The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-03
PICTURES OF FAMOUS MEN.
More Difficult to Take with Camera
Than Babies or Brides.

AS the celebrity closed the door
after him on his way out, the photo
grapher breathed a sigh of relief.
"These big men, he said, with a
touch of pity, mingled with scorn,
are harder to photograph than spoil
ed babies who won't listen to the
birdie and bashful country brides who
persist in making eyes at their hus-
bands just when it's high time to press
the bulb.
There's President Roosevelt, for
instance. He is one of the hardest
men to photograph satisfactorily that
I've ever tackled, and, as I'm distinct
ly a celebrity photographer, travelling
the world over in. search of proper
subjects, that's saying a good deal.
1.-The president is a bad subject for
the. simple reason 'that he doesn't
seem to be able to keep still twenty
consecutive seconds. You'll get him
posed to your own and his satisfac-
ton, he submitting good naturally to
it all, and are just ready to do the
business when, suddenly, an arm or
a leg will begin to i've energetically
and it's begin all over again.
I've photographed the president at
least a dozen times and each time
I've had much trouble, but one ex-
perience with him stands out more
clearly than all the others Jumped
together.
Shortly after he had succeeded to
the presidential chair l got him to
assent to sit for me in the chief ex-
ecutive's Office. My appointment was
for 10 O'Clock and sharply at that
hour | was ushered into the presi-
dents presence and was greeted with
the CHEEKY remark:
"'Delighted to see you; and III
promise to keep still for you, so We'll
get through quickly, for I've much
to do today
"As l put the camera together ne
recalled several previous times when
l had photographed him and he had
worried me half sick by his constant
wrigglings. When l began posing
him he again said earnestly:
Eyes, I'll keep still for you this
time, sure
| glanced %scornfully at his %questioner.
Say, l daresay he tried his best, but
he kept me~two hours. and out of the
evenly exposures l made l got only
two decent negatives"
"Then there's Admiral Dewey" the
man of pictures continued. "The ad-
miral's all right, only he's as shy as
a week-old bride, who has come to be
taken in her wedding gown. From
the fact that he persists in getting
himself into ball shape when before
the camera l take it that he wants
to be in evidence in a photograph
| as little as possible. l said to him
once after he had rolled up about
the fifteenth time at the same sitting:
Admiral, if you don keep straight
I'll have tt prop you up
"'All right he said, meekly, but
just now l feel as if l need an entirely
different sort Of a strengthened
I'm not saying whether or not the
admiral got what he thought he need
ed, but l did finally succeed in get
ting a splendid negative, and to date
I've made over $4,000 selling copies
OF it throughout the country. It's
astonishing how we'll the photographs
of celebrities sell. The demand for
them is constant, eve though they
vary from 81 to SIS apiece. And, queer
thing, the Europeans are steady buy
| ers of likenesses of Americas big men.
Only the other day I got an order
from a St.Petersburg photographer
for copies of my negatives OF Presi-
dent Roosevelt, several members of
his cabinet and our leading army and
navy officers.
"And that reminds me of the time
that I invaded the Russian embassy
at Washington in order to get Count
| Cassini to sit for me. The count sat
quietly enough-after he had asked
advice of the young countess, his
| secretaries, the military and naval at
taches and who not around the lega-
ton. Everyone had a different sug-
! gestion to make, and. would you be-