Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-30

POSING reR ARTISTS.

MANY a novelist has written pretty
stories of the professional artists mod
ii. uortrayinc her a bright little damsei,
nafterino over sidewalks in innocent
olee or chanting childish verses The
artists of Philadelphia disclaim all
knowledge Of any such beings With
almost unanimous voice they say thas
"a q rule the women who make II tneir
business to pose while some one trans
fers the u 70 canvas are not al al IN
terestinQ. They don't patter ever pave
rneuts and don't do things with any
marked amount Of unsopbisticated gee.
Their souls are not devoted TO art, but
TO seyentv-five cents an hour. "lts a
disacreeable business" said one artist,
land the women who engage IN II nave
20 do the best they can and not let tneif
friends know about II.
Few persons in this country, II - SAID.
ever begin life with the intention OF
passing it a. patterns for artists TO 20
by. Here people lapse into the studio
az rast resort. On the other side OF
the ocean IL il different. Men and wo-
men are there trained 70 pose from
childhood, and IL is very likely that the
originals OF the pattering, poeticai maid
ems that the bookmakers write about are
in Europe. The women who SIS IN Coz
Times arc OF course Of much better
class than those who sit for inquire
sketches. As q general thing the men
are respectable. :.
Charles III. Stephens sat IN his studio
at No. 1923 Chestnut street, YESTERDAY
afternoon, and between puffs at ms
neerschaum pipe told reporter some
thing about models. have very Of
ten,n be said, "a hunted for two hours at
a time for tiny Bohemian or colored
man 10 paint. / once ran across suit
able italian, who had face that i
deemed worthy of reproducing. ! per
suadcd him, after a good deal OF par
IeyiuQ. TO come and be drawn on canvas.
He had two boys, and they all numbered
along in timid sort of way until they
came to the stairs. had 10 coax them
up, step by step, to the studio. When
threw open the door they peeped in ner-
yously, and the first thing they saw was
a lay figure. Well. those Italians emit
ted one shrek and tore down the steps
Ike mad things. Ii was no use TO call
them back, for they we're some blocks
away before ] had recovered from the
shock produced by the inhuman howl. =
Are there many models in this cityr'
the reporter asked.
every few replied Mr.. Stephens.
"There are n score or 30 that take 10
posing In desultory way, and only two
or three who could rank as profession
ais. There Ii not employment all the
year round. Nearly all the persons en-.
gagged an models are at the Academy OF
Fine Arts, and that only during limited
season."
The reporter then visited some studios
along Chestnut street. In one sat dole
full Chinaman, with pig-tail that had
been made longer by the addition OF
some inches of plated hair. He was
dressed as Mandarin. Now and then
the artist cried out to him to change his
eissi" ~ face.
"Look gay, John; be happy" he said
"or wont pay you cent.
"How me iookee happy whom me fee
miselabler' walled the pitiable washer.
man. "Feelee danny, lookee danny
alice timee."
The man with the palette explained
that the yellow-faced model WAS afraid
he would DO beheaded when he got bach
Co China as a punishment for counter
feiting mandarin.
Al inc ACauefny OF Tiue hFts u COW
was being painted yesterday. The COW
was tied by q string to ring and half q
dozen students wore copying her from
different points OF view. A few weeks
ago the ssme animal walked among the
painters and. Selling portrait Of her
self, which, II Ii charged, had been in
differently executed, ate away part OF
tho canvas. The janitor of the Acade
my was forced TO stay up all night Il
administer enietics. Since then tho COW
has had quite an artistic reputation
bhe has become pet OF tho lady stu
dents, who feed her ON candy or ole
paint BRUSHES.
AT the Academy the practice Of. EN-
ploying animal models was lately inau
guratsd by the introduction of horse
Since then have come COW and c0upl,
Of squirrels. They have all met with
favor, and il Is expected that the mex
few years will be marked by the impress
ing of all sorts OF brutes, beasts and bird
into service as models.