Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-06
ART GOSSIP.
A Talk about Pictwres tho Way They Sell
and the Knowledge People Have Of

A Talk about Pictures tho Way They Sell
and the KmescIedge People Haze Of
Them.
We find in the Wilkes Barre, Pa,
Union and Leader the following interest
ing chat with B. w. Scott, the well
known auctioneer of Philadelphia: The
other day, while Art Auctioneer Scott
was here, a Union Leader reporter had
long talk with the distinguished connois-
seur. It was all about paintings and
painters with little bits of the eventful
incidents that hadoccured in the long ex-
paintings in almost every large city in
the United States IN his day. Scott's
reccollections 90 way back to the days
before the war, when the arlstocratic
Southern gentleman lived like king
upon his broad plantation and surround
ed himself with every luxury that wealth
could purchase. "Ah," said Scott grow
ing enthusiastic as he recalled those hal
cyon times, "Ah, there was real pleas
ure in going down south IN those
days. And what made my
pilgrimages more pleasant was the fact
that not only did find liberal purchases
there, but ripe knowledge of true art.
| Now am dealer in paintings and have
handled some of the best productions in
the world in my time But tell you I've
been heartsick, on many occasions when
I've dropped into communities where
they couldn't tell true gem from q
pot-boiler."
"What do you call pot boiler?" in
quired the reporter.
"Why they are cheap painting dashed
with bright colors and furnished by deal
ers in New York, frames and oil for 800
a Dozen"
"Does any one buy such things?"
ssDoes any one buy themY Well I
should say so. Why, my dear fellow,
there was time when fully two thirds
of the auction pictures were pot boilers
You see they show up nicely under strong
flights. Sometimes they are copies Of
genuine artists and are drawn and colored
very prettily. These are done by art stu
dents who get two or three dollars apiece
for painting them. They are done at odd
hours and serve to keep the student in
pocket money. Agents for the COM
panies who furnish the paintings to deal
ers by the dozen, engage the nascent ar
lists for the work. Oh, yes; there's
many boiler hung up in the parlors
of the shoddyites throughout the land"
"Paid for at big prices 1 presume re-
marked the reporter.
81 saw a man in Pennsylvania town
one time, pay $40 for painting that
didn't cost the dealer more than eight
dollars and half. It was pretty clever
thing in the wav of boiler and the
sharpers who had opened up sale had
struck the oil in the midst of big oil ex-
element when almost everybody had
plenty of money. There were no educat-
ed tastes at the SALE These fellows used
to carry wares all over They have been
sold in the city of Wilkes Barre in days
agone, but only to persons who could be
very easily deceived.
els the business still going on?''
ooh, yes to some extent, but net here
in the East any more. The pot boiler,
like good many other Yankee products,
has turned its face to the west and you
find it now claiming the attention of
the uncouth and inelegant denizens
of the silver regions. 1t doesn't pay
to put them on sale any more
in these parts. The peoples tastes are
becoming too highly educated to insure
any profitable appreciation of the pot
boiler. There has been brought about to
very large extent believe, by the art
that furnishes us with the charming chro-
mos we meet everywhere"
"What was the biggest bid you ever
received for painting?"
"Thirty-fve thousand dollars for a
small Messonier, and sold 1t for that.
1t went to Philadelphia connoisseur."
"You said the Southerners were clever
buyers"
ooh indeed, they were and are still, for
that matter. But they haven't now got
the money to spend for luxuries they had
in the long ago. Why, used to take a
large and choice collection into some one
of the southern cities in the olden days
and they would be sold in two or three
evenings. Every one of them. I took
only the very best artists South, as there
was no sale for others. BY the way,
would you like to hear little romantic
incident that woYe itself subsequently
about picture l sold once in Natchez?"
"Let's have it,"
"Well, it was by one of our best Amer
lean artists. It was female head and it
was down on the catalogue as "A Por-
trait 1t was beauty, l tell you. Not
only as work of art, but as counter
part of one of the lovliest faces I ever be-
held.
"There was lively competition for the
picture at the sale and it was finally
knocked down to a rich young planter.
At the close of the sale met the hand
some young purchaser of the portrait,
and said to him you've got charming
thing in that picture 4 know it, he
said, 'and I'm going to start out to-mer-
row and find the original 1 thought he
was joking and paid no more attention
to it. Just seven years later happened
to be in Natchez again. During the af-
ternoon of the first day of my
arrival was accosted on the street
by gentleman with, "Mr. Scott
do you know me?' l glanced up and met
pair of eyes that seemed familiar l
hesitated. well, Pm the gentleman that
bought that portrait of you when you
were here last 1 recognized him then
will you do me the pleasure of dining
with me at 5. There's my address. l
shall expect you surely and he walked
away. | went to his house and was in
troduced to the original of that portrait.
| got from him the story of his search for
her, after tea when we were alone. She
was poor girl residing in New York
who had been induced to sit for the pic
ture. He found her through the aid of
the artist who painted her picture. He
made her rich and happy
"Quite romance, Scott.''
eyes, and romance of real life, as the
novelists say"
NEWPORT.