The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-22
ARTISTS. MODELS in PARIS.

p - - gSS-t>S s,iiN fAhtS.
Their Arms aud Threats smurplod into
Portraits of Rich Women or Fnshton.
A report OF u contemplated strike Of
the models in Paris has brought out an
interesting interview between one of
tho ladies in the profession and a repre-
sentative of Il paper in the French capt.
tai, says tho New York Sun.
Well" said the reporter to this
young woman, whom he describes rs IL
handsome blonde, with fresh and rosy
compleXion, you are all on strike, CHI?
You arc syndicating?"
With q smile and shrug she replied:
Nonsense! that thing could never
take"
"And why?"
1T is easy to understand. You see
there are two kinds of models. those
who follow the thing all their lives and
those who take it up en- PEASANT. The
first arc the models of the academies,
who want to go on strike, and the sec
ond are the artists models, who laugh
at the proposal and treat it as n hum
bug. You will find the first at the
School of Fine Arts, with Julian, in the
ateliers of Dormant, Jcan-Paul Laurcns
francs sitting and the men three, tho
total earnings of day being eight and
six francs. At the end of the wcel,
there is also the cornet.
Every Saturday tho monitor goes
round with n cornet, or horn-shapcd
paper box, and takes up collection.
The students give from two to five
cents each, according to the degree of
satisfaction which they derive from the
models. That brings in about seventy
five cents, and sometimes one dollar;
but this is rare, and, moreover, tho
models do not get work every week.
They arc often brought down to OK
trcmc poverty, and often have to sing
in the streets and beg. The women,
formerly servant girls, get places again
when they can, and some of them do
worse"
SIS it possiblc?"
Nv is as true as nm speaking to you;
but they always come back and pose.
AS for the artists models, there are
very few men among them, on account
of the increasing scarcity of church and
historical pictures. For the women it
is temporary business. A fresh and
well-made girl commences to make her
living in some drcssmaking establish
inent, where she begins to undermine
her constitution and redden her eyes
from eight in the morning to ten and
eleven at night, and all for what?
About seventy-ive cents aday. Even that
would not be SO bad if there was steady
work; but the dull times are frequent.
So She decides to pose. At the begin
ming it is hard, oh, very hard, but at last
we become reconciled to it, because it
is fine thing for poor girl to mako
her four francs n day. Certainly the
model does not get work every day at
the beginning. She gets her customers
gradually. But when once established
she is all right. AT one place she poses
for the entire figure. At another she
poses for some detail, especially among
the portrait painters"
"The portrait painters?"
"Why, certainly. Do you fancy that
those fine and rich ladies would take the
trouble to sit for their portraits every
day for three weeks? That would tire
them pretty soon. Consequently three
fourths of the artists, when the prep
aration is finished, take the feet,
the hands, and sometimes the
arms and throat from us. After all, it
is not such bad trade. although there
are always dull times in the summer
months. The business has only one
drawbacks serious one-it doesn't
last. You sec we can't always be
young. When we touch upon twenty
five the complexion begins to fade. At
that age also we become fat. Then we
quit the business and return to dress
making"