The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-22
IN THE FRENCH
METROPOLIS.
Some Interesting Items Furnished BY
Baroness Salvador.
Barthcldfs Mother-A Picture Sold for Amer
lea and Then Repurehased-Th Willow
That Was on Napoleon's Grave.
Frecial to THE SUNDAY CALI.

EIecial to The SUNDAY CALLs
PARIS, Nov. /, 1S91.-Many were the
friends who accompanied the mother of nj.
Auguste Bartholdi, the famous sculptor, to
her last resting place. Nine. Bartholdi was
90 years old at the time of her death, and all
her life she had been an enthusiastic patriot.
She was Alsatian and nearly 70 years old
when her country became the prey of the
Germans. Resoluteiy refusing to remain
under the yoke of Prussia, Nine. Bartholdi
left Alsace and for the past twenty years
has made her home with her son in Paris.
The face of Nine. Bartholdi is well known
to Americans, for she is represented by
Liberty Enlightening the World " at the
entrance of the New York harbor.
Mons. BarthOldi lives in the rue Vavin.
street far from the center of Paris. The ar
rangement of his house is severe, but every
thing denotes that it is the home of
sculptor. The vestibule is large, but the
first object that attracts attention is a finger
CT Liberty" A little farther is an ear.
large enough to form seat for two per-
sons, and these are but few of the rem
nants of Liberty" to be found in NJ. Bar
tholdfs house. A recepti0n-room has win
dows overlooking garden, and even in this
room are models of Liberty" The statue
of Gambetta, made by NJ Bartholdi for the
garden of the statesman's property at
Vile d Away, LES Jardies," is almost
completed, and it is probable that the mon
ument will be unveiled at the end of this
year.
Some fragments of this work were exhiD-
tied at the last salon. These fragments rep
resented the two figures of AlSace and LOr
raine, ana will form the principal dec0ra-
tons Of the monument. Although Liberty
and The Lion of Belfast" are NJ. Bar
tholdi'S principal works, statues and monu-
ments OF no less merit and signed by his
name are scattered throughout France.
NJ. BarthOldi was in the beginning deS-
tined TO be painter, and his teacher was
AIRY Scllaeffer, but his pictures have not
often been exhibited. The sculptor has
plan Tor erecting monument IA c0mmomo-
ration of the Siege of Paris. He has the
model Of q group surmounted by an enOr-
nous brass balloon with bronze cords.
Thus, the monument could be lighted at
night. AT 81 years Of age NJ. Bartholdi can
look back upon an artistic life. devoted IN
patriotic work, and forward to many years
of usefulness and fame.
A picture that attracts much attention at
the present time is that exhibited by Dag
nan Bouyrret in the salon of the Champ de
Mars last year. The Conscripts," for that
is the name given to the picture, was pur-
chased some months ago by Mr.. Yerkes. n
Chicago amateur. and was to have been
chief ornament in very fine collection.
However, some French amateurs. among
them AntoniuS PrOust Ayuard and Dujar-
din Beaumetz, desired France to own so
valuable a work OF art, and The Con-
scripts" has been repurchased TO adorn the
Conference Hall in the Chamber of Depu-
ties. 1t required three years for Dagnan-
Bouveret to paint this picture. and in order
that his "Conscripts" might have the ap-
pearance of nature he spent greater pOr-
ton of each year in Burgundy, where he
found his models. In this picture the ar
fist has tried to show that the cOnscription
is serious, and that the young cOnscripts do
not gayly leave their homes. but that when
danger comes they viii bravely defend their
hearthstOnes.
Dagnan-Bouveret drawing is strong and
sure; he is considered one of the most skill
ful pOrtrayer5 OF expression in the artistic
world, but he has not the slightest egOtism.
On the contrary, he always says: MY
work is so far from my ideal that dislike
to place ii on exhibition" Dagnan- Bou-
veret is an artist who likes to hear criticism
and the opinions Of others are welcome. be-
cause from them he hopes to derive benefit.
His studio is at Neuily, and is arranged
somewhat after the English style. That is,
there is lack of the bbelots that one sees
in ali Paris studios-in fact, there is moth
ing 10 attract the attention from the can
vases. begun and finished. There are few
seats. But" says the artist, of what use
to arrange studio as if one were to live
foreyer?
Among the pictures of Dagnan- Bouveret
that share fame with The Conscripts" are
Vaccination" "A Marriage at the Pho
tographer's," The Accident" and Bless
ing the Bridal Party All are sincere mar
rations of simple scenes, all intended to
show emotions of JOY or sorrow among the
lower classes.
News comes from the island of st. He
lena that the famous weeping-willow which
shaded the spot once the tomb of Napoleon
| is dead. When Baron de Las Cases and
Prince de Joinyile visited ST. Helena they
found An nprooted willow tree lying on the
tomb, but another spread its branches in all
directions. October Is, 1910, when tie re-
mains OF Napoleon were eyhumed, there
was general distribution of the living
trees branches; but soon after, an enthusi-
astic admirer Of Napoleon sent eighteen
young trees to be planted around the spot
where had lam the remains OF the Emperor
There are those who believe it absolutely
impossible that France would so neglect a
place once the tomb of her greatest hero.
The willow of which | speak is the one that
has outlive1 all vicissitudes and forms a
portion of the tomb, and the death of this
tree would be a proof that the tomb has
been completely aoandoned-an abandon
ment that would be revolving form of in
gratitude. There are many persons who
boast of possessing leaves of tho famous
tree. and it may be that it was so deSpoiIeJ
a longer life was impossible. For years
French sailors never touched at ST. Helena
without stealing leaf from this willow
tree. y poet has explained this enthusiasm:
Car on dit que saint feuillage
Dome navire doux mOulage
1t porte bOnhcur ses mats
In other words the leaf was supposed to
bring luck to the ship and the crew. In tho
Department of the Gironde is held village
fair, called the Fair of Quinconces," and
exhibited at this fair is a marble slab, bear
ing this inscription:
lei
RepOsereut les Restes Mortels
De PEmpereur Napoleon.
Du All 10 Decembre $40.
This slab is surrounded by n bronze gal
lery, of which the four corners were once