The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 80

Toge Thirteen of Her ailures ade uccess Bv Lillian Sabine ore She Became a Bel Photographer of Children, Lena Qt. Toivsley Taught School hut She Could Not "Hold" Her Class t-xui persist in later undertakings to tackle problems hard and come back courageously again and again. "How did you happen to go into photography?" we queried: "I think one reason I ran across a book on careers for women that recommended photography. I decided to go to the Clarence H. White School of Photography.

We were supposed to do problems. But in some way I failed to get this direction and, not knowing about the requirement, I kept taking pictures of babies and children. When the head of the school asked me why I took no other photographs I told him I was not interested in anything else Mr. White asked why she did not take a landscape. Accordingly the pupil photographed a landscape, which her instructor 'T TNTIL E'r' Bets over the idea that marriage is -I the only thing in life she is no pood in business.

It she is working with the tail of her eye on a man in the distance she is not poing to succeed. The speaker was young and good-looking not the blue-stocking, man-hating type, not a bit. She was merely voicing her ideas on attaining success in the business world. She has arrived after such difficult grappling with hard problems as would have dismayed girls with less grit. Lena G.

Towsley, photographer of children, is not the usual success story. She speaks frankly cf her failures and to them she accredits much of her ultimate achievement. "I went through so many years of wandering about and not finding anything I wanted to do," she said ingenuously, "that I took a vow to tell other girls of my experiences if I could help them find their work." In a bright, homey studio on Lexington avenue, with the quiet mood of twilight descending and Patty, the friendly dog that helps in this joyous work of photographing babies and children, and the huge cat, Katinka, dozing on the window seat, this young woman in the Swedish smock was telling her experiences in finding herself. It is easy to guess that she was a shy child and a timid girl; even now, after five years in the thick of buttle, she does not talk readily of herself. Many times, she will tell you.

she has walked around the block trying to get up her nerve to have a child's picture taken. But Lena Towsley had more than a camera with her when she started out to win success in New York. She had a fine, straightforward personality, a background of educated ancestry, gripping courage, and resourcefulness. All of these are reasons why she no longer goes out to invite mothers to her studio. The Mother of the Gracchi was not more proud of her than this young photographer is of her lovely studies one hesitates to use the plain term photographs.

"I get more genuine joy out of my babies than lots of mothers out of their flesh and blood children," and then she adds, "these are my children." Lena Towsley has her own original way of capturing the little people intriguing them into playing with her, coaxing them to smile, and then, aided by Patty and Katinka, following the children about sometimes on her knees with her flexible camera, snapping them at just the right moment. Often she takes more than ninety-poses in the hope of catching the fleeting expression of childhood. "The children have a good time while they arc having their pictures taken," Miss Towsley said. "People usually put off taking a child to a photographer as they would to a dentist. It would be easier if they wouldn't tell the children where they're going.

"This little girl," said the young woman, referring to a happy subject, "didn't know she was having her picture taken. The child didn't want to go home. If a child doesn't want to go home you have a good Miss Towsley has been in business six years but calls the first "idiocy." She started without capital. "If you do as I did in the beginning," she said, "you're so ignorant ycu just don't know anything." This photographer of children has eyes with a merry gleam in them and lips that smile easily. She can stand off and laugh at her own mistakes.

"1 was born in Maine but I stayed there only five weeks, bring the daughter of a minister," she narrated whimsically. "We never stayed anywhere more than foul or five years. I was brought up in southern Wisconsin. Then I went to school in Vermont, and I attended Tufts College. Later I took library training at Pratt.

With enthusiasm Miss Towsley referred to her experiences in the children's room at Pratt Institute, where the spent two years. "It is dillerrnt from any other children's room in the count ry," she said. "It was the first built for children. The atmosphere is remarkable and the training valuable." Then lollcwcd a children's course in Cleveland. "I always liked children," continued the sneaker.

