The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-26
New York Special to the Cincinnati Er
uuireI
n HAT is President Roosevelt like
V as a sitter for his portrait?

VA HAT is President Roosevelt like
tNU as a sitter for his portrait?
w We know that he Is difficult
to convince, difficult to swerve from his
Observation-Disclosures in almost any way
we can thinl; of him.
Baron Robert de Doblhoff. an Austrian
painter, who has spent several months IN
America for the purpose of painting the
presidents portrait, says he is no less
diffc Ii to paint.
The portrait which has just been COM
pleted, is life size, and is on exhibition
at the Knoodler galleries. 1t is the gift
Of the Countess Bobrinsky and the So
clety of Peace Friends" of Paris, and
is to lie placed in the temple of peace at
The Hague, which palace has been made
possible through the munihcent gift of
Andrew Carnegie.
81 have painted many ortraits Oh peo-
pie of all nationalities, said the young
Austrian in discussing his work, but
never before in all my experience have l
found & character so difficult to portray
honestly and clearly"
Did you find President Roosevelt as
you agined?" Baron de Doblhof was
asked He folded a piece of paper con-
sideringly in his hands, and his alert ac-
tive eyes rested Just for a moment on a
picture of the president that was In a
magazine before him.
yes and no. he answered. II expect
ed to find a man of great energy, but [
did not expect to find the whirlwind OF
temperament and activity which are iden-
titled with this great man.
Did you find him as typically Amer
lean a. you would have expected
"American?" the shoulders went up in
shrug and the eyebrows accompanied
them in the elevation. American! He
is the most American person l ever saw
II I had looked for years l could not
have found a type of man so thoroughly
representative of the mode of thought
and conduct of this country as is your
president.
1.-The very tone of the nervous energy
that is in the air, that is in the blood
and makeup of American people, both
men and women, is in this man. He is
never still moment, yet with all this,
every movement he makes talks. If he
| uses h., hands while talking, the gestures
help to make his words convincing.
~ began the portrait by making eyes.
| | made eyes. eyes, until l almost stared
myself out of ,countenance, for I under
stood, the first time that I saw Pres
ident Roosevelt, that these eyes meant a
very great deal to all who saw him. and,
after watching him for many days, /
discovered that the eyes were business
like srrewd and kindly. They were not
pair of eyes belonging to a calculating
man, but one of good and deep compre-
hension. After watching him eye many
| people finished my sketch of the eyes"
How did you find the president as a
sitter; could he keep still?''
still" Mr.. de Dolbhoff's hands went
| I'D in the air. LAS still, about as still
as a-a-how do you call tia grasshop-
per.
are you going to paint me?' looking at
me with his eyes half closed, that every
characteristic half closing of his lids.
az don't exactly know yet I answer
ed
"'Well' he said, and very slight smile
| fitted over his eyes. Let's not have a
roll of parchment, or that fearfully
square jaw some folks make. or the
smile that won't come or because, he
aoued with real smile. ut does come
o., sometimes When I assured the
president that we would not have the