Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-02-20
A BEGGAR'S ARTIST.
LIVES in A CELLAR AND PAINTS
SIGNS FOR MENDIcANTs.

SIGNS FOR MENOlCANTS.
He Makes Good Living and Would Rather
DO a Painter For Bcggars Than Bcggnr
PaInter-IIow the Pictures Are Used and
What IIe Charges For Them.
A new school of art has been discov-
cred. So far us known, this city has its
sole professor, and he is Us odd us his
art But this is the source whence come
the thrilling pictures which the beggar,
manned, halt or blind, displays when
he mournfully relates just how he was
injured and strives to impress upon the
charitable how deserving he is of aid.
In one of the shabbiest streets of the
city, away down i'll Il basement, flick
ering gas flame lights the studio of this
queer genius. It is II place Of business
such rs would appall the we'll dressed
banker, but it is no exaggeration to say
that its occupant has an income which
many more pretcntious painters would
rejoice to receive.
Technique and perspective meet with
small consideration ut the hands of this
king of the bcggnrs, for such he seems
to be- To watch ingress and egress of
his patrons would give stranger the
impression that some philanthropist had
established charity hospital i'll the
basement.
When the writer paid Il visit to this
unique studio the other day, the artist
was found attircd in pair of overalls
and greasy wooden shirt, as guiltless
of ornamentation Mt the neck as was
the neck itself of acquaintance with soap
md water. A bushy beard that had evil
IDENTIFY been brown in other days covered
the lower portion of the artists face,
and his shoclly hair stood up in indig-
nunt protest against the possibility of
invasion by brush or comb. From under
rather bushy brows keen pair of eyes
looked ont. Mind was decidedly i'll evil
dence; conventionality was below par.
Both cleanliness and godliness were
quite ignored.
Tho furniture of the studio consisted
of All old couch covered with material
which in days gone by had probably
been very pretty chintz Now it was
thoroughly disguised by the accumu-
lation of dirt. A roal rag carpet cover
ed the floor, but not single picture
was hung upon the walls, although
standing about the room were several
pictures III various stages of progress,
Permission was asked to examine them.
and they We're we'll worth seeing.
One was IL lurid representation Of "a
powder explosion So realistic was the
picture that if you cared to place your
finger on what We're alleged to be burn
ing grains of powder you could feel that
the grains We're there, though the artist
denied that that was the intention. He
said the printing was intended for Il
patron of his with two wooden legs,
substitutes for the pair that Il powder
explosion robbed him of. The object of
the painting was to show the charitable
stranger just how it happened, and the
artist said that in his mind there was
no doubt that his leglcss patron would
greatly benefit by the scene thus placed
OH canvas.
There WAS another picture, which rep
resented the blowing mp of aman-of-war
The flames that spouted from the decks
of the unfortunate vessel were far more
red than the light that shines from the
chimncys of an iron mill ut night. Ma
ture has never ucceeded III producing
anything quite so glowing as unmiti-
gated red paint, and there was no luck
of it in this picture. The persons who
were sailing about in the air seemed to
have suffered frightful injuries, and the
artist said that this was purely to i'll
woke sympathy for his customer, who
was supposed to be one of the actors in
the scene so graphically portrayed.
The price of such paintings varies
from So to $12 The artist can complete
che in about | l-2 hours, if he does not
hurry. If it is u rush order, tho work
can be concluded within an hour,
though in that case the price is increas-
ed somewhat. When asked if he made
much money by this sort Of work, the
artist replied that he did; that he gained
more than many painters who were
striving to do great things are able to
secure His patrons were generally
prompt pay-indecd the usual terms are
cash on delivery.
As for emJarking in higher art, the
artist would have none of it. He tersely
remarked that he would rather be
painter for bcggars than beggar paint
er, and us he waved Il goodby there was
contented look Oh his face, which
showed that he meant exactly what he
said. Philadelphia Press.