Evening star., 1938-02-27
Manhattan Mirror
Exhibition of Photographs
Stresses Camera Hobby.
Unique "Trade Party"
By Grace Hendrick Ensfis-

TINE amateur photographers
have finally come into their
own this week John Swope,
a aged 20, youngest son Of
Gerard swope, is having an exht-
bition OF 81 photographs at the
Carroll Carstairs Gallery. Not that
the boys and girls who click at
the drop of hat haven't had their
shows at Rockefeller Center where
they specialize in photography, but
John Swope's pictures are In a
bona fide art gallery which never
displayed photographs before. In
fact. he is following an exhibition
Of Whistler's pastes.
We went to see these photographs
and they are indeed beautiful, taken
with a secondhand camera. In
no sense are they like the chi-chi
society beauties, rising from gigan-
tic shells, or peering out of baroque
draperies that Cecil Beaton used
to take for Vogue. They are the
finest essence of the candid camera.
There is one superb shot of Mar
garet SULLIVAN, standing on a Cali
fornia beach, the foaming rustling
around her feet, her head thrown
back. her arms akimbo. There is
another laughing head of Henry
Fonda. The best photograph,
Swope thinks, is one OF a gopher
snake twining himself around a
bowl Of fruit on a luncheon table.
John Swope's approach to this
hobby, which has developed into
q profession, started in 1890 when
he was graduated from Harvard.
He went on trip around the
world and took 5000 feet OF mov-
ing picture film. On his return
he got job in one of R-K-O's
New York theaters. Then he spent
year experimenting with color
film processes. Following that, he
temporarily changed horses and
worked for two years in the N R. A.
in Washington. From there he
went to Hollywood, takes pictures
and has lovely time.
When questioned about the per-
fection Of his art, he explains
thus:
TT was just before the Honolulu
yacht race. I was sailing on the
Paisano and I wanted some pic
lures OF the race So I bought
myself secondhand camera and
took 1000 feet Of film. I was
surprised at the results-surprised
and pleased. set up dark room.
I was living with Henry Fonda, Jim
Stewart and Joshua Logan, and
had my first dark room in closet.
but they objected so violently I
moved it into a shed. Sometimes
work in the dark room for "A
hours at a stretch"
So lively has been the interest
In these photographs that Random
House, the publishing company,
has commissioned John Swope to
do a book of Hollywood photo
graphs for them.
This experience set us thinking
about the people We know whose
lives have been materially changed
by the camera hobby. The best
example is Westerner named
Charles Belden, foreman and man.
ager Of a fourishing cattle and
dude ranch in Greybull, Wyo.
Some years ago, starting with a
Brownie, Charlie took a few pic
lures Of cattle on the range. While
on big game hunt, he photo
graphed elk, mountain sheep and
antelope, which he found easy to
sell to sporting magazines. BY
this time. Charlie, unlike his FORE
bears who wouldn't move without
their sixshooters, never left his
camera behind. At rodeos, when
wrangling or hunting, the little
square box was always hooked onto
his belt. A few years ago, luck
touched him on the shoulder. A
war ace and a dauntless barn.
storming pilot, Bill Munday, settled
In Cody, nearest town to Charles
ranch. That summer, Wyoming
was ravaged with intolerable forest
fires and in a plane that was the
same model as the Spirit of st.
Louis, Charlie and Bill coasted
over the towering flames and took
magnificent pictures, which were
greedily snatched by the press.
Now Charles pictures adorn the
railroads; the national sportsmen
show has a booth devoted to them;
the class magazines cry for them,
and every spring when all dude
ranchers flock to New York to
wrangle prospective victims for the
summer, Charlie wears the highest
10-gallon hat and has the deepest
fringe on his bucksktn shirt as
he saunters down Fifth avenue.
ON WAsHINGTON'S Birthday
we went to a unique social
event. A trade party" given by
an up-and-coming young wallpaper
frm here. When these young men
frst started in business, they used
to give late afternoon cocktail
parties for the buyers at their an
nual showing, according to the
custom Of wholesale houses. FL
nancially it was a good invest
ment, but it usually ended in a
slight riot. AS the firm expanded,
which it did rapidly because the
members have tremendous taste
and pride in their profession and.
like the famous 18th century
French wallpaper manufacturers.
they employ fine contemporary
artists to draft their designs, they
changed the tenor of their party.
This year among those invited
were Nine. Eva Gauthier, Lincoln
KRISTEN of the American Ballet.
John McAndrew, decorator of the
New Museum of Art; Hardinee