Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-01-16

Bpecisloorresponueuc of Gazette ana journal
New York, Jan. 1O.-Nobody ever
accused me of being devoted to high
art. A study that showed mauve
lawn, green sky, bright scarlet rock
and two yellow ladies with white hair
i say ladies because they both had
petticoats on-was once displayed to
me, and was told it was called Love
and Death. You could take your
choice as to which was love and which
was death, but each of the yellow ladies'
looked sea sick; the result probably of
gazing too long on that purple grass.
The young man who showed me this
picture said it was one of the finest ex-
amples of high art that had ever been
painted. Then | was convinced that
high art and | were two. Hence my
liking for art which is ordinary and
common. Some years ago. longer than
| like to remember, used to stand on
the street and admire art as developed
on the fences and also on ash bar
rels. 1t is true 1t was crude.
ART CRUDE AND FLARING.
One always knew the william by his
jet black mustache and his glittering
white teeth, for in the picture he
grinned as il he were an advertisement
for some tooth paste. Then the hero
had long fair hair, wore sombrero,
held the fainting heroine in his arms
while one hand clutched a pistol
pointed at the villain, and the other
was stretched out stihy, SO that the
heroine's hair, which trailed on the
ground, had something solid to rest
upon in midair and not allow il 10
stink too much. There was the elderly
mother in the background. with spec-
tacles and looking like tame COW,
while the heavy father had curly wig
that was JOY, and wore scarfpin
that must have been inherited from
his ancestors, who owned the mines of
Golconda. OF course, you realize that
this was poster representing the end
OF the second act of that beautiful
play, The Daughters Fault; or, How
She Won Him.. AS the years have
gone on, and they won't stop to obige
you or me or anybody else, the theatri-
cal poster has improved. 1t not only
tells the story, but it points to some
moralities and a few faults With the
Improvement in posters | began to
collect them, and at that time people
thought ! was crazy and wondered
what | wanted with clean posters. But
let us be in the swim, my friend, and
no longer call them posters, but
aifiches Still as my accent might be
improved, | stick to the old name,
though | give you the point necessary.
The first appearance of the realistic
poster was made about two years ago,
when an enormous fence was covered by
PROCESSION OF PERFECT LADIES,
NJ phn
faces were fair, and who we're. evi.
IDENTIFY, believers in health in costume,
They told by example that the greatest
health was gained by the least amount
of clothing. But this was fine pic.
ture. Up to the time the average ballet
girl had been represented with enor.
nous calves, Pinch waist and i2-
inch shoulders. The result was start
ling, not pleasing, and the looker-on
might have called the pictured person
anything but woman. However, the
new school painted a magniiicently
shaped woman. 1t is true she was
Juno and not Venus, but her foot was
IN proportion to the size of her body.
and while she rounded in at the waist,
she did not present an unhealthy look
or impress you with the idea that she
could not take good long breath.
That alliche measured, | should think,
at least five Yards by four. The copse-
quence was it could not join my collec-
ton, but | used to go and look at il.
and one day when | was gazing, a
man, also gazer, told me all about it,
lie said This is the finest picture Of
women, in group, that has ever been
done, and the reason it's good is be
cause the women arc real women, real
women in more senses than one. Not
only real in appearance, but these
women exist, and each ono was chosen
little slendercr than the one before
her so that the procession might be
effective IN contrast. After the women
were grouped the artist had models OF
them made in wax, and from these wax
models the poster was painted" " From
that time ON had more respect lol
them, hut soon noticed there was /
change in the poster,
MAGAZINE ANp RooK POSTERS.
The ailtche began to represent I
young lady with Il thin face, grcer
eyes, burning rnd hair clothes thaf
were fired oil her with a pitchfork
and she careaspd either n rabbit or ;
bunch of lilies or rod umbrella. No
body knew what II meant This Titan
haired young female might nav,
written under her, go and see tn,
Gay English Girls Tonight -" or til,
sign might road Hear Tommy At
kins sung the Patriotic Songs Of lii
Native Land. p" or Her only exulanatio,
might be, Buy the April Tuner /
r. Just Out, gu never knew wha
Ehe meant she had 10 explain hersel
always anu the explanatory letterl
were very queer u shape and very ode
in color. When the magazines berar
to send around these delightful ant
most artistic posters, then there wa.
JOY, because on could alvays hnll,
one3s newsman into giving them away,
There was nnr that frightened M,
dog. 1t was all in black ana white
and represented a dreadful did monl
wearing high hat at least it looict
II Ike the sort Of high hat peculiar 10 tia
time lie seemed to he arranging hit
library. lie was supposed to he a hool
collector, but he never would have an
swered for any book collector that
nave met, for he lacked that eager luol
OF the eye that seems to sag. "Sell. d
give me that blok, or I'M steal il. >
but, now, unless you have collected
lot of posters you ire out al The fash
ION, and, according to the prnyerb
you might as well be ont of ihr world
tell YOU, this If not an exagerration
for there has been hook hrGusht on
about posters, and with it there +
given away most levely one; il alon,
Is enough To- make you want To buy tn,
hnok, which costs ~ | am sayiH..- IN
Tor IT. The trouble is tAai hay,
started to save ~ what is known az III,
ten dollar tank. Tuerr ~ posas IN Il
metal Prccincts $40, and the booj