The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-02
PHOTOGRAPHS THE BRITISH BuY.
The Royal Family Comes First, Then
Actors and Politicians.
From the London Chronicle.

Actors and Politicians.
From the London Chronicle.
There are no more loyal supporters of
the queen, the Prince and Princess of
Wales, and the rest of the royal family
to be found anywhere than among the
leading photographers of the metropolis.
And without imputing any sordid motives
to these artists, it may be said that the
reason lies on the surface, because the
queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales,
and the rest of the royal family are the
most constant and unwearying patrons of
the photographer. Frankly, il is diff
cult to conceive what the latter would do
unless they had the former to take" for
the sale of royal photographs is 2 very
considerable item in the business Of royal
photographers. These could not be num-
bered upon the fingers of two hands
there are half dozen in Baker street
alone, and twice as many perhaps scat
tered over the west end, and this fact
makes it very difficult to estimate, even
roundly, the number of photographs of the
numerous members of the royal family
that are printed or sold in any given year
OF course, This year 1t has been the
queen first, and the rest nowhere. Messrs.
Downey are the proud owners of the jubi-
lee portrait of her majesty, that is 10 say
the one the queen chose out of many that
were taken by them, but its possession
has not been an unmiXed blessing. In the
first place, it was to be free" no copy
right was to be claimed on it, and, as
consequence, it has been printed in pretty
nearly every illustrated paper the world
Hos ole Id t,,,fe ,r.V,l4s.
amount of correspondence on the part of
the firm. for all sorts of people wanted
copy of the famous negative for all sorts
of purposes Mcssrs. DoWney themselves
have reproduced it in a dozen different
ways.
Penny prints, remarkably good by the
way, have been sold by the hundred thou
sand, collotype prints, photographers, pla-
tinotypes, silver prints, by the thousand
Lantern slides innumerable have been fur
nished with it. and for people of wealth,
enamelS on copper, silver and gold, in girls
bleu and rouge sanguine, at so many gum
cas- the square inch, have been supplied.
One could not expect to go much higher
than that, and yet the feat has been ac-
complished, and watchdials with the flour
generations" including the jubilee por
trait are now being turned out at a price
which may be better left to the magma
ton. So much for the authorized jubilee
portrait. But there was another one in
the field, and as it was taken 10 years ago,
and thus could be put on the market much
earlier, it also had a very considerable
sale; so that between this, that and the
other, it is impossible to say how many
millions-in one form or another-of her
majestys portrait have been put into cir
culaton this year Among the men of the
reigning house the Prince of Wales and
the Duke of Connaught are the favorites
fo ha nh nj Q
the princesses, the Princess of Wales cas-
lily takes first place, but l was told by
Mr.. Downey that by far the most popular
photograph now on sale was that of the
three children of the Duke and Duchess
of York, and one can easily understand
that
1t is undoubtedly the fact that people do
not buy the ordinary cabinet photographs
to the same extent as they did in years
gone by, be the subject what it may. The
reason is pretty obvious. Just as soon as
photograph is in the shop windows, the
illustrated newspapers get hold of it, and
it is reproduced everywhere The more
popular it is, the more it is published, and
as it is notorious that what can be bought
for siXpence or less will not fetch shill-
ing or more. the photographs and the pho
tograph sellers are hit heavily by this en-
terprise on the part of the newspapers. 1t
may be said in parenthesis, however, that
DlOJO&TdDHGIS
heavily for their enterprise. There is an
other reason, also. We have had what are
known as albums" of celebrities for
years and years, and these are not now
quite so numerous as they were, but in
their places are the collotypes and photo
gravures which, while far more artistic
and lasting than silver print, the cabinet
photographs are also cheaper. 1t is sur
prising TO learn that no fewer than 5000
of one print in the art studies of Messrs.
Downey have been sold the subject being
Wilson Barrett and Maud Jeffries in THE
Sign of the Cross while of this partic-
ular series, all scenes from the same play,
the number sold runs into the hundreds of
thousands Photographs of these players
in the Daughters of Babylon have been
hardly less in demand, so that if one were
inclined to accept this guide there can be
little doubt as TO who are the most popu-
lar actor and actress of the day.
Next to royalties the photographs of ac-
tors and actresses naturally come first.
By all reports, for steady sales Sir Henry
Irving and Miss Ellen Terry are untouch-
ed. Others come and go; successful
play may give them a FLIP for time, but
even such prominent actors as George
Alexander and Charles Wyndham sell
more from the characters in which they
appear than from their inherent virtues
as individuals. There is, however, still
who shares in his retirement the photo
graphic popularity of Mr. Toole. When
one comes 10 the ladies the difficulty of
awarding the palm is simply appalling.
Yesterday it was Miss Maud Millett, but
she is married and lost to the stage now,
and her negatives are valueless. Miss Ma
bel Love commands a good sale, so does
Miss Marie Tempest Miss Lefty Ling.
Miss Marie Studhoifne, and a dozen 9TH
ers, but none of them reach that phenom-
email popularity in a Photographic sense
which was once enjoyed by Maud Brans-
combe, Mrs Langtry and Mary Anderson.
The days of the items of thousands, q"
such as Mile, Cleo de Merode and La
Belle Otero, are gone by as far as London
is concerned. Perhaps the ladies give too
many sittings; perhaps there are too many
of them; perhaps-but it would be ungal-
liant to suggest that they are not suffi-
GENTLY beautiful. At any rate, they do
not "selr'-therefore there are no COM