The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-10-20
Started Life In Wall Street but He Preferred
10 Draw Pictures.
THE DRAWING THAT STARTED HIM.
Received -Four Dollars For II and Was Amazed al
lberalt oil Purchaser---Rad 10 Fight
Hard For Place.

who holds place in America much NOR
Hkc thEt heli for SD many years by th
amcntCd Du Maurier I'm England thar
, any onC else las over achieved On tLis sid
! the water, has just settled himself in on,
OF the apartments fitted up by Genera
Daniel l.. Sickles In his house on lowel
| Fifth avenue. And while this may no
be an item of supreme Importance it doe,
possess certain igni1cance--the limnel
! OF the ideal American girl is certainly q
parsonage OF more or less interest both tc
those who Ike To look at pretty pictures
and those who love tho American girl her.
self
Gibson is 30. IIo Is generally termed a
New Yorker, but ho Is son of this town
by adoption only. Boston was his birth.
place, and he lived there through several
years OF careless early boyhood. He SAYS
himself that no was as fond of fun as any
boy ought TO be, but even at play his bent
was artistic, and by the time no was he
was known by all the neighboring chill
dren and tho old folks, too, IA tho boy
who could cut paper likenesses of anybody
ne happened To SEQ. In fact, his family
used 10 like too show of this accomplish
ment OF his TO visitors, and no was as
pleased TO take part I'm tho exhibitions as
his elders were TO have him. The boy
could cut ont sheep and cows and horses,
too, ana, seeing that his handiworl was
SO much admired, he decided To go cut
ting silhouottes for IA living, taking his
brother and little girl they knew for
partners. They scored an instant success,
for grinning milkman's boy bought a
paper cow from tho childish trio on condi-
tion that IL should be cut out while he
waited, agreeing to pay 3 cents for the
same. This however, was the extent of
the business done, and it was not till after
young Gibson had become New Yorker
or his family thought Of his making art
life pursuit
Gtbson's Beginnings.
Tho Gibson household removed hithe,
before no had reached his teens, and he
went to work rs boy in Wall street
brokers' office But, to tell the truth, he
used 10 think moro about pictures than
stocks and pencils than bonds, and no
spent lot of time belonging to his en-
ployer decorating the walls of tho office
md the blank leaves of account books
with tho crude embodiments of his fancy.
Still he cultivated q liking for the life ia
Wall street, and looked forward with long
ng TO the Time when he would be n broker
,n tho floor instead OF only messenger.
Perhaps ho might now bo financier but
or Guiteau's fatal bullet.
The shooting of Garfield set all the boys |
ie knew To copying tho printed portraits |
'f the assassin's victim, and some of the |
'lder ones among thom mado up purse
" dollar 10 be given TO tho boy who i
Irew the most successful copy. Gibson
von this dollar, and that settled his career
10 shook the dust Of Wall street from his
Get forthwith and betook himself TO the
chool of tho Art Students league. There
10 studied faithfully for two years
tudied TIL he concluded no knew lot
bout art. Thcn he took portfolio filed
With his cherished drawings and sketches
nd visited literally every publisher of IL
nstrated literature in New York.
IL was weary weary tramp, and II
los up many days. Discouragcmont was
)ng his portion too. Some of the art
ianagers wouldn look at his work. 9th
rs looked only TO snocr at his uncertain,
'raggy lines and his faulty drawing. He
Of so after awhile that he didn't try to
70 the managers at all. Hc Just handed
Is bundle OF drawings TO the boy guard
* The door and walked away to return
day or two with the moral certainty
lat IL would bc handed back unopened.
But he mover gave up, and one day he
ade his hit. He got up n drawing OF a
Ig baying at the moon, based on n song
10 whole town was humminR and took
to the Office Of Life. The art manager
ceptod the picture and paid tho boy 81
10. Gibson was amazed at such libor-
lty and hurried away as fast as no could,
fear THAI sum would later DO thought ,
o muth. Hut there had been no mis-.
kc. The leo was broken NJ last, and the !
ices tho young artist began Co receive /,
re far better than he had hoped for in 7,
; Widest dreams. :
Eigbtiug Hard For Place. \
But he hadn't yet won n secure place as l
illustrator by any sort Of means. Life's
manager didn't find something worth
wing I'm the Gibson portfolio every week .
many long month after that. and so
Json dad what Abbey, now tho mural n
inter p0r excellence, and Bush, tho car \
mist, and j. \. Frost, the illustrator /
i scores Of others had done before him. c
peddlod his work from week to week r
whomcvcr would buy. q
In those days the markets for pictures t'
re Tar more circumscribcd than now, =
ng limited virtually to Life, Puck, =
dge and nn occasional cphemeral com -
itor. \ little later the perfection OF the a
chnnical means Of reproducing draw a
- chcarly gavc illustration, especially N
Vt ot newspapers. big boom. and pres s.
Ily iairly competent artists, instead OF b
ng drug IN the market, actually came t'
be In demand This was n help Co Glib. 81
B, Ut course, but yet thera wero weeks
en-, somehow. he cuuldnt snem IA
use any Of tho buyers aud his income
: distressingly small as whole and q
-ragcously uncertain.
. was then that he sold lot of draw .
q at wholesale or In the lump. 80 10 d,
al, 70 one ~ the best known comic -
'klics nnd told them he didn't care
cthcr they ever used the work or not 80
x as he got little moncy-at Icast
l Is Inc ~as The story goes, md, at all