The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-17
CIRCUS WAGON PICTURES.
AN UP.TC-DiTE FINISH THAI 10
NECESSARY TO Success.
Decorations of Great Cost Necessary for Erece
when the Circus Parade Is Held The Most
Successful Wagon Painter a Mon OF
ArtIstic Ab!lity Keeps His Name Hidden.

Artistic ABILITY Keeps HIS Name Hidden.
Nobody who isn't in the circus business can
appreciate the value in an advertising way Of
spectacular pictorial effects. Any circus which
ATTEMPTED to make the main round Of cities
nowadays with the parade outfits Of a few years
ago would last about two weeks. at the outside.
before going broke. People would Judge it by
its parade and seeing that the animal wagons
and band chariots werent up 10 the mark would
infer that the entire show was inferior, In which
inference they would probably be perfectly
correct. so keen Is competition now and to
such a point of practical discornment has the
public been educated that the big shows spend
an amount Of money on ornamentation alone
that would make the ordinary business man
gasp and denounce them as prodigally waste
FIJI, There Is one chariot" now on the road
that actually cost close to $1,000 when It was
new andit involves a large outlay every year to
keep it frightened up with gold leaf and re-
pairs OF weather wear.
On the inside these vehicles are strictly and
rigidly economical. Not a foot OF space Il
wasted, Most of the wagons are full Of para
phernalia marvellously packed by experts in
that line. Nothing can be learned from the eN-
terror Of the vehicle regarding It's interior.
The magnificent blue and gold chariot, worthy
Of the ~royalest Of Bengal tigers. carries the lay
out Of the ticket seller. while the wagon which
limns forth on its gay sides the likeness of the
ferocious rhinoceros Is probably the habitat Of
the wardrobe woman and her outfit. Other
magnificent equipa4es Of the wheeled process
sion carry apparatus, clothing. trappings and
fodder for the animals.
Most Of the animals themselves are left be-
hind when the shows goes out on parade. exc
cept those that march. such as the elephants
and cane!s, and a few of the big felines, takol
along to roar enticingly, There have been
cases where haste and confusion on the part Of
the showmen in preparing the parade have re-
suited in the unmistaka0le roar OF the king u
beasts being heard from a wagon on whose
panels coiled the mighty but comparatively
voiceleSs boa constructor. to the vast amaze
ment of the gathered public.
Painting circus wagons panels IL a distinct
branch of art. Probably the academies would
not so regard it. but nevertheless there Is n
certain breadth Of treatment and dash re-
uuired that are quite beyond the abilities OF
the ordinary practitioner Of art. Nor are the
pictured Siaes OF the circus vans to be lIehtly
Regarded by any right-thinki ing observer, Onco
they were IN the chrome class. or somewhat
lower, but now they represent some very good
II rather hnsty work. The most successful
pa inter- of this line Of work in III" country ~
an artist Of high abilities and reputation in a
largc Western city. His reputation has been
made ~ a portrait painter, and { would doubt
less be a distinct detriment Ia hlS career "'rs
i known that he paint, clrcn, wagon;
Is S.i more he d@lIEhis in The wHrk; T4iT r., @rI nv
m landscape work w.th "A - rInklinE "i dh,iuhIS.
That the public and the critic. hav" aIvIys
insisted on differing with hin has been a sriet
TO him. However. as he could earn Z con-
siderable income by his portraits be felt, abe
TO spend his spare time in p%ainlng lnilnal ana
woodlHnd scenes which nobody would buy.
Then he got into the circus painting business
and not only wa hEs ambition 'ntlsi"d Dus
his income was Inrs"ly augmented
How IL came about thai tins aril't was m
duCed' To 40 into this I'm" Of worn probably
nobody hut he and the Snowman who got nm
into II Knows Ever, winter row, hen may
show goes into winter quarter, the hrtr' ~
summoned TO the place. and Ter ''in' "''kS
works away Tor dear life. d"signlnI and Iaiut-
ing new wagon scenes. Among the -h"" iro,
'ie he does not 90 under his own name, ana
b" docs not re,ea. at ms home thu business
That take, him away every winter ln thlo IL.
Of work no has made all climes his own. and
viii n readily paint an Arctic ice-capo for the
siberian FOX a. an African oasis for TIE girane.
or a Rocky Mountain fnstncss for ths grizzly
boar AT first he worked slowly. but The show
people succeeded in imrressing him with tho
necessity OF haste. and now he makes many
o., his designs during he, summer, and arc
talking them over with the manager Of the
show proceeds 10 paint them IN
FOR tho envy Of thos- ORTIZ, don painters
who coniine themsclv". within The conSirIcted
averages about $40 a day while working for
the circus. To do this be- has to paint n wagon
a day. or course il j. impossible for him %
do all the work Of painting at this rn'" =" ne
merely blocks out the pictures. .cNplainirg 20
his assistants as h. works Just how he wants
the color- and the gold leaf laid On.
Gold leaf l. an essential Of circus art ~
catches IN" sun and attracts the InhIr rNi.
me amount Of money laid ont in thI~ aric"
alone by. n biE circu, j. astonishing, When
HOes over the whole lot IN a nnal -Gr'rv, Any
~crhdities that there NAV be- h" touches up or
smooths down until all T. III. and Ne wagons,
Rlltterlng and gorgeous, are lu1drd on ths
train to meet tho critical eve ui the metro
DOlitan public when IN, shnu start. il tour.