Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-16
THE TRIALS OF HER LIFE

ttt'HGS VI IIGh Ill
II verify believe that there are lot OF
people who believe the term instantaneous
Photography means that they can sit for
their photographs and take them away
with them all within space of half an
hour or So said the reception room young
woman in Washington photograph gal
lery. ut is difficult, on any other hypothe-
sis. to account for the hordes of people who
wait until the very last minute to sit for
photographs that they want to have finish
ed for the holidays. A breathless brigade
of such persons is now beginning to storm
all of the Photographic studios in WASH
ington, and they will be focking in right
up to the day before Christmas, Imperative
ly demanding that we sit them and have all
sorts of pictures, from cartes visites to ~
by "A family groups finished up to the sui
tan's taste and ready for delivery on Christ
mas morning. Some of the Washington pho
tographers have made it rule not to sit
any people after the 18th of December for
photographs TO be delivered by Chris. mas
day, but the sitters come anyhow and glare
at US when we turn EN- away. and tell us
that we ought to be driving a tintype
wagon through the states of Kansas aud
things of that sort-the men, l mean. The
women are worse. The women blame me,
you know. 1 am only here to take orders
and be polite and good-natured and nappy,
but some of the women to whom / am COM
PEELED to point out this 15th-of- December
rule become possessed of the notion that l
cherish secret hatred for them because
they are prettier than l am, and that, there
fore, l don't want them to have their pic
lures taken-at least, that's the way it
would SEEM judging from the way some of
them address me-
THE most extraordinary male person 1
ever encountered came into the studio on
the afternoon of December % last. He was
a representative in Congress from a far
a la tod 70 CT "A
dozen busts, imperial size.
:" Can you have 'em done by Christmas
morning?' he asked me in an off-hand sort
of way.
6 Perhaps we can have them finished by
about January 5, if the printing weather
holds good told him.
why, that won't do at all" he exclain-
ed. I want them for Christmas morning.
l find l won't be able to go home for the
holidays, and ! want to send my FOLKS my
picture so itll reach EN- by New Year
day anyhow
Il started to tell him how impossible that
would be.
why, you must paint em here! he
broke in, obviously angry. I don't want
any hand-painted things-1 want photo
graphs
Did you ever get dozen photographs
in less than week or ten days after sitting
for them?' l asked him as nice as l knew
how.
why he fenced, I've got tintypes out
where I come from in less'n ten minutes
after having had my head screwed up in
that garrote machine, and
" But photographs?
well, / suppose it was mean of me 10
pin him down and make him own up that
he had never sat for a photograph before
but my nerves Were bit edge after the
holiday strain.
The people who become angry when l
ask them for an advance payment before
they have their sittings also come in droves
during the holiday season. 1t is a rule,
you know, that half the price of the pic
lures must be paid in advance, in order that
the studio may have some sort of compen-
sation for the time of the operator and the
plates used in case the StterS never come
back. pretty loud looking man, wear
ing fur-trimmed overcoat came in the
other day to sit for dozen full-length
boudoir sZe-he wanted to get all of that
overcoat in the picture. After he had given
the order L asked him in my ordinary in
sinuatiug way for the half payment in ad-
vance.
Fer what? he asked.
" For the photographs you are going to
sit for | replied.
HE regarded me suspiciously.
oh, you can't hook no buff like that
into me- he said, just like those queer men
in the check suits talk in the Bowery plays
Where dye tink I'm from-Hayburg?
What fer do I pay ahead o time? I goes
upstairs an de guy wit de long locks points
dat etchy brass cannon at me. an goes
troo lot o fancy moves wit his mitts
while his heads bagged in a black sweater,
an truns me con about GRIMM an
lookin pleasant-an' den Were do 1 come
In fer me dough? L don't know dat he's
done nottin., an don't nettin. dat he's
done. an
Nevertheless, Mr.. Sharkey,' 1 began
just aching to say the meanest thing l
knew how. you'll have to
THAT was as far as I got Insult him?
why. at the name of Sharkey his face lit
up like the moon coming from under a
cloud and he looked proud as a boy
with a new red sled. He thought I'd mis-
taken him for the prize fighter. whereas I'd
only meant to say mean thing, and he
paid me in advance for all of the pictures
and staggered upstairs to the studio with
his shoulders thrown back like a High
School lads"