WHEN ROYALTY HAS TO " LOOK PLEASANT."

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 63

WHEN ROYALTY HAS TO " LOOK PLEASANT."

AND TO FACE THE' ORDEAL OF THE CAMERA. When the Queen consents to be photographed the arrangements are made before-, hand as" completely as possible." For example, the proper light is considered, with the , assistance of a lady who impersonates hex Majesty, and in this practical way the best position for the chair is ascertained, and the camera is focussed to a nicety. At the appointed moment the Queen enters ■the studio devised for the occasion, and takes her place in the chair, while one of her ladies who was present at the previous rehearsals assists her. The Queen usually avoids the direct glance at the lens, and has found by experience that the best position is secured when she is gazing pensively upon the ground. She generally desires to know the length of the exposure, and as soon as the photographer has intimated that the picture is obtained she turns quietly and demurely to the lady in attendance and chats ■with -her unconcernedly while another, plate is being made ready. Although the august sitter regards things very good-humouredly i?he is always careful to avoid discussing her portraits in public, and never seeks to elicit vain compliments. The" Queen has never' been photographed

under magnesium light, and this is the reason why there does not exist a photograph of the scene at a State banquet, a concept, or 1 ball. And her Majesty has scarcely ever been photographed in a standing position in recent, years. It would be the height of bad- form for a photographer to murmur in the hearing of his royal patrons the usual professional patter about looking pleasant. The Queen herself at any rate would never need any such hints, because from her girlhood she has been free from self-consciousness when sitting for her portrait. Her nerves' are j always steady, and 'there does, not exist a plate in which the face of the Queen has been spoiled by moving, although she has never used a headrest, except occasionally -in the old 'daguerreotype' days be-fore rapid--lenses were invented. -It is .sometimes - said, th^t 1 ' the .Queen sits * for the face only, aiicL the- rest :bf the pof^ trait really belongs -to anothefc;lady'.,C'-f lhi°g'is not so,* although the, photographs which j the public see are""-usualiy '"manipulated in various details before being printed. [-.-In several respects the- Prince andJPrin--; cess of Wales observe a different practice, j. as the great majority of their photographs • represent them standing,- except where it is" of .importance not to emphasise" the difference in their height, and this end is attained by the- simple device of providing j the Princess \ with* a chair.. In a group photograph the" Prince himself likes to ( stand upon a step, and where the site. of the photograph does not permit of-this heis ; sometimes accommodated with a ..stool', which is cleverly concealed behind another member of the group. The bearing of his Royal Highness is so essentially -olished that the photographer rarely finds it necessary to do more than indicate the direction towards which the Prince should turn. I Before taking his place in front of the kns the Prince habitually glances for a moment into a mirror provided for the purpose, and gives his hair a final touch with i a "brush. In the case of the Princess of I Wales the disposition of the" draperies occupies the attention of the lady-in-wait-ing-. ' Since her marriage the Duchess of York ! has much preferred to be piotographed with one or other of her children, and these ' youngsters have already in the course of their brief lives faced the camera many scores of times. Prince Edward treats the matter with the utmost calmness, and is rather fond of giving voluble instructions i to -his brother and sister as to lfow they are; ' ,to comport themselves. But he is always nowadays an easy subject, because he seems to know that the eyes of the world are upon him. ' . " ' There was a time, however, while he was a baby in arms, when .the photographer \ one day almost despaired of getting a picture because the princeling was sleepy. It suddenly occurred to the lady who was superintending the arrangements to s& down at the piano, and as soon as Prince" i Edward heard the music he woke up with, ■glee, and the ii>oment was seized for securing a charming " picture. , V>; '- •" | Of the Queen's children Princess Louise ; is the most diffident with regard to her ' ! portrait, and some times a year or two passes without a new photograph being taken. Even to this day she affects the ' rather old-fashioned style of sitting, or rather standing. The Empress Frederick of Germany and the Duke of Connaught share with their mother a keen delight in being photographed, whereas Princess Beaj trice does not much care for the oideal on j her own account, and -usually prefers to be ! content with serving as a foil to the 1 Queen. Princess Christian sometimes allows herself to be included in a group photograph in connection with the various institutions on .whose behalf sh"e devotes a large portion . of her time. The latest of these was a photograph taken not long back in which she appears as a member of a choral society, and the taking of this picture caused much

■ amusement because the magnesium light . had to be used ; but her Boyal Highness ifaced the sudden glare unflinchingly and came out uncommonly well. The Duchess of York is the only other princess who' has • Ibeen recently photographed under artificial light. The- practice is, when appointing a ; day for taking royal photographs, .to mention three dates, and if during the appointed hour the day should be dull the i (photographer has to pack up his apparatus • again without seeing his patrons at all. Of the younger royalties the most sedate sitters are the two princesses of Connaught, and Princess Margaret always makes a de- ; ilightful picture, and instinctively arranges 'iher pose to the best advantage, The most 'self-conscious is Princess' Ena of Batten- . berg, and nothing pleases her little brothers " so- much as to be present when she is being _ s ta3cen, an order to teasa her and to try rto^ spoil the effect." .- Some . pictures proeduced under these conditions ' are printed . t tfor the private amusement of the sitters '- and then: , friends, Ibut the photographs vwhich excite the greatest glee in the Boyal {Family are the' snapshots /wticfc have been taken by themselves. - In these the , subjects frequently appear in all sorts of : amusing and sometimes ridiculous attitudes, some of the "most laughable are the ; work-of-the Duchess of Fife and -her sister, -"-Princess 'Charles of Denmark.