Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-02-28
MACHINE PAINTING,


at profit for $50 hundred. Eight
artists have been known to produce l2j
Of these paintings in a day, Large,
handsome, fiat Dutch gilt frames for
the paintings sell for 81, These are
wholesale rates. The pictures retail
for from So 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 execution
which it would seem impossible to
command for ten times the price ask.
ed. They are all landscapes, as
nothing else sells so well. The paint
ings come in many sizes, but the price
does not vary much, They generally
represent river, mountains in the dis.
lance, bit of country with fences and
trees, and here and there a farm house
The tints are well blended, and at a
distance produce a pleasing effect
This is especially true of the pictures
intended for the eastern trade. Thir-
teen years ago, when the industry was
begun, loud haring colors and broad
effects were in demand, but now such
paintings are only wasted in the far
west There they want the gayest of
colors, and above all they must have a
castle. Castle, Of the most remarkable
design are thrown in anywhere. They
are erected on the side of asteep noun
tain or on an island in the wild woods
They must have plenty of turrets and
battlements.
One of the largest of these oil-paint-
ing manufacto is down town, where
there are rooms filled with racks con-
tanning hundreds Of finished paintings,
On an upper floor a reporter saw eight
persons, six of whom were young
women. They were hard at work, and
painting rapidly. The proprietor is an
artist who studied four years under
Gerome in Paris. Finding very little
money in high art, he invented a pro-
cess for the rapid production Of cheap
paintings. The paintings are made on
heavy muslin, which is first wet and
stretched tightly on long frames. 1t is
then cut into the required size, and
stretched by machine on square
pine frame, where it is made fast.
Next the muslin is tinted light blue,
and after this has dried it is ready for
the painter. A coating Of oil is first
put on it, and then stencil plare is
laid on the muslin. This stencil IS Of
thick paper, with all sorts of odd shapes
cut in it. A boy stands on one side Of
the table, and a girl on the other, and
near them are several small pots Of
paint. They daub the paint into the
holes Of the stencil plate with great
rapidity. When the stencil is remov.
ed, the muslin is seen to be spotted
here and there with paint. Another
stencil is then used, whose holes CORE.
spond 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. 1t
is then handed to young woman who
blends the background. She uses
brushes in running the colors into each
other, and finally goes over all with a
large camels hair brush. The result
is surprising. The patchwork becomes
a harmonious combination Of blended
tints. The muslin then goes to man
who blends the foreground in the same
manner. Next it is dried and passes
to the fnisher, who works from a model
hung on her easel. She outlines the
trees, fences, and shrubs, and other ac-
cidents 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 finishing touches Of
light and shade. 1t finally 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 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.
The proprietor 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
pictures, but some sell much better
than others. He has tried figure
pieces, but they did not take well. The
paint stands the test Of time very well
and is softened and improved by age.
When handsomely framed, these paint
ings, the artist says, are sometime
hung in private galleries among
expensive paintings. He knew of
wealthy western man who had his
private gallery completely filled with
these paintings. In the cities the
paintings are sold by auctioneers and
in the country by dry goods stores and
peddlers. 1t is fascinating business,
as a high price may be obtained for the
pictures sometimes. The frames are
of pine, on which is glued molding
made of a combination of putty and
glue and gilded.