Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-21
OUR MODELS IN ART.
Pittsburg's Life Class Chiefly Confined
to Men Who Pose. Il
PHASES OF THE POSERS' BEHAVIOR
The Prices Paid to Models, and the Con.
ditiOns They Exact.
HORSES AND OTHER ANIMAL SUBJECTS

| MI. NanQyke brown sat IN Lne Warln ElON
by the fruit-covered dinner table; and, twirl
ing his long-necked glass between his fng
ers in an absent manner, spoke gracefully
of Pittsburg, her art and artists.
Presently hot-faced youth, who had beer
burning to speak all evening, but had fell
| quite Philistine amid the jargon of the
initiated, succeeded in altering the drift O.
the conversation by a sudden question.
''What kind of folk are your Pittsburg
models?" he asked.
Mr.. Vandyke Brown shrugged his shoul.
ders. "Our Pittsburg models?" he repeated
swell, if you mean professional mOdels, We
haven't any. I suppose the artists are moi
numerous enough to support regular corps
of models. At any rate, we are forced to
rely on our own observation, and the assist.
ance of the Society for the Protection of the
Poor, in regard to obtaining suitable people
to pose
"By the way" put in Flake White, the
man of portraits, pulling his long mustache
fercely, "that is branch of Good Samari-
tanism which Pittsburgers know very little
Of. This system of giving the poor little
light work to do is an excellent one. They
esteem money much more highly when they
have earned 1t themselves.
sKEPTICAL AS TO ITS EASE.
''By Jove r' cried Sap Green, youthful
and impulsive, 81 shouldn't call posing a
light exertien. The models occupation al
ways seemed to me to be very painful and
laborious one."
"But are we not straying a little?" said
Mr.. Vandyke Brown. 81 think our friend
vonder expressed desire to know some
thing about our models"
The hot-iaced youth nodded vigorously.
"Well, then, Mr.. Brown continued, 81
shall tell you all 1 know, and the other fell
lows can Fill mp whatever is wanting in my
account. As has been stated, the Society
for the Protection of the Poor is our chief
model medium. we apply for a model to
the society, describing the kind of person we
want. The district visitors of the society
are notified, and they proceed to look among
the poor of their neighborhood for a suit
able model. The result is that three or four
are usually found, -ld we can then take our
choice, That is the practice OF the Pitts
burg School of Art on Wood street, and OF
many individual artists. The nearest ap-
proach to professional models in Pittsburg
consists of few old timers who have been
sitting at intervals for years"
what do you pay your models?" the
gentleman OF the not 1ace asked.
WELL" replied Mr.. Brown, 'for fancy
model we pay fancy price. At the Art
School the standard Zee is from 80 cents to
81 a sitting. The sittings last for tour
hours"
cat stretch ?" exclaimed the Mortified
inquirer.
PLENTY OF CHANCES TO REST.
"Oh, no. not at a stretch. There are pe-
RODS of rest every half hour or thereabouts.
The model is then allowed to relax his pose
and trot about the room, or look at the paint
ings, if it be class. Each models engage
ment is supposed to last for two weeks at
least; sometimes the term is extended to
three weeks"
Very often the contract gets broken,
though said Mr.. Flake White, who was
now putting big cigar. May interrupt
to tell you about girl model, down at the
Art School, not long since? She had very
fine head, and the charitable ladies sent her
to the school as a model. All went we'll
during the early part of the first sitting;
but later on the model got dreadGully rest
less and impatient. By and by she Jumped
up and requested to know when her lesson
was going to begin, adding that it ought to
be some other girls turn to sit now' After
some questions, it was discovered that the
good ladies, when coaxing our fair friend
to become a model, had injudiciously
promised her that she should also be taught
painting. When mademoiselle discovered
the true state of affairs, she founced out of
the classroom, and has never returned since"
"Yes." laughed Mr.. Brown, "things like
that are constantly happening with models.
Some of them have really no idea of what
they are wanted for. There was a Pittsburg
model once engaged down at the school. He
was very ordinary man in everything but
hair; but in that particular heWas superb.
His long tresses and huge beard delighted
both class and professors, and the first days
sitting was a great success. Next day, while
the pupils were waiting for the model and
longing for another glance at that beard and
those locks, in the gentleman sauntered I
with his hair cropped quite close and his
beard shaved of. He made his best bow to
the ladies present, and said: L must ask
you to excuse me for coming here yesterday
without visiting a barber. To-day I'm
trimmed up little bit, and hope to give
satisfaction
"How should have liked to have seen
those girls faces!' said Sap Green, while
everybody laughed at the incident
NO NUDE MODELS.
"Does the Art School engage any nude
models?" asked the hotiaced individual.
'No," Mr.. Brown replied, 'and 1 don't
believe there are any nude models in Pitts
burg. There would be no call for them, as
the tendency OF our local art does not run in
that direction"
''Now and then they verge on the nude
down at the school,, said Mr.. Flake White.
''They are forced to do SO in their anatomical
lectures. When Drs. McCann, Dickson
and McKennan lecture before the classes, a
af Gno se l..
the waist and used as a sort OF living dia- |
gram. Years ago there was nude class
here; but it died out We would have to |
get nude models from Philadelphia or Chi |
cago, at fancy prices"
"Ot what nationality or race are your |
was the next question propounded |
by the very inquisitive individual with the |
ruddy countenance.
'Of every race and every nationality we |
can get hold of was the answer. ''The |
most usual are the Germans, Irish and col |
ored people. The Italians, we would like |
to have, and down at the school they are |
very anxious for an Italian model. But |
Diego is very hard to get at, and he does
not make a good model. They had one
Italian, bootblack. at the school last year;
but lie proved restless and unmanageable, |
and they were forced TO let himgo."
A FUNNY OLD sPANIARD.
''They had an old Spaniard once" said
Mr.. Flake White, "who was great fun.
he was very vain, a very fat, and very
old party. He got to know Mr..
Hetzel and Mr.. Beattie by name, and all
he pupils by appearance. When his period
IF sitting was over he came round and
,laimed one of the pictures as his due. In
,identally he mentioned that he had COM
1osed some poetrv-English poetry, for he
'eally spoke English well-on the professors
ind class. The verses were produced and
presented to Mr., Beattie, who keeps them
IS a curiosity. They are screaminglv, un-