The times., 1898-08-14

i
Is very spacious. whereas save for the
noble studio and a dining room of fair
proportions. there are but three or four
/ living rooms
| IN the square entrance hall cozy with
| Oriental rugs and curtains. hang sketches
by Dudley Hardy. Phil May. E. III. Alb
| bey. an American citizen, and with a
| family of snowy kittens nestled cozily On
/ the rug before a bright hre- But the stu
dio was the bourne OF my pilgrimage,
ana thltner followed a smart maid ser
want. up narrow staircase guarded at
| the top by a full suit of Japanese ar
NOR. after which 1 found myself In the
1 quaintest and most beautiful of work
| shops
| The well-vautted roof Is crossed INV
heavy beams of dark oak, and a gallery
| destined for an organ runs across one end
| OF the room. Numerous posters by the
great French artist, Cherit, of whom Mr.
May is a warm admirer; an abundance Of
| indlan tapestry. several fine skins in one
corner carved wood screen of rarv|
Workmanship. all placed with artistic e.
feet and perfect taste. render the studio
a picture in itself. and one which fingers
| pleasantly in the memory.
| The artists wife, also born in Leeds
six months later than her husband. is a
gracious and exceedingly pretty woman
| Of medium height dainty figure. regular
features, delicateiy clear complexion. a
sensitive. perfectly formed mouth. and
| that rare charm, a sweet smile; the idol
OF her husband. and. as he himself de-
1 clares. his right hand" A elear-headed
| business woman, 10 her he intrusts the
entire management of his affairs. "If
| do anything behind her back laughed
her husband. 1T always turns out badly,
50 you see have come 10 consult her in
| all things
! l had fixed purpose In making my
! call l wanted Mr. Mays opinion on va
rious subjects pertaining to his rat, as
well as some sketches drawn BY himself,
| To illustrate the article. But I had a big
contract on hand. so far as the sketches
| were concerned.
Sketches for an interview by Phil May
| himself!' exclaimed a mutual friend 10
| whom / mentioned my desire do you
know what you are asking2 Are you
| aware that the merest touch OF Phil
Mays pencil is worth at least so in the
| market?''
But l made the plunge after a little
skirmishing. and out came my audacious
request. To say that Phil May smiled
is merely to say that Phil May was there.
for ne smiles all the time but his face
assumed an intensely cOmica! expression.
DO you know" he said. that / can
get almost any sum / choose To ask for
my work and especially for illustrations
for American papers7 l am obliged 10
decline their tempting offers every day
This principally because OF my agree
ment with Punch. as / am bound BY con-
tract not 10 do illustrations for any jour
nal except the Graphic without Mr..
Punch's permission. At the same time I
am free TO produce my own Annual
also illustrate books and when I obtain
7 do al ,F
azine work. At present I am engaged on
sketches for a souvenir of The Little
Minister at the Haymarket Theater.
However. I do not mind doing you a rep
resentatiOn of my own classic head" He
thereupOn took up pen and paper. and
whilst ne talked drew the picture which
! accompanies this article IL is a sketch
not In any sense a caricature, despite the
slight exaggeration Of feature, but pOr-
trait fun Of expression and character
When we talked about comic art par
ticulariy Mr.. May said:
81 want 10 know just what you call
comic art I presume you mean that
which is identified with John Leeeh Keene
and Du Maurier in England. and with
Frost in America I call that comic art
pure and simple. Frost is more purely
comieal than we are, think. and he and
Zimmerman are the best purely comic
artists in the world ! do NOT consider
myself purely comic: have another side
Il should say he continued. that the
humOr in American sketches is more ex-
aggerated than ours. At any rate, they
make me laGgh more I think. however,
that American comic artists are Ella ab0rate
in their exeeution-too elaborate. perhaps.
for my taste, but it is really difficult 20
compare the two countries in that re-
spect both being just about as good as
they can be. I am dead against color in
comic ART. and do not like it. because it
tends to elaboration. A comic sketch
ought not 10 be elaborated any more than
a joke. That is the reason so much pre-
fer black and white for all my humorous
work"
On the subject Of English and Aneri-
can cartoons. Mr.. May is retieent. Ac-
cOrding to his idea. It is not an easy mat
ter to make comparison, but he said:
II am certain that no one ever has
beaten Tenniel as a cartOOnist, and / do
not believe anyone ever will. The best
American cartoonist I ever knew was
Livingstone Hopkins. now a resident OF
Australia. and on the staff Of my old pa
per. the Sydney Bulletin
LAS TO the apparent technical knowl-
edge of their subject possessed by the ar
fists of the two countries. I think it is
almost equal"
M May does not hesitate 10 condemn
the picture which has little or no appli-
cation TO the reading matter. and upholds
the vogue OF the sketch which. by its
action. tells all the story without mar
ginal explanation. In a word. the joke
in the drawing is his ideal.
We discussed at length the idea which
is somewhat prevalent in parts of the
United States that caricaturing a public
man should be made by law a mistemean-
or punishable by fine or Imprisonment.
as is libel.
Il should resent any Interference with
the liberty Of the people in that respect"
he said. such a measure has never been
talked of in England. IL is not libel nor
SANDER TO make a comic picture of
pubic man. Exaggerating his physical
pecuiiarities is not the same as putting
the story of his foibles or sins into print.
The former is never done with the object
of attacking the man; il is his principles
which are under fire
Mr.. May had never heard Of the meas
ure recently brought before the New York
legislature relating 10 caricaJures. and
was astonished that such a law had ever
been contemplated He stands firmly for
the liberty of the press. and trusts to the
artistic sense of proportion TO prevent
anything like picture libel.
The accompanying portrait speaks part
ly of the personality of the man. He is
spare and pale. with dark hair cut very
close and combed straight across his fore
head Neither tall nor short. he is well
built. the limbs are trim and sinewy. the
hands and feet small and finely formed,
the head we'll poised. and the expression
marked features frau<