Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-07-15
C0LFiX AND ELkNS.
A Romantic Incident in the Life OF
Chicago Artist

JULIAN AND ELhlNS.
A Romantic Incident in the Life OF a
Chicago Artist
From the South Bend Tribune.
In 1865, Elkins was an unknown,
struggling, and almost starving artist,
in Chicago, where he had lived all his
I'fe. He was deeply in love with the
girl who afterward became his wife,
but was so poor that he could not think
of marrying. Like all ambitious artists,
he had been to the Rocky Mountains,
and had brought back a portfolio of
studies. From one of these studies he
made picture called Morning IN the
Valley" In the foreground was pool
with a dash of cataract, another larger
body of water with trees to the left
of the picture; rugged and almost
perpendicular rocks on the right, with
camp of tents at their base, and in
the background snow-capped noun
| tains. The picture was striking one,
yet, while it attracted much attention
in the window Of a Chicago picture
store, it remained there day after day
and found no purchaser.
One day Mr. Colfax. who had been
elected Vice President Of the United
States, but had not yet been inaugu-
rated, was passing hurriedly by along
| the street and the picture caught his
eye. 1t impressed him with its famili
arity. He examined it more carefully
| and became convinced that some artist
had been to a certain spot iii the Rocky
Mountains where, not so very long be-
fore, Mr.. Colfax and certain lady,
now his wife, had wandered to from Il
merry company of travellers across the
continent, and plighted their vows
He sought the artist and found that
| his Surmises were true. He asked
Elklns to put price to the picture,
md he ventured to say $500. The
price was paid, aud it enabled Elkins
to marry. Not only that, but the fact
that the Vice President of the United
States had purchased a picture of
Elklns for $500, was soon flashed over
the country, ard Elkins found himself
famous, and with more orders for pic
lures than he could fill. 1t was moth
ing for him to command $1,000 to
$4,000 each for his larger paintings,
are valued at $4,000 each. The Lon
don Dirt Journal in 1875 pronounced
his paintings the best at the Centennial,
which was the highest compliment that
could be paid an artist by the best art
authority in the world, for Europe and
Americas best painters were repre-
scented there.
1t was at this time that Elkins' sue
| cess appears to have turned his head.
He was then but 80 years old, but in
less than three months he became an
habitual drunkard, and an income OF
$4,000 to S20, 600 IL year soon dropped
to the price of the one of two pictures
year he might paint in his soberer
moments.
The Utter Gait
The fashionable gait Of the utter
young girl at this season, says The Nev
York S11l, is IN importation, like most
of her articles Of clothing. 1t is sup
posed to be an offspring of the utterly
utter manners of the London aesthetics,
who have set the fashion for languid
willowy, weary wabbles, now the rage
at many fashionable gatherings among
young women, who, III spirit of in
tense unutterabieness, gaze into the
depths OF new blown lily or rose or
silently study the heart of Il field daisy.
Upon the avenues, however, the great
public sees the aesthetic walk undimmed
by the mellow light of drawing-room
and unameliorated by the rich colors
of Periian portieres and Daghestan
rugs. When the aesthetic appears upon
the front doorstep with her Langtrv
hat, she shakes out the bangles on her
bracelets. pushes into better position
the Jacqueminot roses at her belt or the
field daises in her fourth buttonhole,
then shakes out the putflngs of her 20
| lonalse, raises a balloon paraSol with
its ivory handle carved like q Gala
lilly, and prepares to get into shape for
the fashionable gait. For the space Of
minute her body seems to work upon
eccentrics. Her insteps so in with Il
jerk, her hips fly back, her spinal col
umn shoots forward at an angle of
about is degrees and remains rigid, her
neck lifts, her chin goes about an inch
and five-eights above its normal line
her nose naturally follows and perhaps
| improves upon the incline, her arms to
| tie elbow points hug her sides like
willow branches, while the hand that
does not engage itself with the parasol
hangs limp and languid. 1t requires
two teeters TO give the shape inertia,
and off the aesthetic goes. Her pro
gress deties accurate description. It
has been compared to the amble Of the
kangaroo, but the naturalsts insist that
the kangaroo's movements have some
elementof grace. Others say it is very
like duck, which flaps its wings, but
the duck does not have French heels.
4 man Of science says that there is
nothing ike it in the animal kingdom,
although the sea gulls on the Pacific
islands have a similar motion in their
walk.