The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-07-20
The Nude at the Centennial.

! In the main corridor of the memorial
| buildings annex. where the most casual
| visitors are not likely to miss it, n wax
figure of Cleopatra is displayed She re.
clines upon q sort of throne, and is almost
naked. The workmanship is of the best
and the effect is startling The flesh tint
is natural, the hair lite-like. and every de.
| tail carefully done Interior clockwork
heaves her bare bosom, moves her arms
at intervals stirs her legs, turns her head
languidly from side to side, and rolls he1
| eyes. Her face and form are beautiful
| and the accessories are in artistic har-
mony with conception of the Egyptian
| queen; yet her features are not Egyptian,
being rather those of a beautiful French
woman. An Ethiopian slave, equally
nude, stands at her side and fans her At
her feet lies a naked little boy a bird
tlutters on the arm of her seat A golden
canopy hangs above the group, all being
enclosed in Il glass case. The whole is
surprisingly natural, 50 much so that it
has natural effect upon the spectators.
Young girls come suddenly upon it draw
back appalled, They have nerved them
selves to look at the statuary and pictures,
but this sight IS too unexpected and realis-
tic to be borne with steadiness They es-
cape without delay Women inspect the
group shyly. Men are not to be scared
away by any feeling Of modesty, and, un-
less escortng sisters or sWeo thearts. stay
on the spot IN numbers sufficient to con-
stantly crowd that part OF the corridor
am aware that such WaX-works $ and worse
are common i'll European museums that
artlstlcally they are to be commended as
trlumps Of skill, being totally unlike the
efllgles usually shown in this country but
don't think they ought to be thrust un-
Warnlngly upon the sight of mixed con-
grcgations. Some Of the commissioners
are OF my way OF thinking, and Cleopa-
tra's stay on the grounds may be OF short
duration. President IIawley is from Con-
nectlcut and is pnritanical. He stops in
front Of Cleopatra while stand there.
'What do you think of her ?r ask.
"a thing Of beauty he answers; '.but
not joy forever. guess we will have
to get her out of sight. l must talk with
Sartain about her"
Mr., Sartain is the superintendent Of the
art department.
! also seek Mr. Sartain and ask him
why the fourteen rooms set apart for
France are not open. He says he does
not know unless the French commission
ers are waiting for more pictures to az
rive. Hundreds of paintings are there
now, piled with the faces towards the
walls. Glimpses Of Il few confirm the
presentment that nudencss will he the
striking feature OF the display. am per-
mitted to turn several of the frames 50 as
to see what they hold The first trial dis
closes Il life-sized picture of an utterly
naked woman The subject is not classi-
cal. She is Il French woman Of the pres
ent time. Of course | can't know that
by ner anatomy, for nature follows no
changes Of fashions in moulding human
forms; nor by clothing, for there isn't a
vestige Of any; but by the fact that her
hair is arranged in one Of the elaborate
styles Of the present. The catalogue sim
ply tells me she is ~ Woman" and there
could he no mistake about that Another
turn ct frame shows me a recumbeut wo-
mau-the other is erect; and third re-
yeals one who has stripped herself to the
waist to pray, rs y pugilist would for q
fight san Francisco Chronicle.