The age-herald., 1899-05-14
AN OPEN LETTER
 ID THE AGE-HERALD
From Miss Kate Clarke, the Fa- nous Professional Model
 of New York.

 l read in the columns of your newspaper last week an article by Giovanni, the fa- nous man model of New York, and I thought as I read an account of his easy life how different it was from the life of a girl model. And knowing your well known reputation for fair play I write to tell you something about the daily life of a woman who poses.
 You will seo that from the very beginning | it is different from the life of a man model. A man is petted and praised all the while | he poses, but a girl can pose all day long until she drops to the floor with weariness l and nobody will speak a kind word to her. | Artists are selfish.
 I would say at the beginning that I am l not the famous Mrs. Clark who posed for Chase and travelled with him and his faml- ly though have posed for Chase occasion ally myself and have stood for a St. Gau- dcn's statue many time. We in the model line all have our specialties, and mine Is the up-to-date classic girl-for even the best sculptors do not make the classic fig ures as severe as they used to- While 1 am not very beautiful in face, I have an excel- lent figure, and l pose for the bust, the waist and the hips, though not very often for the ideal head. l have often posed for the figure and had someone else pose for
  but my nose is not quite straight enough for the classic the ideal.
 The life of a girl model in New York city is very hard. She must work all day for very little, and she must live as though she wore a princess. A broken fingernail a sunburnt nose, swollen eye-lid will throw her out of her occupation as decidedly as though she broke her leg. She must be eX- quisite in every physical dotail, and every woman knows that it costs money to be lady. Baths and cosmetics and toilet soaps and perfumes come high. vet the artists require them of their models. I the hardest worked young woman of 22 in New York city. I get up at o'clock and by 9 I am in the studio.
 My first appointment is wit ha miniature painter, a very well known woman who makes practice of getting the morning sun upon her work. I pose for her in cos- tune to represent her patrons. One of the Armour family had a very pretty miniature painted It was two-thirds length The lady posed until the face was completed and then the painter told her that she would secure a model for the figure. I stood patiently for ten mornings, two hours at time while the artist painted the figure upon delicate ivory. The picture was a 1 success, and received $10 for my part of 1t. The painter got $00.
 At noon 1 generally pose for a young man who Illustrates fiction. Some days l am | the languid heroine lying upon couch and doing nothing all day long. That is pleas ant, and I lie there and dream how nice 1t would be to lie still and do nothing all the f time. If I get drowsy and let the paper fall out of my hand I am recalled to myself by a sharp word from the artist. He would discharge me and get another if l were to fall asleep and spoil the expression.
 .Ieonee did this, or worse. I was posing for a Diana, standing upon one foot with a drawn bow. To make the position easier the artist who by the way, was the late Sarony rigged up a tackle from the ceiling into which I suspended my upifted foot With one foot hoisted behind me l stood patiently half an hour at a time Then Sarony would let down my foot and would rest five minutes
 But after a while he got so interested in his work that he forgot me and I stood forty minutes on one foot Then I began to cry in spite of myself and the tears srick- led down my checks Sarony painted on with rapt look, getting the expression ex- actly When he looked up and saw what he had done he was hopping mad at mo- and I would have lost my position, as his favor ite model, if had not promised to do bet ter next time.
 It is great fun afternoons, for then the best artists are wide awake and I pose as a flower girl, as Fifth avenue lady, as a spring girl riding in the park and as other attractive people, dress then in very att tractive costumes and the only blot.is that I have to furnish the costumes myself. But l l cent white China silk dress for Gibson's last Empire lady. trimmed the dress with white swan's-down and I bought big sil- yer buckle for the front of it. It was stun ming. and no wonder he pleased
 Posing for the nude isn't quite so pleas- ant. It, is generally done in the evening when there are no colors to be caught and when the artist can paint right along on the flesh tints without bothering with the reds and greens. I don't mind posing
 I...4 fva rfv1fn q pretty cold work l stood an hour at a time three evenings every week all through December and January, and nearly caught my death of cold every time. shivered so that the artist brought his little gas stove over and stood it about foot away from me. Then I was warm on that side and cold on the other. Studios are big cold places anyway and artists wear cider down coats and big soft flannel capes and all sorts of warm slippers. But they don't seem to think of the model.
 had a snap last winter every afternoon for three weeks for a wealthy clubman who thinks he Is an artist. He wanted an ale gorical pose and suggested the long, loose robes of the Castilian ladies of long ago. T got LID a, wonderful Spanish robe with Csrecian border and it suited him beautiful ly. But he said ought to have cigarette in my hand, and he asked mo if l could smoke.
  paene. and black coffee, and ices for me to take if I should get nauseated with the cigarette got nauseated pretty often and for three weeks I got my lunch that way. Toward the last I asked a girl chum ln for the poor dear soul did not always paint Ha only worked when he had the fever up- on him and other times I sat and ate and drank and smoked a little. just to keep my self in practice, told him. It would be great fun being a model IT
 f,,II vatp that oraza brought so many into the business | that the rates went down and now I only | get 5O cents an hour, when l used to get from s1 to S. It is a great deal nicer pos- ine for individuals than for class. Tn | a class the students make such personal re- ,oarlxss about you that your feelings get | hurt. but if an artist has anything to say | he lseeps it to himself and if he does not | like YOU he gets another model.
 "a Gnof h Gxrrx.