Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-02-28
CHEAP PAINTINGS.
How Great Master" Manufactures Oil Paint
inqs for Auction Houses and Cheap Markets
From the New York SUM-

How Great Master" Manufactures Oil Paint
ings for Auction Houses and Cheap Markets.
From the New York SUM-
Oil paintings, twenty-four by thirty
SIX inches, mounted and stretched, are
sold III this city at profit for $50 hun
bred. Eight artists have been known
to produce 125 of these paintings IN
day. Large, handsome, fat Dutch
gilt frames for the paintings sell for 81.
These are wholesale rates. The pic
tures retail for 50 apiece up, and one of
them has been sold as high as $3.50.
They are sold chiefly by peddlers, who
carry stocks of them through all the
mining towns of the west. Many show
an amount of labor and skill in execu-
ton which it would seem impossible to
command for ten times the price asked.
They are all landscapes, as nothing else
sells SO we'll The paintings come in
many sizes, but the price does not vary
much. They generally represent river,
mountains In the distance, bit of coun-
try with fences and trees, and here and
there farmhouse. The tints are we'll
blended. and at a distance produce a
pleasing effect. This is especially true
trade. Thirteen years ago, when the
industry was begun, loud, haring colors
and broad effects were III demand, but
now such paintings are only wanted in
the far west. There they want the gay
est of colors, and, above all, they must
have a castle. Castles of the most re-
markable design are thrown III any
where They are erected on the side of
49,, IL 10
woods. They must have plenty of tur-
rets and battlements.
One of the largest of these oil paint
ing manufactures is in Greenwich
Street, where there are rooms contain
ing hundreds of finished paintings. On
an upper floor the reporter saw eight
persons, six of whom were young women.
They were hard at work, and painting
rapidly. The proprietor, Mr.. William
Levin, is an artist who studied four
years under Gerome, In Paris. Finding
very little money IN high art, he invent
ed 2 process for the rapid production of
cheap paintings.
The paintings are made on heavy mus
lin, which is first wet and stretched tight
ly on long frames. Tt is then cut into
the required size, and stretched by
machine on a square pine frame, where
1t is made fast. Next the muslin is tint
ed light blue, and after this is dried it
is ready for the painter. A coating of
oil Is first put on 1t, and then a stem
Gil plate is laid on the muslin. The
stencil is of thick paper, with all sorts of
odd shapes cut In it. A boy stands at
one side of the table and girl at the
other, and near them are several small
pots of paint. They daub the pant INTO
the holes of the stencil plate with great
rapidity. When the stencil is removed
the muslin is seen TO be spotted here and
there with paint. Another stencil Is then
used, whose holes correspond to other
parts of the muslin, and more paint is
daubed In. Two more stencils follow.
and when the work Is done the muslin is
completely covered with patchwork OF
varied colors. It Is then handed to a
young woman, who blends the back
ground. She uses several brushes IN
running the colors into each other, and
finally goes over all with large cancels
hair brush. The result is surprising
The patchwork becomes a harmonious
combination of blended tints. The mus
lin then goes TO man who blends the
foreground III the same manner. Next
1t is dried and passed TO the tnlsher who
who works from a model hung On an
easel. She outlines the trees, fences,
shrubs and other accidents of scenery
with extraordinary rapidity. The colors
are mixed ready to her hand, and she
has simply to lay them on. A fourth
and more skillful artist gives the finish
ing touches of light and shade. 1t fin
ally goes to the artist, who may be called
the architect. He puts In the palaces,
castles, houses, and boats. The rapidity
and skill with which all work is done Is
due to long years of practice. The paint
used is common house painters paint.
In the paint room are racks containing
small pots of paint of 5000 different
tints.
Mr.. Levin says he is obliged to sell
very cheaply IN order TO compete with
artists who paint at their homes. He
has one hundred different styles of pic
lures. but some sell much better than
others. He has tried figure pieces, but
they did not take well. The paint stands
ne test Of time very well, and is soften
ed and improved by age. When hand
somely framed these paintings, Mr..
Levin says, are sometimes HING In pr1-
vate galleries among expensive paint
Ings. He knew of a wealthy western
man who had his private gallery well
Tiled with these paintings. In the Cit