Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-04-17
MRS. TRIPODS TROUBLES.
The Wife of an Amateur photographer
Writes an Open Letter.

hand. You ask him to write an article
for your Photographic Annual that i,
to be published next year; and you put il
some taffy about his being well-knowr
amateur, and some stuff about what he
writes being of interest, aud that sort OF
thing. My husband is now on photog-
raphng tour, as he calls it, and OF
course | open all his letters. 1t is moi
likely he will be back in time to write
the article YOU wish. When he goes of
with that confounded camera of his you
never know when he will come home.
So l am very pleased to give you Il
woman's view of amateur photography,
and you can print il in your Annual
if you like.
My unfortunate husband was stricken
with the amateur photography plague
about three years ago. Up to that time
| always considered him reasonably
sane. | made no objection, at the time
to his joining the army of Photographic
cranks, because, you see, knew nothing
of the subject. have done everything
| could, since that time, but. although
he has quit smoking at my request, he
refuses to give up the camera habit.
AT the time he began his so-called recrea-
! tion my house, or perhaps | should say
our house, was one of the neateSt in the
neighborhood. You ought to 60 through
it now My carpets have been ruined
with the abominal chemicals he uses. |
don't pretent to know their names, but
know the effect they have. Then the
bathroom is something frightful to
behold. He uses that for what he calls
his darkroom and has contrivances for
shutting out the light.
Inoticed that in one of the books you
sent him, Daguerre was the inventor of
photography, He may have been the
inventor of photography, but think it
was another sulphurous gentleman, with
the same initial, who was the inventor
of amateur photography.
My husband was reasonably good-tem-
pered until he took up your diaboical
art. | one time opened the door of the
room in which he was working. 1t was
all dark inside except a fearful red
lamp, which threw ruddy glow on his
face and made him look as if he were
going to have epileptic fit. The mo-
ment | opened the door that man went
perfectly crazy. He said | had spoiled
dozen of his plates, although | had
touched nothing, and came near suing
for a divorce because of his awful re-
marks. II the evil one was not the in
yentor of amateur photography, then
should like to know who was.
The pictures my husband does turn
out are perfectly awful. He has tried,
at different times, to photograph the
children; but the poor little dears looked
like wooden images, in the picturers. |
went into the bathroom once, with the
baby, and put him in the bath-tut.
There was some water there already
and it looked clear enough, but in it was
some horrible solution of silver that
turned most of the baby jet black, and
we haven't been able to get the color
out to this day.
Then the cost of the thing is some
thing frightful, although my husband
carefully conceals what he spends on it.
| came across one of the Photographic
dealers bills the other day, and it was
enough to make ones hair stand on end
Pyrogalic acid, whatever that is was
50 cents an ounce.
just think, If had to pay that pric,
for sugar it would be IS a pound, in
stead of 10 cents!
Fifty cents an ounce And tha
wasn't the worst of it, Now what Dc
you think chloride of gold costs? Fo
fifteen grains he is charged so cents
Now that, as you know, is nearly $50 a,
ounce, over $500 a pound | don
know how many pounds of the wretchet
stuff he uses every week but if he use
, ten pounds of it, and am sure ten pound
OF sugar doesn't 90 very far in Il houS
with large family like ours, you Sc
that is So, 600 for that one thing alone
: not to mention the dozen of other chem
Gals he uses; and am sure don't kno,
what the price of them is.
'NI NOh hul'lchl phobpSl dDHN wa
e invented to drive a poor woman crazy
who has a husband who is a victim {
the villainous practice. No wonder h
= says he can't afford new dress for mt
when | ask him for it. The house
stained with horrible solutions frol
cellar to garret, and | am always afrai
to use any cups or glasses for fear thei
are some dreadful poison in them. I'll
cat took some milk out of saucer th;
had something or other of potassium
it, and it just curled up and died.
| am always afraid to sweep, in al
part of the house, for fear it will raise
dust that will spoil something that |
has tackled up on IL board to dry.
wouldn't mind all this if he ever took
picture that was worth looking at: bu
as | said before, he never does. Ther
now, print that in your miserable phi
tograph book, If you want to.
Mrs. John Tripod.