"From the time I was any ape at all, I had a baby annexed. There were always babies in the family." Miss Towsley acknowledges that she owes more to her experiences wjih children than to any thing she learned in the collepe. "I tried teaching and I made an awful failure," was the frank avowal "a rand fis-zlc. I was only 17 and I tind never been in a district school before in my life. I didn't know anything about arithmetic, and I had the toughest district school in the community." Of cruise pt th time this youthful teacher felt dis-piiucei ic.irver because she could not "hold her school; but- this early difficulty has helped her, he believes, to pronounced "the most uninspired picture he ever saw.

And from that day to the present this lover of children has photographed the subjects she likes best. Ker first venture as head of a photographic studio was made in an uptown apartment where she had her enlarging machine on a trunk in the living room and used the bathroom to develop pictures. Referring to her present studio wilh its lilile chairs and its playthings, f.nd its wide porch cutskic kicking to the west. Miss Towsley "I got this place 0c tnr (IOfr whe I started out Inking pic-lures. I photographed only in homes.

I have done both: but I get just as pood pictinc in the studio. You never have the light ycu in a home. Children come in here and see little haiis and see Palty and they are interested." Beys and girls arc never a problem to her, aid generally the pairnts arc a help in securing results. "If you can induce the father to gel dewn and r'ay with a train of ears, you get a pot-d picture," is her observation. Miss Towsley admits that one of the most difficult obstacles she has to contend with is the parent ho commands the offspring to laugh.

"No one can smile because a lingrr is printed at him, and he is commanded to smile," she cxpVinod. Then parents will see a special pose and they will want their child to take the some position, which the photographer declares is fatal because child has his characteristic poses. "That's what people pay me fcr," she continued, preserving the individuality ef their children. You wouldn't expect Mussolini to be taking the po-e of Theodore Roosevelt." About individuality in babies, this student of childhood declares that even a 14-month; -old baby has "decided "Lots ol photographers make the mothers stay out." continued, "but I have the mother around. It's usually a he-lp.

The whole thing in photography is the contact you with the child." Miss Teiwslry's methods are original. She takes dozen? of small proofs, from which the parents choose the pictures they like best. Then she studies the choices carefully, rrseiving a time when siie is quite alone and can "think it over." She gives herself up to the picture, finally deciding what she wishes to keep and to enlarge. Often she cuts away much of the proof before shf makes the final picture. "Everyone said to use a big earners and I've tried It," she replied.

"But you cant have the same fiiiiljilitj Lena G. Tousley as with the small camera. Ycu can follow the child around; you can go as fast as he goes. You can get cie.wn on your knees." Patience, she believes, is back ol it all "and thtt cones through loving the children and loving the in whether they are homely or not," she said. "Why do children make good pictures?" we inquired "They are not self-consc ious." she replied "Little gills at four bc-gin to be self-conscious.

You have to get them evc-r that. Here Fatty helps." What about "You can take pictures cif them right along almot arc. Ycu can get to talking with them." "What qualities count most for women in achieving success?" we asked. The fair-haired young woman was removing a smo. ct the end of a long day, revealing a pretty blue dress embroidered with little silk flowers at the neck and wal-t just the kind of dress a child would like.

She gave thought to her answer. "First," she said, "persistence and then courage, the ability to hang on and grit your teeth. People haven't a "notion what a woman has to go through in New Yctk. One has to be able to swallow disapreeable things and them I can lr-t anything bother me during a sitting. I go cheerfully on" Then she quoted hrr teacher, "Unless you can stop a Filth avc.

parade to take a picture ycu are no good." Resourcefulness is another great help to success in photography. Miss Towsley believes. "It's a slow growth," she declared, "this building up a business in the heart of New York. "It is hard work. During the Christmas season I work all day and until 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning.

Miss Towsley counts that failure at 17 as an important help toward her success. "You think at 17 that am body who fails never amounts to anything," she said. "My idea of a good time," she explained, "is to have a lovely child in front of me and to be able to take his picture." She admits in comparison that going to a dance ir. poor fun and she hates bridge. "A baby under three," she declared, "is a perfect delight." "What do you do when you play?" we inquired.

"My work Is my play," she responded. "Unless you'ie getting fun, you might as well tum scrubwoman," Is her philosophic conclusion. "It just has to be one jrand hoorah trcus.".