Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-02-17
PARIS MODELS.
Some Stories Abont Two or Three
6rea Beautfes.

oouAo ntoEleA ADOut Two Oh Three
f Sreat Beautfes.
Lucy Hamilton .HOoper's Paris CorTespor
dence in Appletsos Journal
Does any lover Of art, in an eestacy
before some fine painting r%epresentiDg
Eve, Venus or some undraped nymph'
ever question himself or herself respeet.
ipg tie probable fate OF the model from
whose living beauty the artist has won the
charuif Of his picture2 Chance has re-
Gently made me acquainted with the his
tory of one of those radiant originals
whose grace have been immortalized bv
art. When visiting the stndio of the
celebrated artist Lefebvre, recently, /
paused in admiration before the original
sketch of that exquisite image of pure
and girhsh loneliness, the Chloe" that
was one Of the gems of the last Salon.
and that IN Photographic reproduction
has proved SO immensely popular.
The model who sat to me for that
picture, said N. Lelebvre, was but
seventeen years Of age; and SO exquisite
was her form in her outline and propor
ton, that VAS scarcely Obliged to alter
or to idealize a single line. She sat to
me during the entire winter, and in the
spring | Quilted Paris to travel through
Holland and Belgium. On my return l
found that the poor young creature was
dead. She was q girl of more refine
ment and elevation of sentiment than IL
usually found among persons of her
position, and, being in the hand of a
gang of low confederates, they attempted
TO force her into q way Of life from which
her soul revJlted. Thus driven to des.
pair the poor child poisoned herself
by washing phosphorus from friction
matches and then swallowing the de.
cOction, She was taken to the hospital.
where che died in a few hours; and. az
her unnatural relatives refused to claim
the body, it was has handed over to the
doctors of the establishment for dissec-
ton. Had | but been in Paris" added
the artist In q tone Of deep feeling, a"
could have saved her from that last in,
dignity, at least
Such was the final destination Of that
fair and exquisite form which, reproduced
with that chsste i~dealization which has
made Of Lefebvre the purest of all
painters Of the nude, remains one of the
most refined and delicate of all modern
representations Of female form divine"
The trade of a model in Paris is a
fourishing and lucrative one. Many Of
the women engaged in it are perfectly
%virtuous, being always accompanied BY a
mother or sister when they 90 10 sit, aud
being treated with the utmost respect Nv
tbs artists who employ them. Most Of
the celebrated painters will engage a
hne model for months, and even for
years, 10 difficult is it to discover one
that all approaches the ideal Of the
painter. They receivefrom Eve to twenty
francs q day for their services, accord.
ing to their beauty and celebrity, those
who are capable Of posing for the entire
figure receiving, Of course, the highest
pay. A romantic but painful story CON
nected With one OF these models was re-
Gently related to me by an American ar.
tist Of distinction.
A few months ago there appeared in
that capacity, in the art circles of Paris
D young English girl not yet fifteen, 80
perfectly and radiantly beautiful that
her services we're eagerly engaged for
months ahead at the rate OF fifteen francs
q day. She was under the charge of an
old Italian woman, and was a thoroughly
naive and childlike creature, delighted
to pose for the English and American
artists, because they spoke her language.
and far more interested in the cakes and
sugar plums that we're literally bestowed
upon her than the money she was making.
or in the degradation Of her position.
One OF her " countrymen, by dint Of
qu~estioniug her, drew from her the story
of her entrance into her questionable
and p%erilous career. She was the daugh-
ter Of a small ~shopkeeper in London.
Her parents were very poor, and the
Italian woman lad offered to bring the
girl to Paris, to feed and clothe her, and
to pay her parents one shilling a day for
her services, averring that she was to sit
in Italian peasant costume to the French
artists as a blonde cantadina. Instead
Of keeping her contract, the wretched
Italian bad hired out their poor child as
a model for the entire figure, and was
rearing q rich harvest from her services.
The E%nglishman laid the. case at once
before the authorities, and the Italian
was arrested, tried for that grave o%ffense.
which is known in France as detourne-
meDt de mineur, and convicted. The
lovely girl model was placed in a con-
vent to be educated, and will probably
become q respectable and decent mem.