The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-04
A PROXY FOR MRS. AsToR.
Girl Who Has Been the Wife of
Every Millionaire.

New York, Oct AT the portrait show
which is given every winter in the Acad-
envy of Design in New York city there
will be exhibited the coming season an
unusually fine collection or miniatures.
Several gentlemen in private life, neither
artists nor art collectors, will show their
collections of miniatures for the first time
and certain lady who has been accumu-
lating them for years will lay them open
to public gaze.In the fair faces shown will
be those of society leaders for 100 years
past, since before the days of the first
Mrs. William Jay. 1t is understood, also
that the private collection of the late
Mrs. Hicks-Lord will be shown, unique
and wonderful assemblage of fair women
of all countries
AS you gaze at the miniatures as they
lie in their velvet frames, side by side
in long cases, you are impressed with the
beauty of the faces. Such marvellous
compilations do the women show, such
delcacy of tone and tint, such wonderful
lights to the hair and such symmetry of
shoulder, that you stop entranced by their
NClS lONtAlAACSS. IlG miniatures are DIS
a rapturous critic said, fairyland of col
or.
But there is secret behind all this
beauty that is undreamed by visitors, and
which unfolded affords a study in femin-
inc vanity as well as in the uneveness of
earthly distribution.
A certain well-known miniature painter,
a woman whose name and fame have
travelled the world over stood in front
of a panel of miniatures that was being
cleverly placed alongside a doorway as II
to smile a welcome at incomers.
DO you know" said she to a friend,
dreamily that when / look at those
miniatures, l see, not the fair women
shown there, but bright piquant face,
framed in wealth of amber hair, look
ing wlstfully into mine. For a minute
l am back in my studio with palette In
hand and my brush poised over the
ivory. Look where l will at these mnia-
lures, / still see the face
Explain yourself" demanded tho
friend, gazing curiously at the minla>
ture painter who had just returned from
Russia, by the way, where she spent the
summer painting the czarina on ivory.
Have your successes turned your brain ~
mo, oh, no. But may a painter tell
professional secrets? / think she can Il
she promises to divulge the names only
of those who were not her patrons. I will
tell you something, but, mind you, 1t is
not about patrons Of mine. Oh, no. About
other painters patrons"
DO you see those beautiful women
smiling at you with their cherry lips
and pearly teeth? Do you notice their
cheeks like pinks and their milk-white
foreheads? And do you see that lovely
neck surve?
Then know that there Is a young mod
ell who makes her living posing for min
latures. She is a beautiful little thing
too, sweet and bashful to pose for the
nude, and she has taken up the study of
posing for miniatures. | keep her busy
all winter. Dull seasons she poses for be-
ginners In the art Of ivory and porcelain
likenesses.
This may be a riddle to YOU but YOU
will understand It better when tell you
that a women who wants her miniature
painted visits me only once or twice, The
work is very slow and tedious. The brush
es are tiny. In some parts Of the work
three hairs are almost too much; and for
six weeks ! must use these tiny things
making minute strokes, often with a mi
croscope, until the miniature is done The
sittings are long and painful IL one is
nervous.
After a society woman has visited me
once or twice ask her TO bring a photo
graph Of herself and ! tell her she need
not come again until send for her. Now
my little model begins her work
With infinite patience she sits for me.
She who has not a penny Of her own
dresses up in silks and satins and be-
comes the wife Of j. j. Aston, Of o. II. p.
Belmont Of Mr.. Armour, of any nabob