The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-09
pICTURE-BUYING.
How Artists Succeed in Putting People
Out of the Huanor.

Let me tell you,n said a salesman
IN the picture business the other day,
that artists as a class are the most
trying and short-sighted people in the
world. For instance. they will actually
try to spoil each others sales. They
can not be made to see that whatever
helps one helps the market"
How can they spoil each other 5
sales?n
I'm many ways. I'll give YOU an in
stance. and will take case that hap
pened good many years ago, so that
no ones feelings shall be hurt. had
for customer wealthy gentleman,
aud had just about persuaded him to
buy really good landscape by lead
ing artist; price. 500. In fact. the
gentleman had virtually bought the
picture. He was just beginning to
speak about making a payment when
an artist. a mutual acquaintance,
strolled into the room. Now the gen
tleman wanted confirmation of his
judgment, as people often do, and so
appealed to the artist coming in, and
asked his opinion of the purchase. The
artist felt twinge of jealousy. He
balanced himself firsSon his heels and
then on his toes, made opera-glasses
out of his hands, and squinted, at the
picture from every possible point of
view. Finally he spoke. 1t is a fine
picture. 1t is well conceived, drawing
first rate, admirable color l like the
trees, the sky, the water. In fact, it s
an excellent work of art Still, if you
really want my opinion, I'll tell you
something. You see that small figure
in the distance-the figure of a man
tishingP Well, if you will take the
trouble to find the scale of measure
ment, you will discover that the man s
tishing-pole is certainly over fifteen
feet long!
when | heard that | knew in
minute that my bargain was of. The
gentleman buying the picture did not
rely enough upon his own Judgment,
and besides | had had experience. The
artist criticising the picture appeared
TO be fair and square. He had really
given the work its due praise. to begin
with. But he had got his deadly work
in after all. That splendid work of
art was spoiled for that purchaser by
little brush stroke intended to repre-
sent fishing pole. The gentleman
never looked at it again that 1t did not
seem to him to be all fishing-pole, and
he finally told me the fishing-pole had
made the picture odious to him, and
he would not buy it."
And you say that artists often do
that sort of thing2'
Yes, they've spoiled a good many
sales for each other, in my experience
But, mind you, l don't say that they
have any malicious intention or always
realize what they are doing. 1t is the
easiest thing in the world to discover
some little, tritling, good for nothing
defect that Will turn person against a
picture.
But suppose purchaser is put out
of conceit with Smiths picture, doesn't
that make him all the more likely to
turn around and try one of Brown's?"
mo, it does not. And that is why
| say artists are short-sighted. In my
if man buys picture
and is happy and satisfied over his
purchase he is more than likely to turn
around and buy more pictures. The
appetite grows on him. But if he is
and made to feel dissatisfied
with his own taste and his own judg-
ment just as he is about to buy pict-
ure he is thrown back on himself,
grows disguised, and turns his back on
the whole business.
''How do you think the taste for
picture-buying may be promoted"
There's no telling anything about
it. Picture-buying here in San Fran
aIsan ennaS OF l.
like an epidemic. Sometimes | think
It comes in waves, like hot weather. or
like anything else we don't under
stand.
lis it not possible the trade should
ever become equalized, and steady,
regular demand for pictures be estab-
lishedp"
'.Well, if you ask me that question,
shall have to tell you that hero again
the artists are at fault. In dull times
the artists go along slowly and care
fully. They growl good deal. but do
pretty good work. Let the market i'm
prove ever so little and they get per-
fectly wild and turn out pictures by the
dozen. They reason that if they can
sell possible three out of four pictures
why not fifteen out of twenty? The
consequence is they kill the goose that
lays the golden egg. They glut the
market with poor pictures. exhaust
purchasers at the earliest possible mo-
ment, and fatten out boom which
began favorably and might have been
coaxed to last long time"
when do you think the artists viii
learn to manage their business affairs
with discretion?"
Not before themillennium. San
Francisco Chronicle