Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-04
SEX OF THE ARTIST
Has Much to Do With the Reception
of the Work by Purchasers.
WOMEN IN EUROPEAN STUDIOS,
Male Daubers Give Them No Consideration
and Charge DOubly.
RAPACITY OF THE NEW YORK DEALERS
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE D1spArcH.l

| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATCH.l
NEW YORK, Oct. ga pretty little
studio-fourth floor back on great, roaring
Broadwhy. A slender wonanly figure upor
a stool welding graceful brush. An oval
Madonna face with almost too much ex
panse of forehead and too much pointednes:
OF chin to fall within the well accepted line!
OF female beauty; yet q rare and striking
face withal and one greatly affected by the
old masters. The humid brown eyes are
bent upon the visitor half inquiringly, the
brush is shifted and the easel, on which
rests half finished portrait of gallan
gentleman, is gently turned aside as if tC
hide the uncompleted work from view.
1t was not large or snowy studio, ani
yet, with its artistically arranged hangings
Its rough studies of foreign travel that form
sort of frieze around the room, its com
Portable, old-fashioned deep-backed lounge
its generally quaint ornamentation and the
soft radiance of the northern skylight ovel
all-it seems to fit the gentle artist and hel
art The brown hair is brushed smoothly
back from forehead stamped with love OF
tense in her dress. Strength and singleness
OF purpose are in that simple pose, and you
feel at. once that you are in the presence OF
young woman who has learned to grapple
with the world single-handed and is not
afraid of the results.
QUITE A WONDERFUL FIND.
Do you ever dream of what young
woman must go through who chooses such 4
10 mo- low hnr n
type. Here is but one woman among thou
sands, and as a type she is interesting
Here is but simple, small, unpretentious
studio on a fourth floor back, at the top of
an old Office building, on old roaring Broad
way, but it is one of hundreds in the great
metropolis. The little 3x6 tin sign modestly
labeled IS. Newman, Artist" in letters
evidently painted by herself, that is tackled
up against the wall is almost too insignif-
cant fol. active service. 1t might be "Sam'
or it might be "Shadrach," or any other
male designation, so far as the casual OBJ
server can tell, but it isn't
Under all this simplicity and doubt is q
slender little woman who has been at school
in the art galleries of Munich. of Berlin
and of Paris-who is in full touch with the
artistic world, and who serenely sits at her
easel in her small studio on q fourth floor
back on old roaring Broadway, resolutely
and alone fighting the battle of life
Women probably suffer no more incon-
veniences incidental to the sex in the study
of art" said she, ethan they do in other
walks of life. 1t is very trying, indeed, for
any lady who starts out to make a living
for herself, and she must necessarily be pre-
pared for struggle. In art, this struggle
begins
WITH THE EARLIEST LESSONS.
'I think propbably that women go
through more peculiar hardships in an
artistic life abroad than they do in other
walks here tn America. In Munich where
I studied; we were not admitted to the
academy as pupils We were compelled to
engage a private studio, hire our own
models and teachers. The expense, there
fore, to women is triple compared with the
expense of male students. The difficulty of
finding q good teacher is not one of
the smallest troubles of lady students
abroad. FIrst-class teachers disdain to
teach women. This is owing to the German
idea of the sphere Of women. Women have
to paw from so to 60 marks monthly for
tuition alone by good artist, whereas men
in the academy pay but so marks for three
months and have studies, models and cor
rection thrown it. Besides being compelled
to pay triple for everything in the Way of
instruction, women art students are treated
in way that shows that they are only
suffered on account of financial gain. The
oldest male dauber thinks it his duty to
speak disparingly of the female art studies.
The disdainful smile which appears on his
face the moment the work OF woman
student is mentioned, is simply exaspera-
ting to the high spirited American girl who
has been used to being treated with the con-
sideration and respect due to any earnest
worker without regard to sex. This same
feeling against women there, extends to a
certain degree to her private life. Ladies
hunting for rooms were often met with the
answer, we don't take ladies' and the
doors were closed in their faces-a form of
procedure, may say, which allows of no
ONE KIND OF REVENGE.
"Most of the women art students live in
as the boarding houses are called,
many live in furnished rooms and
prepare breakfast and tea at home, taking
their MONDAY meal at q restaurant. We
used to get our revenge for the discrimina-
tion about once year when We gave a mas
querade ball to which no men are admitted
The male students used to try to bribe the
On one occasion remember
one gentleman gained admission and was
elected. We danced until 8 |
o o'clock in the morning just the same, and
treated one another 10 supper. On these |
occasions we had grand times.
'1n Paris women are not admitted to the |
academy, but they are offered many more |
advantages than in Munich. There are large |
private schools where distinguished masters |
teach, and tuition fees are only double to |
women compared to men. When asking the |
reason for this discrimination the invariable |
reply is that women need better quarters,
ETC., something which really has no founda-
lion in fact. Most of these studios are over
crowded, overheated and badly ventilated
know of one case where tine men students
refused to occupy studios any longer on ac-
count of the bad sanitary condition, where
upon the owner of the school gave them new
quarters and used the old one for women's
classes. In this same school men pay but
half as much as women, and receive twice
,he number of corrections in week.
THE EXCUSE EUROPEANS GIVE.
Europeans, when asked why women STU
1ents are always charged double for in
answer that no woman studies
art unless she has the means to do so COM
Iortably, and, therefore, she may we'll be
charged for what is merely to her luxury;
whereas men, on the other hand, often have
no means and prosecute the study of art as
a means of gaining q living. They must,
therefore, it is argued, be helped along in
every way. Just as if if women didn't
have to earn living by the same means,
too!
EGTn Aroarioo ,rba,o ,ro-,... L,,-o ,,ora of |