The morning call., 1893-02-25
Cocoanut Faces.

there was more money in work on shore.
\ on will remember me, perhaps, when
recall 10 your mind the time that the seal
hunters were left on the Faralones and
some of the boys were starved TO death.
Well. to make long story short, | was
standing in one of the wholesale houses.
where | trade, some months age, and seeing
the great pile of cocoanuts unhulled on the
floor it suddenly occurred to me that if a
face could be carved cut of one of the halls
it would be a good thing TO attract attention
TO my wagon. | bought one of the largest
c0c0anUts and took it home and began work
on it With my jackknife, and made out of
it this face" pointing TO hideous- looking
cocoanut head which had been varnish ed
and was hanging on the walls of his room.
head compared with the work | am doing
now. | had never drawn picture in my
life let alone attempting TO do any carving,
and | can account for my success in only
one way, that it was in me to do it.
"Well, i carved out that face you see
there and stuck 1t upon my wagon as a sign
and il at once attracted great attention.
Finally firm offered to take all the cocoa
nut heads / could make and since then I've
heen working nights cutting them out.
Eve no special plan Of work and have
never worked from a picture. | see face
on the wharf or street, remember it and
then cut it out. got whole lot of faces
from cigarette pictures OF Indians, but the
shape of the coeOanut decides what face
I'll cut on il. Now, I'll show you"
Bartlett produced his tools, plain two
blade jacksnife. an old razor and a shoe
knife, and picking up cOcOanut he began
cutting out lace. AS he eut he talked and
said that he is almost 80 years of age, al
thought he looks fully fifteen years younger.
He went on to tell how he had served as
private under General Lew Wallace In the
Eleventh Indiana Z0uaves for four years
and after working in the East came to Cali
fornia in 1872. Then he began seal-hunting
and trading around until he built up COM
Portable business.
II had no idea when started this cocoa
nut cutting business that it would amount
to anything" said Bartlett. ''bnt I've got
more orders DOW than / can I'LL. / can't
tell you how | do il. You see for yourse
how this face has grown. | had no definite
face in my mind when / began cutting on
this hull and Eve made it into a fair like
ness OF a fellow that 1 see on the wharf
every day. I've cut out Judge Rx' face
WHISPERS and all; the heads of Columbus,
General Grant and lots OF people that
know. but there's 10 training about it..
What | do do because it comes ierfeetly
natural for me and easy"
Then Bartlett stopped his work and said :
Now this face isn't finished. but | think
you can recognize a likeness in it TO some
one you know" and the reporter readily
agreed. for IL was a c0cnanut hull pict-
ure II the man Tor whom 1t was intended
as likeness
"I'lI tell YOU what I'll do" resumed the
carver. ~ on suggest face of some one
you and both know and l will change the
face and show you how elose likeness 1
can make.
TIE offer was accepted, and Bartlett win
in all probability keep his word. His inl-
plements are crude, and the eyes with
which he ad0rns his carved faces are the
artificial eyes which taxidermsts use, but
for all that he turns out wonderfully life
like faces. The heads shown Above were
selected at random from Bartletps stock
and Photographic by The CALL yesterday.
Especial attention is called to the head of
the Indian, which is that of a well-known
chief. 1t is probable Bartlett will do a co.
coanut head of Columbus for the Worlds
Fair, hair and all. and the way in which he
manufactures the eyebrows, whiskers and
hair is almost story in itself. He does it
from the 6bers of the hull of the cocoanut,
which he pulls 10 pieces, but he never Clues
or sticks the false hair to the head or face,
doing his cutting so as to leave the long
fibers in the place needed. So far as is
known Bartlett is the only carver OF cocoa
nut hulIs in the world, and if he keeps on
improving as he has during the past four
months the world of art and curios will
hear of him.