Ats well. Satin Is extremely
| rich-looklng as is silk also, while lu5-
| trous woollens have a tendency TO thlcheh
| the figure.
| "Ths hair must be arranged with great
| care. as trihing lock astray may rum
| the whole picture. II ones hair Is blonde
| the photographer usually touches II up
| with n little powder, az otherwise 1t VIII
| anpear much darker than 1t really is. IL
| ia well TO leave the hands ungloVed, as
| light gloves increase their apparent SIZE
| ana the feet. unless like Cinderellfs,
| should not appear. IL you are to have a
| full-length picture choose gown anu
| coiffure that are not In the height or
any striking mode. for little study OF
| nbotorrapbs OF even five or six years
ago will show you how ridiculous fashions
| appear once the world has outgroWn
them. If you are to stand, stand well,
| a thing not Ons woman in ten does.
Carry your weight on the balls of your
feet with the hips held well back, and
the chest, as the Delsarte people Jay
'active'-that f., held "a high as possible
This is the only position in which the
figure suggests ligntness of poise, vigor,
and grace Full-length pictures, however,
| are seldom satisfactory, and as ones taee
| Is Of more interest than ones gown
the average woman has only her head and
shoulders taken.
pictures Of theatrical people are dis
tinrulshed by the remarkable clearness OF
the features and distInctness Of outline
| If YOU will look closely at the portrait
Of an actress you will notice how dis
tinct Is the line between the red OF heI
| lin and the white skin above and below
| That Is because she IS made up Tor ms
| camera lust as carefully as she would
| be for the footli8hts Her lips are red
| dened with lip-salve, her eyebrows draw
| with n pencil. and a little shading pu
about the lids to bring out the brilliancl
Of her eys. Frequently the very lashes
| are blackened. sometimes with grease
paint but more often with an ordinary
steel hairpin, blackened In the gas-jet, {
practice every chorus-girl knows, and on
which. instead OF running the lashes
| frequently makes them grow TO beauti
| fuI length The actress who photograph
| well, and most Of them do, knows Jus
| sxactlv what view OF her face is pref
test. and can assume just the most be
coming expression. That is a faculty an!
woman may possess II she will keep he
face constantly in mind, and never lie
! il droop into stolid Discontinued lines
| when in repOse, as one sees so man.
| vyonen's faces in public The photo
erapher can smooth out wrinkles. lighter
shadows. and accentuate high lights, bu
| he can't put a becoming expression on
| face that has assumed an unbecomlnl
one.
He can do wonders. though. In th'
| way OF remadying physical shortcomings
| Tn. two sides OF q face are seldom alike
land one. Of course, is better TO look a
than the other. The nose almost inva
riably turns TO one side, and an sXpeit
enced photographer declares that women
| noses are bent more often 10 the LETT. anc
| mems to the right, I'm spite OF which fac
| a man may follow his nose and not go a
ALI right One eye Is frequently hiEhel
than the other and one side of the mouth
droons but these defects careful posing
and lighting can do away with. odd eye.
ara made of the same size by putting tbs
| smaller one nearer thu camera. Inc Pho
| tograph Of almost any actress VIII Illus
| trate how bad features ara made the bss
Of There IS Julia Marlows. for example
Her face would be beautiful were It mo-
, for her nose, which "a entirely 100 short
and a bit inclined 10 turn M. Miss Mar
; loves best portraits, as Juliet and Cor
della, are taken with the head Httl'
bent, so that the apparent length OF the
| nose Il increased, and the nostrilS. which
are not pretty, are Ia a measure hidden
, Miss Marlowss least pleasing photograph
Is az Charles the player in "Rogues anc
Vaaabonds." rear view, which reveal:
, the least pleasing lines OF her lower
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