Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-02-07
ARTISTS WITH SOAP.
Erratic Gentlemen Who Mirror Their
Fancies in Art Saloons.

| ErT8tlc GentIemen VINO M1rrOr Their
Fancies in Art Saloons.
Of all classes of art and artists, from
the highest to the lowest, from Michael
Angelo down to the brush wielder who
whitewashes the back fence, there is
probably no class with whom the public
is more unfamiliar than that known in
every day phraseology as "mirror dec
Grating" Yet almost everybody has
seen decorated mirrors They abound
in saloons and places of public resort,
and, though SO common, it is a rare
thing to catch the artist at his work.
Elaborate scenes, graceful flowers, ferns
and figures, or an advance notice. of
some coming theatrical attraction stand
out on the polished glass, but how they
came there or by whom they were done
is mystery to the passer by and the
man who tarries before the bar.
"Who does it?' repeated cocktail dis
penser on Madison street to Mail repre-
sentative, looking up at huge mirror
which exhibited foreground Of reeds
half concealing a meditative stork, al
lowing the spectator to gaze over lake
upon which boat was sailing, and
tains in the distance. "Well, lots of
steady job, and any number of seeds
tramp the country picking up drinks,
grub and occasionally quarter, because
they know how to handle a pencil-or,
rather. the soap-in this kind of work.
''It's done with soap, you know-pure,
white soap. The man who did this piece
of work was a traveller, and from the
way he looked when he came in the other
morning and struck for the job, should
Judge he entered the city in one of the
side door palace cars. He had pocket
full of soap, and l told him if he would
apply little of it to his face and hands,
in con junction with some water, he could
use the rest on the mirror. That's the
result of his work. Looks like quite a
job, doesn't it? The fellow did it in about
an hour, and thought himself amply
paid with three or four drinks and %
cents"
The art of mirror decorating, like every
other speciality of the kind, appears to
require peculiar knack for Just that
kind Of business. The drawing is done
with soap, and while the lines must be
boldly marked, there are opportunities
for delicate shading and requirements of
correct perspective which cannot be neg
lected if the sketch is to be a success.
And while the decorating Of mirror in
a barroom with a piece of white soap
cannot be called very high art, it is still
an art in the sense that many a poor
tramp who is working only for drink,
can turn out better piece of work in
quicker time than way up artist who
has had his picture displayed in the
academy.
The mirror decorations commonly seen
are in only one color-the white-al-
though many of the ''soap artists attain
to higher flights and indulge in colors.
What the mixtures they use are COM
posed of they consider trade secret, but
not few of them can, with their white
soap and their little pots of tinted paste,
produce really artistic results, initiating
flowers in their natural colors and OBJ
tanning perspective, with the aid of the
mirror itself, that is well nigh perfect
The work is done very quickly by those
who do it, at very low price. The ma
terials used are inexpensive, and the
artist is generally satisfied to make 90
cents or 81 an hour for work which
comes so easy for him.
There are two or three of these mirror
decorators in the city who make it a
point to spread the merits of theatrical
companies through the medium of their
soap. The manager pays them for their
work, and the owners of the mirrors re-
ceive complimentary tickets in consid-
Grafton of allowing q neatly lettered an
to appear for few days
upon the glass. And in this connection
a pertinent story has been heard. 1t is
awell known fact that the men who handle
the paint brushes, and especially the sign
writer's, are decidedly reckless in the
matter of photography.
Once, when Hearts of Oak was to be
given at the Academy, Col. Dan Shelby,
then in charge, concluded to work the
mirror racket" and hired man to do
the job. When the colonel went after
his matutinal cocktail the next morning
he gazed at the barroom mirror and saw
''Hartz of Oke" inscribed thereon in
large letters. 1t was that way all over
the west side, too. The bartender said |
be should have corrected the soap artist |
IN any reasonable error, but he so effec- |
tually disguised his words that he sup
posed the play was a new one-some-
hing about "Mr. Hartz, of Oke."-Chi-
,ago Mail.