Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-09-13
&aiia &iTpi1ixa.


the riehss Of eeuius TO tie world a.4e
She b the aest distneuishsa fssaGls psintsr liv-
ing OF daAd. No other hss won % wide fame
no ether bails reputation % % broad and Arm
hasis. Wherever ArA 10 known and talked Of.
Rosa Bonhsur 10 known and salksd Of. In France,
England, America, Germany and the suAaller king
dome OF Europe, tbs name Of Rose boshsur b a
household word. .sH tss
Al twelve O'Clock on tho eleventh Of March We
were set down as No. 81 Rue dAssas, and passed
through q gate and down 10 the farther end Of
garden whore We entered the vestibule Of small
oottags-house the present residence Of Rosa Bon.
heur. We sent up our card, and In . Few mo-
ments were seated In her atcliss-a largo. square,
oakon-furnished room on the second etdge~-tuik-
ing with the little painter with m much
familiarity as IL we had known her oil our life-
time. In clear. rather thin voice, lsosa run on
about art and ar,likc for half an hour only leav-
ing us room to slip in the points Of conversation
edgswise. - =H7
''You have accom- mplished much, ma,emoiselle"
wo said. ganciug ata large picture on the eascl
0 ,ed "Les Moutoas," (Ths Sheep.)
Yes" .he replied, i have been a faithful stu
dent since ! wac ten years old have copied no
master have studied nature, and Expressed to
the best OF my ability the idens md feeling with
which she has inspired me. Art 10 an absorbent
"a tyrant. II demands heart, brain, soul, body,
the entirenoss Of its votary. Nothing loss viii
win its highest favor. wed art. II il my has-
Danu--my WOfIu- my IitC-urouul-tuo Wt ]
breathe. know nothing else--feel nothing else
think nothing else, Ny soul Ands In Il The
most complete dissatisfaction
'You havo no, married" we said
"llaye | not said that married Art? What
could do with any other husbandi ann not ht
to he u wife In the common aocentation Of that
term. Men must marry women who have no ab.
sorbent, no idol. But the subject 10 painful; give
me somc other topic" ess
''You don't love society 7" we said.
"Yes, do" she replied. with an air of impa
ticnce; "but select TINT which pleases me most.
] love the society # nature; the company ofhor-
ses. bulls. cows sheep, dogs--al animals. of
guests ! also like the society Of looks and the
thoughts Of great minds. Ike George Sand
She is great genius. The world has wronged
her-socie,y outraged her Go to sce her. You
will like her. have no taste for general society
no nterest In ts frivolitics. only seek IN be
and understand them. have succeeded"
"Have you given the Women's Rights question
any attentiop" we asked.
''Won,en's rights !-womcn's nonsense I" she
answered "Women should seek to establish their
rights by good and great works, and not by con-
ventions. II had got up a convention IN debate
the question OF my ability to paint 'Mdrche au
Ciepaur,' THE Horse Fair,) for which England
would pny me forty thousand francs. tho decision
would have been against me. ] felt the power
within me to paint. cultivated il. and have pro-
duced works that have won the favorable vertiicts
Of the great Judges. have TO patience with wo-
men who ask permission 10 Mink!"
At this mumcnt two or three visiters entered,
and while Rosa was occupied with them, wc bu-
sled ourselves by making notes Of tho things in
the ateiier.
On the wall to the left of the entrance WINS
head Of buck with long branching horns. one Of
a goat another Of bull an imperfect skeleton Of
L A Il r. A IL
end of the room stood lnrge oakcp case filled
with stuffed birds Of all sizes and descriptions
and the top Of it. in perfect state Of prescrva-
tion, were an eagle, N hawk an owl and parrot
On the wall en- face the door, were Il pair of land
scares representing astorm rushing between the
rocks. aud clouds breaking on their tops. The
third and fourth walls were taken up with the
busts, of horses cows, sheep, dogs, cats, wolves,
&c, in bronze plaster. modelled by Rosa's own
hand All about the waxed floor were spread out
the preserved skins Of COWS, bulls stays with their
great upliftrd horns. and bears, gonts, sheep.
dogs and wolves with their derce eyes glaring up-
on us.
The impression these wild pieces of carpetng
made on as, ON entering the ateiier was almost
startling. It seemed more like den Of wild
beasts than the atelier OF lady,
After q short Irritation with tho parrot, which
spoke tolerable French we took our leave, promi-
sing to meet Rosa at the School Of Design for Wo-
men on the next Friday. where she goes once per
week to give q lesson. This schoo was founded
by Rosa's father. At bis death she became its
S,le mistreso. but now entrusts it mostly to the
care of her sister and brother. Thcre are about
fifty regular pupils who receive instructions gra-
tis
Rosa Bonheur has many proofs fthe reward Of
industry. If she wished to make o small fortune
in u few days it would be easy for her to DO il in
England. BY opening there an exhibition Of her
.I IL ~ ~. he
(The Horse Fair,) which was exhibited at Will
liams & Stephens year or TIVE ago, and which
was so well received by the New York press, was
bought by Mr.. Gambler, an English editor, for for
ty thousand francs, When Rosa visited England
she was received like princess.
America also paid. the last year, ten thousand
dollars for view in the Pyrenses"--one Of her
least known pictures. 4a
A rich Ilollander. visiting her atciier recently.
offered her thousand crowns for small sketch
that she could have painted 10 two hours. at is
impossible to comply. with your request" she
said. II am not inspired"
Mademoiselle Bonheur is below the medium
height Of woman, in appearances, about t,rty-fye
years; petite, with quick. piercing blue eyes end
brown hair, worn short and parted ON the sisse,
like boys. Her dress was brown alpaca skirt
sans cr,noline, with blouse jacket of black cloth
She looked very boyish.
MadenlL iselle Also has an atelier in the country
where she spends much tinie. When IN. th.scity
she wears the costume III her sex. hut never ven
lures outside the tar ier except in her masculine
gear. st,as 4,gsss 81, ~, eaEsg
There are many anecdotes in sircnlai ion ab,ut
the little painter. One day, when she returs,ed
from, the country, she found a mssseaaer await
ing TO annopee 70 her the ,uk'eR illness q sns II
.her young friends. Ro,a, lid mn wait to change
her male attire. hat artcnsa ~ besl -ide af the
young lady. In a few ,pantes aftsr her arrival
the doctor, who bad Los,l seAtiVr, catered. aad
sssins yoang mar ns he suppoeed. frp9 -
c,stume. seated on the side qf tbs hsd. with BIZ