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Photographer's tool to make children smile during photography

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    Posted 11 years ago

    hotairfan
    (388 items)

    This tool was used in the late 1800's to assist the photographer to help children (and sometimes adults) smile when their picture was taken. You probably heard the expression "watch the birdie", well this is a photographer's birdie.
    You began by filling the cup below the brass bird with water. The photographer would then tell the photographic model to "watch the birdie" and he would blow slightly in the rubber tubing and the bird would warble like a canary and the beak and tail would flicker up and down. I display this at many historical shows and it always makes the people in the audience smile and sometimes laugh.
    As a child, you might of had, as I did, a plastic bird whistle that you filled with water and it would warble similar to this.
    I saw one on the Ebay auction site and the seller listed as a tea kettle whistle. It is not a tea kettle whistle. It's a photographer's birdie.

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    Comments

    1. pops52 pops52, 11 years ago
      hotairfan, You have some very unique items! Thanks for posting!
    2. inky inky, 11 years ago
      Made me smile!...:-)

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