The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-01-19
AN ARTISTS MODEL.

A homely -visaged, well-formed Italian woman,
about thirty five years of age, occupies suite of
rooms on Greene street, and gets a living by doing
fancy needcwork and taking dodgers, says the
Boston correspondent of the ST. Louis Globe Dem
Ocrdf. Her name Is Margharita CAMPBELL Her
husband, formerly tenor singer, latterly organ
grinder died two years ago, leaving his name and
just enough money to buy black veil As for his
burial that paid by the city. But Margha-
rita was not to be cast down She had seen better
days. She would them again The result Is
that she is now comfortably situated and Is grow
ing more prosperous every year.
Years ago, before time cross ploughed her face
with wrinkles Margharita was the pride of Paris
and earned a luxurious living by posing as model
for sculptors and painters She able TO earn
anywhere from 100 to 500 francs q week ION her
shape alone and on her rounded shoulders and
above her we'll nodded limbs rest the faces of some
of the most celebrated bellies and heiresses and for
that matter, queens and princesses OF Europe. In
short, her body was the form into which the cele-
brated Partisan artists breathed the breath of life
and beauty, and having done this they surmOunted
the trunk with the heads of their patrons, all of
whom were well pleased TO be associated with her
symmetry, which none of them possessed.
When a reporter called last week she was engaged
in the agreeable occupation OF washing the dinner
dishes, but although attired in a simple "Mother
Hubbard" saline wrapper, the "human form
divine which she possessed very apparent
that it quite evident the artists had made no
mistake in their selection.
81 don't look much like Madonna, do IL" was
her smiling greeting she stuck out wet hand
nearly akin to Venus rising from the just now,
and have sat for both many day"
(Which do you like the better, Venus the
Madonna" asked the reporter.
"Oh, Venus, to be sure, though my Madonna
posings paid me better but they were too stiff |
don't like standing all the forenoon on marble
slab, holding dummy baby to my breast IL
makes my arms ache. | was never lucky enough
TO be mother, and this fondling of infants comes
hard. Still, l did pretty well. l have been the
model for at least three dozen Madonnas in my
day. Six of them are now in Rome. Nearly
twenty still in France, and the rest have gone to
England and America. Last year / saw my self in
three different attitudes in many paintings at q
loan exhibit in New York. | was told the cost of
those three pictures was 500 600. | wish had the
money, but l am no artist | am only a model
Still, like to know that the rich people admire
me, even If they do not know who l am"
"Now, tell me about the Venus" said the re-
porter
"My but that was gay. l liked to be Venus ;
| acted natural you see. just sat down and threw
out my arms and gave myself up to love- One
artist paid me 800 francs for six days sitting for
Venus. One hundred dollars just think of IL !
1t was the easiest money | ever earned. But he
got 10000 francs for the job, so he need not COM
plain"
"Have you been a model for anything but Ma
donnas and Venuses?" was asked.
L es lhueeu. Let Hic teH you' went 70 IaTH
in 1873 and danced in theatre. Daytimes l sat as
model for at least twenty artists, and had my
figure painted in all kinds of pastures and attitudes
was Proserpine in two pictures, Helen Of Troy in
five, Enone in two, Hecuba in three, Rachel in one,
Minerva in four, Andromeda in one, and on
through all the list of celebrated historical bibli-
cal and Hydrologic characters l worked as q
model and got good pay until 1884, when l was
married, and my husband objected to my getting
living that way"
"What was your husbands occupation?"
ale was q musician"
allow long ago did he die?"
"Last year. He heard there was big field for
musiciana In America and came over honinO In