The Washington times., 1937-06-24
PRESS CARDS
FIND FERTILE
FIELD

She was a pretty girl. from neT
post behind the counter of a down.
TOWN store selling cameras, films
and other photographers supplies
she explained that eve just buy
the cards and sell them" She was
showing a small bit of pasteboard
retailing for 25 cents, one of which
was displayed in the store window.
The card bore in big red letters
across its face the word Press. y
This particular card is repro
duCed in facsimile in the picture
accompanying this story. The
young woman was asked:
Where do you get theSe?'
I'VE buy them from Mr.. Ly.
ons, managing editor of Photo
Markets"
You have nothing to do with
Photo Markets-with this serv'
iCe?"
LISTED AT so CENTS
ooh, no. Just sell the cards
and this book"
She handed out a yeIloW-oacKed
pamphlet headed:
Make Money With Your
Camera"
PHOTO-MARKETS
What to 'ShOOt'-Where to
Sell It."
Its listed price was SO cents.
II sold over the counter for 10
cents. On the inside cover page
was an announcement by Editor
Lyons, of an arrangement made
with an individual in Connect
cut to criticize professionally, for
fee of a dollar, photographs
submitted by subscribers. The
pamphlet itself contains direc,
tory of possible markets for pho
tographs, classified by fields
aviation. agricultural, adVertis-
ing, trade papers, etc; a direc-
tory of recommended books; and
a directory of advertisers, and of
recommended phi o G raphers"
and of Photographic equipment.
What do you pay for these
press cards?"
Must l tell yOu?"
"No-yOu needn't tell any
thing"
COST HER DIME
Assured she was not being
quoted, and that her interviewer
was a newspaperman, she said
they bought the cards for 10
cents and sold them for Is cents.
and that Mr.. Lyons himself
could be found in the Evans
Building on New York Avenue.
Mr.. Lyons was in his office.
He was affable and honest in an.
swering questions. He was asked
without disclosing the inter-
viewers identity, except by name
just what there was to his
press cards." what they meant,
what they got their holders-in
short, what good they are. He
also was asked about his adver-
tised photo-marketing service.
and what SyndicateS and periodi-
Gals cooperate with him, as in
dictated on the card. He ex-
planned: |
ooh, we don't do any market
ing. No, We have no market
ing service like that. The book
is our service. We publish that.
That's all there is to it."
But the card?"
"Well, that's really a subter-
fuge to get around the police.
The newspapers have them tied
up. You can't get phOtOg-
raphers' pass in this town un-
less you are working regularly
for one of the papers. This
card gets you through the police
lines"
But do the police recognize
= it,"
HAS MANY USES
"Oh, yes yes often. In
many places. I know that, for
we sell these cards year after
year. About 5000 of them. We
know that from the repeat
orders. About 80 per cent of
our circulation is in towns
where they don't have regular
police passes. Many of the
police in these towns recognize
the cards.
I'VE even sell these books to
some of the photographers on
Washington papers, but they
don't let their bosses know it.
They don't want them to know
they are selling pictures to
anyone else. But they are"
But just what good are these
cards in towns where regular
police passes are issued to the
newspapers"
We'll, you'd be surprised.
They are used sometimes to-
get into ball games. To attend
sports events. Sometimes they
are recognized, sometimes not.
1 know that they have been
used to get into national meets.
/ can't recommend that they
be used for that purpose, but I
know that they are. And they
Work-they work-they work."