The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-24
TROUBLED BY TRILBY.
DE MAURIER's NOVEL HAS MADE
THE MODELS VERY MAD.

Suffered in Repute-Gossfp About
the Models in the New York stu
diOs and What Artists Think
AbOut Them.
New York Letter in Chicago Times.
The last and one of the most serious
charges made against Du Aiaurier is that
he has injured the profession Of women
models. Trilby's morals have been dis
cussed from the pulpit to the stage. Even
Mrs. Grannis, president Of the Society for
the Advancement Of Social Purity, has
had her say about Du aaurier's heroine,
and as to whether her profession is a legi-
innate one for good women.
Women models have always been lit
tie sensitive about their profession, and
since Trilby has been the favOrite topic
Of studio gossip, some of the best Of them
have felt that sensitiveness increase and
have declined TO pose for the nude. Child
models who have been in the profession
since\ before they could walk, have been
forbidden to enter studios, while women
who have supported their families by pos
ing have refused TO mount the model
stand.
Miss Arabelia Gold, who is known as a
famous figure model to the best New York
artists, has recently sent in public resig-
nation from the profession. She wrote to
one Of the leading New York papers re-
questing that it publish the fact that she
would never again pose for the figure.
Miss Colds resignation is a decided loss
to the artists; she is said TO have one Of
the most exquisitely formed figures in the
world. OF late she has been posing for
a number of Sarony's living pictures. In
one of the most celebrated of these she
represents an almost perfect fac-simile
of the famous painting Psyche.
Many models, whose forms have here
tOfore been prominent features in the pOr-
trait exhibitions, declare that they, too
will renounce the business entirely. 1t
IS not that they object to posing nude,
they claim. but the notoriety which en-
harnesses their profession has become in
tolerable since the publication.
The majority of models interviewed have
not read the book, but claim that Trilby
whoever she was, has seriously degraded
the profession. Some spoke of her as a
New York model guilty OF some despicable
crime; others believed her to be a reform
er, while still others had an idea that she
must be in some stock.
"Trilby is worse than Mr.. Comstock."
said a little 14-year-old who for sometime
has been making her bread and butter by
posing for photographs of living pictures
why, she won't let us go into the studio
at all; Mr. Comstock used to stop me from
going, but mamma went just the same"
The innocence of this child could be
equaled only by Trllbys She has posed
from babyhOod upward. As an infant she
had an exquisite little figure. and began
her pVOfac sim whom nj hpT
mother. Her mother refuses TO give either
her own or her childs real name. and
they are known throughout the studios by
half a dozen titles. Until lately the little
girl has been known TO many OF her en-
ployers as Annie" but, owing TO her
purity and innocence, some OF the artists
have toldngly termed her the American
Trilby." When the name was first given
she took it good-nat uredly; she is a
pet in the studios and used TO being nick
named. But when she told her mother
that the artists called her Trilby the moth
er became quite angry ana took Ii "a n
personal insult to her child. So Annie
cannot pose any more. Had nothing been
said about Trilby she would have likely
gone on innocently in her profession until
some little Billee came forward and asked
her not TO pose for the altogether"
Two girls who are highly respected In
the studios are the Misses Daily. Miss
favorite model. Miss Daily was the prin-
cipal figure he used in making his statue
of Diana for Madison Square Garden She
posed for a whole day, 10 have plaster
casts taken of her figure, and the back
of Diana is a fac-simile of hers
When interviewed about posing Miss
Daily said: Il do not mind posing at
ALI The men / pose for understand thor
oughly why / do 1t, and the spirit Of the
profession. There is nothing to be ashamed
of and I am proud of being able to pose
for good artists. What / hate about the
profession is the notoriety it brings upon
me. If it weren't for that ana having to
discuss it with people who can never I'M
derstand it I should not feel at all bad
l don't know anything about Trilby. but
il she is q woman artist / don't want
to pose for. You never can make n
woman understand the profession. They
always look upon models as something
beneath contempt and cannot believe
that We are good honest women and
work for what we earn. Do they sup
pose that We stand on one foot in a badly
heated studio all day just to amuse our
selves?
Nobody knows what we have to put
up with. The minute people find out
what our profession is they become sus-
picious and want to know why we are
in It, II is almost impossible for q woman
to live in a clearinghouse and have her
profession known. 1 lived in a place a
long time once and nobody knew what
did until one day an artist came to the
house to engage me, and let the cat out
of the bag. OF course he did not do it
on purpose. but then he did it just the
same. Well. the result was that the land
lady wanted my room; she said she only
kept respectable women in the house,
and I had to go. The same thing has hap
pened twice since. That is why we all
use fictitious names
Little Annie Gray. who is celebrated
throughout the studios for her beautiful
neck ana shoulders. said that She had
given up the profession because she could
not make people understand it. THE peo-
pie think we are all like Trilby, l sup
pose" she said, as she snapped her little
black eyes, and threw shawl around her
shoulders. Il think she was bad woman.
/ am sure the models in this country don't
act like she did. 1t is all well enough for
her to make believe she was mesmerized,
but 1 don't believe it. People always have
to have some excuse for being bad But
she is dead, and I won't say anything
about her poor little thing I know lots
of girls who pose, and their mothers don't
know it. They don't dare tell, because
they would not be allowed to 40 it any