The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-14
DRAWS PICTURES At
FOUR YEARS OF AGE.
The Wonderful Talent
Shown by a Folsom
Street Infant.
Under Unfavorable Circum-
stances He Rivals GibSon'S
Earliest Attempts.
Draws Fine Locomotives on the Side
walk and Striking Figures on
the Dead Walls.

The very latest California discovery in
the way of infant prodigles is that of
four-year-old artist, who bids fair some
day to rival the Gibsons, the Abbeys and
the Vierges in the field of illustration.
The work of the child wonder is the sub
ject of no end of comment in the vicinity
of his home, and predictions as to his
future are as numerous as the host of en-
thusiastic observers of his efforts, while
the fame that is foreseen by all these
readymade critics is of a variety as bright
as the Goals that keep the fatirons hot
and as glowing as the polished shirt-fronts
to which the mother of the astonishing
youngster has impaired the finishing
touches in her little French laundry on
Folsom street.
Nine. Crapuchette regards her little son
Emile as valuable assistant in affairs of
her household; for, as young as he is, he
is already quite competent to peel the
potatoes, scrape the carrots, shell the peas
and run errands in the neighborhood; but
Nine. Crapuchette places no especial value
on the artistic genius displayed by her
precocious heir, In fact, Emile has often
given offense by INDUCING his habit OF
washed walls, and running with his black
pencil marks Ecuch good white paper
which might otherwise be put to use in
sending notices to forgetful patrons to the
effect that there has been no recent dimln-
ution in the amount of their Indebtedness.
And then again, Emile covers the SIDE
walks with chalk figures that sweeping
does not easily remove and that cause
crowds to stop IN front of the laundry
door and talk foolishly about Emile being
natural born artist"
1t has been remarked by the proprietress
of the laundry that those people who halt
and talk so much about the genius of
the young Crapuchette never bring much
work to the establishment. and, therefore,
the madame woulc be quite as well pleased
if they would go along about their bust
ness.
The truth is that Emile's parents do not
take much stock in what strangers with
busy tongues call "Emile's gifts"
Monsieur Crapuchette, it is very likely, is
looking forward to the day when his son
Emile will be able to do much more than
clean vegetables and run short errands-
when that boy shall take his place on the
delivery cart and exercise his wits in
drumming up custom for the laundry.
What a disappointment there will be
when Emile, having grown old enough to
drive the cart and solicit patronage,
straightway washes his hands of the occu-
patton by which his parents gained live
lihood. And then, how he will surprise
those parents when he is earning handfuls
of gold money by making pictures for the
newspapers and the magazines. Homer
Davenport's parents up in Oregon didn't
think much of his artistic talent when he
was merging into his teens.
His father even declared that all Homer
was good for was to draw 'fool pictures
Now Homer draws a salary that amounts
to more in week than his father makes
in month, and all on account of the
knack of making fool pictures" Old
Mr.. Davenport probably thought that
Homer might make an average ranch
hand if he could overcome certain tired
feeling that he exhibited very young. The
old man is still farming. There isn't any
profit TO boast of in wheat-raising, but
Homer is just making money hand over
fist making ''fooi pictures" And, without
doubt, the case of Emile Crapuchette will
be somewhat similar, with reference to the
unfulflled paternal anticipations.
Charles Dana Gibson gave earnest of his
future celebrity when as child of he
scissored out of paper the figures of man
and bird and beast with degree of per-
lection that was the marvel of all who wit
messed the work of his tiny hands. But,