Portrait of a Chubby Mouse
I was living in Marblehead when the call came in. The editor had a big assignment in Maine from DISCOVER, Time-Life’s science magazine. It was a portrait and the subject was an obese mouse. I immediately accepted and started making travel plans.
As the small prop plane descended diagonally toward the runway at Bar Harbor Airport, I said a prayer or two and worried that what was obese to a scientist would not appear fat to the rest of us. When I reached the Jackson Laboratory which bred the mice for diabetes studies, I was escorted to the lab and met my subject – well actually subjects. There were half a dozen obese mice, some black some white. The all looked like furry sand dollars. I was relieved.
After experimenting with one of the black ones, I decided white would be the way to go and worked with a very plump pearly white critter. Keeping the mouse still and getting it to follow my directions proved difficult. “Tilt your head to the right” went in one ear and out the other. My default technique was to have the scientist hold the mouse and discreetly pinch the tail between two of his fingers. But the hand seemed intrusive and distracting.
The solution was to put the little fellow on a scale. Unlike humans he seemed quite content to just rest in the tray on top, despite the fact that he weighed in at a hefty 92.0 grams. He didn’t even try to shift his girth to lower the reading. After shooting several different angles, I winked at the mouse and said we were all done. He was nonresponsive but seemed happy when he was lowered back into his cage.
The funny thing is that I have an ongoing relationship with that mouse. The experience at Jackson Lab led me to propose a story about the whole lab to SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE and they sent me back to do an 8 page feature story. I have a gallery of other mice, including truly bizarre looking pink rhino (think skin) mouse, available for viewing upon request. My newfound expertise in mice later led to a West Coast assignment to photograph the Fancy Rat Convention.. Beyond the SMITHSONIAN story, though, this particular white mouse, has become my best selling stock photo. It has never been a sensation, like, say, Gisele Bundchen or Tom Brady, but for 20 years I have received a steady stream of requests for this photo…$250 here, $500, there, to the point where I think my total royalties may exceed $20,000. The previous top seller was Deepak Chopra, but as time passed and he changed his look, that gift came to a halt. The obese mouse – at least its image- soldiers on. And with two children in college, I am, indeed, grateful for its contribution. R.I.P.
