The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-11
ARTISTS WITH SOAP.
frratic Gentlemen Who Mirror Their
Iancies in art Saloons.


or ell classes Of art and artists. from
/ the highest to the lowest. from Michael
Angelo down To the brush wielder who
whitewashcs the back fcnce, there IS
/ urobablv no class with whom the public
/ il more unfamiliar than that known IN
every day phraseology ~ mirror dec
Grating" Yet almost everybody has
seen decorated mirrors. They abound
in saloons and places Of public resort.
aud. though TO common. II Is a rare
thing 10 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
il o mystery 10 the passer by and the
man who tarries before the bar.
"Who docs IT." repeated a cocktail dis
penser on Madison street TO Mail repre-
sentative. looking up at huge mirror
which. exhibited a foreground Cf reeds
half coiccalng a meditativc stork, al
lowing the spectator 20 gaze over lake
upon which a boat was sailing, and
bringing lis eye against a noun
tains i'm the distance. "Wcll. lots OF
fellows around town do the worl. % n
steady job. and shy number Of seeds
tramp the county picking up drinks,
grub and occasionally quarter, because
they know how % handle a pcncil-Or,
rather. the soap-in this kind Of WORK.
ats done with soap, you l.n0w-purc,
white soap. The man who did this piece
Of work was a traveller. and from the
way he looked wl.n 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. lie had pocket
ful Of soap. and told him if he would
apply q little OF II 10 his face and hands, !
IN conjunction with some water, he could
use the rest on the mirror. That's the
result Of lis work. Looks like quite q
Job. doesn't il? The fellow did it in about /
an hour, and thought himself amply /
paid with three or four drinks and - /
cents.
Thcart Of mirror decorating, ike every /
cher speciality of the kind. appears H. +
require a peculiar knack for Just that /
kind of business. The drawing is done .
with soap. and while Che lines must be-
boldly marked, there are oppormnitias
for delicate shading and requirement. OF
correct perspective which cannot he neg
leclcd IL the sketch H. 10 be a success.
And while the decorating of a mirror IN
barrOom with "a piece Of white soap
cannot be called very high art, 1t Is still
an art in the sense that many Il p00r
tramp who is working only for q 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-thc whito-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 fcw of them can. with their white
soap and their little pots OF tinted paste,
produce really artistic results. initiating
flowers in their natural c0l0r5 and OBJ
tanning perspective, with thc aid OF The
mirror Itself that IS well nigh perfect
The work is done very quickly by those
who DO il, at a very low price. Tho Ina
terials used are inexpensive, and the
artist is generally satisfied 90 make 80
Cents or 81 an hour for work which
comes so easy for him.
There are two or three of these mirror
decorators i'm the city who make it
point 10 spread the merits of theatrical
through the medium of their
soap. The manager pays them for their
work, and the owners of the mirrors re
,ciyc complimentary tickets in consid-
Grafton Of allowing a neatly lettcred an
to appear for few days
upon the glass. And in this connection
3 pertinent story has been heard II j.
lwell known factthat themen whohandle
ho paint brushes, and especially the sign
writer's, are decidedly reckless in the
natter Of photography.
Once. when Hearts Of Oak was to BIZ
,iyen at the Academy, Col. Dan Shelby.
hen in charge, concluded TO work the
mirror racket" and hired "a man TO DO
he Job. When the colonel went after
lis matutinal cocktail the next morning
he Cazed al the barr0om mirror and saw
HART Of Oke' inscribed thereon in
lTgc letters. IL was that way all over
no west side, too The bartender said
e should have corrected the soap artist
n any reasonable error, but he so efiec-
ually disguised his words that lac sup
osed the play was q new one-sOme-
hing about Mr.. HART, OF Oke. Chi
ago Mail.