The times., 1899-06-11
THE TIcKET-rAKER.
The Position of Doorkeeper mt Art
Exhibitions

O"A.ADh VI DooFkttptE Art
Exhibitions.
As rule. the young woman who takes
tickets at the picture exhibition Is an art
student herself The other girls trying to
earn money envy her. and think she has a
soft thing" II is apparently easy enough
to be the ticket taker at a picture show
Al there Is to do. apparently. is to sit in
roomful of pictures. take peoples tickets
as they come in and sell catalogues.
You would be surprised to see how
much work it is said a girl who takes
tickets at one of the big exhibitions. You
have TO Keep your eyes open all the time.
for there are large number of people who
try to run past without tickets. / have
to go after people a dozen times 4 day,
calling Ticket. please and they turn on
me with an indignant stare Most OF them
then go and buy tickets. But one we'll
dressed woman the other day took up her
lorgnette. looked me over from head to
foot, and said in an ley tone: Ticket I
have no ticket,' and proceeded calmly on
her way. / ran after her again
{" Madame, said. I shall have to trou-
Bile you for a ticket
I have already told you I had none.
she said
I'm afraid you will have to get one.
said /. l was beginning to be afraid 1
should have to get a bouncer' to put her
out, for 1 was determined she should not
go in without paying. That Is what I'm
here for, and am conscientious. Well. at
last she houuced out to the ticket office,
bought her ticket and put it down on my
desk, saying:
What an imposition
That is one sort Of the people I have
to deal with Then the other Is the kind
who wish to borrow a catalogue for a
-s,r, .v,I Lrocr - he rrta Of
have to be very stern about catalogues.
The best way Is to politely look up what
ever picture Is asked for, and to absolute
ly refuse to let anyone take a catalogue
for a moment One nice old lady took
me at my word. and l really believe she
asked me every single number in the room.
did more than % cents worth OF work for
her, 1 can tell you The worst Is telling
people the prices OF pictures. After about
81 weeks o1f 1t, it gets on ones nerves.
This Is what continually happens. A
threadbare old gentleman comes to the
desk:
''Do you know the price of pictures?'
he asks.
"'Yes; would you like to know the
prices of any?' I reply.
There is one in the other room,' he
says.
What is the NUMBER l ask.
tell you Tue uuluDeIt Uul IL >
in the other room.
Then have to send him for the num-
ber.
Number 221'
That is $500
WHY asks my old gentleman.
'If it's early in the afternoon | explain
to him that | suppose the artist thinks it
worth that; he is is well known, or
what not: later say, I don't know. Not
one person in fifty OF those who ask the
price have the slightest idea OF buying.
Some will go through half an exhibition
and insist on knowing the prices of all.
get so tired OF being polite and affable to
all these people that by the time l get out
in the evening | am ready to insult my
dearest friend, for the sake of being rude
to some one. It's so hopeless telling the
price of a picture over and over again, and
each time having people exclaim, What
an awful price,
"a great many people hold me PERSONAL
ly responsible for the pictures. Lots OF
people come and talk very disagreeably to
me about them. What makes them have
such bad shows they ask me. Young men
come up and say: Isn't this awful trashi'
in an accusing sort of way as though had
done 1t all myself. And one man fairly
shook his fist in my face and demanded
his money back. It's a swindle, he shout
ed at me. But it really wasn't my fault.
AT private exhibitions it's different.
There people come up to me and say:
What a privilege to sit among the works
of the masters all day, l don't tell them
that If I sat among the works of the mas
ters much longer l should go mad. but
would like to.
THE other day friend of mine took my
place a man came up to her and asked:
Miss, is your picture among these works
of art?
- Why, no. she replied.
He stood off a little way and squinted
at her. 1T should be-you are worthy OF
it. Did no one ever tell you you had a
very beautiful profle?'
That was a little startling. coming from
an utter stranger. Later she learned that
her friend was -, the well-known pho
tographer.'