The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-26
THEATRICAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
The Pretty Chorus Girl Is at Present
the Managers Treasure.

Theatrical billing changes with al
most every season and is an art in
itself Just now the photographed
seems a. most popular medium for
catching the public eye.
A few years ago the theatrical ad-
vance man started out with two or
three trunk filled with electrotypes for
newspapers. He carried from three to
five hundred cuts. Now he takes out
so or IS cuts, for nearly every large
paper has it's own reproduction plant
and prefers to use photographs For
this the reading public, If it desires TO
know what actors really look like, may
be thankful.
graphs well is regarded by the manager
as a treasure of great price. A pretty
girl who knows how to pose is a certain
means of getting stories about his show
into the average paper. So, when a girl
proves a good Photographic subject, she
is apt to be worked overtime by the
press agent, posing in everything from
diaphanous draperies to sableS and dia~
mOnds.
An interesting branch of theatrical
photography is the flash lights for stage
groups and pictures One man in New
York has been working on this particu-
lar for IA years and has brought the
process to such state of perfection
that there is absolutely no smoke or
explosion, and the people who pose can
therefore depict on their faces the emo
course of the play. So rapidly and
quietly does he work that frequently
con panies are photographed behind the
curtain while the audience is still filing
out of the theater.
More commonly flashlights are taken
at the dress rehearsal of a new produc-
ton.
When William Collier produced ION
the Quiet the dress rehearsal with the
taking of flashlights lasted from p. m.
until a. m.
The company then went home to rest
up for the evening performance. The
photographer returned to his gallery.
and at o'clock of the same afternoon
handed to Mr.. Golfers manager the
first prints of the flashlights taken dur
ing the night. The highest record for
speed made by this photographer was
33 pictures in one and one-fourth hours.
with one change of scene and several
changes of costume.
The most interesting piece of work
done by this photographer was the Du
Barry pictures, when for three consecu-
| tive nights after the performance, Mrs.
Leslie Carter posed 26 times, and this
without murn UT. The largest num-
Der of performers ever taken by a flash
light in New York was in 1.-THE Sleep
| ing Beauty and the Beast during the
scene which shows the awakening OF
the beauty. In this the stage was
simply massed with people. More effec-
| tive results, however, can be obtained
| where a smaller number of people pose
| The selection of Autographs is a more
| complicated task. These must not only
catch the eye by theirrvivid coloring
| but also rouse interest in the action OF
| the play. Personality or reality is Sc
cured by reproducing the fea lures of the
| leading actors. The background is fire.
| quently supplied by the artists fancy.
| Occasionally where certain telling
situation is needed, the actors pose es-
pecia1ly for the photographic work, the
| photographs forming the basis of the
| Autograph. Autographs come in many
sizes and are known as half sheets, one
| three. eight, sixteen, twenty, twenty
| four end twenty-eight sheets The last
named is the biggest stand" manufac-
| tured. and in it the figures will be more
| than life size.
The smaller sizes are run off in edl,
| lions of 5000. The two largest sizes
| comes in lots of 500. The average frs
! class attraction uses $500 worth of litho.
| graphs a month, and a well known
| metropolitan manager, who will senC
| out three companies next season in ligh
| opera and musical comedy, closed con.
! tract this week for Autographs to tn.
value of s31 900. This will last hin
| about two-thirds of the season. MOI
| does this price include any specially
| prepared posters, but merely the sup.
| ply turned out by the ordinary litho-
graph establishment.