The Indianapolis journal., 1884-06-13
THE NUDE In ART.
Difficulties Encountered by San Francisco
Maidens in Pursuing Artistic Studies.

Difficulties Encountered by San Francisco
BIaidens in Pursuing Artistic Studies.
San Francisco Chronicle
An Oakland father of young girl. rather
lady, for she wears long skirts and disdains fir
tations with young men who do not wear mus
taches recently had occasion to be very angry
at his offspring. She had discovered that she
was not color blind, and conceiving this negative
qualification to be the only one which painters
possess, she had prevailed upon her parents to
allow her to join painting class This class
met in the studio of Fred Yates, in the building
formerly occupied by the Morse photo
graphic gallery. 1t was the discovery of a
What Is IT. in his daughters portfolio of
sketches that aroused the Indignation Of
the Oakland citizen. No one having seen
what this object looked like, it is of course
impossible to describe it, 1t is not, however,
impossible to tell the consequences There was
angry father the following morning de-
manding admission to Mr.. Yates studio, with
the result that a living and moving scene was
caused which might be called a female painting
class alarmed. The angry Oaklander, who
threatened to kick in the panels unless admitted
certainly gave them good grounds for alarm, for
had he carried out his threats at that moment he
would have seen nude nan, who moment
before was posing as adam Before the Fall"
making frantic endeavors TO call under dry
goods box which had served him as a pedestal
while he posed as a model for the young
ladies'. The model not particularly
handsome, but he was greatly scared; SO
Mr.. Yates anxious orders that he make a
hastv toilet to look like the model of classic
Greek. He merely seized the cotton sheet with
which the artist tried to drape his limbs and re-
newed his endeavors to crawl under the box.
The class of ladies meanwhile stood with chat
terng teeth all trying to veil their faces with
the crayon drawings of the nude model Two of
the more elf-possessed at last had the presence
of mind to throw the model his most indispensa-
ble garment into which he slipped as a streak
of lightning flies into an Iowa farmers hay barn.
This accomplished, the irate Oaklander was ad
mitted, but during the delay number of scenes
had been so arranged that the evidences of the
nature Of the studies carried on were no longer
apparent 1t is said that there animated
debate for some moments. and then the Oak
lander departed for the new City Hall to listen
to the testimony in the Sharon case
His raid, however, had crushed the zeal for
art from the souls of the aspiring scholars. At
first they denounced the lowness of mind
which could see bones and flesh before it could
see art in nude model, then they amented the
backward state of public opinion on the subject
of nude models, next they whispered to each
other the story of the bewitched and scandahzed
models imported by the art association some
years ago, and finally they concluded that while
they themselves were ripe for nude art. the pub
Tic and the times not and with a. sigh, they
directed their model to put ON his clothes in the
proper order, after which they paid him off and
sent him out among his unregenerated but panta-
looned brethren who thropging the Mont
gomery- street sidewalks Thus came to on end
the study in male nudes by class of young la
dies. Once more they produced the wellknown
and well-worn patterns of pansies. violets hlaes
and pinks. and once more they brought back to
their mammas cords of painted placques and
panels as evidences vf their progress and indus
try.
To Mr.. Yates who has Just returned from Eu-
ropean art eenters, where the study of the nude
excites no comment the Oakland riot brought
broken spirit The afflietion was aggravated by
the daily display of the pansy patterns, and
few days age, when the class of ladies' arrived at
the usual hour, they We're informed that he had
gone to San Rafael TO study nude" still life
among the mosquitoes. He left his will tackled
up on the door of his studio 1t reads as follows:
the inside to sweep the floor semioccasionay and
to have the ceiling whitened as the Young ladies will
continue to take their lessons in this studio.
The disappointed artist, at all events, wanted
them to have nude floor and windows.
The art circle, embracing the few who have
slipped the heavenly draught, the effects of which
are said to be the very reverse of those which
the forbidden fruit had upon Eve, ''for her eyes
were opened, and she knew that she was naked"
are, of course, much grieved at the disruption OF
the class.
1--WE aren't civilized enough" said Jules
Tavernier to a reporteryestarday, ito stand that
sort of thing, you know. Why, in Europe that
sort of thing don't cause any comment"
E'Are there any young ladies learning to paint
as an accomplishment in EuropeP asked the re-
ported.
81 don't suppose there, are, replied Mr-
Tavernier ''Of course there are too many
dilettante here 1t spoils the business
''And have the female dilettante enough of
the divine sparks to see only art in nude
maTe2"
saOh, now YOU know, don't know" said Mr..
Tavernier, winking like the light in a red lantern
over the door of a saloon on a wet and windy
night. ''You see it vast so bad as that Mr..
Yates wasn't at all afraid of the Oakland father.
That wasn't it; no. sir. Besides there was
nothing at all improper about the business, as
understand it, It was strictly moral class
every member a Sunday school or Bible-class
teacher. OF course Mr.. Yates wouldn't have
any others. 1t was pure love OF art with him;
and it was the Dissertation of art that made him
exile himself to San Rafael. 1t was because his
new plan of studying the human form divine did
not work perfectly"
IA new planl What was it9"
''Why, you know, the models didn't really
show themselves all nude before the young
ladies. Oh no. You see, l am told, he had a
sort of a screen, in which there was an adjusta
BILE aperture So, when they wanted to sketch a
leg, OF an arm, or q shoulder, the breast, the
model would Just stick that through. That did
not violate the proprieties, did itF'
mot entirely"
t'But the trouble came in here When the
class had sketched all the parts and were then
told to make man Of them, they got the things
so frightfuly out of their proper places that you
couldn't tell whether they had drawn crazy
quilt or the front elevation of a new patent
coal-oil lamp The truth is the Oakland man
got hold of one of those monStroSitieS, and it
was to prevent his daughter from getting
wrong idea of the shape of the male form that
he kicked up the row. You go up to the class
room and see some of the sketches now, and
Dastroviuo Weeds