The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-07-06
THE GREAT CARICATURIST.
Something About the Life, Struggles
and Success of Th. Mast.
From a New York Letter

From New York Letter,
The story of Tommy Nast's artistic
career is Il little peculiar. His father
was II professional musician, and when
| first knew Tommy the old gentleman
showed out andspull-back; force-pump
sort of old fashioned horn they used to-
have III bands, Ga fnend say it is called
trombone), in the orchestra of Wal
lace's old theater, corner of Broome
and Broadway. ut ten dollars Il week.
Mast, senior, wanted Tommy to be-
come Il musician, and, to that end,
used to thrash him with him a leather
strap most enthusiastically and faith
fully, i'll order to make him learn the
scales on the violin Thomas, how
ever, had Il getiius for drawing and
knew it. He used to beg his father to
permit him to become an artist, to al
of which the truly conscientious old
German gentleman (now many years
dead would reply with additional
doses of strap.
At last yUttue Thomas became ac-
quainted with Mr.. Berghahs, nov, and
for more than a dozen years, Ole OF
| Frank Leslie's chief artists; and to
! Berghatis, who was also German, he
contided all his woes. He showed his
| drawings to Berghaus and to Sol Eyt-
| lnge, who Is one of our most delicate
and fanciful American draughtsmen,
and who was at that time with Leslie
and they, seeing there was really some
thing i'll the boy, then eleven years old,
advised him to continue his efforts to
convince his father that he could earn
more money as an artist than as ml,.
! stefan.
Tommy went home that night, and
| to the German parent. having COME 1T
II NJ. (midnigh0, he thus remarked:
8 Father, ] must be an artist. If you
let me go and learn to draw. in yeal
or two | can earn twenty dollars q
week: and, iii a few years after that
| can bring iii FROM fifty to seventy-fve
dollars every week; If you make me
learn music, | may slave all my life,
and | shall very likely find myself al
fifty years old just where you are now,
playing for ten dollars week III some.
body's band, liable to a discharge any
minute, and out OF an engagement q
quarter of the year, even when things
are at their best.
Whether it was the argument or the
determination of young Mast to learn
to draw, III spite Of the paternal forbid
ding, that carried the point, | know
not certain it is, however, that the
next day, Tommy Mast entered Frank
Leslie's employ, and was assigned {
desk between Berghaus and Eytinge
which two thorough artists and anna
hle gentlemen gave Mast all the regu
lar instructions he has ever had.
The young artist more than kept his
word IN less than year he could carr
not $40, but thrice that, OH Leslie pa
per alone, beside making as much NOR,
on outside work. His father lived tC
see that his son was right, and to SEE
that son bringing home his hundred
dollars i'll gold every Saturday night
while he was humbly toiling away fol
the same old hardly earned ten dollars
Nast's industry and imaginative
genius rapidly carried him forward il
the profession, and / presume that fol
the past ten years, there has not beef
a week when his work, taking his car
toonS for illustrated papers, his illus
trations for books and other business
has not been equal to at least $50
day, and up to three times that sum.
Nast's mother is thorough German
Il most estimable woman, | am told
and an excellent mothcr-but she car
not speak, or could not when | saw hcl
first and last, dozen words of Eng
lish
Several years ago Mast was introduce
ed to an English family, consisting O.
the father, mother, son and three
daughters. The mother is a fine speci
men Of the thoroughbred English lady
and her daughters are like unto her
The mother is an aunt of James Par.
ton, the biographcr-h VINO has writ
ten the lives of Andrew Jackson, Aaron
Burr, Horace Greeley, etc, and who is
known all ever the country as one OF
the most versatile and accomplished
magazinists and men of letters in the
land. The eldest daughter, Sally, o.
this lady Mrs. Edwards), Mr.. Thomas
Mast married some nine years ago
| They have had three children, all,
think, now living. SO, you see, if the
caricatuIist dies, he leaves abundant
material for new generation.