Rock Island Argus., 1894-01-29
HOCUS POCUS IN ART.
HOW SOME PERSONS WHO THINK
THEY KNOW ARE sWINplep.


Qseer frseks Prsesseea ~ llsa We llahs
. Livisg VIII Ps.cil ssa BrusA-Car.
tss.ises WlsA SGsss IAan O.s Nane-Ons
WE SGaAs nis Chest Faneus.
Artists who sign their names to pic.
:ures that other men paint are quite
plentiful In this town. In q little store
On Fourth avenue, just around the cor
ner from the American Academy Of De-
sign, there arc some very pretty exam.
pies OF water coloring for sale. The
signature in the corner of each canvas
Is that OF a woman. The dealer was in
q communicative mood the other day,
and rs he was talking with reporter
he picked mp one If the paintings and
held II 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 sigma
ture In my shop" The dealer paused
as though to be questioned.
why does she do that: ~ was asked.
"Wcll, suppose she doesn't like to
2ut il on at the studios where the pic
tures are painted
''Sbe doesn't paint her own pictures,
them"
mot all Of them. It's easier to pick
them up here and there and bring them
to me to sell I don't know how much
she pays the artists who paint them, and
I 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 IL building mp reputation
ON the strength of these canvase5. 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 tniack 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 10 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 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 fol
work and full of compliments. He had
built mp a 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 weeklies tells a story Of hi.
experience in England mt time whe,
all the publishers were demanding
French illustrators and had no use fol
native talent. This particular arts
knew that he could cut cOrsages rs Low
and skirts as high as any Frenchmal
that ever lived. He had spent severa
vacations and lots of hard earned mon
ey In seeing the particular side Of Pa
risian life that the publishers were howl
ing for at that particular time.
He assumed very Frenchy name
wrote in that language altogether an
submitted his sketches, which alread.
out Frenched the Frenchmen in thei
naughtiness. He made big hit, hi
mail orders were numerous. and fo
many months he enjoyed lucrative in
come under his title Of De BOulange
or whatever 1t was, while all the Othe
English illustrators were drawing fo
the religious weeklies. which canno
afford to pay halt as big prices to thei
artists as their more wicked and pci
haps more interesting contemporaries.
In the window of q picture store il
Harlem there were exposed for sale nc
long ago two small canvases with tn
magic name of COrot in the corner. Tn
price of each was $3.50. Now, a genu
inc Corot is worth anywhere from 81
900 mn. Was il . mistake or an a,
tempt at swindling? The pictures wer
in COrOt's style, and only an expel
could tell whether they were genuine q
not.
Tho dealer would give no write
guarantee. He said he believed the tw
canvases were genuine. and he explain
ed the low price by saying that b
bought che pictures from man in har
luck who was ignorant Of their value
The purchaser took all the risk. If tn
pictures were not genuine Corots, thel
real value was anywhere from g
$50. That is one Of the queer things
the art business.
There are puwnbrokers in this tow
who have been known to 60 into phi
ture swindling sche'ue. a. more tina
one credulous buyer has learned to b
cost. It is not an infrequent occu
: renee for an amateur in art to be al
preached with request to buy paw
ticket calling for lot Of pictures pied!
ed for, say, 800. The pictures, Il
stranger says. are worth at least Se5'
He will sell the ticket for e25. II Il
amateur buys it, he pays not only Il
e25 for the ticket, but the 500 and Il
terest to the pawnbrOker.
1t is . perfectly safe and easy met
= cd Of swindling. Neither the paw