The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15
51MoUS ARTISTS STRUGGLE.
GILLIAN VI. CHASE PAINTED
MS FIRST PICTURES.

os Clerk in n shoe store.
.i.J Rosa BonheUr's Pictures.
,or Misunderstanding on Bread
cbeese-"I know What De-
nir Means"-Fate of Prize
natnuns-Fame In a Day-HOv an
.rtst should Work.
N. York. Jan. 1S.-From Fifteenth
49,, facing Livingston place there is
.tHe urettiest views In all New
80 To the north are the red brick
,.n5,crs Of the Religious Society of
-. and beyond the old stone Church
81 George. In an imposing old style
-. s,umanding this view lives the ia
- artist William NJ. Chase. and in his
s-.,,,cv room talked with him the other
1,, rsssrIing his early struggles and his
e-st successful picture
The walls Of the parlors are hung with
,,,,rr Of the paintings which made Mr..
~b,ss,s working rooms In the old Studio
t,,t5,rg. in Tenth street. the show place
II New York for nearly twenty years.
rrera is the portrait of Carroll Beckwith,
+be Lady in White. and beautiful Mrs.
chase watching her children at play in
the broad han of the summer house in the
shnnecook hills.
.Jyhatever success I may have attain
e5 " said Mr.. Chase, comes from my love
If arr for arts sake only. l always want
"a TO be an artist and 1 came TO be one
his Vav: Ny father owned a general
store in Williamsburg, Ind. You know
what general store is. He kept every
thing ana sold to farmers and village peo-
pie"
INDIANAPOLIS and started the largest shoe
slime in that city. One part of it was
separated from the rest and devoted to
ladies. It was carpeted. 1t was the first
ladies' shoe store in the West. One day
nv father came to me and said: William,
YOU have spoiled wrapping paper enough
here. Put on your hat and come with me.
I'm going to take you up to HAYS
ION our way to the artists rooms he ex-
planned to me regretfully how sorry he felt
that his endeavors TO make business
man of me had failed; that he hadn't
much hope or faith in my art predilec-
tons. but was willing TO give me a chance,
and he thought that a studio was a bet
ter place for that chance than a shoe
store and thus l began my studies with
B. F. Hays, the artist, in his studio next
to the old postofiice.
set 10 Copy EngravinEs.
Mr.. Hays set me to work copying things
which were of no earthly advantage to
me as an art student. For instance, he
had me copy in oil a steel engraving of
one of Rosa Bonheur's pictures. After 1
had been with him for a year or so, how
4 IL, inc Ii,
advised my father to send me to New
York.
81 came to this city with several let
tiers of Introduction to wholesale shoe
dealers. who were requested to keep a
kindly watch over me, and another letter
to the late J. O. Eaton, Western art
list, who had attained considerable repu-
taton in the metropolis. I went into Mr.
Eatons studio and upon his advice 1 en-
tered the National Academy of Design.
When I was 20 years-old my father failed
in business. He might have taken ad-
vantage of the bankruptcy law and saved
respectable fortune But it was an hon
est failure He regretted very much that
he could not continue supporting me, and
he wondered what use I could make of
my art training. 1 didn't know exactly
what to do.
Il gave the matter considerable thought.
had had one years experience in the shoe
business, and had learned how to sell a
lady pair of shoes two sizes too small
for her. l was very successful in that, and
had made up my mind that if it came to
the worst ] would go into a shoe store as
clerk. But fortunately 1 didn't have
TO. laid the matter before Mr. Eaton,
and he advised me to paint flowers and
fruits. in which line of work 1 had been
moderately successful. Through his in
Iuence l was able to sell some of these.
lhere are a number of them now up
around Aonkers, which 1 would like to re-
cat i was so successful that by Christ
mas had saved up enough money to go to
g. LOUIS, where my father had re-estab-
hshed himself in business, and l decided.
9!'er looking over the field, to open stu
dio in that city.
now IN every large city that have ever
oeeh H. there are one or more men who
l d PERSONAL interest IN art. They are
fo'ui dl art patrons. 1 met two such men in
~ LOUIS one of them was named Hodges
anu the other was Samuef Dodd. They
"ue poth very wealthy. One day [ over
", ,,I,., lhem talking in my studio about me
"naI 40 you think We had better do?'
sad Mr.. Hodges.
o., IN, ~ nun doIodu, answered Mr.. DOdd.
we Il set commissions for him to be
b 6aT on the other side, and we will
s sang IHe money advanced to him for his
ver, "H,n .,. TINS plan was laid before me. I
y,.1 "Alnsly gave up my studio and
wei" ea3 to Munich, where 1 entered the
tba''glny' OF which the great Pilot was
A. .oI' 1 took with me several hun
si collars and l filed every commits
men, according TO promise. The most ex-
p poDs''e commission was for d. A. Cole.
W wv OF The best known collectors in the
ssl. lie had advanced $50. The picture
co Palnted for him is now in the Widener
!, l,l''oh IN Philadelphia If had to do
i,r over again would not do it for ten
uines that much. WI
nro n,''r entering the academy 1 had a
M, MY hard time of it. l foresaw that
hay S money would be spent long before |
tr,. acquired the requisite training and
M, as hard as 1 might, 1 could not sell
may work to the local dealers. l had been
s11.., OF less of revolutionist in the
n 4 oe5 l had objected to painting pictures
master 'NS way VI 'he