Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-11

on the walls and clutter up the mantelpieces.
We are after that which is old and imperfect
ly picturesque, you know. Twice every year
there is what is called a Edult' in Munich
People from the country bring in everything
of which you can conceive for sale at grand
fair in common mart where shanties are
erected for that purpose. The things on sale
are very cheap-odd gloves, old shoes, bones,
skil1ets; in fact everything from coffin to a
wooden leg. We students revel in these
dults We go there and buy the most anom-
alous things for almost nothing. We will
see an old, torn cloth, pick it up with the
remark, by Jove, that's magnificent and
then purchase it for one-tenth of its marked
price. These du1ts are indeed a great bonan-
"a to us students. But wouldn't you like to
look into sample studio?" OF course
would, and so l was conducted to one near
by, that of an American who has reputa-
ton for doing good work. AS had been pre-
dicted l found the room a very museum of
picturesque odds and ends. The artist, Mr..
x, was hard at work on the representa-
ton of "a Strike in Pittsburg" He ex-
planned his methods somewhat as follows:
"When we begin to originate it is natural for
rs to reach out after novel subjects. con-
clude to illustrate one of the famous strikes
in the Smoky City. imagine the tall stacks
and chimneys of the city for background,
pouring forth their clouds of smoke and
soot To the right I decide to have the
doned. In the foreground to the left is the
Office of the proprietor, who is the porch
listening to the speaker who has been select
ed by the men to submit their grievances.
The ground intervening between the factory
and the Office is filed with strikers on their
way to the scene of debate All the princi-
pal figures are sketched from models ON small
canvasses, and then transferred to the main
painting, which, being six feet by nine, is
rather too large to convey to the open air
where my models pose. The costumes pur-
chased at factories when I was in London.
select my models from the crowd of candi-
dates, then proceed to rig them up according
to my notions and define the attitude which
prefer. All the foremost figures and groups
thus painted-the smith who stands there
with his bare arms defantly akimbo, the man
who is STOPPING for q stone as a bluff argu-
ment, the wife who is running up with her
little child and babe in arms, the other wife
who is trying to moderate her excited lord,
the gesticulating speaker, and all the various
other actors in the scene,"
''Don't your models sometimes desert you
at a critical time?" every rarely. Now
here is a touching instance in point' (bring-
ing forward an unfinished painting of a sweet
little girl of perhaps thirteen sumners.)' "I
have searched the streets many day in the
hope of finding the original of this picture.
Alas, l know not what has become of her,
and am not at all competent to finish the
sketch from memory or from my own imagi
nation. She was q rare model and deplore
her disappearance keenly."
Thanking both my cicerones for the
glimpse into artist life in Munich which
they had afforded me, [ withdrew,
vinced that artists do sometimes think a
little, and that there are some thoroughly
interesting, genial people in the ranks.