The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-12-24
MRS. CLEvELAND's PORTRAIT.
MIR. Keppier Describes How He Came 20
Make Her Picture-the Presidents NJ.

Make Her Picture-the Presidents NJ.
tons.
Mr.. Joseph Kcppler says, as to his
making of portrait OF Mrs. Grover
Cleveland:
''Thc sittings took place in Washing
ton, where / went for the special pur-
pose OF securing them. There was little
difficulty about 1t. Mr. Cleveland seems
to be plain, honest man, who sincerely
dislikes the excessive nGtorlety that
comes within his Office, but he recogni.
yes that it is unavoidable, and is de.
sirous that only the ruth should 90 out
about him and his wife. So he had to
trust in this matter somewhat to the
skill of the artist, and Ill doing so was
only anxious that the matter should be
kept private as long as possible. 1 told
him that / did not propo to make
caricature, but portrait, and
that it should be executed faithfully. ]
did not attempt to conceal or disguise
the business significance of the project,
and he said he should be glad to do whist
he could to accommodate me. But,
he said, Mr.. Keppler, why are you in
such hurry about it if the picture is
not to be published until ChristmlsF
So had to explain that it took much
time to execute the work, and that
when publisher gets an idea he is de,
sirous of being the first in the field. SO
he appointed time fer sitting.
81 ought to say that my original de-
sign was to make picture from a pho
tograph, fearing that the President
would n 1t consent to q deliberate sketch,
and l went to Washington for the pur
pose of seeing Mrs. Cleveland, that
might get some points about complexion
and the like that photographs do not
give. But when saw her / was con-
vinced at once that the project was
hopeless without private sittings; for
the photographs are far from presenting
a worthy likeness of that lady. There
were SO many characteristic touches in
her features that the photographs omit
ted entirely-you see the photographer
uses his Judgment in crasing lines that
| he might think would mar the beauty OF
the photog aph, and as matter Of fact
| they frequently use such bad Judgment
in doing his that the character of the
likeness is destroyed-you get the
features, the outlines, perhaps, but the
| life is not there. | was anxious to pro
| duce a picture that should be what it
| purported to be, and so dropped the
photograph idea at once.
swell, we came to the first sitting.
You may be very sure it was the first
time Mrs Cleveland ever went through
the experience 1t was plain from the
way she acted that she did not know
what was expected of her or what was
going to be done with her She thought,
however, that it was the simplest thing
in the world to sit for picture, but ]
told her she would fall asleep from ia.
tigue within half an hour And so she
would had insisted that she sit so long
| am no hand, as some artists are, to en-
terrain subject with pleasant talk
during the work The duration of the
first sitting was only ten minu'es, and |
confined myself to making rapid sketch
es. This was early in September.
went to Washington twice utter that for
sittings, and the time occupied was
twenty minutes or half an hour each
time.
Mr.. Cleveland said in reference to
the general subject of pictures of him
self and wife: Il have a great many re-
quests for photographs both of myself
and Mrs. Cleveland, and have constant.
ly to recorder copies from the artists.
| When little girl calls here and asks
| for picture of me or mrs. Cleveland,
with an autograph, I cannot refuse it.
And people frequently write to me, sew
eral day on the average, enclosing a
photograph of me. with a request that !
put my autograph on it. And, Mr..
keppler, the photographs they send are
sometimes frightful ldon't like to have
such misrepresentation of myself abroad
and so | usually return one Of my own
with the autograph instead of the one
sent me- Mr.. and Mrs. Cleveland are
overwhelmed with requests from artists
of every sort for sittings. That was
favored with one was probably owing as
much as anything to the desire of the
PresidcnJ to DO me personal kind
uess."