The herald., 1894-01-22
HOCUS POCUS In ART.
HOW SOME PERSONS WHO THINK
THEY KNOW ARE SWINDLED.

VINO Made Ills GhOSB HamOuHs
Artists who sign their names to pic
lures that other men paint are quite
plentiful in this town. In little store
on Fourth avenue, just around the cor
ner from the American Academy of De-
sign, there are some very pretty exam
pies Of water coloring for sale. The
signature in the corner Of each canvas
is that of woman. The dealer was in
a communicative mood the other day,
and as he was talking with reporter
he picked up one of the paintings and
held it to the light for observation and
discussion.
THAT weman brings some very good
work in here fpr me to SELL, said he.
"There is enc popularity about her,
though. She aEwaSss writes her sigma
ture in my shop" The dealer paused
as though to be questioned.
'Why does she dc that?" was asked.
swell, suppose she doesn't like to
put it ON at the studios where the pic
lures are painted.
"She doesn' t paint her own pictures,
then?''
mot 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 know is that the work is very good
and that can get good prices for it. l
suppose she is building up reputation
on the strength of these canvases. Well,
why shouldn't she? She gives work
to lot of people who would probably
starve otherwise. You see, scores of
persons can paint pictures and very few
have the knack of getting them sold.
Sometimes an artist signs more than
one name to his own work. This hap
pens every day on some Of the illustrat-
ed weeklies published for Broadway
circulation. The publisher doesn't like
to see one mans name signed to every
cartoon or full page picture. He does
not want it known that his staff of art
lists is so small. Not long ago one of
the cleverest of the illustrators used to
sign his own name to the big two page
picture in the middle Of the periodical
and a nom de plume to the first page
drawing every week. In little while
he began to receive letters addressed to
the assumed name, giving orders for
work and full Of compliments. He had
built up reputation for the mythical
artist which he could not get for him
self. His pride was hurt, but he swal-
lowed the humiliation and proceeded
to increase the fame and the revenue
of his ghost.
A New York artist who draws for the
pictorial weekhes tells q story of his
experience in England at time when
all the publishers were demanding
French illustrators and had no use for
native talent. This particular artist
knew that he could cut corsages as low
and skirts as high as any Frenchman
that ever lived. He had spent several
vacations and lots of hard earned mon
ey in seeing the particular side of Pa
risian life thatthe publishers were howl
ing for at that particular time.
He assumed very Frenchy name,
wrote in that language altogether and
submitted his sketches, which already
out-Frenched the Frenchmen in their
naughtiness. He made big hit, his
mail orders were numerous, and for
many months he enjoyed lucrative in
come under his tits Of De Boulanger
or whatever it was, while all the other
English illustrators were drawing for
the religious week.-Mrs., which cannot
afford to pay half as big prices to their
artists as their more wicked and per-
haps more interesting contemporaries.
In the window of a picture store in
Harlem there were ezpased 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, genu-
inc Oorot is worth anywhere from 81,
600 up. Was it a mistake or an at
tempt at swindlingY The pictures were
in Corot's style, and only an expert
could tell whether they were genuine or
not.
The dealer would give no written
guarantee, He said be believed the two
canvases were genuine, and he explain
ed the low price by saying that he
bought the pictures from man in hard
luck who was ignorant of their value.
The purchaser teok all the risk. If the
pictures were not genuine Corots, their
real value was anywhere from IS to
$50. That is one of the queer things in
the art business.
There are pawnbrokers in this town
who have been known to go into a pic
ture swindling scheme, as more than
one credulous buyer has learned to his
cost. It is not an infrequent occur
renee for an amateur IN art to be APP
preached with request to buy pawn
ticket calling for lot of pictures pledg-
ed for, say, 500. The pictures, the
stranger says, are worth at least $500.
He will sell the ticket for $25. Ii the
amateur buys it, he pays not only the
$25 for the ticket, but the 500 and in
terest to the pawnbroker.
1t is perfectly safe and easy meth
cd of swindling. Neither the pawn
broker nor the ticket seller is likely to
be caught. The pictures may only be
worth $40. It cannot be proved that
the pawnbroker knew this or that.the
other man knew it, for that matter. The
victim has scarcely any mode Of redress.
Swindies like this would not be possible
but for the fact that very many men
believe they know all there is to be
known about art, when, az matter OF
fact, they know nothing at all. Or, in
other words, "the crop of suckers never