Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-02-05 | Page 7 | Photographer Who Made All Those Quintuplet Pictures Tells How He Does it, and What He's Learned of Babies

Photographer Who Made All Those Quintuplet Pictures Tells How He Does It and What Hes He's Learned of Babies w. w r i vt w ym I-ym y c. c d kly 5 N maYa Ct i c I Ii I J r r rc c x i oa ca aJa r H Y YR n R a V L cf e V I Ji 1 t 1 f J. J i. rw 4 W t X AJoS a Jf J 1 L. L Copyright Y 1936 N NEA A Service 4 Inc a M Y 5 m Fred Davis left made all those appealing photographs of the Dionne quintuplets except of course course this one Hes He's shown with Dr Dafoe during one of ot Davis' Davis many visits to the nursery clad in the sterilized surgical robe which is the approved cos- cos I Editors Editor's note When the Dionno Dionne quintuplets were three days day old Fred Davis Da Toronto photographer photographer pher made pictures of ot the babies Tuo Two months later when an official official oUi cia cial and exclusive e photographer was chosen for the babies Fred Davis Da got Jot th the job Since then he has made mado all those delightful pictures pictures pic plc- tures and with such fluch an unequaled opportunity for being bein with the babies Davis is observations are arc of ot unusual interest Here they are in the first of ot three intimate stories stories sto sto- sto ries rles made up of ot jottings from a famous photographers photographer's notebook By FRED DAVIS DAMS Yvonne is my pet My reasons are highly mercenary Yvonne Y gives me the best pictures it t was Yvonne I got so ao beautifully asleep sleep in her little chair It was Yvonne I got with the straw hat haton haton on n and the flower in her hand Yvonne is the one who greets methe me melie methe the lie most gaily when I go into their sanctum in my white surgeons surgeon's gown And in the groups Yvonne Is fa the thene theone theone one ne who claps who crows crowe who opens pens her eyes wide widest t shows her hertin tin tiny iny teeth best sticks one ridiculous ridiculous lous ous little foot up in the air Emilie Emille however is the nosey one I Emilie Emille wants to know what is in my camera Never mind th the out- out side What's inside Would rould Take It Apart What is that I keep looking into down own the hood If It I left my camera cameran on n the tho ground half haIr a second cond it would be Emille Emilie who would take it apart part to see the wheels whee go round But now Annette theres there's Annette Annette An- An nette for instance It Is Annette who reaches me first whether crawling rawling or staggering and tries to climb limb up me And Annette with her large spec spec- speculative speculative eyes has yet to fi figure ure out who rho I am and what I am doing in iner her er curious world so filled with nurses and doctors doctor and crowds milling around at a polite distance Who Vho am I I. I to be admitted perIodIcally periodically perIod perIod- cally into her presence Ah Ab in about bout 18 years Annette when you OU see ce the family album you will un- un Cecile cile Ha Hal Devout I Look ook Cecile tho the favorite of the parish priest riest has a devout look Marie the little ittle one has given us all the jitters wo we ever er had and no doubt that is why she is Doctor Dafoe's Defoe's favorite The more trouble the better they like ike them Doctors are funny tunny that way And mothers Mamma Dionne despite anything that hat has been written or said has j ri J I J 7 r rI rw k y r. r k rl Iw s. s 4 X Y k 1 J I w S 4 4 1 p A AI I Copyright 1936 NEA Service Inc exhibited the greatest delight and excitement whenever I have given her her her-as as I invariably do copies do-copies copies of ot the choicest pictures I shoot hool She likes groups best And It is uncanny the wa way she identifies identities her babies It is the mother instinct From the the- start and no matter how they are arranged in the picture picture picture pic pic- ture Mrs Dionne names them and names them exactly Dr Dafoe Defoe Puzzled This is b more than I can do with certainty Doctor Dafoe who admits admits admits ad ad- mits It its it's hard to tell the apart in the nursery has said tl he doesn't see how anyone can identify them in a 8 photograph The nurses of ot course courne can tell them perfectly But why not The They are with them dail daily hourly The people who have actually lIy touched the Dionne quins are few and far between the parents the doctor and nd the midwives during those first fint weird hours of oC May 1934 when the stork alighted f five fe e times on the Dionne stovepipe Maybe Mabe a afew afew afew few neighbors also picked them up I dont don't know Nur Nurses es Do the Posing But since that morning 20 months ngo ago when the lid came caroo down with witha a bang on that suddenly world fa little home In the backwoods the tho solo 1010 parents on their visits the nurses the doctor and I and the parents on their visits arc are the sole contacts In making malting the pictures the nurses do most of ot the posing for me Until Untila a couple of months ago It was not so great a 8 trick to pose the babies Set them on ort a table and dingle a lit little little little lit lit- tle bell That was my act And mark you OU ladles ladies and gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen gentle gentle- men that look of ot wonder and In Interest Interest interest In- In terest in those wide eyes Is not for you ou It is for me Im I'm the guy a little bell with one hand and trying to focus a big lg press camera with the other Standing on my head lying on the floor looking through my legs leg balancing on one ear cRr Thousands of Platen I hate to tell how many thousand photographic plates I 1 have fired at those babies babIN It would make e all the regular cameramen snort I ort with derision de de- But I am only a a. poor wandering minstrel With a little bell Or a abright abright abright bright ribbon Or a snap of ot the fin fin- gers I am goggle eyes from trying to focus on five pairs of at eyes at once trying to watch 50 o toes loes 50 fingers Forty five minutes to an hour is not out of ot the way to make one baby picture Ask any baby por trait photographer But you cant can't the doctor wont won't let you you strain strain these babies by posing pOling them even for a minute or two Not even for you and you not even for tor all aU the millions who love to see these pic pie turns turp will they let mo me g pet get cranky and soy say H Hey sit still will you foul youl No I have to pose e them ns M follows follow follow fol fol- low lows After their b bath lh th the nurse sets them in a row I am lim ready I hay haya b bosh boon ready tot tor or an hour AU All set let tume for calling on quintuplets Davis has had a a. better opportunity opportunity opportunity than anyone except the doctor and nurses to observe the I famous babies shown here as they looked more than a year ago at their first Christmas celebration Toot root Toot All aboard Here goes the first trip of ot the the strange made home device contrived by a California California Cali Cali- fornia tornia admirer and sent to the Dionne babies Annette at the wheel looks fully capable as lS pilot while Marie Yvonne Cecile and Emilie Emilic left to right are all braced for a fast ride Distance perfect Light marvelous Background unexcelled I Until they thy pa pawed passed their first flut year I I had maybe 17 5 4 seconds to get them before they moved I Toda Today I have 5 2 of a a. second And I that means with the bell too Because Emille Emilie is already lending leading I the stampede on me mc She wants to look In tho the camera Any of ot you OU who have ever tried to take t. a 8 snapshot snapshot snap snap- shot of ot one baby pity me I dont don't have to take one baby five times limes or five babies once I have to t take ke five babies bles forever and ever amen I