Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-21
AN ARTISTS MODEL.
Some Woes of the Women Who Pose
for Women,

From the New York World
Art life, from the models point OF view,
has very little poetry In II. The model who
tells this story is a pretty girl-widow. She
has classic beauty, superior int diligence the
charm of refinement and pride of ancestry.
which makes the game hard to win when
fortune deals a bad hand.
Some girls mary for love, and some for
a living. / married for both, and lost all.
My husband died. 1 hal my baby and moth
er 20 support. and, like the average southern
girl. had only been taught to be nice First
1 tried to sing for my supper. 1 got in
church choir and made few friends, but
couldn't make any money. One day, as a
favor, carried a dinner gown to a studio
My friend was having her portrait painted
When met the artist he ask ed IL / could
spare the time 20 p0se in the dress for him
That was the beginning OF my art work
Being slight and daintily built, was found
to be available for all drapery posing. ex-
oept re heroic. prapery painting IS an art
by Itself. Lace. Powered satin and trans
Iarent dgareries are often as difficult as
flesh unts. Some artists spend weeks on a
dress. Few are painted in a day.
Cnkindncss of Women.
"One artist sent me 10 another, and be-
tween the dancing frocks, wedding robes,
church memorials, ornamental architecture
and interior decoration posing I MANAGED
10 earn a livelihood, such as IL was. NO
Ten are VIGOROUSLY unkind TO enc another.
but tho un!liniest class Is in art: and the
reverse IS true or the men in the protest. N.
l have yet TO acknowledge a debt Of kind
ness to a woman artist or n woman art
student. The rUlf between mistress and
9~Gas 4 fC l.
the women VINO paint and the women who
pose. The clums!est Girl In the life class.
who couldn't sketch 4 pair Of eyebrows cor
rectly TO save her life, looks down upon the
model. and throughout the class the smaller
the students knowleds, the higher the at
titude OF her contempt.
THE treatment they can and do give the
huiabied members Of their own sex is at
times, brutal. Poses are by ballot; In tie
mems classes the simplest are invariably
chosen. j may be unjust i'm charging II 10
spite, but the more difficult the position. the
better the women seem TO like II. This has
been my experience In the life classes at
the Art Students League. The pay IS
very poor. II averages $40 a week for six
days OF four hours each. or 80 l-3 cents an
hour. The poses are TWENTY-FIVE minutes
long, with five minutes rest between The
women, In their stern devotion to art keep
the model right up 20 the notch Requests
for hfteen minutes time I'm hard poses are
refused The class arranges the draperv
In this delicate operations stabs NAV be
dealt that wound deeper than steel and that
bleed inside. / have come out OF a liking
by the monitor feeling as though had been
skinned.
Personal Rather Than Physical.
Il happen to have a rerfect figure. other
wise my presence would be intole-able I
have the Greek dlmensions-height. 5 fest
6: bust. "a: hip, 81: waist. %: neck. =: BIZ
cep. 8: weight. 40 rounds. Instead Of these
lines getting me consideration they seem to
provoke antagonisn. Talking is prohibited
In class, but have been torn 10 pieces by
critical eyes and glances more scathing than
words could observe. Not a blemish es-
capes the women. A model as th.ck-skin-
ned and obtuse as a dog would shrink from
this sort OF torture. What makes IL all so
crucial is its invention. There is no trace
of II in the day or night classes OF the men
Models at the league are allowed en- in
crease of % pc. cent IL there are no COM
plants. Venus could not pose for a class
of women and escape fault-finding Getting
out OF position, the appearance Of arathy
or laziness, hardness, back talk and ,rnpcr-
tinence are the commonest causes Of com
plant. Men will strain a point to give the
model the benefit OF the premium. and their
sisters Will delight IN its loss. nave posed
for considera BILE architectural nd interior
decoration. II is hard work, but the pay is
fair, averaging SIS wceI; the treatment
is always constderate and often kind. | may
say without being accused OF vanity that
such success as / have had IS due to per-
sonal rather than phys steal charm. ! have
repose, refinement and an artistic terapera-
ment. Better models from an anatomical
standpoint lack these essential elements.
have been portrayed in marble, stone ami
plaster. My face and figure are ON tho
facade of several public buildings. I'm Greek
form. l represent a few ang. Is In church
memorials and contributed TO the decora-
tiol Of one OF the Astor ball rooms For
the rest of the month shall be at a coun-
try house, posing for relief work In n mill
llonaiTe's dining room, ball room and hall.
That VIII end my art career. 1 shall see
what opportunity the medical profession
will give me to earn a living as a trained
nurse. And as long as / live there will be
sympathy In my heart for the women who
pose for the women who paint"