Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1878-01-10
The Two Portraits.

Beautiful ! beautiful! = exclaimed
Ernest Lavalle, as, throwing him>
self back in his chair, be contem-
plated, with eyes half shut, lovely
countenance that smiled on him
from canvass, to which he had
| inst adde's! few hesitating touches.
1T was but a sketch-littlc more
than outline and dead coloring. and
misty haze seemed spread over
the face, SO that it seemed vision
like and intangible. The young
ipainter's exclamation was not adj
Fdrcssed to his workimanshjp-he
was not even looking at that faint
Image; but through its medium,
was gazing on lineements as rare
and facinating as ever foated
through a poets or an artists
dream. Deep, mstrous blue eyes,
in whose depth sincerity and feeling
lay crystalized features as regular
as those of Grecian statute; lip
melting, ripe, and dewy, half con-
cealing, half revealing, line of
pearls soft brown hair, descending
in waves upon neck and shoulders
OF satin surface and Parian firm
ness. Such were some of the extcr
nal traits Of loveliness belonging to
"a creature not too bright and good
For human natures daily food"
who had completely actua!ized the
ideal of the young Partisan artist,
into whose studio we have intro
duced our readers. The fair original,
whose portrait is before us, was
Rose d'Amour, beautiful actress
of one of the metropolitan theatres,
who had just made her debut with
distinguished success. There was
quite romance in her history. OF
unknown parents she had com
menced her career, like tho ceie
brated Rachel, as a street singer,
and was looking forward to no more
brilliant rutuIe, when her beauty,
genius and purity of character at
tracted the attention of a distin-
guished newspaper editor, by whose
benevolent generosity she was en-
ablcd to prepare herself for the
stage, by two or three years OF
assiduous study. The success OF
his protege more than repaid the
kind patron Tor his excrtions and
expenditure.
A word of Ernest Lavallc, and
it shall suffice. lie was the son OF
a humble vine dresser in one of the
agricultural departments of France.
His talent for drawing, early mani
tested, attracted the notice OF his
parish priest, whose earnest repre-
sentations induced his father to
send the boy to Paris, and give him
the advantages afforded by students
of art. In the great city, Ernest
allowed none OF the attractions, by
which he was surrounded, to divert
him from the assiduous pursuit OF
his beloved art. His mornings
were passed in the gallery of the
Louvre, his afternoons in private
study, and his evenings at the
academy where he drew from casts
and the living model. The only
relaxation he permitted himself was
an occasional excursion in the pics
turesque environs of the French
capital and he always took his
sketch book with him, thus making
even his pleasures subservicrt to
his studies. Two prizes obtained,
for drawing and a picture, secured
for him the patronage of the acade-
my, at whose expense he was sent
to Italy, to pursue his studies in
the famous galleries of Rome and
Florence. He returned with a
mind imbued with the beauty and
majesty of the works of those great
masters, whose glory will outiive
the canvas and marble which
achieved IT, determined to win for
himself a niche in the temple of
Fame, or perish in his laborious
efforts to obtain it. At this time
he was in his twenty. y.second year.
A vigorous constitution was his
heritage and his rounded cheek
glowed with the warm color OF
health. His strictly classical fea.
lures were enhanced by the luxuri-
ance of his hair, which he wore
flowing in its native curls while his
full beard and moustache relieved
his face from the charge of efemi,
macy.
Earnest was yet engaged in tho
contemplation OF the unfinished
work-or rather - of dreaming o
the bright original-when a ligh
tap was heard at his door. ut
opened it eagerly, and his poo
; Studio was suddenly illuminated, al
If were. bv the radiant apnaritior