The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-23
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
sidellghts on Men and Events OF Gen.
tury Ago from Nine. Lebrun's Mem-i
olrs-Ernest Thompson seton's Little
savaees"-Lllan Bells Books OF
81 Girls" S

| / + r. 81 T. 4. 4 z g { b.
Nine. Vigee Lebrun must have been
a wonderfully rapid painter; must, in
| deed, have dashed orr the portraits she
made OF the great of Europe in the
latter part of the eighteenth and the
! carly part of the nineteenth century in
true sign painter style. Perhaps that is
| the way artists do when no one is look
| ing. But it is not the way the public
tnlnks they do. In a list Of Nine. Le-
Drums works, published in the Memoirs
OF Nine. Vlgee Lebrun, just issued In a
translation by Lionel .Strachey there are
not less than 700 pictures accounted for,
chiefly portraits. stin Nine Lebrun lived
long. had passion for her art and worked
.lndustriously, even il her husband, who
was an art dealer, critic and gambler did
take the most of her large returns for
Euse 'in his business"
1 But Nine. Lebrun's memoirs are valu-
able to Americans chiefly because of the
additional sideEghts they throw upon men
and events of the times in which she
lived. OF Marie Antoinette she wrote:
| Il 90 not think that Queen Marie Antoinette
ever missed an opportunity OF saying something
pleasant to those who had the opportunity OF
being presented to her
1 once saw her make her 6-year-old daughter
dine with little peasant girl and attend to
her wants The queen to it that the little
visltor was served first, saying to her daughter
You must do the hOnOrs' =
The artist tells an interesting tale of
! her own extravaganza. A few friends
| were to come to her home to hear the
poet Lebrun read. While she was wait
ing their arrival her brother read to her
a description of a Greek dinner. The
brother suggested trying to duplicate the
dinner that evening. The cook was called
and instructions were given. Then as
the guests arrived one by one they were
| taken to the studio and prepared for the
! feast, being dressed in Greek costume
from the simple draperies used for models.
1t was all very simple and very impromp-
! tn, but very successfully done; sue
cessfully,: in fact, that soon after it was
reported that Nine. Lebruns Greek dinner
had cost 10000 francs. The story trav-
eled fast and far and grew large. At
st. Petersburg it was told she had spent
10000 francs for her dinner It had act
ually cost her about Is francs.
Nine. Lebrun'S weird faculty of presag-
| ing death, which manifested itself in the
case, Of the king Of Poland; her story OF
how Catherine II. of Russia arose in the
morning at 5, started her own fires and
| made her own coffee, and one morning
got a round berating from the chimney
sweep up the chimney, who thought the
| scullery maid was trying to smoke him
out; her stories of society life in Vienna
and Of her own sad experience there in
one day picking up her newspaper tc
find among those guillotined in Paris
in one day of the reign of terror the
names Of nine of her own acquaintances-
I this and much else makes interesting
i reading. But much is missing that one
1 would have expected to see in book OF
the sort. Still, Nine. Lebrun did not at
! tempt to play the historian. She was
nearing 80 when she wrote her memoirs
and her interest all thru life had beer
chiefly her art. Nevertheless, the memoirs
recall with considerable vividness the pic.
lures of the time (1756-1S42), and, as
4 stated give sidelights upon men anf
events. Unfortunately some errors ani
| infelicites of expression in the present
4 translation have been overlooked by proof.
4 readers and editors.