The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-12-11
ARTISTS MODELS IN PARIS.
Their Arms and Throats Struggled Into
Portraits of Rich Won en- Of Fashion.

Their Arms and Throats Struggled Into
Portraits of Rich Won en- Of Fashion.
report of a contem plated strike of
the models in Paris has brought out an
interesting interview between one of
the ladies in the profession and repre-
sentative of paper in the French capi-
tai, says the New York sun.
Well" said the reporter to this
young woman. whom he describes as a
handsome blonde, with fresh and rosy
complexion, you are all on strike, eh?
You are syndicating?"
With smile and shrug she replied:
''Nonsensei that thing could never
take
And why?"
''It 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- passant- The
first are 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 hum
bug. You will find the first at the
School of Fine Arts, with Julian, in the
ateliers of Bonnant, Jean-Paul Laurens
and Cormon. The women get four
francs n sitting and the men three, the
total earnings of a day being eight and
six francs. At the end of the week
there is also the cornet.
Every Saturday the monitor goes
round with a cornet, or horn-shaped
paper box, and takes up a 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, the
models do not get work every week
They are often brought down to ex-
treme 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 posSible?"
II. is as true as am 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 il
is temporary business. A fresh and
well-made girl commences to make her
living in some dressmaking establish
ment, 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-fiv 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 il, because il
| is fine thing for a poor girl to make
her four francs day. Certainly the
model does not get work every day a,
the beginning. She gets her customer.
| gradually. But when once established
she is all right. At one place she pose:
for the entire figure. At another shs
poses for some detail, especially among
the portrait painters.
The portrait painters?"
| 'Why, certainly. Do you fancy tha
those fine and rich ladies would take tn,
trouble TO sit for their portraits every
day for three weeks? That would tire
them pretty soon- Consequently three
fourths of the artists, when tho prep
aration is finished, take the feet
the hands, and sometimes the
arms and throat from us. ter all. i
is not such bad trade. although there
are always dull times in the summe,
months. The business has only on,
drawback-a serious one-it doesn'
last You see we can't always b,
young. When we touch upon twenty
five the complexion begins to fade A
that age also we become fat. Then w,
quit the business and return to dress
making"