The morning call., 1892-12-27

absence of six years In Europe, and has
Joined the crowd on Montgomery avenue.
In one corner Is an old bureau that used 10
stand In the models dressing-room when
the Art Studen.s' League hired nude mod
els. They don't now, and the models
dressing room has been rolled up and
chucked into corner. The little coal
stove is the one that heats the tea and cooks
the eggs for the famifS when those things
are decided upon at meal time. During the
rest of the time 1t lie ased ID making up bits
Of still life for pupilS TO draw. The par
titions, walls and screams are covered with
watercolors, pastels and charcoal sketches
that came mainly from Europe, and tell of
studio work in Paris and Of rambling
sketching tours. One large painting, ''The
Morning Psalm," is going to Chicago, and
so Is one OF the heads On the other side. The
little German girl who worked such disaster
smiles from one OF the easels. and amid all
the sketches and the studio trash are bits of
artistic drapery and prettily framed paint
ings.
On little table rest a beer-bottle, a
pewter teapot cup and saucer and one or
two other things, the forms ana shadows of
which some student has been trying to
catch with sticks Of charcoal.
On the other side OF that partition is Miss
Rhodda's studio II is very likely that that
is pretty sofa under that pile of trash and
wraps. That beer-stain Is nothing to
awaken suspicion. Like the benedietine
bottles and the decanters, it simply belongs
TO the museum of picturesque things that
are used In still-life studies. Charming
sketches and unframed canvases decorate
the partitions and are piled up in the
corners as In all the studies, and a bunch Of
flowers rest on table.
There is an air OF careless, delightful
Bohemianism about every corner Of the
place. and there IS. too. everywhere a some
thing that tells OF ambition, devotion to art
and hard, persistent labor. In Miss Froe-
lich's studio stands big panel of chrysan-
themumS which is going TO the Woman's
building at the Worlds Fair, and other
things will 60 out from this upstairs den to
help show the world at Chicago what the
American woman can do.
The young lady artists that are to be found
up there now are Misses Rhodda, kalisher
Wall, Froeich and Bremen.
Do you suppose they are getting rich? Do
You suppose artists generally are in San
Francisco?
ut is very hard to sell any work now"
said one OF the young ladies. Most Of us
have lew pupils and that pays our ex-
penses. at least. Anything we sell is that
much more. Once in while girl will get
a commission from some friend to painr
something, and once in a while somebody
viii see some work he takes a fancy to and
will buy 1t. We all have little work on
sale at the artst0seS. but sales are never
very lively, and when IL is sold it generally
goesf for lower prices than work of the same
merit W. I'D bring in other parts OF the
world. Oh. we get all the way from SIS to
SEQ for work. But then most OF US are
working TO improve ourselves mainly and
so we are satisfied"
Together the girls pay sos month rent
Tor The old hall and then hire an old man to
DO their lanitor work. They call him Will
lanis. ard be is character He sleeps in
the.old jury-room and makes an odd quar-
lei or dollar outside whenever he can. His
real profession is that of "supe," and his
opinion OF the merits OF any star that drifts
THIS way depends upon whether or not he
gets job as one of the rabble or something
Ike that. He frequently talks about when
l. was with Salvini," though then he had al
most too prominent part for his taste.
He has been janitor of the Art Students
League ever since it started, and now the
institution mainly rests on his shoulders.
lie takes deep interest In Ii and is always
puttering about at something. He is handy
10 run on errands. He washes the lunch
dishes and once in a while he poses as
model. and he makes a very picturesque
one. he recently got his first real job as a
model in an uptown studio, where he is
now posing regularly as Isaiah. Nobody
has ever been able 10 find out where he
came from or If he ever had any relatives.
The models are not the least interesting
feature OF the studio life I'D there. Several
are employed now aud then as the want
arises. They are not nude models. When
they are wanted the girls 60 20 the ladies'
life class at the School of Design. But
models with clothes on are always wanted.
Some have been in the business for years.
They are poor people. old and young, who
live about Barbary Coast anu south of
Market street.
One is an old man 20 years or more OF
age. who would do capitally for an iIlustra-
ton of Holmes 1.-The Last Leaf" His
wrinkled face Is thin. ''his nose rests upon
his chin like a staff his hair is white and
long and his expression and features are
strong and picturesque. His portrait has
been made many hundred times in charcoal.
water-colors and oil. So has that Of an old
lady, with speetacles and a sweet. motherly
light beaming from her wrinkled face and
feeble eyes. These N odels earn from % to
20 cents an hour.