The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-31
iIiGGiGH
/ Nj. OSSI0n TIbDyHS PD|||IL J



known, whose paintings have been ac-
ccrnnodated on the walls of Burlington
house at regular intervals for some
years past. 5ut "it was not always
thus" At the outset Of my career I
found It very uphill work, and although
! painted many pictures, and painted
them well too--in my own estimation
at all events-owing to want of pat
Tons" | was often hard pushed TO find
the means Of procuring the reasonable
neccssarics of existence. So it was n
red-lctter day with me when an old
friend of my fathers called upon me
TO put me into the way Of obtaining a
commission to paint gentleman's por-
trait.
Nov, my dear boy" said Mr.. Mean
we'll, "thc Society for the Relief and
Superannuation of Distressed British
Bone Boilers have determined TO honor
one of their mNnhers, MIR Ossian Tib-
Dyer, rich bone boiler, by having his
portrait hung in the court room of the
institution. 1t may seem to you, as it
does to me, that the money would be
better spent in assisting the charity;
but that is no business Nf ours. the
warden of the society is a fre nd of
mine, and | can get you the Job if you
care to undertake it,"
Portrait painting was not favoritc
phase of art with me, as ] preferred
Landscape and animals, but "begEars
must not be choosers," and jumped at
the offer.
In due time I was waited upon bv a
committee of the Society for" etc,
to whom the arrangement of the busi-
ness had been entrusted, and ] found
these gentlemen in a most genial and
reasonable mood. 1t subsequently
transpired that they had just partaken
of a substantial and choice luncheon
out of the fund which had been voted
for the purpose OF the testimonial,
which no doubt accounted for their
pleasantncss; but it was no dctriment
to me, as We quickly arranged terms,
and they left me on the understanding
that l should paint the portrait Of Mr..
Ossian Tibbyer for the sum of $50 to
be paid to me when the work had been
approved by Mr.. Tihbyer himself. But.
before leaving my studio, the chairman
of the committee took me aside.
There is one thing that l should like
to mention, Mr.. Paignton," he said.
"Our esteemed friend, Mr. Tibbyer, is
ot--ahem-is not very regular fca-
tured man. and l fear you may feel
some little difficulty in transferring his
expression to canvas in such a way
as to be pleasing to himself and his
friends. You know what I mean Now,
you must do your best to make the por-
trait a satisfactory cne!"
Il must hattcr him bit, you mean?"
l returned.
"Ahem! Suppose we say that yoi
must endeavor to assist by art nature
that. in itself somewhat rugged (al-
though of pure virgin gold, as it were),
shows it's kindly feeling in the very
roughnesS of its exterior. That's about
the way / should speak of it after one
of our annual dinners, you know"
Certainly, | quite understand" l re-
piled, smiling at his grandiloquence. Il
will try and supply the polish that IS
wanting"
That's right" he cried. "Tone down
the eXcrescences and lay it on thick.
Good morning"
In few days l was favored with a
sitting from Mr.. Tibbyer
From the chairman's warning / had
expected to find plain" man in the
person of my sitter, but when l beheld
him l was really Mortified at the task
which was before me, for the distn-
euished bone-boiler was. without eX-
ception, the ugliest man l had ever set
eyes upon. How on earth I was to
make a satisfactory" portrait of him
was at an utter loss to know!
Looking at him full face he showed
lumpy, irregular-shapcd brow, with
thick, stubby hair growing down al
most to his eyebrows, his nose broad,
his mouth wide and heavy, and his chin
which he, unfortunately for my pur-
pose kept shaVed-reCeded at an angle
partaking more of the simian type than
of its Darwinian development.
In profile his nose turned up to an
extent which suggested that it had been
perpetually endeavoring to get away
from the odOrs in which il had worked
all its life, and the receding chin, of
course, showed TO a far worse degree
than it did fun face.
| felt inclined TO renOunce the COM
mission altogether, or at least. TO sug-
gest 10 Mr. Tibbyer that he should
grow u beard and see me again in a
couple of months, when some OF the de-
fects would be hid but / compromised
matters by starting upon a three-quar-
ter face portrait. 1t was with poor
heart, though, that placed him in posi-
tion, and / had an innate feeling from
the first that the result would prove an
utter failure.
Mr.. Tibbyer was very patient sitter.
He would strut into the studio and,
having assumed the (to him) necessary
pompouS expression, he would sit as
long as / pleased without murmuring.
He rarely attempted conversation, and
when he did he used so many long
words which he did not know how to
pronounce and he misplaced his his to
such an extent that l shook with sup
pressed laughter. He admitted. from
the beginning, that he was no judge of
Hart" and he took as little interest in
the progress Of the portrait as he would
if he had been a bone and | had had to
boil him, so to speak
i worked at that portrait till | could
see and think Of nothing else. but
could not satisfy myself at all with it,
II was useless to make it true TO nature
it would have frightened all the 9th
er pictures In the court room out OF
their frames!-and when / endeavored
20 lend a grace to "the virgin gold
which / had to work upon (as the com.
mltteemen had playfully put iD the
identity was destroyed to such an ex-
tent that nobody would have recog.
nized it as intended for the gentleman
whom it was supposed 10 represent.
Perhaps an older hand--a fashion.
able portrait painter"-nlight have con
trived to turn out q picture which
while being absolutely unlike Mr. Tlb,
Dyer in every feature, would in its t.1'
n 4. - 4. I'll.