The Opelousas courier., 1886-09-25
INFANTILE MODELS.
Mites OF Humanity Who Pose
for Metropolitan Artists.
Beautiful Lite Girls Able 70 Earn Two
Dollars a Day.

U0tLaTS d lay
There are several hundred persons in
New York whose business is to sit as
models for artists. Young girls who are
particularly beautiful are engaged every
day in the year, and may earn from
81 so to So a day. They must keep
still for hours, and often stand or kneel
in tiresome positions while preserving
their gracefulness. An artist who has a
handsome studio uptown was visited by
a reporter for the Null and Express. He
was found drawing designs for Christ
mas cards. A small blonde haired boy
half naked was S ting in a small chair
made fast on a table, which is called by
painters a throne. His mother, a hand
ONE woman of rs years, stood near the
throne with a pair of reins tied a,ound
her waist, the other end of which the
little cherub held in his hands.
"What is the purpose of this arrange
ment?' asked the reporter.
''Don't you sce2" said the artist. "We
make the little fellow think that his
mamma is a horse and that he drives her.
I have to keep two things in mind-frst,
to make the picture; second, to amuse
the boy. That is not so easy a task as
it might seem. At first, perhaps, during
the first sitting / only play with the
child Oh get his mother or brother or sis
ter to play with him, until / see some
pretty or natural movement or catch
some striking expression on the face"
"He does not look particularly pleased
at present." the reporter remarked.
"When ] wish to see him laugh" re-
Joined the artist, ~ request his mother
to caper around like a wild horse. Some
timesshe must make a car horse of her
self, and stop every moment and let him
take up passengers, and whenever she
stops l get a good chance to put in
some good touch"
'Don't many of the artists paint out of
their heads, SO to speak I"
mo artist who does not paint or draw
from life, as painting from models is
called, ever gives his picture a look of
reality. We may be able to paint a mar
BILE floor from a small piece of marble, or
a brocade dress from a yard or two of
the material; but W to do this we
must have made studies of large surfaces
of marble wheA opportunity has offered,
aj we must spend several days in study
ing the folds of drapery in a dress worn
by a living model before the special ma
terial of the brocade can be copied into
it,
'How do you procure your models =
'There is no difficulty in obtaining
any material or substance, for we can get
at any time at least a piece of it. But
the most important of all things tn 1t can
be painted or drawn are the forms and
faces OIL Htcu dHu WOulou duA CHiAAiCAS
and for hat purpose we must employ
people to pose for us. As a rule the
models form a caste and are usually
known to each other"
Chow old are your youngess models2''
stSome begin to sit when they are mere
babies. I have often wished that some
rich children could see how patient
these little ones can be when they under
stand that they are earning money to buy
food and clothes. There is a little girl
who lives in a tenement house on the
west side who is very proud to sit for
me-, Imake a chalk mark IN the throne
wbAr Re her little feet should go, and she
viii carefully keep on the mark. She
has few minutes for rest at intervals
duAng each hour, and q long rest at din
nerstime, but she will keep very quiet
while ] am working and not move with
outieave."
@What other expedients do you resort
to in order to keep the children models
quiet2"
Patience will accomplish almost any
thing. Ihave a little boy who found a
stuffed bird in my studio, and he is al
ways quite happy for an hourif / let him
nlav with it's