Connecticut western news., 1896-03-05
JoHANhA,lTHE APE ARTIST.
shs felis 0artsosfse MeDoug.li Her Ifs
 Story and Makss Clever skstchss<

She felis oartsoufst McDougHll Her Li1s
 Story and Makss Clever Sketches
 Immediately upon reading in the pspers that Johanna, the biz apo at the Central park FOO, had created . stir In scientific and art circles by drawing pictures I jumped into . cab and drove up there to interview her.,
 A careful study of Gamers, simiap dio- tionary and grammar as weIl as constant contact with a pet monkey has we'll fitted me for this task. The published speoi- mems of Johanna's work differed 70 widely that feared it was but a newspaper yarn, As we say in Glen Ridge, but the sight of Johanna really handling pencil gave wrenoh-a monkey wrench-to my suspi. cion. .a.
 She was certainly drawing pictures portrait of MT. Bailey, her owner, rho also owns 6 whole oirous full of monksyA copying 1t from a oolorsd print.
 She worked freely, with mastery of technique that was marvellous, bringing out the tones, the ohiarosouro, the im- pasto and the atmospbere marveloualy we'll. The touch of genius is apparent in her handling of the half tints and solids 90 necessary in producing a correct DOT trait. In delincating Mir. Bailey's whis. kers she used . method that was as broaal and plastic as Chase 8 or Sargent's, whioh led me to suspect that she had been re- oeiving private instruction from one of these artists. asked her In Gamers whistle cluck insonation when she had discovered her latent talent.
 "Oh, I've always had fti" she answered "It's a gift. When was mere child, I used to draw on tree trunks, fat stones nd lf,exf hat aA II Al ways making funny pictures of my con- rades, and was once expelled from a CO., cosnut opening bee for depicting the pres- ident of our tribe In a humorous Attltude." What Is your favorite suhjeotp in- quired. .......s ..s
 "Myselfs I like to sit before mirror and depict my own features and attitudes. It's grown to be a confirmed habit have portfolio of sketches of myself'- looked over her picture gallery with much interest. It revealed a knowledge af her best points that is surprising. oon- sidering her youth, but when one remem- bers her sex tho surprise ceases. "Did you ever take lsssonsf' Mot a lesson, and 1 dash these things oil In very few minutes. think sim pie outline sketch by master hand has more meaning in 1t than picture worked up in detail, don't youf"
 do and admitted 1t.
 But" she went on, trimming her nails with her eraser, "they take much more thought. never touch the paper until I've ooneidered the whole subject Then sail in and make things hun."
 "What artists do you admire the mostf' Living or deadf" she asked, raising her eyebrows and at the same time fur lively scratching her back with the pencil. Living" I replied.
 "Oh, l think 1t would not be politic or professional to crihicise for publication any of my fellow artists or make any invidious comparisons. At the SalmunguDdi club, to which belong, 1t Is considered grossly bad form to utter anything in the nature Of comment in the hearing of . newspaper man."
 What do you think" inquired, "of the Aubrey Beardsiey movementf" "I like 1t" she answered, with . ds- cided nod of her head. II like 1t very much. There Is freedom about 1t that Is very agreeable, especially, l may add, agreeable to one who can't draw and doesn't like to be constrained by trAdi- tiopal methods I've dabblcd httls in the poster line myself l made several very good ones, but the iithographers spoiled them"
 "Do you intend to pursue art for live lihoodY'
 That is just as Mir. Bailey, my guard ian, decides Here Is page of sketches made in his ofioe. This Is Tody Hamil- ton; that one is Nr. Starr, and here Is Lou Cook. think Mir. Baiiey's is the best, don't yous I may go on the stage and do lightning sketching, or may be- come a oartoonist. My real ambition, how ever, Is to be critic and take Montagu Marks place on his art paper" I told her something of the trials and tribulations of the oartoonist's life, and think steered her on from that Idea be- fore I left, my mind filled with wonder and admiration and my pockets filled with samples of her art work, which I had traded for some of my own skotcbcs-- | Walter McDougall in Nsw York World.