The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-15
POPULAR PICTURES.
FEMININE TASTE CONTROLS THE
MARKET.
Germans Lead the World ut Present
In Producing SaIable Pictures-To
Sell Well They Must BE Spiced
With Strong Romantic Senti-
nlent, or Else ConventionniIy Re-
Iigious.

They are mostly made in Germany,
if it's the pictures that are popular with
the greatest number of people YOU are
asking about" said the communicat-
i've art dealer. Fifteen years ago the
French and American artists rather
controlled the market and the pictures
that sold the best were engravingS to
one class oe art lovers. while coiored
plates. produced BY various ntho-
graphic processes, were the most ex-
tensively purchased. One of the lead
ing engravings of that time was Della
roche's tryDtich, The Prodigal Son.
No bride thought it worth while set
ting up house keeping unless she had
that special picture to hang over her
parlor mantel, While every well-reSu-
lated household boosted at least a
couple of Strane's heads in rustic wood
frames. and the next ambition OF eV-
cry woman, whose soul yearned after
art was to possess a colored copy OF
Guido's Beatrice Cenci. After these
three prime favorites we always found
good sale for engravings of statesmen
and coiored plates of the Rock OF
Ages" "Clinging to the Cross, THE
Soldiers Return" and a score more
brilliant Autographs from American
and English originals.
Now, however, il is oniy in the very
out of the way country places such
pictures ever find purchasers and adj
rrirers. for public taste has swung
far awav from this crude color and
cheap childish sentimentality. Eight
out OF ten persons who want something
to hang on their walls prefer that thing
shall be in black and white and the
selection usually represents commend
able and healthy taste.
WOMEN ADORE SENTIMENT.
Good. inexpensive Photographic pro-
cesses and the enormous reduction of
late years in the price of etchings, has
done the work of educating the pub
lies art instinct, which | Will confess
is usually found at it's best among the
women. They are very apt to decide
what is to be used in decorating the
house walls, and it is. only natural
their preferences should run toward
what is at once refined, graceful. and
spiced with strong romantic feeling
But feminine like. no picture can be
counted on these days to sell steadily,
year after 5year. The women are al
ways looking for something new, ard
dealers who know their public we'll
have found that their pictures like the
shape OF sleeves, are SUBJECT u Hchle
fancy. There is one point, however,
that all women are firm on They
won't bu5 nudes. Only about one out
of rs ventures on such a purchase, and
then the boldest lady is apt to select
something Boosting considerable drap-
cry. like Paul Thouman's "Fates, one
of the most popular pictures ever on
the market.
1t is by no means though, so valuable
a stock plate as Dreamy Thoughts,
or ''SDringtime." by the same artist,
while for the past two or three years
almost thousands of his famous Art
Wins the Heart" have found BUYERS.
That Is distinctl>r a woman's picture,
and i. IS sold in every size; in large
extensive photogravure and carbon
prints and IN cheap, effective auto
type.
II belon-s in what an art dealer
might call his album of family pictures
and ranks IN that class of clean COM
mendable German art, which has
rather cut under such lively French
men as Bison. whose gay croquettes
and slender nudes are very apt to be
found in bachelor apartments. At one
time these last had a great vogue, but
the thrift German, seeing what is
needed. IS busy producing such dis
creetiy dra0ed figures as Kaulbach's
Spring, plate that takes admirably.
we Keep, for their fine selling qualities.
Sichel low brow'd. fall Tipped. heavy
headed Circassian beauties, for this is