New Orleans Republican., 1868-12-12
PROFESSIONAL MODELS In NEW
YORK.
How Some People Get n Living.

How Some People Get n Living.
Models by profession, models only, are
comparatively rare in New York, and are
difficult to secure. The people who deal in
artists materials, canvas, ct al, are occa.
sionally useful in directing an artist to a
model; but, rs a rule, an artists best guides
to the obtaining of this desideratum will
be found among his fellow artists and pro.
fessional acquaintances. Mcdonald, the
sculptor, has perhaps the most extensive
knowledge of models of any artist in New
York, both male and female, as exempli-
fed in his figure of La Somnambula. To
be model is by no means SO easy task
as would be imagined. In the first place, a
good model must possess those requisites
of face and form that can only be given by
the beautiful hand of nature; and in the
second instance he or she must understand
the art of posturiDg or posing, thorough
knowledge of which can only be gained
BY practical experience. In Europe the
models understand their business, but
in America the artists are compelled
oftentimes to instruct the people they
employ as models in the rndiments of
their art, trade, profession or whatever else
1t may be called. In fact it has been con-
templated to open, at one of our Broadway
studies, under the direction OF a ''profes-
slonal" from abroad, school for the in
struction of would.be native models in the
uCt6uo VI Lllelr pSCulthr OrauCns PROBABLY
this school, however, will terminate as
many other schemes have terminated, be-
fore and since, in smoke. In Paris, models
have adopted scale of prices from which
deviatiOns are rarely made-ten francs being
the charge for model day, which, like that
OF Workmea here, consists of eight hours
In New York, however, models demand in
definite, but, much higher, figures, receiv-
ing never lower than one dollar, and
often as much as five dollars, per hour.
Some remarkably pretty women receive
much more liberal comDensation for
thar delicate services, and instances are
known of certain parties receiving twenty.
five dollars for single sitting Of an hour.
Some models are used for part of figure.
Others for full parts; or, TO speak la carte
models are either draped for the face or hand
merely, or partly draped, as for the bust or
leg, or nude for the entire form. Taken
altogether, the number of persons who serve
as models in the cities of New York and
Brooklyn may be estimated at about $50, of
whom not more than thirty are professional
models, having no other source of liveli-
hood the remainder being of the class
already mentioned as models direct A large
per centage Of the match girls, apple girls,
ETC., OF the city are very willing to swell the
ran<s Of the noble army of models for any
sum, nom dollar downward; but are gem
eraAly voted at the studios bores, though
found occasionally useful. As a rule, fe-
male models receive higher grade Of COM
pensation tnsn males. The Academy in this
CITY and the Academy In Brooklyn have
tier own regular saltrled models: but this Is
not the case, we nalleee, with the so-styled
art school at the Cooper Institute, Father
Peter being, Of course, high-tened
aud caring nothing for the hest la
terests of art when compared 10 the
preservation Of his own peedllar and puri-
tanlcal prejudlces. Not only are various
models used for various portions Of the hu-
man form divine. but TO the completion Of
any one statue or painting, it often happens
that number Of models are necessary
Thus we were recently shown buperb
statne OF most exquisite proportions. in
which the face had been modelled from one
professional, the bust from another, the
limbs from a third, aud the hands and feel
nom a fourth. By this means a more arts.
TIC work y obtained than is possible in any
other manuef