New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-24
GUSTAVE DORE DEAD.
FATAL END OF A SHORT ILLNESS.

| while returning TO his home from soirce On SAT
usday Inflammation of the throat set in, aud despite
every effort 1t was impossible to arrest its progress
He died at $50 p. m to-day.
hIS LIFE AND WORKS.
The telegraph brings news OF the death OF tnis
artist, of whom it may without exaggeration DO
said that during many years Of his life he was the
most widely known and the most popular Of mod
cru designers. 1t may also be said that be was the
most fortunate of in bis profession, IN tha1 DO
worked for publishers who believed in him as much
as be believed in himself. and who helped him 10
build up the Aaddins palace his fame by putting
at his disposition all their resources. Tho best
| wOod-engravors of France. the best paper-nakers,
| the best prnters-a were his servants, delighted
| with their service and glad to take their chance OF
! fame in his company. lie made the fortune OF MS
publishers and his own besides, and rs be bad
never any misgivings about his talent and was
ready TO fly at anything he saw, the publishers
founu him exception to the common run OF gem
Iuses and kept HIM busy night and day In turning
all sorts Of mills-nOw grinding out Illustrated
Bibles anu now illustrated stories for the stews,
now pictures to bring the highest poetry down to
the simplest folk, and fairytae designs to elc-
waite the standard of tho nursery most indus
| trous prolific, ingenious and. in the mercantile
sense, useful man, for whom, IL the masses do not
weep. at least the publishers may.
Padl Gustave Dor6 was born at StrasbOurg jan
! uary o. 1888 He came 10 Paris early, and re-
ceivcd snch an education afforded by the
Lyc6e Charlemagne. AZ SOON as ne was free OF the
school masters he followed his strong natural bent
toward art. aud soon found work In designing for
| cheap books and illustrated papers. getting his
hnrd H. and making his e1 perience bis Studies"
and all the world of low Paris his models" lie
had all the power Of work that charaCterzes his
firth Inn hny tn na hungry
shabby and butter his bread with hopes and yet 10
keen In this rough tusse with life, his spirits IN
full 1ow the heart gay and the mind and hand IN
untred, joyful activity. The mere physical labor
implied in the multitude Of designs made by Dore
in his less than thirtyfve years of workng-dhys
beyond calculation; there seemed no end to the
in entou, and. such as it was it must be allowed
that there was very little falling of in the quality
of the invention. His first public appearance was
at tho Salon of 1913, where he exhibited a number
of sketches IN pen and ink. In 1851 no made il
lustrations for an edition of Rabelais 1856 he
illustrated tho story of tho Wandering Jew, and IN
the Same year n now edition of Balzac's "COntes
UrOatques was published. with designs by Doro.
Whoever NIshos 20 know what Dore really was as
an artist. what he liked. and what he could do
thoroughly we'll must look for the know lefge la
these designs-a his other work mere hack
work and done for hire IL is. however, proper to
say that the designs for tho Contes DroIstiqucs"
are designs for book which dives deeper into the
abyss Of nastiness and brings more filth than any
book that ever was written by famous man. The
designs could not possibly have been as foul rs the
text and live long in open daylight, but they arc
la full sympathy with tho text and often aid It by
suggestiOn-where literal following s impossible,
n fig leaf in the margin points to It with mock
modest hand. Bat should wrong Dor6 II We
allowed theJmprcss'on TO remain that these de-
signs all alike belong to the nIght-sde oil art. Sew
er Of them show. II not Imagination. fancy that
il remarkable. ono shows a lover in the widiire of
his passion adoring hts mistress, VIXEN the gigantic
falchiOn Of the too 5000 returning husband comes
down upon hrn through the window and splits
him through from crown to crotch with artistic
blow. His heart. hot and smoking. leaps out into
the Mortified heauty's lap, tho cleft body fails
APART showing tho side neat us the round forms
of life tho dress tho hair. the face with its last
agony of appeal. and opposite. the inside of tho
other half with all tho horrible machinery Of lifo
LAID bare nightmare OF the secrets OF the grave.
There Is another design where the wild forces OF a
mediu, al horde are besieging castle,
Mad 20 tug her standard down."
and another whore a lover. leaving his MISTRESS
door finds himself the target for q thousand lances
arrows. spears. bolts and sings that aim at HIM
from G, ery door aud window jutty anu ireze. but
trcs and coign of vantage In the crazy houses that
huddle round the square. There is an intensity, IL
uquancy. u wild. free. dare devil swing ia these de
signs that makes them interesting and interests one
In tho author. and they owe nothing 90 tho text
with which they are associated. Dnr6 never did
an, thing else with equal power aud originality.
In 1889 he made illustrations to Iape's Trip 10
tho Pyr6n6cs" but this work had 40 great Salue.
In 1861 ho cutcred on the grand way with his IL
lustrations to Dante. publishing the year his
I.1. L..
" Don Quixote" IN 1868 the Bible" ANA in lsGG-
Io6s the L" Idyls OF King" These successive
performances cnui,d tho public enthusiasm for
Done mp 20 fever heat The books themselves were
splendid specimens Of the printers art the wood
cngraycrs. Pesan. DCmont, Gauohard. surpassed
themselves aud almost made IA new STYLE every
thing aided the Impression. and the pens of ready
writer's in all countries hew roams OF paper IN
praise OF this wonder of the age. Meanwhile Dor6
was as busy with other work as il these enterprises
of illustration were only play. lie spread himself
over acres OF canvas landscape. history, religions
art there was nothing lac did not dare-nnd with
overy feat the applause redoubled But long
before the end came IL was clear that his talent
was weighed and his aft measured, and that he
was lighting against odds The world admired his
spirit, Loyalty praised his industry his facility his
ingenuity. but knew that these were all tor no sub
stantlai good DOr6 has made no fame that will
ast-n n few years he will be completely forgotten.
lt is long since any considerable number OF Gull
tiyaed people took even the slightest pleasure in his
work. aud the publishers Of his books must have for
some time known that their gold mIne was its
end The reason il plain and young artists will do
we'll to give it serious thought DOre had talent,
dustry. energy but he had purpose in bis art
good or bad. lIe always ready TO sell his gift to
tho highest Underworld do COntes Drolatiques for
the BUhemIans Bibles for the deyout. would illus
trate Tennyson for the English and tickle the ma
toral pride by pretending he had long yearned to
make designs for poet whose very name he had |