Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-10-21
MINIATURES OdeE MORE
!; Is tie Piopag Thing Vow T. Hays
Your 70 trait OF lvosy,
a 1Hsy FxpENsIva FASHION


the purest ivory, which were known q.
miniatures. Aesthstlc confederation wors
NOT the only ones which made miniatures
80 popular, though portrait dainty
painted upon Ivory is far more artistlo
and beautiful titan the most carefully nm
iAneu photograph. But the people OF thoss
Jays knew only too well the utter unrelia-
plliv OF the old dagucrrectype. aud whcn-
wVF they wanted a picture which should
remain for a lifetime to recall their ieatiires
70 loved ones perhaps far away, they were
ounsed 10 fall back upon the almost In
desirnotlhlc miniature,
IN thoss days tho profession OF mlnia-
u'e painter was VOL recognized one and
embraced as many grades az does tha
modern profession of photography. which IA
praciced IN tln-type shanties on tho sea-
SHORE as we'll as IN the palatlal broadway
studios There wero scores OF miniature
painters In New York and hundreds In for
elgn cities and most OF them found plenty
to occupy their tlme.
hut With the development ana lmprore.
ment In the art OF photography miniatures
teil INTO diafuvor They were very costly
lor one thing, az compared with the cab
mot or carte photographs, and the latter
IN addition to tho recommendation Of cheap
ness We're often as artistic and az perma-
neht as miniatures and even superior as
hkenehtca. especially TO tho inferior grades
or portraits on ivory. Miniature painting
became almost lost art In this country,
ana Tor the past twenty years the camera
has lad tho npld to Itself.
Within tho last two or thrno years.
| however, there has been revival OF min
ie'ure painting As yot II IL only a fad Of
tne wealthy and fashionable, and II Is not
hronaplo that any class but this VIII ever
"kAlh pR'Foalsc the portrait paintora to any
great extent. Tho cost OF even the nheap-
cat sort OF miniatures will for ever keen
'hem teyond tho reach OF people OF mod.
| crate or limited means. when for a fpw
uollnra dozen OF tho very nnost photn-
graphs can be had tho average persnn
IL not going to cNpend fifty or hundred
dollars upon single picture lndiTorently
painted both as to likeness and execution.
ton.
nut lho people who have plenty Of money
are oitcrlng great announcement 10 tho
miniature artists nowadays. One IA hardly
dc rigcur IN tho smart SGT unlcss they haye
mad their portrait painted on ivory by one
OF tho leading artists For thesp NINA.
lures the price VARIES from ss0o 10 81 .o0o
or N,so0, according 10 the artist who Ia
ongaged TO do tho work and the Finish OF
tho portrait
Mr. Otto sarony was found In hiu studio
by tho reporter the other day and asked
II he could tell the oxtont Of tho revival
IN miniatures
can not toll you. with any exactnosa,"
no said, but n Ia true that there h
steadily Increasing demqnd for minlaturca,
which conner, of course. from tho Weather
people only, The cost Of real nfst-ulans
piece OF miniature work Ia far above tho
purse Of the person OF average moans, ana
photographs nre 80 much better than tho
cheaper sort Of painted portraits that tho
latter VIII never become popular
You must understand that miniature
painting Is 40 rrtlntc aud often mote dif-
hcult than portrait painting In oils This
work "a 10 delicate and 40 minute that
great deal Of tlmo has TO DO spent upon tho
picture In nrdcr to mako Il Hauslaotory IL
IL more dlnienll TO gct the proper express
sion In a miniature than In a large painting.
because 1t Is such very hno ana exactine
work. Tho painting IL often done from
photograph previously taken. though rlttlngi
are also necessary especially Tor tho color.
Ing I think fully as many slttIngs ar,
necessary for miniature aa for an oil
portrait, and, Of eourse, all thla taltos tlmi
and costs money Then there are not very
many artists now at work In New York. they
have all they can we'll handle, and as they
are, for tho moat part, really good artists.
II IN oy no mOanH uncommon for finished
and mounted miniaturo TO cost $1,000, or
even moro.
1.-THE painting Is done In water oolors
and with brush OF extraordinary dellcacy.
There arc only two or three hairs In thia
brush and q stroke OF tho brush OF course
leaves hardly hair limo upon the Ivory.
Great patience and dellcacy OF touch arc
necessary 10 handle such briiah. Only
IVORY a used az tho material for miniatures.
Il Is costly, but then people arc willing
10 pay for the genuine article. Besides, no
has yet been found which will
AXE the paint In the same way at all. Collu-
old has been tried. l believe. but with no
luccegs.
Tho completed miniature may be framed
" mantel or wall ornament, OF course but
I IA as often made into d brooch or lockNt 10
70 worn by the favored one who receives f.
rho portrait is usually oval In shape. and
5 mounted In thin band OF gold, which
nclrces Il. II Is very rarely that anything
moro elaborate 10 the mounting Ia tried, the
old rim being tho most artistic by long
dds.
"IIow many miniature painters arc thrre
n New York now. MIR. saronyG' asked
10 reporter
mot very many; Ave- or six ia ali,
blink. Most Of them have bsg.n business
cre within five years. and are ssstliiy the
dyAntaEo OF the revival OF infef-~e In min
atliros Torro and Hsyrari .rc PROBABLY
no best artiH;s IN IN. city. They have ali
hoy can 40 ard their work IL o. such
heractrr that they can set very hikA prizes
Or H. Just how muof psintng 70 bslnH
one In he city, u eoar:c dent know.
10 the rhotosiNph.rs attempt to 10 any
ling IN that lines.
"a vory iitiis. We viii palnt ihsm to
der, o. course. rnuoh NOR, Reasonably han
ls artlats. but IN dlae'ent tGannroF. rhs-
graphsrs WHO De .hAg sort q soFt utakiff
ansfor q phrtesNbh on b tho ivory, aft
en paint on ,haI O. yorT pretty pictue
bi2rif ard white or hFc~n snl vtft1
sy DO niado by the Hinrs, tfaksfer Of The
to she ivory.
but IN all thfae cases our rricsI are
insljnrAbiy more than Tho psfso1 o. moi
-ata isrsns vii. ease 10 pay. W. on h@rs
DO spy,hlrs 'of lpss than fs0, while v,l
MATURE artiita, on | huTo sa.d cn.vgs
pni 1870 10 81 ZOO apiece Ter ttelr mt,a-
re- Modern ph-fegiap,s. h1Veyrr a.
nrstsu3 II execution nad A. pa,maf o,t
at thu, VIII lever b, s.terssdse. icy
. uiuA;ty ttpcr.es iit.cn>eset ~ .f.J-ssstn
evan tho y~sy nses. M i.4trtcs. All tna
. e. per'falts aa l9ory - hkr,s alY'.ya TO
lr'jn MAJ q % nlw-s, fsrlienaLlo ias
he wealthy"
nae Lay. HAs work,
che a m idc.n IA maj of ps,rhri,rg o.t,,<.. "