Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-13
AMERICAN FIGURES.
WHAT A NOTED SCULPTOR SAYS
CONCERNING MALE MODELS.

WHAT A NOTED SCULPTOR SAYS
CONCERNING MALE MODELS.
The Occupation of Model Too Passive s
Be Attractive to Natives-Great Chang,
for the Better in the American Ply
sique.
A famous American sculptor adver
tised, few days ago, for a male model
OF course, il he had wanted a femal,
model he would not have had to TAXI
that trouble, for female models are sc
abundant that it is scarcely hyperbolica
70 say ''the woods are full of them" But
are there no professional male models
"Oh, yes" the sculptor said, there ara
twelve or fifteen of them in New York
/ know them all, and If there happens tc
be one among them who is exactly what
/ want when have a statue to model, J
Of course engage him. But my experience
has been that must go into fresh field,
to find what l want. So advertise, and
1t is astonishing what a number of mer
offer themselves in response, men OF fine
figures. of various types. or course, !
am looking for particular type, moi
simply for a fine figure, and, conse
quently, have to go over a large field
sometimes before find just the one who
meets my requirements. American
men have as fine figures as American
women, but il is seldom that they will
accept of the profession of a model. II
is too passive an occupation, and its
gains are too small for 1t to be attractive
10 them. So l am most likely to have &c
find my men among the Irish or Germans,
who are, in my opinion, the best models.
Out Of a great number who came in an.
swer TO my advertisement the othei
day, l selected two, neither Of whom had
ever served as model before. One is o!
Scotch descent, the other German. One
Of them has, / believe. no other occupa'
ton, and the other is in a business that
will not be likely 20 take much of hii
time in the winter months. The majority
OF the professional male models are Ger.
man or Irish, though there are two oI
three Frenchmen or Italians among
them, who are rather open to the suspi
cion of being played out models from the
other side.
FOR PAINTERS AND sCULPTORs.
"The same models, of course, serve fol
both painters and sculptors. The former
require them for shorter time than the
sculptOrs do, and so customarily engage
them by the hour, paying them 90 or "a
cents per hour. The sculptOrs engage fol
longer time and pay lower rates. / pay
my men Sl2 a week each, but then l EN-
ploy them during six months or q year.
In that time there are occasionally week.
in which am out of town, or not work
ing, when the model does not even have
to put in m appearance, but his salary
goes right along all the same. 1t is just
that it should, for it is not his fault thai
/ am not at work.
THE hours of work are long, but the
toll, for the model, is ma lie as easy AZ
possible. am an early riser and q hard
worker. begin at O'Clock, and work
as a rule, until 5. During all that time
the model is supposed TO be with me
The duration of his maintenance of
pose is from half an hour to an hour
according TO its difficulty and the strain
1t is upon him. Then he has a good rest
as long as may be necessary. Fifteen
minutes to half an hour is generally
sufficient. The posing is all done nude
or nearly all, for even though it may be
purposed TO clothe the figure in modern
garb, in the statue the modelling of the
figure nude is a primary necessity to have
its proportions accurate. There is great
deal Of difference among models i'll the
matter of posing. Some, whose figure.
meet all the requirements, are quite use.
less, either because of nervousness oI
laZiness, while others have the will force
TO hold an attitude unswervingly as long
as may be necessary, even IN very difli.
cult positions.
INTELLIGENT AND sELF-REsPECTING.
81 have never had a b-a-a-a-d man ap-
ply for an engagement as model. Those
who offer their services are all clearly in
telligent, self-respecting men. No, dc
not, as a rule, look for men who have by
training and exercise given an abnormal
development to their muscles. The
natural development is what i require.
The extreme gymnastic development goes
beyond the artistic. 1t is true that soms
of the finest figures | have known be-
Ionged 10 good athletes, but they were
too high priced. Too high a muscular
development is likely to result in pro
ducing merely an interesting anatomical
study, not artistic perfection Of beauty.
The athletic development of the Greeks
and Romans, il we may judge by theiI
statues, did not produce such develop
ment as we see among our trained muscu'
lar Christians of to-day.
"Yes, | think that there is n fineness
about the American figure, both male
and female, that is not equaled in any
other people in the world i mean that
they seem TO have thoroughbred strain
in them. There has been a great change
for the better in the American physique
in the last twenty-five or thirty years.
That long ago it seemed TO be the fashion
among American mothers to have pale
and delicate children possibly because
they thought they looked aristocratic
that way; but now they feed their chill
dren better, with bone and muscle max.
ing food, and the little ones seem O.
different race Of beings. Go TO our schools
and colleges to-day and you will find
them filled with strong, vigorous,
healthy, active, clean limbed youngsters.
Look at the young men and women on
our streets, and see what tall, fine figures
they have. / tell you they are simply
splendid. And we have to thank for il
the reform in our habits of eating and
outdoor exercise in the highest degree.
The English figure is large and robust,
but heavier, with cOarser lines, and will
not compare favorably with the Ameri.
can. l have no use for English models.
New York Sun.
a New hIde-ShnvIng Machine.
The Salem (Alass.) leather manufac-
turcrs have shown hide shaved in new
green shaving machine, which they
claim was done better than by hand.
They say this was the one branch in
which they required skilled labor and
were unable to obtain it. They claim that
the new machine will do more than the
men.--Boston Budget.