The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-25
A VENUS OUT OF EMPLOYMENT
KATHARINE CALLIGAN, THE BEST
MODEL IN NEW YORK.

Has Posed for st. Gaudens, Chase,
Duran and Sargents - Now Her
''CaIves" Are Lumpy, Her Hands
Red and Her Ankles Too Big and
Stronghold Healthy for Anything
But a Bicycle TriIby.
New York, April 23.-I am a young wo-
man of 80 years. 1 am feet inches tail
and weigh 145 pounds.
These are the proportions of a woman
modelled after the Venus de Milo, and in
all New York city there is not a young
woman-no. nor in Paris-more artisti-
calIy shaped. And this one fact is leading
to the greatest trouble of my life.
To be plain / must state that / am an
artists model and that earn So an hour
for posing. l am said to be the best model
in Gotham. But of that l say nothing be-
yond that 1 have posed for Gibson, Wen
zell. Chase, Beckwith and st. Gaudens.
Yes. and for Sargent and Carolus Duran,
and so many other painters that to men
ton them would be giving a list for the
royal academy of artists. 1 even posed
for Du Maurier before he left off drawing
and went to writing. And Phil May, the
outline artist of London, has placed me in
hundreds of his girl pictures.
This is told, not as a matter of vanity,
but only in pardonable pride.
Last autumn 1 was troubled with ind-
gestion or some 'old thing" as the boys
say, and l went to my doctor. fIe, said,
all doctors do, ride a Wheel Before go
ing home l stopped at a bicycle shop to
get the prescription filed and a month
later when l went to my model appoint
ment at 10 o'clock in the morning rode
wheel, storing it in the basement of the
house where the artist lived.
1 said nothing to him about having
learned to ride.
That day as Mr.. c. was painting l no
ticed that he was very irritable. He pos
ed me again and again. / was sitting or
standing for the Venus de Medici He
was making a rather pretty picture of an
American beauty, the Duchess of NJ, in
classic drapery for a foreign castle. He
had painted the duchess from life, but
wanted me to pose for the figure, after
which he would place classic drapery up
on it,
After some little hesitation he said
Miss c., we will have to let the picture
go this morning. Either l am stupid or
your arms seem out of proportion. The
forearm is to well developed; almost mus
euler. The soft outline is gone. You
might as we'll have been riding a wheel,
as far as your muscles are concerned"
l went home very sad and guilty wise.
Next day / went back to him. But he
found all sorts of fault with me- He had
changed the picture and was painting upon
Newport scene where the girls We're
playing upon the beach. Your limbs
pardon me-" said he ARE not what they
used to be. Your calves were so perfect
ly rounded. Now / notice a lumpiness
that it is impossible to paint in an ideal
leg. And really, Miss Calligan, l fear
you are growing heavy. Your muscles are
so big"
Disguised ! left the studio and went on
my rounds posing. In New York a model
is a far different parsonage from model
in Paris. Here she is her own mistresss
Her time Is her own outside of pc sing
hours and she is not expected to pert orm
the Trilby functions of cooking. men,iing
and nursing. She can be as independent
as the lady who gives the artist his com
mission. Therefore. though l had been
riding a month, ] had not mentioned A TO
any Of my artist patrons.
The next place | went / was to pose 70
the hands Of society woman who hl
beautiful, but Is gifted with hands too
large. Messonier once painted her por-
trait and made the mistake OF depicting
the hands life size. This artist, a clever
Frenchman, had the portrait with him
when he came 60 this country. intending
TO finish Il here and show Il TO Mrs MS
American relatives and then take Il back
with him TO her home in Paris. where she
lives most OF the year.
NY hands are usually a beautiful white.
tinted upon the palms aud Hngor
tips ana shaped AZ those Of the Milo Venus
might have been had they not been lost.
! took my place len the chair OF slate and
rested my hands upon my lap Ia an idio.
graceful way impossible" called out |
DE artist "tfy again I moved my hands.
the nest minute boz was on his feet come |
ns towards me, moving my hands laying