The record-union., 1897-09-12

effect upon the sale of pictures Dy
French painters? is the question which
has been occupying the minds Of prom
inent artists in Paris during the past
few weeks.
Calling upon NJ. Bouguereau at his
house in the Rue Nortre Dame des
Champs. I asked the distinguished
painter his opinion
We'll taken all in ALL" he said, L
really am inclined to think the bill VIII
have a good effect judging the matter
from a high artistic standpoint. My
opinion is that the standard of art Will
be raised, because you must know that
ever since the passing of the Act al
lowing free entry Of pictures into the
United States the place has been flood
ed with worthless works Of art. Now
the American public won't mind paying
20 per cent. on a genuine work OF art
but it viii be another matter in the
case of bad art; you will not find pic
ture dealers willing to take the rlsk OF
paying a tax on worthless canvases-
Nine. Bouguereau, who was Eliza
beth Gardener, an American born ar
tist. echoed the opinion of her nus
band but thought the tax rather eX-
cessive. She was glad, however, that
the tax was applied to every one WITH
out exception, for, some years ago, II
had always seemed to her so ulIgracious
that her pictures should inter the
United States free of duty while those
of men from whom she had learned
everything, should be subject to tax
On the other hand, she said it was very
hard if students in Paris and elsewhere
70 Irrfx
lures. What could be more bitter than
to have a picture which the owner had
failed to sell for $50 taxed as worth
double the amount?
It was hard for NJ. Lefevre to take
the new tax seriously. The idea of a
tax upon art seemed to him preposter-
Gus. You never know what the
Americans will do next" he said.
Experiments which others regard as
foredoomed to failure serve only to in
spire them to new efforts. l don
think the tariff viii make any differ
ence to good painters. Connoisseurs
viii be always willing to pay for first
class work. It is not the artist VINO
win have to pay this tax. but the
American picture buyer. Incompetent
artists viii be the ones to suffer by the
new tax. and probably it will make
considerable difference in the sale Of
foreign illustrations in America
NJ. Tony Robert -Fleury confined him
self TO expressing his disapproval of the
tax simply from moral point Of view
To tax works of art was to tax ideas
education. and refinement. But he had
given over being astonished at the
Americans. They were a great nation,
but they would be greater if they were
not so changeable. NJ. Fleury added
that his pictures had always sold fairly
we'll in the United States, and he in
clined to the belief that the tariff would
not make much difference to him.
NJ. oliver Merson, who has done
much work in the past for Harper
and other American magazines, had no
very definite opinion on the subject OF
the new tariff and it's effect upon the
sale of his work. but he did not seem
to have any fear that it would affect
the sale of drawings for newspapers
and magazines. These would probably
buy foreign work at any cost.
But every French illustrator is not
so optimistic as NJ. Merson. Many IL
Illustrators of great talent who have be-
come fairly well known in America,
though their work might not fetch so
high a price as that of NJ Merson or
NJ. Boutet de Menvel, have expressed
their misgivings, and it would not be
a matter of surprise if in few months
time it was found the Dingley tarlf
bill had dealt a serious blow at French
illustrators.
There is to be a new edition of
Modern Painters" published at a
much reduced price. George Allen, who
is Mr.. Ruskins publisher, is to get 1t
out. The present price for the book,
he points out, is tt for the six volumes.
His new edition will be in six crown
octave volumes, and viii sell for two
glineas New plates are being made
from proof impressions of the old ones.
The new plates are by various pro-
cesses In some cases they are htho-
graphs, in others phOtOgrayures- After
the Modern Painters" edition has been
completed a new and cheaper edition
of The Stones of Venice Will be un-
dertaken. Mr.. Allen. in giving these
nartfcuIars to the London Academy,
added an interesting bit of informa-
ton concerning the place where Mr..
Ruskin's books are published. Every
body has believed that they came from
Orpington. in Kent Parties of Amer
lean travellers" says Mr.. Allen, have
repeatedly arrived at Orpington to see
what never existed there. Tru-
". Mr.. Ruskin's books were ware
housed at OrpingtOn, and issued from
Orpinrton. but the beautiful factory
as You call it, and as others have i'm
agined it. is a superstition. Mr.. Rus
kin's books have always been printed
and bound in London"
Lady Dixie. in writing of the late Duo
d'Aumale. has some amusing things to
say about his characteristics as a book
lover. Picturing him in the famous
library at Chantilly she says: His
interest in his books was far from be-
ing confined TO a superficial pleasure
in their bindings. their beauty, or theil
rarity, one could not lay ones hands
on volume in his superb and i'm
mense library with the contents OF
which he was not to some extent IA
miliar. Unless, indeed, you were spe-
cially authorized to do so, touching his
books was temptation that it was
wiser TO resist He had a jealous senss
OF their value and could be angry with
a daring hand. On one occasion. wher
the g.ass doors before the shelves at
the ead OF the library had been un-
locked. and some of his most precious
treasures-each in its own locked glass
case-had been brought forth and
opened, heard him cry out peremptor-
lily TO most distinguished French
Academician. who had ventured t
handle volume, Put it down, put i