Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-06
AUTHORS AND THEIR CLOTHES
Eccentric Costumes Adopted by Writers
When Working Gray Matter.
toGA CALCULATED TO INSPIRE IDEAS
Quaint Pe~cuIiarities Marx the Meth
d of Literary Favorites as Well
as Composers, Painters
and scuIptOrs.

Many writer's. composers, painters and
bculptors have believed that their flood OF
IDEAS was helped by the adoption Of some
peculiar style Of dress. Dumas, for ex-
ample, used to take of his coat and vest,
u~nfasten his shirt collar and turn up his
sleeves to the elbows before beginning TO
write. Probably he would have preferred
10 dispense with clothing altogether II he
could have had his way.
Button, on the other hand, when writing
his Natural History attired himself in
full court dress. rufies, frills and all, ntly
TO sustain the dignity Of the subject.
Beranger used to get himself up to look
IKE al old concierge, and he always wore
q red rose in his buttonhole in order to
draw attention to the fact Of his not being
decorated. 1t is said Of Scribe that he
fAiled to grasp his subject unless he were
fully dressed and spick and span.
Lamartine, with curious perverslty, pre-
ferred to be known as a politician, architect
or financial authority, rather than as q
poet. and he used to dress, in accordance
with these aspirations, in a tightly but
toned frock coat. Victor Hugo, who was
always bent on calling attention to his
genius, startled the world at one time by
taking as his model the figure OF the
Creator in Michael Angeles frescoes.
A fancy costume Of black velvet was al
ways donned by Wagner when he was COM
posing, and a kind of Tam O'Shanter cap.
A signet ring presented to him by Freder-
ick of Prussia was worn by Haydn while
he was working, and Beethoven would wash
his hands dozens OF times before beginning
his composition.
sardOu's Working TOga.
Victorien Sardou composed ia Tosca"
Ss we'll as most Of his other works. clothed
In a little gray Jacket, tight trousers and
Scotch cap" seated close beside a blazing
IRE, being the most chilly Of mortals. fires.
summer as well as winter were always In
evidence. Mascagni, while working on his
Japanese opera, arrayed himself in a flow
ing robe, OF eastern style. with all his
surroundings Oriental in character. oceans
Of coffee being consumed as necessary to
inspiration.
Cimarosa, the celebrated Italian COM
poser. turns out his very best work when
he Is surrounded by a bevy of children
making day hideous by their noise and clat-
ter. Mendes is the most absent minded Of
mortals and often has three or four cigars
Rlight at the same time, while composing,
through excessive absent mindedness.
Some odd tricks are also credited to DR..
COuhu DO9ltg WIZ IL duOlutT dDStul mluutu
mortal.
Red was a color detested by Lewis Car
roll" and a little girl who came to visit
him was absolutely forbidden to wear a
red frock of bright hue. while out in his
company. Pink and gray were his ~favorite
combinations of color. In personal matters.
he had a great fear of extravaganza and
would only wear cotton gloves. He never
wore an overcoat and always wore a tall
hat, whatever might be the climatic con-
ditions. He was devoted to the cup which
eheers, but not inebriates and while writing
"Alice In Wonderland he consumed tea
enough to Goat the English navy. While
composing he used to walk up and down
the room swinging the teapot back and
forth, while the tea stepped.
Inspiration for Omar.
Edward Fitz Gerald, of Omar Khayyam
fame. when he wrote always sat In a high
backed, low-seated, red-covered arm chair.
often in dressing gown and slippers, and in
variably kept his hat on, which. indeed,
he seemed never to remove except when he
wanted a red handkerchief from the in
terror. In texture his clothes are described
as resembling that worn by pilots; his
trousers were short, and he always wore
low shoes and gray stockings. He generally
wore a stand-up collar, with a black silk
scarf carelessly tied in a bow. and his
white shirt front was unstarched. and did
mot suggest recent acquaintance with the
ironing board. In cold weather he wore
a large, gray plaid shawl around his neck
and shoulders. He was a smoker. but the
same pipe was never used twice. as he
always broke 1t after the tobacco was con-
sumed.
While writing or debating his stories.
Thackeray used to walk up and down in his
bedroom. pause at one end, pace back once
more and then stop at the foot OF the bed.
where he would stand for some moments.
rolling his hands over the brass ball on the
end Of the bedstead. He usually dictated
his stories-his daughter being his amen
uensis-but when he came to a critical
point, he would send his secretary away,
and write for himself, saying that he could
think best with a pen in his hand. "a pen
to the author is like the wand of the NEGRO
mancer, 1t compels the SPELL"
Washington Irving was equal to the seven
sleepers-always being able to fall asleep