Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-12-01

enough that the newspapers should print as a cou
terfeit presentment of this or that public man
carefully posed bust portrait touched to show II
subject as he wanted to appear rather than
he actually did appear Newspaper readers with
a thirst for accurate information came to demand
pictures that would show the subjects as they
actually appeared. Moreover, they wanted not
commonplace bust photo, but a fulllength pic
ture that would represent its object he would
appear to one who met him the street and
with hint as to his distinctive characteristics
as to dress, etc. From this demand was born the
personal "snap shot"
Nowadays the snapshot is to a large extent
dispacing the stereotyped yisage in the public
prints. Almost everybody who achieves fame
or notoriety must must needs fall victims to the
, sharpshooters of the camera The snap-shotter Is
Yno respecter of persons or calngs so long as hu
man interest" Is present, and everybody, rom
preachers to pugilists and from statesmen to
suffragsts, is the quarry of the camera scout at
one time or another. Some of the people who are
snap-shotted manifestly relish 1t; great number
accept 1t as a matter of and minority
wriggle and squirm and even fight at sight of
a camera. Conspicuous among the latter are
Harry Lehr the Newport society pet OF monkey
dinner fame, and j. Pierpont Morgan, the inan-
cier. 1t must be admitted that the father OF
trusts does not make pretty picture when taken
unawares and he evidently realizes this for he Is
usually guarded by several private detectives
when he appears in public and carries a cane
which he is quick to on any offending camera
that he can reach
Public officials headed by the president of the
United States, are usually the most satisfactory
subjects for snapshots because, whatever may
be their natural inclination in the matter, they
quickly learn to submit gracefully to this sort
OF attention. A leading statesman or army or
navy official who realizes that at public functions
he is liable to be continually in the camera eye
Is likely to instinctively avoid those awkward
attitudes and facial grimaces that sometimes spoil
things in the case of a celebrity who Is new to
the game and sefconscious in consequence From
the standpoint of the snapshotters perhaps the
most satisfactory subjects in this country the
diplomats at Washington-that is, the alien off,
eials who are stationed at our seat of government
as the ambassadors or ministers of foreign pow
ers For one thing, these titled foreigners are
possessed of gorgeous uniforms that show up
well in unconventional pictures, and then again
they are accustomed to being constantly on dress
parade.
The snapshotter must "duick on the trigger"
and he cutivates ability in this direction almost
as earnestly as the gun fighter Of the west did
in the old days. The newspaper snapshots are
made BY means OF special cameras made specially
for the purpose. and costing as much $3.50
apiece Only fraction Of a second Is required.
OF course to make snapshot. once the lens is
focused upon a celebrity in desired position, but
the uncertainty lies in the fact that the celebrity
IL seldom actually posing for his picture. More
than likely he may not realize that he is being
caught by the camera mayhap may be trying