The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-10-16


Comes From Our schools,
While II IS not difficult to secure good
American workmcn for carrying out
schemes of Interior decorations. It Is
impossible yet to get native born men
capable of modelling statuettes and
husts such as arc sold on the street
corners and in many of the art shops.
All the workmen employed In factories
that produce these are Italians, chiefly
from Tuscany. This is equally, true, of
those who follow this trade in / Ger
many and France. The Tuscansl APP
pear to have natural ability for that
sort of work that has given them't the
monopoly of it,
The great majority of these busts and
statuettcs are copied directly from the
originals wherever they happen to be.
and then the molds are made from that
copy and sent to all parts Of the world,
the statues being cast In the place
where they are to be sold. In the lar
ger shops In New York city, however,
certain amount of original work In
done In order to keep pace with the
popular demand for representations of
the hero of the hour. A great many of
our most distinguished poets. authors
and statesmen whose busts are exposed
Tor sale on the street corners never sat
for these portraits. Some workman
modelled the head after photograph
and occasionally has produced such
good work that II IL almost pity the
sculptor's name should remain un-
known
The chief purchasers of these casts
from the larger makers are theshigh
schools all over the country They, de-
mand, of course, not only classical sub
jects and copies OF ancient bas-reliefs
and architectural details, but also busts
of famous men and women from every
period of the worlds history. Such a
wide range Of subjects IL covered by
this demand that seven and eight thou
sand titles are included In some of the
catalogues issued. The factories where
these figures are turned out exhibit IN
their showrooms nm assortment and
confusion of time. place and nature be-
wlldering to look at
The process of casting these statu-
cites Is a comparatively simple one
when the mold Is once completed. The
material used, plaster of paris, is
chcnp, and very excellent quality ia
produced In this country. When the
statuette comes out, IL Is pure white
and covered with ridges made by the
NtfIBTnH4 anatipna nf h.
ridges aro carefully removed, md then
the cast IN placed In an oven heated ut
about 1870 degrees. After 1t has been
baked for n certin length of time It IL
plunged into solution of stearie acid
and kept there until thoroughly satu-
rated. Then, when 1t has dried, the
yellow color Is gained by applying to
the surface n solution OF beeswax. tur-
pei tlue aud coloring matter. Tins cOlur
viii not wash off, and, of course, any
shade can be produced Mt Will.
d,in,he demand for nude statues In the
arr schools is growing less every year."
said one OF the largest makers of these
casts THAT is because people are
realizing more and more TINT artists
must draw from the human figure It
self II they wish to understand the
human form. We get more orders now
for drapcd figures In the art schools
and for busts in the high schools. I'm
I'll very recently the busts Of most of
the celebrated Americans which We
sell had been made In Italy from pho
tographs sent over from this country,
and many mistakes occurred IN mat-
tiers Of detail, like the cut of the coats
and collars. We are trying to do these
now In Il more modern and characters.
tie way and occasionally have been
furnished with photographs by their
families"
The statnettcs which are carried
about the streets wrapped In harmonl.
GUS yellow tissue paper or are display
ed on the sidewalks or on the steps of
unoccupicd houses are made by quito
different set of manufacturers. Tho
larger dealers do not sell To these street
peddlcrs mt all. The peddlers have their
own little workrooms, which furnish
them with their stock at II much lower
rate than the regular dealers charge.
~ VI dlt Ilu'lt III iIltSC ultllfIh,
and most Of the molds are gained by
taking them from II cast bought from
some other firm. The stearlc acid bath
IS left out of the process, and conse-
quently the color of these cheaper
works washes off.
The peddlefs Of these statuettes stand
In about the same relation TO sculptors
and sculpture that the hand organ play
ers do to music and musicians. They
reflect fairly accurately the popular
taste, and, according to their testl-
mony, 1t Is the flanagan figurlnes that
In the long run sell the best of all their
stock. From time to time there is Il
market for the bust of some particular
man, and those sales are always tenn
porary. Grotesque figures are always
In demand and copies OF the various
models Of Venus with which the public
are familiar Rows Of Cuplds and of
monks heads, winged Victories aud
busts Of Wagner come and go as pop
ular fayorltes but the Tanagra figur-
Ines have steady sale that insures
their presence In the stock Of nearly