New-York tribune., 1905-02-05

nfelike shortening OF the neck. so characteristic
Of Napoeons personal appearance.
let me tell about the eyes" said Mr.. Blinn.
Joseph Reddng, the lawyer who is also Wen
known Napoleonic student, had a grandfather VINO
saw Napoleon in Portsmouth Harbor The grand
father was a MILDLY at the time. ana crept ior-
ward from the fo'csle head where ne was on on
duty his ship, to steal a glimpse at the great
man.
HE said that the characteristic OF NAPOLEON
which impressed him most was the eyes whlch
came out Of a cloud OF smoke Mr.. Reddlng tola
me this In my dressing room one nshI anu
hastened to put blue powder unoer my eyes u
give this effect
a. 20 the neck owe this suggestion TO Robert
Taher In place OF assuming Napoleon's pro-
nouncad stoop and outthrust neck nave "e
shoulders built up to give the enect
what did you read up for the part? was ASKED
I'm portraiture for the stage" was MI bihh
reply ''the more personal equauons' the VelsioA
az the secretary and the valet. for instance. are
moro necessary. ~
Drhus 7 read the account given by Constant. Ma
poleon's valet I am indebted. also. to Sloane OF
Princeton Miss Ida M. Iarpe!I' boulIielhs' OaPIti'
Maitland and others.
Speaking of the various means utilized to COM
pound the general effect produced In the DuchesS
performance Mr.. Blinn said: Il try to emphasize
throughout that the incident OF the washing bill
was trivial one Napoleon try to do this by
an air of preoccupation. when muse. I wonder
who will stand here ten years hence then abruptly
break off with apologies for my abstraction;
Mr. Blnn has long since realized that the Sug-
fntely more potent than the actual presentment
itself For instance the neck out-thrust legs WIDE
arms locked, described by Browning in the stanza
with which this article opens; the hand thrust with
in the coat the fingers fumbling with the rarely
buttoned waistcoat-these, while briefly drawn
upon, permitted TO obsess the spectator
though Characteristic of Napoleon. try to
make at any time dominant
Tho last scene in The Duchess Of Dantzic' I"
said Mr.. Blinn, lis, Of course the reverse Of prob
/ should Napoleon
sharp, cynical, abrupt and undemonstrative. He
TOO big to be sensitive about other people, al
though keenly sensitive himself try to soften
some or his characteristics
You do not believe in the dyspeptic, hollow
checked, careworn conception of Napoleon" was
asked.
at ST; Helena, that may have been So" Mr..
Blinn's reply But the time I act he was at
the flower of his career his face the color white
ivory and fat. In stage perspective has to
the Corsican almost black faced Though I
darken my face early in the play. II l were to
make up as he actually was I would look like
at is my idea" said Mr. Blinn, when asked for
details OF his future plans. ITO try to get man
Ike Rostand TO write a Napoleon play for me that
to produce it in Paris You see, until he came to
Brienne, certainly, Napoleon spoke bad French
He was habitually chaffed by the old nobesse on
his paJois, for he Corsican than French-
Mr. Blinn is Californian. He made his en-
trance on the stage in San Francisco. his native
New-York, where he played under William a
Brady's mandg cement at the Broadway Theatre
In the English theatrical world he is best known
perhaps, the impersonator of Jaoues in ..As
Pounds who plays Papion in the Duchess" as
Touchstone