Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
DEATH IN CARTOONS.
The Reaper Stands Grimly In the
Background Of Every Picture.
NERVOUS STRAIN KILLED GREylN.
Athletic Hamilton Says It's Easier to
Pound iron ALL Day Long.
ARTISTS FORCED 70 RELAXATION
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died in Paris recently, and writer for Mr.
Labouchere's Truth, in commenting on the
artists death, askrts that Grevin's physi-
cal collapse, which antedated his demise by
three or four years, was directly attributa-
BILE to the peculiarly exhaustive work for
which caricaturist is responsible.
'There is no form Of art that takes so
much out of ones nervous system" re-
marks this writer, ''as that of catering to
public amusement as caricaturist. Grevin
became paralyzed, bat his stomach kept
strong to the end. The brain survived the
limbs and certain muscles of the torso, but
it gave way long before he died. Long be-
fore his death he felt that he was sapped in
mind, and conceived the plan of releasing
himself from the drudgery Of comic journal
ism by starting wax-work show"
Exhausting and Enervating.
There is no strain in running a show Of
this kind, as any one may learn by inspect
ing the well-fed persons of the gentlemen
who direct the fortunes of the Eden Musee
in New York, but although the change for
Grevin was relief. 1t came too late, and he
died thoroughly and nervously worn out.
don't suppose that anyone OF the
thousand readers who look every week for
the cartoons in Americas large comic
papers, have ever stopped to think that
these productions represented any greater
expenditure of nervous force and energy on
the part of the artist than is represented by
an etching and q painting, but there seems
to be no doubt of the facts in the case.
Speaking of Grevin's death the other day,
Mr. Bernhard Gillian, perhaps the leading
caricaturist of the country, declared with
out reservation that, SO far as his experience
went, the work of producing cartoons and
caricatures was more exhausting and ener-
waiting than any other mental or physical
labor that could be mentioned.
'Look at Mr.. Hamilton, for example,"
Hamilton is one of Mr.. Gillam's associ-
ates, and as the conversation to which am
referring occurred in their rooms, the matter
of looking at Hamilton was comparatively
easy. As many people know, Hamilton's
athlete. He is probably 3 feet 10 inches in
height His chest measurement, should
think, is certainly not less than AZ inches
He has strong neck that would probably
be uncomfortable in anything less than 16
collar, and his limbs are mastodonic.
It's Easier to Pound Iron.
"Why," said Hamilton, rising and join
ing in the conversation, II was brought up
in my fathers iron foundry. used to 60
to work at 8 o'clock In the morning, pound
away until noon, came back at / o'clock
and did not knock of work until 6 o'clock
in the evening; and when was all through
I felt lust as strong and Just as vigorous as
I had felt when had started In after good
nights sleep.
''With cartooning and caricaturing, how
ever, the story is = very different one.
After working few hours I became un-
easy; can't keep my legs still Finally
have to put the work on one side and 60 out
to counteract the effects Of the continual
strain on me that comes with this kind of
work. I am compelled to take regular out
door exercise. I run baseball club down
at Mapleton, on the way to Gravesend, and
when play ball for two or three hours or
engage in . match game begin to feel
something like my own self again"
"Something similar to this" said Mr..
Gillian, sis true of all the members of the
staff here and of nearly every caricaturist
that know. There is my brother Victor.
He gets SO run down that it Is absolutely
necessary for him to 20 to Europe every
year, and when he gets back again he doesn't
year, when he started in. In other words,
he is losing physical ground all the time.
Impossible to Work Steadily.
As for Zimmerman, there is man who
has to throw up his work oftentimes in the
middle of it and 60 off shooting or fishing
in order to get his physical machinery in
and his stomach gives out If he could
work along steadily for q fair number Of
hours, he could easily make $4,000 or
$25, 900 year. But, as it is, I don't sup
pose that his income foots up to more than
half these figures.
Humorous work." added Mr. Gillian,
sis undoubtedly the saddest work in the
world. That is to say, for the fellow who
does it. 1t may or may not be funny for
other people. 1t is like Grimaldi, who
died of broken heart. You remember
that English cartoon representing an even
ing party and two men just entering the
room, one of whom is tall and cadaverous
and the other short and portly and BEAM
ing with good nature. Someone In the
room remarks that these two men are the
celebrated cartoonist of Punch and the
editor of the obituary column of the London
Ismes A lady present, proud OF her per-
spicacity, at once identified the short, jolly
man as the cartoonist and the long and
cadaverous man as the obituary editor It
is scarcely necessary to say that she got
things turned round exactly wrong. It was
the man of serious and funereal aspect who
did the cartoons
Cannot Put In Whole Day.
Gas for myself" concluded Mr.. Gillian,
IT can only say that I had to pull up stakes
in the middle of last winter and take
three months trip to the Bermudas. Often
and often have started in early in the
morning and declared to myself that had
eight or nine good hours work before me
and that could accomplish q specified re-
suit in that time. I have worked along
till about 12 or 1 o'clock. About Q
o'clock the work became most intolerable
labor, and whether wanted to or not I
would be compelled to close up my desk
and 60 home"
It would be interesting to have somebody
formulate q reason why the work OF the
caricaturist is so exhausting 1t would
perhaps be difficult to give one reason, or a
succession of them, that would be thor
oughly satisfactory. OF course the work Of
the caricaturist in gathering material is on
erous and exhausting, for the reason that
only limited class of subjects Is open to
him. In order, therefore, to secure what
he wants he has to 60 over the whole field
of current happening His subject deter
mined on, it requires the most studious andsI
work to give to the humorous
idea that he has conceived, the adequate
humorous embodiment that is necessary.
Cartoons Arc Easier in Europe.
IT do not believe" said Mr.. Joseph KEEP
pler the caricsturist OF New York, ''that
any kind of labor can be more exhausting
than the work of eonceiving and executing
the cartoons for the comic papers Or