El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-23
A CARTOONIST TALKS.
Homer Davenport, the Caricaturist.
Chats of His Vocation

Homer Davenport. the cartoonist
made a speech at the dinner of the
Quill club in the hotel Sevoy last night
He told anecdotes of celebrities whom
he had met for the purpose of distort-
ing their features on paper remarkine
incidentally. that he thought a car
SoOn was sometimes a better likeness
of the person presented than the best
photograph, in that the exaggerated
portrayal of certain distinguishing
characteristics in a mans face would
often give truer idea of the man
than would an exact likeness.
--One story of the effect of a car
toon that is especially good" he said,
is about an experience 1 had with
Senator Spooner of Wisconsin. The
hair on the back of his head stood
somewhat awry, as you know, and
when | drew cartoon of him / made
his locks look more disarranged than
they really were, of course After the
senator saw the picture he told all his
friends that 1T was not one of him.
He took pains to tell this to every one
he saw. and so it came about that
many of his acquaintance really be-
1ieved that they had been mistaken in
first thinking the drawing meant to
depict him. When he had pretty well
spread the report that there had been
an error he saw me-
Well. he said Il have fooled most
of them but there was one person that
could not be deceived. l took the pic
ture home and showed it to the baby,
who is about sixteen months old, and
cam talk much as yet. When 1 asked
him whose picture it was, he replied,
Papa
Mr.. Davenport told of his experience
in interviewing Gladstone with a view
of getting new ideas for cartoons of
that statesman. He had noticed, he
said that those who had drawn the
Grand Old Man for the comic papers,
Phil May in cluded. had always repre-
scented his eyes by great black dots.
L decided to go down to the old
mans home and see him. Julian
Ralph, whose advice l asked about the
proposed visit, said to me that Glad
stone would not see those who had rea-
son to see him, and that 1 might get
an interview with him because there
was no earthly reason for my doing
So After we had talked the matter
over it was determined that 1 should
go to Hawarden Castle and send in
letter of introduction. in which it
would be said that l was from a little
village in Oregon. The purpose of this
was to make Mr.. Gladstone think
where in the world that place might
be, thus arousing his interest so that
ne would see me. This part of my plan
completed. 1 listened to some advice
from Ralph as to how l should conduct
myself at Hawarden.
Don't joke with him, said my
friend. He has no time for that. And
- don't let the conversation drag. He
hasn't any time for that either
Il drove out to the castle in a han
som. rehearsing what l was going to
say as l went along. After had alight-
ed. and was walking up toward the
main entrance, l heard voice say:
Oh. you haven't learned any manners
yet. Looking about. l saw Gladstone
himself, who was demonstrating with
a pet dog. l presented my letter.
When he had read it, he said:
Well, well, 1 hope you have not
come all the way from Oregon to see
me-
Yes. I have l replied, not being
able to think of another answer.
You must be fond of travelling
he unused, as he gaZed at me with
those great eyes, the pupils of which
certainly looked as though they were
big black dots. / understood why the
other cartoons had drawn the mas they
had
His last remark surely seemed to
be in the nature of Jest, but 1 remem-
ibered Ralph's warning and thought
that | must be mistaken. / could not
think of anything to say. Then l re-
membered that all the houses and
fences in the neighborhood had on
them pictures or outlines of things that
looked like crows. I said:
:. Mr.. Gladstone, 1 notice that every
thing about your place has crows on
it l pointed toward the figure of one
of the black bird on gable of the
castle.
"'Crows?' he queried not seeing my
motion.
Ives. crows / repeated, pointing
at the figure again.
" Rocks he cried, and his voice was