The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-16
Women in Pictures.

"A clever but somewhat hlppant writer
currently says: 1t has been noticed that
i'll the recent sales of old English pic.
lures the portraits of women brought
higher prices than those of the men. 1t
is natural that this should be SO. A WON
an is worth looking at, and man isn't
Besides, the woman can make herself
more interesting as a subject by her
costume than a man can, for he is re-
strained to the sober haDilimen.s o. Ii.
sex. unless he chases an aniseseed bag
or belongs to the military, and then
his clothes are apt to be rather crude il
color. A woman dressed in six different
kinds of clothes, with strings of colored
stones around her neck and goldwork
all over her and flowers in her hand,
makes show, but, unless a man is rep
resented butchering calves or shooting
soldiers, or plying some equally abhor
rent trade, he cannot have chance TO
get himself upon the Same canvas with
a bit of cheering red. The women of
Reynolds, Gainsborough, Romney, and
those painters were gorgeous creations
even though they were too sentimental
for any mortal use and posed ridiculously,
sometimes as nymphs in blue velvet, OF
shepherdesses in pink silk, and as pic
lures they are priced where it would be
impossible to prize Sinking person in
black coat, with tie, wig and no bou-
quets nor Jewelry. But it is said that
50 far as Dutch art is concerned, the
valuation is reversed. 1t is the men of
Rembrandt, Halls, Boil, and so on, that
are most esteemed, while the women are
neglected. This is partly due to the
astounding LONELINESS of the women. Is
there q well-appearing dame in all Dutch
art! There are pretty women in Holland
today. How does it happen that the
painters found nothing in their time but
dull, long-nosed, fish-eyed, expressionless,
bony matrons? The men wore pretty
fles on them. They wore big hats. Their
boots fitted them a good deal and hung
III graceful folds around their ankles;
they had collars Of lace and bows of col
ored ribbon, and their coats We're red and
yellow and brown and blue and green and
orange. Isn't it, then, matter of
clothes, in other words. of color, that
gives value to portrait? Is it not the
lack OF color that makes the average Dor
trait OF this day merely commercial out
put, with no more interest for the chance
spectator than volume of statistics :?
Even the academy and the Society of
American Artists lack the courage to re-
!ect certain of these offerings every year,
because Well-knoWn names are appended
to them, but though they hang on the
walls, they are seldom looked at except
by the persons represented and their ad-
miring relatives. There is room for limo
walton. It is time for the portrait artist
to turn his portraits into pictures. This
ne may do if he has a fine sense of color.
or if he lacks that he can make his sub
Ject Interesting by reason of pose, action,
OF accessories. Best of all, if he has the
seeing not only of surfaces but of char
aeter, he can make the subject disclose
himself impressively. Unless a portrait
mas character. personality in pose, and
color enough to lend beauty to the can
vas It is not picture but Il failure
New Orleans Picayune