The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-24

Queer Tricks and SwindIes Prncticcd
by Some SO-CaiIed Artists.

Artists who sign their names TO pictures
that other men paint are quite plentiful in
this town. la a little store on Fourth
American Academy of Design, there are
some very pretty examples of water color
ings for sale. The signature in the corner
OF each canvas is that OF a woman The
dealer was in a communicative mood the
other day. and he talking with
reporter he picked up one of the paintings
and held it to the light for observation and
discussion.
That woman brings some very good
work in here for me to SELL, said he.
There is one popularity about her, though.
She always writes her signature in my
shop The dealer paused as though TO be
questioned.
why does she do thatw' was asked
''Well, 1 suppose she doesn't like to put
1t on at the studios where the pictures are
painted"
She doesn't paint her own pictures.
them?
Not all of them. It's easier to pick
them up here and there and bring them
to me to sell. L don't know how much she
pays the artists who paint them, and /
don't care. It's none of my business. All
j know is that the work is very good and
that l can get good prices for 1t. sup
pose she is building up reputation on
the strength of these canvases. Well. why
shouldn't she? She gives work to a lot or
people who would probably starVe other
wise. You See scores of persons can paint
pictures and very few have the knack or
getting them sold"
Sometimes an artist signs more than one
name to his own work. This hapIens every
day on some of the illustrated week.-Mrs.
published for Broadway circulation The
publisher doesn't like to see one man name
signed to every cartoon or full-page picture.
He doesn't want it known that his start or
artists is so small. Not long ago one of
his own name TO the big two-page pic
ture in the middle of the periodical ana
nom de plume to the first page drawing
every week. In a little while he began 10
latte adj
name. giving orders for work and full OF
compliments. He had 70 build up reputa-
ton for the mythical artist which he could
not get for himself. His pride was hurt,
but he swallowed the humiliation and pro-
ceeded to increase the fame and the revenue
OF his ghost.
New York artist who draws for the
pictorial weeklieS tells story OF his eX-
perience in England at a time when all the
publishers were demanding French illustra-
tors and had no use for native talent. TINS
particular artist knew that he could cut cor
sages as low and skirts as high as any
several vacations and lots OF hard-earned
money in seeing the particular side OF Part
sian life that the publishers were hoWllng
for at that particular time
He assusmed very Frenchy name, wrote
in that language altogether ana submitted
his sketches, which already out-FTenched
the Frenchmen in their naughtinesS. He
made a big hit, his mail orders were NJ
merous and for many months he enjoyed
lucrative income under his title OF DE
Boulanger' or whatever 1t was, while ali
the other English illustrators were drawing
for the reli,yious weeklies, which cannot af-
ford to pay half as big prices to their ar
fists as their more wicked and perhaps,
more interesting contemporaries
In the window of a picture store in Har-
lem there were exposed for sale not long
ago two small canvases with the magic
name of "Corot'' in the corner: The price
of each was $3.50 Now, a genuine Corot IS
worth anywhere from 1000 up. Was IT
mistake or an attempt at swindllng! Inc
pictures were in Corots style. and only an
expert could tell whether they Were genuine
or not.
The dealer would give no written guaran-
tee He said he believed the two canvases
were genuine, and he explained the low
price by saying that he bought the pictures
of their value. The purchaser took all the
risk. If the pictures were not genuine Co
rots their value was anywhere from % To
$50. That is one of the queer things IN the
art business.