The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-20
THE CAMPAIGN BANNER.
PORTRAIT ARTISTS VISIT CANDI-
DATES IN THEIR LIBRARIES.

Easels, Paints and Palettes Carried
with Them-DecIined to Look
Pleasant, But an AGnbIe Beam WINS
COnXed Forth For the Banners.
Famous Artists who Make Cam
pnign POrtrRits-GOod Pay For
Quick and Easy Duplication of
Faces.
Great men have an aversion to sitting
for their portraits, The greater the man
the greater the aversion. The only man
who was an exception to this rule was
| President Arthur, who was such a hand
some fellow that no wonder he yielded to
fiattery and smilingly posedl
The campaign banner you see anchored
to the breeze Is an effort of combined art
| and labor The maker of the banner had
| to pull wires TO get sitting, and the ar
| fist had TO work quickly and well. The
| colors had to be the clearest and most
easily handled, and all had to be done
| within an hour with any of these condi
| lions lacking, there would be fewer cam
| paign banners and these few would be
worse than any you now see.
The campaign portrait is a work of art.
1t is not the poor picture you imagine It.
| and because even the elements are allow
| ed to deride 1t, you mus not fancy 1t is
| In itself q thing of mockery The candi-
dates will tell you that ii is the best pic
ture they have ever had painted of them
| selves.
And why? Campaign portraits are the
| work of the best artists in the country.
! The most famous painters apply for the
| work Names you read In the catalogues
| of the portrait show and on the academy
lists are the ones that stand in black and
white upon the order books Of the banner
| manufacturers.
On a certain banner-malSer's book there
is an enrolment Of 200 splendid names
| Any of these will paint a portrait OF Nc
| Kinley, Bryan or Palmer in an hour
| They will do the Vice Presidents in less
/ time, because their heads will occupy less
space, and they will polish off the state
| nominees in a very short time. The first
| portrait may take a day. but the follow
| ing ones takes less time The artist has
| had one study of the lineaments of the
subject, and can bring out the popularity
| of eye and mouth very quickly without
study.
When Mckinley was asked to sit for his
| oil painting he strenuously objected.
you have one picture Of me. That Is
enough" he said. Copy it," The artist
took a cabinet photo and tried to get up
| an oil painting. The result was a rugged
| look which Mckinley does not possess
| Finally the artist was given a sitting, ana
| q right nne portrait ne wrought.
When Bryan was asked to sit for his
| portrait he consented IL the portrait paint
| er would come to him. The mountain does
! not ordinarily go to Mahomet, but the
! programme was so arranged that the ar
| fist, with his outfit of palette and easel
repaired to the Bryan library, as he had
| done to McKinley's desk. There he got
! the peculiarly strong expression of Mr..
! Bryan's eyes-that magnetic look which
! cannot be lost in the wind and rain of
| banner-hying.
Palmer sat for his portrait long ago.
| and the banner artists were allowed to
| copy the original.
| Though mice customs courtesy to great
kings" they do not bow down to great
ambassadors, and Ii Hung Chang had to
visit his own portrait artist while in Lon
| don. This artist is the wonderful Miss
| Edith Mortlock, who has been the artist
| of Windsor for many years. To Miss
| Mortlock's studio in Cloane street Ii Hung
| Chang went daily whenever he could es-
cape from the banquets. The destination
for this painting has been surmised. In
| England, where they have banners. Ii
was much interested In seeing the faces
| floating from the club windows and immo-
| diately asked for a painter for his own
| face. In America he gazed with undis-
! guised admiration upon the portraits of
| Mckinley and Bryan, and there is small
| doubt that, once back in China, he will
| reproduce the portrait scheme upon street
banners as he saw It here.
Benjamin Harrison had to visit his own
| portrait painter. He made journey to
New York to see Mr. Johnson and put
up at the Fifth Avenue hotel for a week
while sitting for his oil painting. 1t is
| only the later-day prophets who are so
| honored in their own country as TO be
sought out by the painters and have
| paintings done at their residences.
/ -.
| ceiVe sounds small to you who must pay
the same artist $500 for your portrait.
They Will paint a portrait Sxl0 feet for IS.
| All they ask for is an hours notice,
and, at the end of sixty minutes, while
the messenger waits, they will hand him
out the canvass with the portrait moist
upon 1t. And the likeness will be ex-
| cellent Long pratlce tells them where
to place each stroke The banner dealer
preserves an outline of the candidates
face, so as to have 1t IN perfect draw wing,
and this outline once traced upon the
canvas the filling-in is quick and sure
Few of the campaign portraits are
less than by feet, and If intended
| for high building, this size looks very
small; by 10 is better. The banner it.
self may be IS by As feet, with the por-
| traits pom it.
The favorite campaign banner this
year, for fashions change, Is the fish
| net InlS rs open work and offers less
resistance to the breezes. The specta-
Gle of campaign banner pulling out
the whole front Of building is not an
unknown one. Any large banner of solid
material will loosen the bricks.
The net banner Is trimmed with strips
of white muslin These are sewed on and
painted as you would paint a sign. The
colors are waterproof and sun-proof also,
just like sign. The mixing Of these col
ors is something a portrait artist must
learn, but once knowing II he knows II
| forever and many very excellent artists
adopt certain features OF banner paint
ing for their academy work. The perma-
hence of the colors Is something they
| covet.
The top of a banner has a cable run
through II. From the cable extend guy
ropes. These are anchored to different
parts OF the building or to strong posts.
A banner costing $500 was shipped to Nc
| kinleys home in Canton a few days ago.
IT had portrait by 5 feet and was about
10 feet square. As soon as the banner
started en- route word was telegraphed to
Canton and the committee began to place
| the poles TO receive II. one pole win be