Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-18
PARTISAN TYPES OF MODELS.

painting was by Ferdinand Roybet, entitled
Gallant Proposals"
1t represented a swashbuckler of the four
tenth century with a wfney complexion
making demonstrations to the fat and rosy
landlady of the inn where he was stopping.
while she was engaged in the bloody work
of dressing chickens. The resemblance be-
tween the two figures in the picture and
the originals struck me instantly as they
entered and when they halted In front of
1t there was no possibility of a doubt of
the Identity. Although most magnifcently
painted the subject was very remote from
being delicate. but the pair, the swashbuck-
Ter in nineteenth century coat and trousers
and the pOrtly landlady in a silk dress. gazed
at their portraits In the prize picture with
the greatest evident satisfaction. Shortly
they were noticed by the rest of the WIS.,
itOrs and In few moments they were hold
ing levee and receiving congratulations
with more airs of consequence than Roybet
himself would have exhibited.
Beautiful Forms and Features.
Models who serve for special types. such
as these, receive very fair compensation.
though their occupation is necessarily not
very steady. Probably the most fortunate
of the guild are the women of beautiful
form or face. They are very rare and very
much in demand. Not one combines perfec-
ton Of limbs. body and features. at once
so the artist is compelled to rely upon his
knowledge of what the form should be or
perhaps to employ other models to correct
his picture, using this one for her arms
this one for her neck and bust. perhaps, and
vet another for the face, hair or hands
Probably next to Il refined and beautiful
face delicately formed hands are the most
difficult to find among the professional
models. who nearly always come from the
lower classes of the Parisians or from the
peasantry, and though great beauty of fig
ure is often developed by the work which
they have been compelled to do, yet this
is at the same time fatal to the beauty OF
their hands. France is not blessed with
many of the finer types of feminine beauty
and in their conception of 1t the French
painters are consequently deficient.
Their goddesses and nypiphs partake too
much of the characteristics Of the ballet
girls AMI their angels are too plainly pro-
fessiOnal models. They evidently do not
share the good fortune of the German,
Piloty. 1t is said that his models were
ladies of the best fs miles of his country,
who posed voluntarily for the sake of the
flattery Of having their charms immortal
lied Well. why not? They were none the
worse for it. and art was vastly the better.
The value of such models will readily be
seen by contrasting Pilotys work with any
of his French or English contemporaries.
Models by Inheritance.
One cannot help wondering of these hun
dreds OF models in Paris. what manner of
lives they lead outside of the schools and
ateliers. Well. some of them live COM
fortaby and decentiy: many in hardship
number of Italians in this calling. and
among these are poverty and squalor. On
Monday morning in the Latin quarter you
will see groups of them in their gaudy
costumes struggling through the streets or
loafing in front OF some art school. They
improvident, but they make excellent
models They are such by inheritance.
Their great grandfathers posed and their
infants begin posing before they are out of
Ia I'M Rln he nd
girls are often very pretty, and the men
finely formed, but the women when
youth has gone are hideOus; SO they turn
their attention to raising young models to
take their places. And so they go on for
generations.
One morning a young Italian girl of thir-
teen or fourteen commenced posing at
JuliaE's. She was rather pretty, and every
body was at work with enthusiasm, when
at about the middle OF the second hour she
began suddenly to whiten about the lips.
and before any one noticed she reeled and
fell off the platform in dead faint There
was a seconds CONSERVATION. but a liberal
sprinkling and vigorous rubbing soon re-
stored her to consciousness, and she sat UP
with a sob. Questioning disclosed the fact,
hicl: was suspected, that she had come to
the school without having breakfasted and
had tainted from hunger and weakness. \
collection was taken up and she was sent
to the nearest restaurant, whence she re-
turned in half an hour and resumed her
pose. The event Occasioned no special sur
Prise. for some such incident is rather eX-
Pected from a young Italian, though 1t
went further with this girl than is usual.
An italian boy never breakfasts before
coming to the school on Monday morning.
He poses satisfactorily until the students
have their work pretty we'll laid in, then
plaintively announces that he is sick He
will admit, shortly that IL is hunger, and,
OF course, the majority of the students
would rather give him few sous than
lose the work of an hour, so he gets his
breakfast at the moderate expense Of sub
uniting to few minutes abuse I'm several
languages, TO which he is Indifferent in
spite Of its vOclferOusLess. as he would be
to 80 much trdnscendental philosophy.
Where, the Models Eat.
1t will not be an Improbable half hour
TO drop into one Of the cheap restaurants of
the Latin quarter patronized by the models
for the sake of seeing them in ordinary.
You will find it just like any restaurants of
the working classes, with two three iron
tables Cutsile, IL there is room for them, on
the Sidewalk, leaving a yard Of clear space
rtxt the curb for pdssersby. and these are
sure TO b. occupied IL the weather is at all
warm. At one of them, perhaps, you recog-
niZe Francois. who posed at Juian's three
months ago. But Francois has lost all his
ruddlneSs. and Is thin as Il herring He was
in fine form at Julian's, and you stop to in
quire the cause of the change.
"Ah. yes. MOI sieur; little meager now!'
he replies, eight weeks in the Hospital de
In Charlie. with pneumonia contracted in
that 8ccursed draughty atelier of Merlan's
But II was a great stoke OF fortune. No
sooner had begun to crawl around than I
met GuuJon looking for a model for an in
valid. He Is at work on n picture OF a
clinic at the Hospital IT. Louis. When he
saw me he had an ecstasy In the middle OF
Due lie RenneH, and was nearly run down
by an omnibus.
'Magninquev he exclaimed, dancing
round me. Supcrbe. Such pallor! Such
emaciationl All. mon ami. you have added
ten years to my life! Come 90 my atelier at
u tomorrow morning! With that he gave
me a hug and Il clap ON the back that set
me coughing for n quarter of an hour. I've
been posing for him for two weeks now
but. sncredie. " he does not hurry I'll be