Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-03
THE HUMOROUS SIDE

recognized ana remembered numlpeT
Of the types described In last Saturdays
Star In the article about the copyists at the
Metropolitan Museum OF Art in New York -
said Washington girl who. In her pursuit
Of the study Of the art OF painting, has
done great deal OF copying in New York's
famous gallery herself. But not much was
written in the article about the curious
and often humorous experiences that the
copyists at the Metropolitan Museum have
while employed at their work. good
many things happened to me while 1 was
copying there that could scarcely have oc-
CURED anywhere else In the world except
in New York.
when they want to discuss and analyze
you in New York. you know. they don't In
the least mind your being within hearing
and present In the flesh. Some Of .he gal
lery visitors take 1t, imagine, that all of
the cOpyists are deaf.
Zone afternoon a mastodonfc woman.
with her three pig-tailed daughters, stood
before my easel. They gioomily regarded
my poor work for so long q time that I
could feel their four pairs of eyes boring
holes in the small of my back. I was copy
Ing Rembrandt Portrait of a Gentleman
and one side Of the gentleman's face. as
usual in Rembrandts, was very heavily
shaded. so much so that the Swallowed eye
was barely visible In the waning ligh. Of
The cloudy afternoon. 1t was upon this eye
that was engaged while the woman with
her three daughters stood about two feet
behind me.
"'Well. declar'r exclaimed the mother,
finally, with sort Of half-snort. half-gig-
gle. eff that looney gal hain't a-giving' that
pore Teller black eyer and then they all
giggled In unison.
18th idee! the giant mother went on
critically. She's maxim him look like he
him
ssThor .hn Ia 49, h,,.. oee.,,,,r ,-ox,
the shoulders Of all four Of them shaking
delightedly.
ION another day, in the forenoon, an ell
derby country couple came up behinl me as
glanced back at them out Of the corner
of my eye.
"'Land sakes alive. Hiram, amt that pore
gal thin! exclaimed the woman. referring,
of course, to my decidedly slender habit.
"'Um. ye'eh,' Hiram replied, musingly,
but I've often heard that these yere artist
gals air mos starved vile they're gittin'
their art eddicashun.
An t. think went on the woman, tibet
our Elvira was jes' bound an determined t
be artist till Ezekiel come long an mar
ried her an saved her from IT.
"By this time the couple had advanced
till they were right in front Of he. and I
saw the mother of the saved Elvira nudge
her husband and whisper something to him.
He nodded In reply. Then she undid very
nice, clean package. disclosing something
was their luncheon. She took from the
napkin q large, comfortable-looking corned
beef sandwich, made with the first home
made bread that I'd seen in long. long
time and rather timidly held it out to me.
"'You pore child. you look mos famish-
ed! she said to me. while her husband
nodded his head up and down approvlngiy.
Ibid I take it? Well. 1 should say l did,
and ate it, too, and maybe it wasn't good to
eat I do manage to get enough to eat,
despite my natural thinness, but couldn'
feel anything but gratitude toward those
kindly country people. Ihey stooo ny anu anu
apiece with me. asking me lot OF absurd
questions. which 1 answered with as much
solemnity as 1 could assemble, and they
ended by inviting me to their farm up YORK
state next summer, where the mother of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Elvira told me-
shed see to 1t that l got enough to eat 10
mighty soon make my Clothes too tight ON
"a few months ago I was engaged upon
an order-a copy of Venetian moonlight
scene hadn't progressed much beyond
the sketching when couple or typic1l
East Side girls-'Mags,' my brother Calls
the type~ranged themselves alongside my
easel and watched me for some time
"'Gee! Amt she SLOW one of them ex-
claimed finally. yawning boredly.
"'Well. should say yep responded the
other I wunner how she makes Twin
an her so slow as that? Wy, 1 seen a
Teller in a windy in a sportin goods store
on the Bowery paint four picters IN Tess
time than she's took t draw them dlnky
little lines One O. them had a moon In 1t,
too; an, wot dye tink. he puts mother.
o'-poil full moon in, jes like tn real ting!
bet she couldn't put no mother-o-poh 1uii
moon In a picter.
I seen a Teller at the tayter paint pfcter
in lessn two minutes, from top to bottom.
an 1t was a peach. too.
Superior persons have great habit OF
aI,o bats Ynyiyy q
affairs-how they contrive to exist. where
they sell their copies. what they get for
them and all sorts Of impairment rubbish.
One Of these busybodies was the recipient
of woeful crushing one day at the tongue
of Chicago girl who was engaged in copy
ing one of Detaille's battle scenes The
girls father is an exceedingly rich grain
or meat or lard man, or something or tnat
sort, out In Chicago, and his daughter cop
les for the love of the work and the pric-
tice. Her father wouldn't hear OF her join
ing the colony of girl students in Paris; and
So when she picked up all of the painting
that she could in Chicago. she went to New
York to copy at the Metropolitan gallery.
1.-THE superior person. one of the conven-
tional prying type of elderly women. brush
ed up to the Chicago girl, and, noting her
good-natured face. drawled:
".Deah me, but how hahd you poor gyurls
have to work! Pray, how much do you re-
ceive for such pictures, miss?'
1.-THE Chicago girl scratched her chin, and
smiled reflectively.
"sWell.' she replied, 1T all depends. Faith
er gave me $500 for bit of a Jean
Bereaud that I copied for him last year,
but as this is a much larger picture, and.
of course, with ever so many more figures
in 1t, I'm really thinking or bonfng him Tor
IS 600 for this one
1.-THE superior person fled precipitately.
convinced that the Chicago girl was a pre-
yaricator of the worst kind, that she
was what my brother calls being Strung. :"