The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-09
A GREAT BANNER YEAR.
Portraits of Presidential Candidates
Being Turned Out by Thousands.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post
The great quadrennial boom in political
campaign paraphernalia has now begun.
The demand for torches marching uni
forms and transparences will not be felt
until late in the fall, when torch-light pro-
cessions begin, but orders for street flags
and banners started almost as soon as the
candidates were selected, and is increasing
every day.
Any sign painter can construct some sort
of campaign banner, but many of them
make such botches of it that most of the
business has come into the hands of the
few firms employing special artists for
their portrait work. These firms report
business for this season even greater than
in the record-breaking campaign of 1896.
AS soon as the nominating conventions
were over the great sign-painting firms
called in their best men from the noble
work of desecrating rocks and fences with
advertising legends and set them to paint
ing heroic portraits of the candidates. This
is profitable work for the really capable
artist, as the best men are paid as much
$3.50 to 81 per day.
The printing OF campaign portraits has
been reduced to such system that IL can
be done very rapidly. First of ALL a paste
board stencil rs cut. Whether or not the
portrait is to be good likeness depends
almost entirely upon the maker of this
stencil. The head designer of the house
always makes it. To do good work he
must have talent similar to that of the
cartoonist, above all. an ability to empha-
size the distinctive features of face. Some
men can cut stencil by mere reference
10 card photograph, without using a
pantograph for the enlargement or making
q mark on the paper.
The outlines and the stronger lines of the
race being obtained with the stencil, an
ordinary sign-painter covers the muslin
with paint, roughly blocking out the pic
ture. fiesh-color for the cheeks brown.
black, or gray for the hair, black for the
coat. The artist or star man. finishes
the details with smaller brushes, and the
picture Is done. To complete the banner it
Is only necessary to sew on net back
ground the portraits and the long muslin
strips bearing the candidates names. Ropes
and hooks for hanging go with every BAN
ner.
Even tendency in political platforms or
policies is reflected in the campaign BAN
ner. On the basis of a series of them a
history of political thought could be writ
ten Four years ago nearly every Repub-
lican banner bore the sound money,
legend. This year the Democratic stand
ards will illustrate the attempt of the
party TO shift attention from that issue.
Republic or Empire" "Anti-imperia,ism.
and mo Trusts will be displayed as
prominently. The Republicans whose con-
vention was held first. are also more
prompt in ordering their banners I'VE
| have sold thus far three times as many
Republican Democratic banners" said
| one dealer. 1T has been a surprise TO me
| that so few of them bear any of the cam
paign catch-phrases. An eagle grasping a
| Sound Money, Protection, Prosperity
| scroll is the only one l can recall.
| One of the comic papers recently pub
nsned as front-page cartoon a flag bear
| ing portraits of the Republican nominees,
| and underneath workman's tin pail The
| legend was, Mckinley, Roosevelt, and a
| full dinner pail" That flag was so we'll re-
| ceived by Republicans that a hundred
| copies of 1t twenty by thirty feet in size
have been ordered for the use of campaign
| clubs.
| Prices for the large-sized banners. which
| political clubs hang across the streets
range from SIS for the Is by 20-foot size to
| sos for those 80 feet by 40.