The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1922-03-03
Some Mail Order Houses Find
Them Very Useful in Their
Business.
CAN doctor" PHOTOGRAPH
Concerns Can Give Wrong lmpres-
sions With Illustrations While
Sticking to Truth in
Descriptions.

Figures never lie," it has been
claimed, but this Is far from the
truth. The defaulter who has "doc-
tored" his books in such way that he
has escaped detection for years. knows
that figures can be made to lie. The
shrewd politician, who knows how to
juggle statistics, knows that they can
be made to tell story that is far from
the truth.
But there is another MEDIUM of ex-
preston which Is also supposed to be
stickler for truth, but which Is
greater prevaricator than figures.
That Is picture. A picture of any
person or thing supposedly, is an ex-
act reproduction of the original, but
this Is frequently only wild suppo-
sition. The photographer who did not
make his picture tell little fib now
and then would soon go out of bust
ness from lack Of patronage.
Pictures Better Than Words.
Pictures have come to occupy very
important place in the life of the world
in recent years. 1t has been said that
for newspaper purposes a picture
which tells its story strikingly is worth
more than columns of written words
on the same subject. Newspapers and
magazines have realized the truth of
this fact and as a result pictures are
used profusely in illustrating the news
and fiction Of the day
| No one has been quicker to realize
the possibilities of the picture when
| ioht
erly-used, than the mail order man.
He has realized that picture will
do more to sell his kind of merchan-
disc than q column of words and fig
ures. One reason for this Is that 1t
Is harder to catch picture in lie
than, it Is printed words and figures.
For instance, If you sell man table
on the strength Of a printed statement
that 1t is 48 inches wide and If when
the table reaches the customer 1t Is
only SO inches wide, the customer not
only has a moral right to kick, but
he has legal right to accuse the sell
} er of obtaining money under false pre-
lenses. However, If the customer
buys table which looks in a picture
to be AZ inches wide, but which proves
upon It's arrival to be only SO inches
wide, he has no legal grounds upon
which to base a complaint If the SELL
er has not told him in so many words
that the table was 4S inches wide.
Stick to Truth in Figures.
Some INSCRIPTIONS mail order
houses have taken advantage of this
, selling power Of pictures in very in
genious way. They adhere strictly to
! the truth in the actual measurements
, given in their catalogues of the arti-
! cles which they have to sell. They
, may employ descriptions which exag-
gerate the qualities and appearances
of the articles offered, but when 1t
comes down to actual measurements
I the descriptions given are technically
, correct. Then these concerns rely upon
l their pictures to sell the merchandise,
I realizing that picture will make a
a far deeper impression upon the mind
g Of the prospective buyer than the act
q ual figures given. A picture of wide,
e roomy bed will attract the eye and
|, the reader probably will not stop to
g measure. off the width of the bed as 1t
r Is described in the catalogue to see
r whether 1t Is as wide as desired. Fig
r ures, in the abstract, mean little to the
T. average reader and do not convey the
impression that is given in the pic
ture.
A former manager of a mail order
9 house tells how his concern manipu
! lated pictures In this way to suit it,
/ ia ~lnk, Nf
n chairs retouched so that the leg'
g seemed to be an inch and half in di
n ameter, when they were really les
N than an inch. 1t made narrow bed
n appear in the picture to be wide ant
70 comfortable. Posts Of iron beds tina
n were really an inch in diameter wer
X made to appear as If they were tire
n. inches in thickness. These things ar
Of easy for any competent artist to Dc
" Patrons Had No Recourse.
~ This concern, however, adhered RIG
~ idly to the truth in the measurement
ey included in the descriptions. Custom
at ers who found, when they receive
es their goods, that they were not wha
err they expected, could kick, but 1t woul
- uO thelu hO gnu. AhC man Va w
he house could show that 1t had set fort
&c the measurements truthfully In cat,
TO logues, and there was no recourse fe
the customer.
at There Is no question but that pi
ey lures will lie, sometimes without an
al manipulation, and the person who buy
ed an article of merchandise from pi
ly- ture is taking big chances, even thong
the picture Is not Intentionally altere
on to give wrong impression. Any ann
tly teur photographer knows from exper
nd ence how the camera often will giN
In wrong idea of proportions.
'es The only safe method Is to buy fro
er the local merchant where one sees Il
wn article itself and not picture of
pi- The article itself cannot lie about 4
nod dimonsioua a laaat