The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
AN ARTIST IN ST. LOUIS.
PLANT OF ONE VINO PANIED PFC
TURES, u NOT SIGNS.

Photography Is Established and Booh
Agents Get In Their Fatal Work,
81. LOUIS. March 3O.-"You take my advice
and stay in st. Louis said the rich brewer
There aren't many artists hero. and there
can't be much competition"
You know why there aren't many artists
here, don't you 2" asked the artist, %scraping
away pt his dirty palette and answering tho
onesEoo himself. You know that no artist
has ever made a living here without doing
sign painting az II side line. You know that
I've worked like n mailer at my art. TINT ! don't
drink. gamble or indulge in any sort OF ex-
travagance. don't yOug Vol. | can't make
cigarette money
why don't you advertise properly" sug-
gested the brewer.
Advertise? Why. everybody In st. Louis
knows me. / cant walk from Fourth street to
Broadway without being asked TO drink with a
half dozen millionaires. You see that Salon
picture there? Well. | brought that back from
Paris with me because / hated TO sell il to
strangers Tor a paltry $500. | thought that
when l got back to st. Louis. my home. some
rich collector would give me something nearer
to what ! believe the picture to be worth. I've
been home, let's see. five years now. and I
haven't sold that picture. I'd take $40 for it
now. but | cant get $50"
S"s SNa NNi = ~ ~ s'AAls bNcii' ~ ~
preciatc n scene like you've painted there. -
said the millionaire whose walls are covered
with paintings OF himself and his family. It's
a Paris street scene. isn't it? Why don't you
paint the City Hall OF st. Louis or some Of the
beautiful landscapes around tho suburbs ?
You've got to give the people what they want"
That's Just what | thought for q while" an
swered the young man. smiling. but ] can't
give the people what they want. because I
cant afford it. did try to sell to them some
things that ] believe they want, but they re-
fused to buy anything. You have Just come
back from Paris and you've brought home a
lot OF CHEAP things with a Paris date line on
them. III had been there. probably you would
have bought IA picture from me-. l spent five
years studying hard in Paris and | had no
trouble In those DAYS to sell enough fairly good
things to keep alive and pay my preceptors.
IT was the Paris date line that sold many Of
them. I'm sure.
But. as / said, l did think for q while that
IL would paint subjects familiar to ST. Iouisans
they might buy some of the pictures. With this
end in view | spent all last summe sketchinG in
and about the city. | borrowed money to hire
models and sat up nights to get the best artis-
tic results. / was dead in earnest. never
worked more seriously in my life. I
made up my mind to have an exhibition.
show the people that good art is universal
In its application. and perhaps sell them some
thing that they could appreciate because It
was local. You were in Europe when my eX-
hibitlon came of. I had about ten pictures
that were strictly local. i had given them my
best efforts. and the critics all said that one OF
them was my masterpiece. sent out invita-
tions TO every one in the blue book and to a
great many not in the blue book. OF course I
had to give my show in q dealers gallery and
put him in line for a good share of the profits.
But there wasn't any profit. The first day
nobody called but a few art students who con-
make a pretty good show. for l had also placed
years ~fruitless work here and a few Of the
things | had. done in Paris, among the latter
tsnt :, Salon Snn picture which | stiIl Ioindhly hoped to
torious, The second day a few OF my friends. a
at the pictures. or. course. they didn't buy
ANYTHING. The third, fourth. fifth and sixth
methods of the bunco steerer.. / went around
to every body that has the reputation Of loving
s s5t 8r t R5e eeme and to ld IoEe i r s9d ab ,9isd a to So1 sss
VICTIMS to come and see what had done.
T Thsy w praised wS Sri,tG tss sx ara 1ipDla Mds oT me
and e e]lectric VII iIs ahTs"fH% iii. and ID f I ea Mf s3f my n,S p Pfa.
ures HnGer n y arm one by one. to my studio"
20, p I'D nr even get get a. A. ot1Gri Hold on; Ye,
~. az oMef' anu me aItist laughed at the
heard that | hadn't sold anything, She offered
me S. for a little sketch that had caught her
compliments. Just to show you what st. Louis
art lovers think Of pnintings. Mr.. 90. our
river front very much it is really one OF lny.hest
things. showing a silhouette OF 81; Louis from
s .Ss sass S ,Se s nno q s'lBR nt he 81 .a I'd he af had B 3 TaTs
fine photograph from the same point, OF view.
S Sn1 w91 toid to 6j know ngI i T t61t 7 d} GGIGr trn for
ANYTHING about color photography, and he
ture p asked the brewer. calling for two more
4 sold d one last December"
Not much. You see. I sold it for SIS, but I
Eot nnly seven and a halt, II was like this:
my studio one. day and asked me II I had a
shear water st. CO.. c3lor bs or anything could = sell him
gift for his mother or sister or somebody. aud
that i hadn't anything ready. bst would
IVA" was dead fb%%Se'i ana ssiiS5' looked u pre sse;
large; with Christmas e9mIng on ara
she e'f" il ' IT. AND If I dfd n nS 't ssad ID nf the wa sheqs q ti isw
and / had it ready Of course. I didn't Sign t.
because, as he said. It made no difference to
signp ana: in fla ie'1 1a he d R1lTI1rfsSd with i T In n1t,s sny
apologized for his poverty and paid me $3.50
or. account.
I'm glad you suggested that sale. for
there's a good story connected with 1t and it
illustrates beautifully the chances for a ST.
Louis artist to starye 70 death in st; Louis.
city. on the old idea that only a weather
prophet is honorcd in his home town. But to
get back to MY last sale. | didn't hear or think
any more about the little picture or its pur-
chaser until last week. when a friend Of mine
dropped into my studio and told me that he
thought | might sell my Salon picture to DR..
Som body. who has, great wealth and is one OF
our leading art collectors. My friend invited
me to call on the doctor, look over his pictures
and talk art with him ! Jumped at the vague
change of selling something, and made up my
mind to take anything that was offered me for
The next evening we went to the doctors
home. You know what a richly furnished pal
ace it is, My friend introduced the subject OF
my chef doauvre. and our host insisted on
wanted to see it. The picture was brought,
and was IN high gleo. when the doctor said
that he liked il. admitted that I was u little
pressed for ready money, and suggested that
he, make me, an offer for the picture
Il" Aud did hc?"
"Oh, yes; he offered me S25. I had hard
time Keeping up Il sem blanCe Of politeness
after that. but ! managed to dismiss the sub
iart rnthnr Snlntnly md wa want iptp thu VITO