The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-27

a Studio Where Many Statues of Native
Americans Are Made.
New York SUM-

a Studio Where Many Statues of Native
Americans Are Made.
New York SUM-
In Canal street there is low, dingy
building with a vide door, which in
warm weather is always swung open.
J he interior, as seen through the open
ing, suggests a masquerade ball. Fig
ures in all conceivable styles of gaudy
costume are crowded together; some
ranged demurely along the wall, 9th
crS standing nose to nose and
Sinking in each others faces as
though talking in a low tone and ma
!iciously criticising their neighbors,
while occasionally there is seen stand
ing with dignity apart an imposing
swell, with his drapery wrapped males
fically about his shoulders The variety
"f costume among these people is only
eIualed by the variety of emotions
which seem to be inspiring them. Some
are in towering rage, with arms up
lifted threateningly, while others are
inischievous, or sedate, or clipper, but
the majority seem to be either cheer
fully or sadly idiotic. They fill nearly
all the standing space in the little room,
and even swarm out upon the sidewalk,
where people gather to stare at them
Though nearly all these queer speci-
mems differ in complexion and costume,
they all had a common origin in the
! utt ends of ships masts, and their COM
mon mission in life is to stand in front
of shops and perpetually offer bogus
cigars to passing multitudes. A jolly
young gentleman was in an inner room
of this tobacco image menagerie, and
whistled softly as he with gentle touches
put a perfect blaze of crimson bushes
upon the cheeks of a young lady who
was brazingly flirting and smoking a
cigarette as she did it.
THE image business in New York"
he said, lis not what it was few years
ago, because we have lost old Daddy
Brooks. All, old Daddy was the boss
carver. and he taught al olt all the cary
ers we have here. That's why we call him
addy. He used to be down in West
Broadway somewhere. Now he is in Chi
cago and he took lot of the boys out
with him-that is, he took three or four
There never was over a dozen carvers
here in New York at one time There
are not over six here now. They are
all Yankees. The foreigners don't catch
ON, somehow. but the Yankees take to
chopping out wooden images just as
they do to whiting pine single
We go down to the ship-yards and
buy the butt ends of masts. Some are
six or seven feet long, and some not
over two or three, and we make big
figures or little figures accordingly. Out
of a seven foot stick you can get $40
figure. We taEe the stick out in that
back room first, where we have a. dirt
floor. Here we hew them into some
thing like general outline Then we
hoist them upstairs, where we chip
them down until we get to the fine
touches and sandpaper; then they come
down to me and l fix them out with
shining coat Of colors on their wooden
clothes, put them on rollers and
trundle them out among the rest
of the gang out there, where they
wait until they make a mash and
are carted away. / also take bat
tered and weather-stained figures and
put on an ear here or nose there, or
paint blind eye into life again, rig
them out in brand new suit of clothes,
and there they are. | get anywhere
from SO to $40 for the images-rarely
over $40. There are only two or three
other shops, and we send images all
over the co 4ntry.
''Oh, of course styles change, but the
genuine old rowing redskin with a bad
eye and an ugly looking tomahawk in
his hand is the stand by-that is. in the
ma jOrity Of the eastern and middle
states. When you get way out west
there is quite run of just such flash
Bowery girls as l am painting up here
now. Dudes had quite go for while
have got fully twenty five dudes
planted around in Brooklyn and New
- OTslI i
the wane, and Pucks, that were so popu-
Lar a few years ago, are now so mu b
dead wood on your hands. The Scotch
man has gone for good, guess, though
! hear he is still all the go over in Ing
land. But the plain old war-whoop
savage of the plains is the only chap
you can bank on as steadily trust
worthy. Indian maidens do very well,
but not SO we'll as the fine old gore
drinking warriors, with feathers and
meat axes"