The times., 1899-10-29

fame and desiFuus. as every man and wo-
man may be, to so down TO posteri.y as
+ portrayed by John Sargent, the majority
OF possible sittsrs shrlzk frOm his brush.
Nearly every winter Sargent comes over
I to nh a few orders. for he win only take a
few and he never gives a price on his
work until it is completed Then he es,i-
mates the value OF portrait on the
/ strength Of his own criticism q It's merits
/ If he likes il himself he viii put on a stag
I gering price. as in the case OF the late Cal
I win BTice; II he feels displ6ased VITA TIE
/ result he viii coOliy tear Up the whole
I thing or place most moderate estimate
/ upon IT, and women fear him because Es
I paints them as his calm. cod analytical
gaze observes them. not as vanity or Hat
/ terry might inspire, and with almost ner-
yous dread his sitter waits 10 see how be
will paint his OF her eyes.
There is a tale going the rounds of the
studios that on one occasion when Sargent
( delivered a portrait OF a pretty woman 70
her family they at hrst refused to ac-epL
il. on account OF the eyes. declaring theJ
were the eyes OF a mad woman, not t-o5e
/ Of their relative. Sargent, the painter OF
the soul, insisted they were her eyes as he
[ had seen them and would make no altera-
[
end apparently but time proved what a
wizard the painter was, for before twelve
months had passed the poor lady did lose
her mind utterly.
This is a growing country and It's devel-
Opment is nowhere more clearly demon
strated than in the steady expansion OF its
art interests and in the fact that the pur-
trait painters are growing rich. few
years ago the American WhO took TO the
brush as a profession, lived under a com
pulsory vow Of poverty. simply because
there was no money and mighty little fame
TO be earned in his business on this side
of the water; but times have changed; the
limuers art is enjoying 4 boom OF almost
fancy dimensions. and is an altogether in
teresting, luxurious and profitable Occupa-
tion. There is nothing better than the
painting Of portraits.
For il is in portraits that the money Is
made. The FrenChmen who came over here
to experiment taught that fact to our ma
tive talent, and one artist with turn FOR
statistics easily reckonsd that last year
something over a million OF dollars was
paid out By our rich men and women for
their Iikenesses on canvas and ivory. This
winter the brotherhood Of the brush are
looking for even larger profits, for the
state Of the money market is promptly
felt in the studios
Some men there are, however. whose in
comes from their art work average about
the same, whether stocks are fiat or rising.
and ]. Wells ChampHey can count on very
nearly as many portraits per winter as hs
can make. By all odds. he is the hrst pas
! telist We have, and his personality wins
him as many sitters as his genius with the
crayOns.
There was a time when Bsniamin Porter
Z str rfe eraN. #Tr
ionable women, and his color effects and
| dTapery brought him as rich patronage as
/ this country afforded. Now. however, his
popularity is shared. IL not over SHADOW ed.
/ by that of Muller Try, who made his f st
fame as a maryeIously able painter OF
satin. Try, from the most modest begin
nings has rapidly grown into an art-s5
with IN income OF very nearly $500
year and in consequence he possesses the
most sumptuous studio undoubtedly ID this
country So sincerely is his talent e5-i-
mated By society that his sitters make 10
demur at the price. Five thousand do lars
he asks for an oil portrait, and tn great
picture he made of Mrs. Seward Webb,
gOWned in white satin and sables. vita her
boy in a satin court suit beside her, wen
him his artistic spurs
Three spacious high vauitsd rooms.
hung and furnished with genuine artists
Z
brilliant Bohemian receptions in New
York are given every winter. and one OF
these rooms has fame all its own be-
cause Of its walls Of wood stained TO inky
bIacEtuess and then overiaid with sixteen
coats of coach yarnish. ScOncss fun o.
wax candles and a few choice pieces OF
carved ivory and aFmOr are seal tered upO1
this remarkable background that re1e-ts
like the richest French plate mirrors and
the
admirable effect.
OF the whole galaxy of brilliant foreign
ers who were in the habit of coming every
winter to America to reap with their
brushes the fine harvest OF dollars that
home talent now gathers in. Carolus. The
raud. and Chatrain are among these who
still find they can successfully compete
| with the able Americans.
Thcraud is yet able to ask the biggest
prices Of any artist for his portraits he
will not so much as take up his brushes
/ under a guarantee of less than $4,000 and
he asks and gets as high as SS000 and
$4,000 for a fun length picture, such as the
notable portrait Of the Duchess of Narl-
borough Like a thrifty GauI he rents
small. plain studio in whatever city he
settles temporarily, and elderly man as
he is. renders himself so captivating to
his sitters that after one interview the
shCck OF his big price wears Of, he-is asked
to- the choicest social functions and with
the women his chief charm is that he can
paint diamonds until they actually sparkle
on the canvas and that no woman looks
I commonplace when Theraud pCrtTays her.
For all this personal charm and the
uudOubted ability the foreigners possess
/ their star Of popularity has so waEed that
only those Of commanding genius are any
/ longer so cOurted by our rich folk tha1 they
find it worth while TO come over every year.
/ Ii is true BOutet De MOlvel in the two
months he was over last year, took away
nearly $50 OG0 FOR ChiIdreu's portraits alone.
/ and Chicago gave him his richest patron
! age. and it is also true that Zoru was paid
I 50 600 per half-hOur sitting BY Mrs Potter
/ Palmer. but these exceptions are growing
rsrsr every day. and this winter only TWO
/ foreigners viii come over 10 Try their luck
/ at limuIug American faces.
| Meanwhile the home talent enjoys not
/ only financial. but social prestige Such
men as Try. Porter. etc, take a prominent
/ part in society. and Miss Kussner. the
I first among the miniaturists, is sought af-
I ter for her personal charms as well as for
! her remarkable talents. Like Champuey.
she is an unusually rapid worker In one
/ week spent with the ArmOur5 Of Chicago
she all but completed five miniatures. and
I as her price is $500 for portrait on ivory
I il is easy to estimate her earnings
/ She is one OF the very few American art
I lists whose fame has extended TO the other
side and there her quick, brilliant WOrk
won her the most exalted patronage. IN
! two sittiugs she made her portrait OF the
/ Car. and she had but one sitting from the
I Prince Of Wales; still her results were
I Col rf- FfrF nor e