Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-21

THE TASTE FOR ETCHlNGs.
The Wonderful way In which IL Has
Developed In . Few Years.
ARTISTS WHO WORK WITH rHK NIEpLR-ErcHxe
IN SNaLASD-THE RECENT DEMAND FOR Such
PICTURES IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WHO ARE
FREE BUYERS AND GOOD JUDGES.
1.-THE rage for etch,ngs has grown to be some
thing immense within the last few years" said .
leading art dealer to Q STAR representative 'It
10 now the great feature OF the art trade, which It
has almost revolutOnized, especially in this coun-
try"
when did It begin7" the reporter asked.
1T has sprung up almost entirely within the
last ten years." the picture-dealer answered, as
his face took on q reminiscent expression, and he
leaned refl .ctively against the counter "In 1878
went out from New York with folio Of etch-
ings and visited the principal cities Of New Eng
land and the Eastern states By a folio mean
about Thousand etchlngs I had lists OF people
In each city who were known to the New York
trade as picture-buyers and collectors. These
people l invited to inspect my etchings at the
hotels where l stopped in the different towns
Well, actually, many Of them-most OF them, In
factdid not know whether they were coming to
They had never heard OF etchings before. In
Phlladeiphia and Baltimore ] found little more
home.
I'm those days every one wanted oil paintings or
steel engravtngs and didn't know the difference
there has been a wonderful change. Fifty etchngs
are SOLO nowadays to one OIL painting or engraving
There is demand for them In every city Of the
country, and few houses with any pretensions 70
elegance are without an etching or two"
what has caused the sudden change In public
faster" asked the reporter.
HOW ErCHINGs BECAME POPULAR.
swell, the writings Of Hamerton and Haden
and other Englishmen and Americans turned at
tentiOn to the beauty and high artistic value Of
the etching. Soon demand sprung up for them
In New YORK, as IT had already done In France and
tune in oil sought it in acid, and Laid down the
brush TO take up the needle Then a big firm OF
art dealers In New York turned their attention to
an amateur, seymour Haden, did a great deal TO
educate popular taste to an appreciation OF the
n OF rae scnng and Ss1
done by the use OF the needle. In this country,
too, etching owes much TO the efforts OF an anna,
teur, DIR. Yale, who has done some very successful
work, and aided materially In establishing the
New York Etching club, which at once gave the
practitioners OF the struggling art ralytng point
public.
THE RECENT CRAZE.
"But 1t has been within the last four years that
the big craze for etchings has developed" the
gentleman continued. "Some OF the best artists
In America have gone into 1t almost exclusively,
giving up altogether their work In OIL Among
these are the Morans, Thomas, Peter and Mary
Nimmo. Peter Moran is one OF our most success
ful cattle painters, but nowadays he Is devOt1ng
church, Hamilton Hamilton, clifford. Cay and
Oil, and others even buying their pictures for re-
production instead OF painting them themselves.
When started out with my little folio OF etch-
ings In 1878 there was only one well-known re-
productive eJcher In New York. To-day, II il safe
70 say, there are hundred artists OF good stand
ing In that city who are engaged more or less In
The work The men whose names / have men
TONED have gone into II, OF course, because they
md 1t more profitable than Oil work, and now 1t
'Oh, New York is the center Of the etching trade
In this country" he said In answer to question.
Ut Is the art center OF this country.
IN ENGLAND.
"But besides the great number Of etchings turned
out in this country, probably as many more come
here from England and France. The best work Is
being done in England, ana etchings have there,
as In this country usurped the place OF the oil
Is systeInatlzed by the Print Sellers Association 10
which the artists sell their plates. The assOcia-
ton clrculates the etchings In all parts OF the
world through its agents In thorough and regu-
lar manner. In France most OF the artists work
independently, printing their own etchings, and
they thus do not secure the same wide circulation
for them which Is obtained by the more business
like English method The greatest artists in
France, you know, including MlliaiS and Meis-
sonier, are etchers but for the reason have given
their etched work is not as well known as 1t might
be-"
wAsHINGTONs DEMAND FOR ETCHINGs.
SIS the demand for etchings as good in WASH
ington it is in other clties?" the reporter in
quired.
There is good demand for etchings here" the
dealer replied "and IL has nearly all been created
In the last three years When l turned my atten-
ton TO etchings three years ago do not honestly
believe there was proof worth $50 In any slOre
any kind in the hands OF Washington dealer,
some or whom hardly knew the difference between
an etching and wood cut When placed In my
from s4 to s SIS Was laughed an Twas ,d Rsiog
could ind no market Tor such fine pictures here.
But felt that was right, and 90 II has turned
out. There Is always market for a really good
thing. Now there are
TWENTY COLLECTORS
OF etchings In Washington most OF whom have
started in their careers myself Five OF these COL
lectOrs are what call frst-class. That is, they
can be depended on to buy every really good pic
lure that Is published, and l wouldn't offer them
anything that wasn't good. 1t would be no use, In
fact, Tor they have become cOnnOisseurs, and will
have nothing not first-class. These men are pre-
pared TO spend couple OF thousand dollars year
whom have mentioned do not buy everything
good that comes out but they may be depended
on TO take high-class picture now and then.
II think the next change will be tow ard incline
engravtngs," the dealer said tn conclusion. "When
Was in Europe last summer learned that several
well-knOwn artists, who have OF late been devot-
ing themselves 10 etching, were engaged on plates
OF nne-line engravings. These will soon be put on
the market, and In q couple OF years. when the
etching craze begins TO wane, as suppose must,
hne-line engravings Will come to the 'front.'"
AN OLD.TiME SHOEMAKER.
An Ingenious Method TO Advertise His
Waro~-Ennf.voap far Dros,Ae~r m al