Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-10-12
MlLLAls, WAYS AT WORK.
His Fondness For FishinG-His Portabl
Studio and Its Uses.

His Fondness For FishinG-His Portable
Studio and Its Uses.
An artist friend of the late Sir
John Millais once said that his mar
riage had proved a very profitable
investment, as the pictures for
which his family had posed brought
him altogether many thousands of
dollars. His wife and children wero
frequently the models for his paint
ings, although friend of the dead
artist recently denied the romantic
story which identified Lady Millals
with the woman in the famous PIC
ture, The Huguenot. She was the
model for his famous painting, The
Order of Release" and some Of his
other pictures, but not, if the testl-
mony of the artist is trustworthy,
for the woman in The Huguenot.
An old friend of Millais posed as the
Huguenot. Two of his sons posed
for one of his pictures, while his
three daughters were models sever
al times.
One of the traits of N1illais which
is much dwelt upon now was his in
variable courtesy and friendliness
to young artists. He was always
willing to advise or assist beginners
or those who had their fame yet to
make. Naturally many pictures We're
brought to him for criticism, and
his pleasant way of accomplishing
the favor was to praise invariably a
work S merits before he pointed out
the defects. He received all visitors
during the active years of his career
in his working suit of gray tweed, a
rough cap on his head, his feet III
slippers, and oftener than not with
pipe in his mouth. He was keen
lover of sports, a good horseman
and an excellent shot. He was de-
voted fisherman, and many OF his
artist friends have sketched him at
his tavorite out of door pursuit. He
did not entirely abandon his work
even on tl-ese vacation tours, and
most of the time he would alternate
between the fishing rod and the
brush. His chief diversion in Lon
don was whist, a game which he
could play not only with enthusi-
asm, but, luckily, with skill
1t was Sir Johns method TO finish
landscape from the beginning to
the final touches in the midst Of the
scene without any elaborate prelim-
mary sketching and with no finish
ing touches in his studio. When he
had once decided upon the subject OF
his landscape, he would carry to the
spot wooden studio so constructed
that it was readily portable and easy
to set up in just the place the artist
wanted it. He had the structure so
arranged that the view which he
was to paint could be seen through
window of the improvised studio
as if it were in frame. Millais al
ways painted standing. and the stu
dio was planned to give him this
freedom and the opportunity to view
his work from a distance. When he
had finished the painting, the studio
was taken down and sent back to its
abode in London. Several of his best
known landscapes were views near
spots to which he had gone for the
fishing.
An amusing story is told of the
picture Autumn Leaves, )" which
gained for him the enthusiastic COM
mendation of John Ruskin. a
wealthy Englishman wanted an ex-
ample of the artists work, and this
picture was painted expressly for
him. 1t was exhibited at the Royal
academy, and it received the great
est praise. But the owner was made
dissatisfied with the picture after it
was hung in his own house by the
adverse remarks of some connois-
seurs and artists who were not be-
levers in Millais methods. So the
rich amateur sold the picture or
exchanged it for another. When it
became famous and was talked of
everywhere few years later, he
met the artist at public dinner
and svrrowfully confessed that he
had got rid of the picture because
he did not like it. Millais, who had
a keen sense of humor, only laugh
ed at the EN- barrassment of the col
lector. New York sun.