The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-15
HOW CHASE ATTAINED SUCCESS.
Famous Artist Tells e Story of His Struggle Upwards
His First Successful Picture.


From Fifteenth street. facing Living
ston place, there is one of the pref
tisst views in all New York To the
north are the red brick buildings of
the Religious Society of Friends, and
beyond the old stone Church of st.
George In an imposing old-style house
commanding this view lives the famous
artist, William Nj Chase, and in his
drawing-room l talked with him the
other day regarding his early struggles
and his first successful picture.
The walls Of the parlors are hung
with many of the paintings which
made MIR. Chase's working rooms in
the old Studio building, in Tenth
street, the show place Of New York
for nearly twenty years. There is the
portrait of Carroll Beckwith. the Lady
in White, and beautiful Mrs. Chase,
watching her children at play in the
/ broad hail of the summer house in the
Shinnecock hills.
Whatever success I may have at
tanned" said Mr. Chase comes from
my love of art for arts sake only. I
always wanted to be an artist. and /
came to be one this way: My father
owned a general store in Williams
burg, Ind. You know what q general
/ y
to farmers and village people.
SOLD WOMEN'S SHOES.
when 1 was about Is he went up to
Indianapolis and started the largest
shoe store in that city. One part of it
was separated from the rest and de-
voted to ladies. 1t was carpeted. 1t
was the first ladies' shoe store in the
west. One day my 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
"On our way to the artists rooms
he explained to me regretfully how
sorry he felt that his endeavors to
make a business man Of me had failed:
that he hadn't much hope or faith in
my art predictions, but was wiling
to give me a chance and he Thought
that studio was a better place for
that chance than a shoe store; and
thus / began my studies with 3. F.
Hays the artist. in his studio next to
the old Dostofiice.
SET TO- copy ENGRAVINGs.
Mr. Hays set me to work copying
things which We're of no earthly adj
vantage 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 / had been with him
for a year or so, however, he did do
me a genuine service. He advised my
father to send me to New York
L came to this city with several let
ters of Introduction to wholesale shoe
dealers. who were requested to keep
kindly watch over me, and another
letter to the late J. Q. Eaton, a west
ern artist. who had attained consider
able reputation in the metropolis.
went into Mr.. Eaton's studio and. upon
his advice. entered the National Acad-
envy of Design. When I was 90 years
old my father failed in business He
might have taken advantage of the
bankruptcy law and saved q respecta-
bic fortune; but it was an honest fall
ure. 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 exact
~ what to do.
BETWEEN ART AND SHOES.
q gave the matter considerable
thought. I had had one years ex-
perience in the shoe business, and L
had learned how to sell a lady a pair
of shoes two sizes zoo small for her.
/ WAS very successful in that and I
had made up my mind that If it came
to the worst. L would go into a shoe
store as q clerk. But fortunately !
didn't have to. 1 laid the matter be- !
fore Mr.. Eaton, and he advised me to |
paint flowers and fruits, in which line
of work I had been moderately sue
cessful. Through his influence 1 was /
able to sell some of these. There are /
a number of them now up around /
Yonkers, which 1 would like to recall !
1 was so successful that by Christmas /;
I had saved up enough money to go to /
St. Louis, where my father had re- /
established himself in business, and |
decided. after looking over the field, 70 /
open a studio in that city.
''Now in every large city that l have |
ever been in, there are one or more /
men who feel personal interest in I
art. They are natural art patrons. ! ]
met two such men in st. Louis. One
of them was named Hodges and the !
other was Samuel DOdd. They were ,
both very wealthy. One day 1 over
heard them talking in my studio about
me.
What do you think we had better
do?' said Mr.. Hodges.
Send him abroad answered Mr..
Dodd
"'Weu get commissions for him to