The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-06-25
VANITY IN PICTURES
A PHOTOGRAPHERS WAL ABOUT
THE WHIMs OF HIS SUBJECTS.

women, as a Rule, Insist That They
Must BE Made Pretty-FOIks With
Crooked Faces-The Old Lady Who
Felt Encouraged.
"There couldn't possibly be a better
place to study human nature than in
photograph gallery" said well known
photographer the other day. "Of course,
you have heard this before; but, really,
we do meet some queer characters and
have experiences that are amusing, even
though they are trying.
"For instance, some impossible subject
will come in. We will do all that the
photographers skill is capable of, re-
touch, take out the wrinkles and make
her as pretty as possible Then when
she sees the photograph she looks griev-
ed, hurt and indignant all at once.
"sWhy, that doesn't look bit like me!
she will exclaim. Then, if she has a
friend with her, she will turn and say:
We'll, my coloring is my chief charm,
anyway, and, of course, it's all lost in a
photograph. Yes, you may send them up,
but they're the last I'll ever have taken
"Another type is the woman who never
expects to have a good photograph, be-
cause my features never look so well in
repose, but when | talk, don't you know,
my face is full of animation OF course
everybody realizes the truth of this propo-
sition, but every homely woman makes
it her excuse and keeps emphasizing it.
| much prefer the candor of young wo-
man who came in the other day and an
nounced that she wanted a pretty picture
and didn't care whether it looked like her
or not.
"'I'm going to send this away to some
relatives l haven't seen for years and
will probably never see again, but / want
it to look so pretty that they will immedi-
ately exclaim, "Why, how Elizabeth has
changed"
"a man is generally driven to have his
picture TAKEN" said another photog-
rapher. "The old men are made to come
by their daughters and the young men by
their sweethearts. You know there is a
great fad among young people just now
for locket pictures. A girl doesn't hest
tate at all to say, I want locket picture
for my fiance,' while a man will simply
say he wants a little picture, until we
pump it out of him that it is for locket.
In my opinion very few men care for
their own pictures, but simply have them
taken when some woman insists on it.
They will come in and get the proofs,
saying, We'll, l don't know anything
about this, but I'll send back the one
that's wanted A girl, on the other hand,
never wants man to see her picture I'M
til it is entirely finished and all the lines
taken out"
1t is becoming sort of fad with the
L -
of elderly men and women leaving every
line and wrinkle in, and the public is
growing to learn the artistic value of this
work, which, of course, is a great adj
vance from the stereotyped pheasant"
look of bygone days.
81 am not at all in sympathy with the
idea that the public is a fool" said an
other prominent artist who has photo
graphed many celebrities in his long pro-
fessional career. "An artist is supposed
from his experience and education in art
to be better able to dispose of lines and
forms and adjust lights than the ayman,
but the public pays the freight and GER
tainly has rights that a photographer
should recognize. Many subjects, how
ever, are blind to their peculiarities or
faults, and it may surprise you to learn
that the human face is rarely a perfect
bit of symmetry, the two sides often diff
fering widely. But that Is long story.
Even families do not know of peculiar
distinctions in the faces Of their own
household. once took photograph OF
a lady whose face was remarkable in this
respect, the difference between the corin-
cular and corner of the mouth being fully
half an inch. ] did all that my skill could
suggest in lights, posing, ETC., but could
not conceal the unsymmetrical lines.
When she saw the proof, she threw 1t
down Indignantly, exclaiming, Surely my
face is not crookedp But it was.
II have found little difference in the de-
grees Of vanity in men and women" con-
tinued the photographer. "The surpris-
ing element entered when a plain old
farmer who probably had not looked into
a mirror for a generation came in for a
photograph and became not only fussy
and obstreperous. but very critical.
at is very hard for some to know they
are growing old. Once woman of 80,
with very kittenish ways, came to me.
studied her face carefully, for / knew she
did not realize her looks. Finally ! made
her portrait. copying one of Sir Thomas
Lawrences paintings. Then we retouch-
ed and retouched again, removing every
line and wrinkle and shadow. The re-
suit showed a young woman, surely not
%. was actually shamefaced over it
and wondered how she would take 1t.
She looked at it critically.
"'Well really, Mr.. Photographers, l
feel encouraged. l always do look old In
my pictures, but if you'll Just retouch
this little
members of the dramatic profession
are so educated and drilled in posing that
they surpass all others as class. Public
men usually look on il. as a duty to be
executed as promptly as possible. They
realize that it is better to be strong than
comedy. Yet a great many have great
regard for their clothes. Only recently
photographed a very distinguished man.
The likeness was excellent, but in the left
coat sleeve was wrinkle, and on account
of this he insisted on sitting again.
New York Mail and Express.