Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-28
FREAKS OF THE BLACK ART.
What the Man Who Cuts Silhouettes
Sees Of Human Nature.

The man who was having his silhouette cut
out of black paper by the scissors artist wore
his hat on the back Of his head and refraine1
for the moment from pulling at the long, stras-
gly vegetable which grew on either side OF his
jaw in order that the expected likeness might
be as perfect as possible. At the end Of two
minutes, or thereabout. he was told that be
might abandon his attitude OF eataleptic rigid
ity, assumed for purposes Of portraiture,
and 1t was with ill-concealed imps-
thence that he waited until the
little profile picture was stuck upon . piece
OF white cardboard and handed over. For .
brief interval he bent q critical gaze upon
his own counterfeit presentment. holding IL at
various distances from his eye, as IL one focus
might be better than another; then, while half
the idlers in Wizards hotel lobby tried to get
glimpse at the work Of art over his shoulders,
he suddenly remarked:
Why, that's not like mel You haven't get
my whiskers in"
Its good likeness, all but the whiskers. y
echoed the little crowd that stood about the big
folding frame, covered with sample silhouettes
IN black and white, in the corner of the lobby.
The scissors artist. who was FASTING the dupb-
cate portrait on a second card, looked fatiguee.
reporter. YEARLY, with gents who have whif-
kers. They are proud of 'em, and, what's
more, the whiskers are essential TO the like
ness. II you want to see how essential look at
a man who has just had his whiskers shaved
off and take notice what a change il makes in
his face; but, unless the whisker runs into q
beard, how on earth is il possible to make Il
appear in a silhouette? The thing can't be dont,
and SO the customer is dissatisfied. Excuse me
a moment; twenty-five cents for the two, sir,
please"
While the artist was making change for the
glanced over the sample silhouettes. of which
several hundred decorated the folding frame
close by. Many Of them were celebrities taken
from life; also. there were not few pretty
watering-place girls, representing last sum
mer's giddy crop, with some curious human
types sprinkled here and there and a raft CT
commonplace people Of both sexes.
sILHoUETrEs ARE fLATTERINa.
eyes, customers with whiskers are the most
difficult to get likenesses Of" the scissors man
went on. "And, by the way, you'll notice that,
as rule, silhouette likenesses in black are
hattering. One reason for this is that person
SO represented always has perfect complexion.
All the defects Of the skin are left ont; and,
besides, the lines in the face, which go far to
make ugliness, are absent Thus the subject,
if he or she has a profile that 70
not altogether hopeless, is apt to come
out fairly well in the black. Did ever
Intentionally fatter? Never. / am too consci-
entious a workman for that, and, anyway, 4
would not pay at ALL For instance, a young
lady often kicks because her silhouette shows
lump on the nose at the bridge-just little
irregularity, .ou understand. She has Away 9
imagined that her nose was perfectly straight
for it's wonderful how little people know about
their own appearance-and she says: Why,
goodness me! L have no bump on my nose like
that Then. when assure her that she has,
she refers the question Indignantly to her
friends. might avoid this by simply making
the nose straight; but, in that case. the young
woman's acquaintances would say to her: That
doesn't look like you; it's not your nose And
30 should be thought a poor workman and
my business would be injured 1 find that the
best way is to represent things as nearly cor.
rectly as can. In most instancef, as 1 said.
the silhouettes are fattering, aLd therefore
customers are satisfied. But here's some one
who wants his picture made; just watch me while
do it
WATCHING 1T