Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-04-10
PAINTING PAPOOSES.
VERY HARD TO GET LITTLE INDIAN
BABIES TO POSE.
A California Woman Artist Describes Her
Method--First She Catches tho Baby.
Then Mascot Takes a Part-T Indians
Superstitious Fear.

Method--First She Catches the Baby,
Then Mascot Takes Part-The Indisn's
superstitious Fear.
"And you want 10 know how I get In
dian babies TO poso for me, Go you?'
Mrs. Grace Hudson, the young Califor-
MIA artist who has made herself famous by
painting papoosos, wiped her brushes and
dropped into chair in the ivy covered
yeranda OF her studio az Ukiah
Now III tell you all you want TO know
and more too perhaps | have much to
contend against, but with the exercise OF
little ingenuity and great deal OF per-
severance l am able 10 catch snap shot
OF an Indian baby n some interesting at.
titude or occupation There the little
fellow lying on his back, trying TO get his
little brown foot into his mouth said the
lady, pointing to one Of her pictures
"That baby looks a. If he never did any
thing but laugh but / had 70 give him
pumdrops TO get the little rascal 10 look
pleasant That gave me the expression
The pose and coloring had To be done with
out the model
"When ! see a baby that | want to
paint, | cannot borrow 1t for an indefinite
period by telling Its parents ii sthe sweet
est thing on earth l have 10 kldnap it
first and then overcome tho natural in.
chnatior of baby ID do everything except
what IS most desired
There Is a popular superstition among
tho Indians that neither arguments nor
brides will shake, that TO be skctched or
photographed is sure 10 bring somo terri
bic calamity down on tho head of the sub
jcct II it j. not a speedy death, it is dis
fgurcmcnt for life or at the very least
blindness. As all Digger Indians become
blind In their old age from sitting all their
lives over the smoke OF their campflres,
their superstition never lacks ConuTua-
tion Why, if these Indians here in Ukiah
knew that | photographed and painted
their babies / would be regarded as a
murderess and my studio would be shun-
ned Is IA chamber of horrors. l once in
duced Captain John, very old Indian
whom had known from my birth 10 sit
for me He was So AGED and inHrm that
he could not earn a livelihood and was in
imminent danger OF starvation.
After a great deaf of moaning and
grooming he finally accepted bride OF
bread and boiled beef but he insisted on
eating il first, for fear he would not live
to enjoy it When he had dcyourcd the
last crumb. he took his seat and sat for
his impending fate like stole Great
beads Of perspiration stood out on his
face, and every few moments he would
draw long breath and brace himself for
another effort. He must have suffered
untold agony in the few hours he sat for
me- for no bribo that l could offer would
induce him TO pass through the ordeal
again He dcclares he would sooner starve.
| have tried TO induce him to bring his
grandchildren 10 me but he only shakes
his head and muttcrS, NO, bueno Much.
acho Nothing viii induce him TO I'M
peril their lives, for he i positive that he
escaped death only because he was SO old
and tough
"But about the babies When want
subject, first have to Gnd squaw with
papoosc. II the chills face suits me,
] enter into negotiations with the mother
TO DO some work usually scrubbing or
window cleaning She lcavcS the baby
strapped up i'm his basket and blaccd
against the side Of the house whore it viii
be under her c}c The next vancouver Is
TO get possession Of that papooSc | must
make il cry, so that ] may have some
reasonable excuse for taking an interest
In it, There j. where Mascot does hi.
turn, as the theatrical people say. Here
Mascot, speak.
An orange and white St Bernard. al
most as big AZ a Shetland pony bounced
up out Of the cool ivy and Let out roar
that fairly shook the house
"That will usually make an Indian baby
cry" explained Mrs Hudson "If it
doesn't lrightcn the baby, it does the
mother, and have 10 90 to the rescue in
any event Mascot Just loves to poke his
cold nose into u bahys face when it is
strapped up hand and foot and perfectly
helpless 30 the mother is glad enough
20 lot me take thepupoose inside where it
will be safe promise To take good care
Of it, TO buy it u new dress, and 10 give ii
some beads In jitfy | have that baby
proppcd W in the light against the front
door of my studio. Then comes the task
of getting one neoting expression on tho
face of the baby indicative Of interest IN
life. They are regular little stoics. They
will sit and stare without blinking an eye
or moving muscle while | perform the
most grotcsquc antics i'm order to provoke
u laugh ! can occasionally interest them
by giving them something 60 eat, but
there is always something about the way
they accept food from me that reminds me
of the Gagged animal
81 worked three days on a baby before
COulN get Il Sllllltf ana Only lNen 10y put
ting on "a feather henddress and dancing
around like an Apache medicine man.
worried tormeutcd bullicd and frightened
one poor little fellow for two days trying
TO make him cry, but when | tried to pro
pitiato him with candy and beads he yelled
Justify, and got aeplendid photograph Of
him 4"
"Isve any of the babies you painted
dicdy' was asked.
Yes, one 1t was my nameSake too
Its mother promised 10 name il after me-
but it CHANGED to be "a boy. Had it been q
girl its name would have been Grace Hud
son Billy BowloFs-the family name ia
quite up to date being hyphcnated The
poor baby struggled along under the name
Of DIR Hudson BillyBowlegs for about
year and then died Ii it, mother knew
that had ever painted and photographed
u, sho would hold me responsible foe its
death. San Francisco Call
His Hat