The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-01-27
0iInrAVs DORE.
Some characteristics orthe Greatest OF
illustrators.

some Characteristics ofthe Greatest OF
New YoIL Herald
Personally, when you got TO know him,
he was very attractive, and thouRh some
what disposed TO melancholy liked TO talk
about bis treasures, for the apartment was
filed with all SORTS Of artistic objects and
mementos. To these and to several small
dOgs he WIS much attached. He loved
music aud played on the piano, flute and
guitar, rs well as on the violin, and often
bad musical evenings which were very en-:
iOyAble and where attractive and talented
men OF all classes were 10 be met. He was
a handsome man, with far Of, dreamy
look Ia bis eyt; flowing hair, a mustache,
aud rather Germanic 10 type, rs some have
thought his art 10 be. One Of his most
pronounced dislikPs was for the Germans,
and his pathetic Salon picture, "Alsace,"
was the protest 10 the annexation. Work
was his enjoyment and he was at i inces,
sanity, whether on his trips 10 England
aud Scotland or in the quiet oil bis Paris
studits. lie was often at work at six and
after nighiilll. He went frequently 10 the
theatres, particularly 10 the pr1nieTes, and
WINS constant attendant at the opera.
bore was II when he made his tlrst
drawing for publication, the hrst Of that
wonderful series Of designs which number
nearly city thousand. He had pencilled
all over his school books, and was brought
up before one Of his professors one day with
ahisiory oiFrance which he had interviewed
for illustration and whose margins he had
filled with drawings, The professor ex:
amined the novel volume In silence and
finally returned Il TO the boy with the 70.
mark, "YOu belong TO the art world-not
10 ours" Young Dores first serious work,
series Of carica,ures Of the "LabOB Of
Hercules" for the Journal pour Rire, was
done at the age Of thirteen. This estab
lished firmly his position with that journal.
When but fifteen he was q regular con-
tributor TO many cheap illustrated publ.
cations, ain France, Germany, Russia, Po-
land aud know Lot where else besides,"
as he once said. To the Journal pour Totl,
established 1855, he contributed largely.
| When seventeen he Issued the remarkable
series OF Illustrations OF "The Wandering
Jew Il fell 10 his lot 10 furnish draw.
ings for many cheap and forgotten novels,
and he often did not even SIS the draw.
ings, OF which he was able 10 produce
three or lour 4 day, and for which he
charged five francs each. Sometimes, how.
ever, he did not get paid BY the cheap pub.
fishers or contributed drawings TO some
periodicals Of short existence. His inst
publication, issued at the town OF Bourg.
en.Bresse, was series Of lithographic illus
tratiOns Of the religious festivals Of the
neighborhood.
The number Of his illustrations about
this time was 30 great that would.be collec-
tons are thoroughly discouraged byit
M.Dorc has been engaged forseveral year,
In the illustration OF Shakespeare, wori;
In which he was greatly interested. He
said to friend In lS77;-"I dream only oil
Shakespeare. It will bethe supreme effort
Of my life. ] have already given some
years 10 Il, and am only at the beginning,
or rather finding way to begin. Beside
him everything appears small-me5qtin. II
l can succeed In producing In q national
way, worthy Of the subject and OF myself
your great Shakespeare | shall close my
career as au Illustrator. But 1t Is mighty
task to tackle, and who will undertake it?'
A large scene at the gambling table Al
Baden Baden, painted some years ago con
tanned many portraits-notAbly those o.
several prominent Englishmen. So much
objection was made on this account, on the
exhibition oil the picture at the Egyptian
Hail in London, that In view OF bis popu'
larity in England the artist decided to de-
stroy the work, cutting it in pieces. II
certainly was remarkable collection Of
types, many Of them very distinguished
and excellent as 4 composition. The DOre
Gallery In Bond, street London, has long
been feature Of the town, and his princi'
pal works were shown there.
Strange to say, Dore never used models
for his pictures, though he did for his
statues. The rather lunny even II fictitious
story Is told Of model who, on presenting
herself at his studio for IN engagement,
was told by the servant, with lofty mir,
ave do not paint with models here; We
paint with our brainsr Though 1t Is stated
that the artist, on being asked where his
gift lay, said that he had collodion in bis
eye, It Is certain that his chief and most
remarkable quality was bis wonderful
imagination, his power OF artistic creation.
II be wanted TO paintanything-a table ior
instance-he did not copy one, but imagined
It. His composition Is especially strong
and his types picturesque and often noble.
His drawing In his paintings especially is
often open TO criticism, and his color Ia
crude, positive and often unnatural. His
landscapes were very coarse and impress
sionistic. He was thoroughly assimilative
and borrowed largely, though he was a
perfect well Of invention and as tecund as
he was often grotesque.