The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-15

ing, one of whom, Otto Sarony, has man
aged his fathers business for the last
five years.
Mr. Sarony sold out his interest in the
lithographing business soon after his
wife's death, and went to Europe with
his children His ambition was to be an
artist in every sense of the word, and he
spent years in the schools and studios of
the continent. He studied and travelled
until 1865, when he found that the war
had wrecked his finances in this country
and that he must begin all over again to
make a competence. He had a brother
who was successful as a photographer in
Scarborough, a fashionable watering
place in the north of England, and before
coming back to this country he sought
that brothers advice. He was told that
his fortune lay in photography, and so he
spent several months as a student of it.
In less than a year he opened a studio
in Birmingham, and his knowledge and
skill as a photographer enabled him to go
beyond the limitations of his rivals He
invented new effects in lighting and de-
veloping, and was the first man to depart
from the blank background and make
pictures in which painted scenery furn-
iture, and bric-a-brac were improving
ing parts. Only the carte de visite'' size
Of photograph was used in those days, and
the printing was by what was called the
wet" process. Sarony undertook to
change al this, and he succeeded.
The photograph that set him before all
England as master was the greatest Of
wonderful series of portraits of theatre
cal celebrities-Adah Isaacs Menken. then
a famous actress, who created a furore
as Mazeppa. The story of that picture
was one that Sarony was fond of telling.
"Adah Menken," he used to say. "came
to me in Birmingham. Mr.. Sarony.' she
said, all attempts to photograph me as
Mazeppa have been failures. Now
want you to take me in eight poses. ON
condition that you allow me to pose nv
self agreed to this on condition that
she would allow me afterward to pose her
IN eight different attitudes. She said that
was only fair so we went to work
When the photographs were ready.
hunted her up in her dressing room at the
theater.l gave her those of her own nosines
hrst. Her exclamation was: They are
perfectly horrible; / shall never have an
other photograph taken of myself as
Mazeppa as long as 1 live Then 7 nra-
scented the photographs of my own posing
She threw her arms around me ana a~'
claimed. Oh, You dear, delightful little
man. am going to kiss you for that
and she did mat
MI Sarony came back to New Yorl, IN
1900, ana decided to start a photogra nhic
s ~. ne bought the first posing frame.
the nrst retouching apparatus. and tbe
hrst albumen paper. He opened. a cal.
lery at $50 Broadway, and in a few ,,ears
became the photographer of the corntT-,,
he moved In 1871 to 81 Union Souare ana
Few years ago to 256 Fifth Avenue TJls
studio at one time was one of the show
places or the city. He had a renna RIO bIa
lot Of curios, odds and ends from every
where, paintings and drawings of noted
actresses, and famous men and vvoroan
whom he had photographed.
Crayon drawings was Mr.. Sarony's mas.
sion at odd moments, and of his produce
IONS he had great collection, many be-
ing studies from the nude The Salna-
gundi the Kit-Kat and Lotos Clubs of
which he was member, received pres-
ents from him of some Of his best works
Mr.. Sarony married again in the hight
of his success, his second wife, who sur
wives him, being a sister of Henry
Ihomas, the photographer. Mr.. Sarony
had fondness for Bohemian life and
even in recent years. when his sight ana
hearing were failing, he delighted in even |
ngs of good fellowship, little dinners with
his select circle of friends, and ouiet
gatherings in his home. He was omen Of
purse, and always quick in RESPONSE 10 |
requests for church and personal charity. |
Fifteen years ago he and Ed Moran. he |
marine painter, gathered many a dollar
for charitable purposes by their exhibit |
tons Of lightning black-and-white work |
the limit of time for each picture heinz |
but ten minutes. The most famous of |
these exhibitions was one given for the /
Rev Henry Ward Beecher.
Mr. Sarony posed and photographed 9o
900 actors and actresses, and 2OO, 900 of the /
general public sat before his camera |
Charlotte Cushman used to speak of him
as "the little crazy man." and Coouelin |
averred that he was the Meissonier of /
photographers" Wilkie Collins. WITH /
whom he used to exchange a weekly Iet-
ter always addressed him as my Won /
derful Sarony."
Mr.. Sarony always declared that he had
posed more beautiful women and more /