The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-25
SHE IS TBE RIAL THING
"Dudie" Baird Posed "Diana
of the Garden"
PLASTER CAST OF HER FIGURE.

Tells How 1t Was Taiscn-Says the Plaster
Felt Cold1Discourscs Posing Gcner-
ally and Gives Away Many Tricks of the
Trade.
That's my figure you SEQ pcrchcd on
tho tower of Madison Square Garden.
am tho original Diana of the Garden as
the artists say, F." said Miss "Dudie" Baird
to New York Herald reporter.
TO hear other models talk you'd think
that the originals of tho Diana were as
plenty us hucklcLerries, but, as a matter
OF fact, am tho only model who posed
ior Mr. st. Gaudens, tho sculptor, both
Tor the Is foot figure which was first
placed thcro and subsequently taken down
and for the ID foot figure which now bal
nnceS herself on ono of her toes at that
airy height.
That's tho reason I'm known among
Now York artists rs Dude' Baird, the
Diana of the Carbon My real namc is
Julia. They call mo 'Dudic' because,
whcn was baby could not pronounce
julia, and my baby talk for my name has
stuck by mo over since
IN the Diana of the Garden in more
senses than one, for the figure which Is
now on NIr. Stanford Whites graceful
tower was modelled from plaster cast
which was actually taken from my figure.
Tho plastcrwas put around me us l posed.
B-r-r, l can feel it now. 1t was so cold at
1irst it made me shivcr.
For the first Diam l simply posed.
Just ms would for painter, and MIR. ST.
Gaudens made a small model from my
figure. This model was then sent to the
N M ,1.,r, 4.~t h..
lie did not take plaster cast from mo for
this first Diam because tho finished statue
was to be so large that it wasn't necessary
to execute it in such detail
but Tor the second Diana the modelling
was very different. 1t took six workmen
throequarters OF day to get tho plaster
cast of my figure OF course YOU mustn't
think that was plastered NIL over mt once,
and stood that way for thrce-quartors Of u
day with the plaster hardening on me.
was, SO to speak, cast in sections, and I'll
tell you how it was done.
Remember thnt the Diana is poised on
tho toes of ono foot. Tho other leg is ex-
tended backward. Now of course, it
would have been impossible for mo to
stand on the toes OF one foot all day long
L probably couldn't have done it for five
minutes. Therefore it WAS necessary to
devise some means to cnablo mo to main
tain the poise. TO meet this difficulty Mr.
st. Gaudcns had two ladders placed in
such position that l could be proppcd ND
on them.
To begin with, 1 at once took tho full
pose-arms in position, just MS if was
going to send the arrow whizzing from its
bow, the toes of one foot lightly touching
the floor, the other leg extending back ms
in the statue itself. A Slight bit of drapcry
W in t,o G,ic
ing gracefully back from the figure was
not put on me. Mr.. st. Gaudens must
have modelled that afterward Ho posed
me simply for the, figure.
''ln posing it is customary 20 begin by
taking the full pose in order to get what
we call tho torse'-the hang of it, sun
pose you'd shy. But in getting the Torso
on this occasion l Mt the same time prop
ped myself up on the ladder by running
my arms over two Of the rungs
'Then the workmen began to put the
plaster around mo, section by section. 1t
was aticklish moment i'll more senses than
one When the lime in tho plaster began
to warm up and the plaster began to set
the feeling was, to say the least, peculiar
and it was, furthermore, II ticklish mo-
ment because, although the plaster was
beginning to set, didn't dare move, for
the slightest motion would have spoiled
the mold. suppose it required from four
to five minutes after the workmen had ap-
piled the plaster for it to set. Then they
cut it with thread and took off the mold
in two sections.
In this way they went over my entire
figure section by section, and the cast
which was made from me was sent to the
foundry to be enlarged. AS sent from Mr.
ST. Gaudcns' studio, it stood 3 feet
inches, my exact height, and was, OF
course, All absolutely perfect reproduction
Of my figure in plaster From this it was
enlarged to its present siZe-13 feet If
any others among tho many original 'Di-
anas of tho Garden can say as much, they
are welcome to their claim.
Did l object to posing for Mr. St
Gaudens for the Diana of the Gardcn?'
Not at all have often posed for artists
III the 'toot and scramble, if you choose
to call it that. Serious working artists
and models look upon such matters pure
ly from the standpoint of nrt. Thoughts
Interior to this never enter their heads
otherwise tho artist might rs well give up
rcinG an artist and tho model being
model.
II may say, i'll fact, that have run tho
whole gamut of posing. 1 have been pref
ty much everything under the sun that
human being can be. l am ready to
throw myself into any pose for any sub
ject, from n cherub coming out of cornu-
copia to Science seated upon throne;
from Diana pcrchcd upon n tower to
tennis girl sulliing because another girl in
forming the set has demonstrated the
truth of the old saw that 'Two's company,
three n crowd. This is actually the title
of tho first picture 1 ever posed for.
i havo often posed for Charles Dana
Gibson for his society women. I don't
care snap for the Four Hundred myself,
To lr,anI- IL l-r Ah4..