Posing for Song Pictures

This article on the illustrated song was reprinted by Moving Picture World from the New York Sun. The article mostly concerns the difficulty in finding appropriate subjects, especially young men, to pose for the illustrated songs. Near the beginning of the article, however, there is a good description of a typical illustrated song set at the time:

For an illustrated song there are usually required seventeen slides. As to its words, the song is likely to consist of two verses, with a chorus repeated after each verse, thus giving the song four sections.

One of the lantern slides used with the song shows a reproduction of the title page of its sheet music, and this picture is first thrown on the screen: and then as the singer sings it the pictures in illustration of the words are shown.

Basically each of the four sections—that is, each chorus and each verse—would have four pictures, which works out basically to one picture for each line. In addition, the set would usually end with a slide containing the words of the chorus, so that the audience could join in.

In response to one advertisement recently printed for handsome young men to pose for pictures” there appeared young men to the number of five. Of these two could not have been by any stretch of the imagination considered handsome. The other three were well dressed and generally speaking, slightly appearing young men, though one of them was far enough from handsome to put him out of consideration, while of the other two neither was really handsome, though what with the other favoring qualifications both would answer for the purposes required. And so out of a bunch of five young men there were found but two who, though not coming up to the highest standard, would do.

What they were wanted for was to pose for pictures to be reproduced on lantern slides to be used on the stage with illustrated songs. For an illustrated song there are usually required seventeen slides. As to its words, the song is likely to consist of two verses, with a chorus repeated after each verse, thus giving the song four sections.

One of the lantern slides used with the song shows a reproduction of the title page of its sheet music, and this picture is first thrown on the screen: and then as the singer sings it the pictures in illustration of the words are shown.

Most of the illustrated songs are love songs, and so of the men required for the illustration of such songs the greater number must be young. It is easy to say what would be the ideal requirements of a man who would make a complete satisfactory picture of a lover.

He must be of good stature, anyway, and then he would need to be of good figure and bearing, a fine, manly, courageous young man, and withal handsome. As such a combination is tolerably hard to and in one young man, the lantern slide people have more or less difficulty in finding really suitable subjects. In search of theme they advertise in the newspapers, and have recourse to theatrical agencies, where they may find actors [245] engaged in minor parts or other young men who meet the requirements and are willing to pose.

Occasionally, from one or another of these sources, they get precisely what they want; more often, as happens in so many other pursuits, they must be satisfied to get as near to it as they can.

The young man who finds himself selected to pose or a series of pictures for an illustrated song may be taken to be photographed a little distance into the country or perhaps to the seashore, there to be posed and pictured, for many of these song pictures are shown with a nature background, and it is sought to make this one to the song. If a city background were required the subject would be posed and photographed in city streets.

For some songs a figure in uniform may be required, as the man in the song might be a letter carrier, or perhaps a military officer. If uniforms are required they are supplied by the lantern supply people who make and supply the pictures, and they pay also all expenses where the figure is posed and the pictures taken out of the city.

For this work of posing for illustrated song pictures, the pay is $4 a day, which may not seem like very large pay, but it isn’t so bad when it is considered that the hours are sort and the work easy; and really it is likely to be so much velvet for those who can fill the requirements and who have the time for it.

Frequently there may be required one series of pictures more than one day’s settings, perhaps a day and a half, or it might be two days, making the work at the price paid fairly remunerative. It cannot, however, be followed as an occupation, but only as occasional work.

For if there were shown in the pictures displayed with illustrated songs always the same figures and faces the eye would quickly discover the sameness and it would destroy the illusion; the pictures must be made for and belong to one song only, and so not only must new pictures be made, but different figures must be posed for every song.

The lantern slide makers keep a catalogue of all the subjects that have posed for them, and in this catalogue are jotted down not only names and addresses, but such personal characteristics as might serve as a guide in the selection of subjects to be called upon to pose in the future as occasion might require, but commonly, to avoid repetition in the pictures, once in say six months would be as often as subjects would be called upon, and so posing for pictures for illustrated songs is an occasional employment only.

Woman are posed for pictures for illustrated songs as men, and, of course, handsome woman are far more numerous than handsome men: but still it is not so easy as it might seem it would be to find handsome young woman exactly suited to the requirements of this work. The young women required are found among artists’ models, and sometimes, as in the case of young men through theatrical agencies.

One might think that among the artists’ models a sufficient number of subjects might be found without trouble, but among these one might be especially admirable and in demand among artists because of her beautiful eyes and another because of her beautiful mouth but for song pictures the subject must fill a sort of all around requirement.

Still, it is easier to find handsome young women for song pictures than it is to find handsome young men, and to this work the young women may find somewhat more frequent employment, for their pictures may be used on the title pages of sheet music, and young women may be rather oftener pictured than young men in song pictures because of the greater variety that may be imparted to such pictures by woman’s more varied attire.

Source: "Posing for Song Pictures,” New York Sun, reprinted in Moving Picture World 22 June 1907, 244-45.