The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-05-14
PRICES OF PAINTINGS.
AHARD MATTER TO FIX A FINANCIAL
EQUIVALENT FOR PLEASURE.

Eighteen Thousand Dollars Seems Big
Price for Mrs. Iorgan's Little Peach
Blow yase-How the Cost Might Be JUS
tifed-Profite of Dealers
The dispersal of the great collections
made by the late Mrs. Morgan, and COM
prising pictures, silverware, porcelain,
bric-a-brac, etchings, books and Oriental
oddities, is the talk of all the studios at
at present, and exhibits the phases of a
nine days wonder. People ask if Jules
Breton's Communicates" was really
worth over s44 600, and if the little peach
blow vase had an actual value of $1s 600.
Well, they must have possessed those
values to their buyers, I suppose, or they
would not have been bought Forty thou
sand dollars worth of enjoyment to rich
man is no more than $40 worth to poor
man; indeed, I question if it be often as
much, and it is hard matter to fix
financial equivalent for pleasure-especi-
ally the higher pleasures that are con-
ferred by poetry, music and art. f.t
SEEMS A RECKLESS USE OF CASH.
Much has been said and some things
have been written about the actual crimi-
AAeoAN
peach blow vase in Mrs. Morgan's collec-
ton 1t does seem reckless use of cash
to put in the value of first-class city
house and lot into little piece of Chinese
pottery. People are prone to observe
at such times, "What shameful waste of
money, when so many people are in rags
and suffering from hunger" That is tue,
but if the buyers of these high-priced dain=
ties forbore their purchase, do the philan=
thropists imagine for a moment that the
money they did not spend in that way
would be given to the ragged and the
hungry? Not a bit of it. The rich are
usually stingy and selfish. There are not
dozen rich men in this big city of Brook
lyn who are otherwise. The more they
get the more they want. The more is con-
ceded to their tastes and appetites the
more they demand. s,
Even if they did bestow their charities
ON the poor it would not abolish poverty.
The conditions that admit of excessive
riches and excessive want are to blame,
and not the facts of wealth and poverty.
Ii you wish to know why $4,000 can be
spent for a little bottle whose maker got
about IS for it and thought himself well
paid, inquire of John Swinton and Henry
George. If anything so precious is bought
at such price it would seem just to place
it in public museum where /, SOC, GOO peo-
pie could obtain from it cents worth OF
enjoyment each, and thereby justify its
cost. .aa.'. l.a-r ..z qgE-.-. .-
To many people painting is thing OF
as definite value as a ton of coal or tub
of butter. confess that I never saw
picture that thought was worth over
$4,000 and, if the matter was thoroughly
canvassed, I think it would appear that
not half a dozen pictures were ever painted
for more than that sum. Whatever they
have brought more than this has accrued
to the benefit of spectators and dealers.
If had S44 900 that I was willing to give
for an example of Jules Breton | would
spend less than 81 600 of that money in
trip to France, and, going to NJ. Breton.
would hand him $4,000 and say, paint
for me the master work of your life"
which haven't doubt NJ. Breton would
try to do. Then would put $23 600 in the
bank, or buy other pictures with it.
PROFITS OF THE PICTURE DEALERS.
A story was related the other evening by
a gentleman who is in position to know
whereof he speaks. He was in Paris at
the opening of the Salon, and in wander
ing through the vast gallery he encoun-
tered Mr. S., a well-knoWn New York
dealer, looking critically at a picture
called "The Helping Hand" He said:
"You ought to buy that, s." The dealer
answered, perhaps l will" Before the
exhibition closed Mr.. S. did buy it, and
paid 81 500 for it. He brought it to New
York and sold it immediately to Mr..
George l. Seney for $4,000. When Mr..
Seney heard what the picture had cost
originally he waxed wroth and asked Mr..
S. IS representative if that wasn't pretty
stiff price he had paid for a 81 500 picture.
The representative sent message to Mr..
S., and received this answer: "Give Mr..
Seney our check for S13, 900, and tell him
that hereafter the price of the picture will
be $25, 1000" MIR. Seney kept the work, and
it brought about $1,000 at the sale of his
collection. sss E Ir.--r-s
A speculative American saw picture
in shop in Paris that he liked pretty
well and asked the price. 1t was $50.
He went to his hotel to sleep on it, and in
the morning returned to the shop to see it
he could beat the proprietor down to $780,
A man never disputes a charge of 80 cents
a pound for oleomargarine, but he seems
to think it a duty that he owes to society
never to pay more than half price for a
picture, if he can avoid it. To his surprise
and regret, somebody had bought the
picture while he was thinking about 1t.
On returning to New York he visited the
well-known shop of Mr.. A. and, behold
there was the picture. What do you ask
for that?" he inquired. The dealer said in
a confidential tone: "We can afford to
make that pretty low for you, Mr.. B., and
we'll sell tito you for 81, ,5O0." And profit
of 900 per cent is not deemed extrayagant
by many of the dealers.-aC. NJ S."sin
Brooklyn Eagle. sssaa sra=