The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-08
BY THOMAS C. VISK.
Copyright, 1903 by Thomas G. Visk.

grapher breathed a sigh of relief.
These big men," he said, with &
touch of pity, mingled with som'
scorn, ARE harder to photograph thar
spoiled babies, who won't listen to tn,
birdie, and bashful country brides
who persist in making eyes at theiI
husbands just when it's high time t.
press the bulb.
There's President Roosevelt for in
stance. He is one Of the hardest mer
to photograph satisfactorily that I've
ever tackled, and, as I'm distinctly g
celebrity photographer, travelling th'
world over in search of proper sub
jects, 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 move theoretically,
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 to-
gether
shortly after he had succeeded to
the presidential chair, l got him to as
sent to sit for me in the chief execu-
tives office. My appointment was for
10 o'clock, and sharply at that hour
ftntn
presence and was greeted with the
CHEEKY remark:
Delighted to see you; and I'll
promise to keep still for you, so We'll
get through quickly for I've much to
do to-day.
AS l put the camera together he
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:
Yes, I'll keep still for you this time,
sure
did he?" The celebrity chaser
glanced scornfully at his questioner.
Say, | daresay he tried his best, but
he kept me two hours, and out of the
twenty exposures ! made l got only
two decent negatives"
An Amusing Experience With Gen.
COrbin.
The photogra piers gaze fell on a
full length picture of Adjt. Gen. Cor
bin, framed, and hanging on the wall
Army and navy men also make
you wish that you hadn't tackled them
before you've been working with them
for five minutes" he said. I've yet
to photograph an officer who isn't fus-
sy about the lay of the gold orna-
ments across his chest, or the angle
at which his sword hangs at his side.
But the most amusing experience I've
he'd with an officer occurred when l
got Gen. Corbin's permission to pho
tcgraph him in his office in the War
Department.
Everything went smoothly with
the posing until l was all but ready to
let well enough alone and press the
bulb. Then it was that one of the
generals aides walked into the office
He looked at his superior for a second,
then said, in an almost horror-stricken
tone:
Excuse me. general, but there's
something wrong with the way your
coat set~''
Please fix it for me-, he requested
THE aide did so, but. as he was
backing away and as / was just start
ing to snap the camera, he rushed in
front of me.
Hold ON he shouted, the generals
sword belt is up a little too high at
the right.
He put it in place while the General
smiled broadly at me over the mans
head. Then the intrusive gentleman
backed off again, took a critical
glance at his commander, and was
starting for his side for the third time
when the general suddenly command
ed:
Captain, halt! 'Tenshun! Bout
face! Forward. march! And go out
of that door and don't come back I'M
til I ring for you!"
Then he turned to me.
Now he said. and his eyes twin
killed. nightly, wen have peace. Bring
out the birdie and let it sing
Admiral Dewey Shy Before the
Camera.
"Then there's Admiral Dewey" the
man of pictures continued The adj
mirars 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 fif-
teenth time at the same sitting:
Admiral, if you don't keep
straight, I'll have to prop you up
All right he said, meekly, but
just now / feel as if l need an en-
tirely different sort of strengthened
I'm not saying whether or not the
admiral got what he thought he need
ed, but did finally succeed in getting
splendid negative; and to date I've
made over $1,000 selling copies of II
throughout the country. It's astonish-
ing how we'll the photographs OF ce-
lebrities sell. The demand for them is
constant, even though they vary from
81 to S. apiece. And, queer thing, the
Europeans are steady buyers of like
nesses of Americas big men. Only the
other day l got an order from a St
Petersburg photographer for copies OF
my negatives of President Roosevelt
several members of his cabinet anC
our leading army and navy officers.
A Strenuous Time With Count Cas-
sInf.
And that reminds me of the time
that l 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. Every one had a different sug-
gestion to make, and, would you be-
lieve 1t, the Count actually changed
his clothing four times in an effort
TO suit himself and the host that he
had called in to give advice. i dare
say that he's be changing clothes