With the Photographer

The narrator is self

The narrator is self-deprecating, mild-mannered, and ordinary. He goes to the studio for a simple portrait but becomes increasingly upset as the photo

The photographer treats his work as

The photographer treats his work as high art and speaks with great self-importance. He finds faults in the narrator’s ears, eyes, mouth, and nose, the

The photographer values an idealised image

The photographer values an idealised image more than actual resemblance. His famous defence, 'Which would you rather have — a good photograph or a goo

The story becomes funnier as

The story becomes funnier as the criticism and retouching increase. Each stage is more extreme than the previous one, until the narrator sees a strang

The final photograph is polished

The final photograph is polished and handsome, but it is not a photograph of the narrator. The narrator says, 'That’s not me,' and realises there is n