The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-16
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1s, 1910.
rAIyTING the AMERICANS.

"
PAINTING THE AMERICANS.
The Baroness IIermione Won Preus'
chen Telmann, who is described by the
New York World as plump, yellow
haired, genial and extremely frank.
is an artist; that to say, she ha
painted some pictures and has beef
offering them to sucl, OF the bette
II New Workers as can afford to bu!
them. whether they want them or not
The Baroness is also writer, ant
intends to write some books about
America. She may be able oisell her
pictures, but$we fear that she has been
anticipated in literature BY MaXO'Rell
and Bernard Shaw. and the Chinaman
who has given his impressions about
the Americans and Hop Smith. who
has made his living by his brush and
: his pen and his mouth. However that
may be. we wish the Baroness great
success in her endcavors. Americans
like to be talked about; 1t doesn't mat
tcrvery much what is said about them
Just so something is said.
The Baroness gave an exhibition Of
i her paintings in New York the other
s day, under the patronage OF the Count
Won Bernsdortf, the German Anlbassn-
dor to the United States, and n very
fine man. and was complimentcd on
her work. The art critic Of the World
was much moved by one of these pic
lures called "Circe,'' which showed,
as we arc told, "a nude woman with
hair of Titan red and dark eyes filled
with mocking light, standing amid a
herd of swine, whom she has just
ma gically created from horde aof
men, il it were not for the "dar'
eyes filled with mocking light" we,
should spot the picture at once as
having been drawn in Houston, Texas.
The red head and the swine are true
about the eyes, the eyes of nearly all
the women in Texas who would con-
sent to being painted in this bald way
being of faded-out blue. but Bailey
would he able to tell better about lit.
probably. If he could only see "Clrce''
Another of the Baroness's paintings is
called "The vampirc.. which is also
said to represent a red-headed woman
with "bat-like wings that sweep up
from her shoulders" Her face is
hidden. and, Of course. we are not
cutie able to place her, but She also
for all that we know. may be from
Texas: certainly there is no ono that
would answer to that description in
either of the Caro!inas or IN grand
old Virginia. I t doesn't make any diff
ference where the subjects were found,
however. as from the descriptions
given of them by Don seitz there is
no doubt that they are a s true to life
any painter who has been In the
United states for only short time
could have been expected 10 make
them.
We nave been as much impressed by
the Barones*S powers of literary de-
scription 5of the. Americans she has
seen as by her artistic reproductions
OF them on the naked canvas She has
FOUND tho American woman "much
more clever than the men" Granted,
me men are simply impossible,
hight YOU are again, dear Baroness.
Some OF the women are very beauti-
1ui'; but oh. they are frishtfully
& conceited. And they show such awful
nnoriginality in dress All wear their
+ N ff.3
lutte While ago they made their heads
= INTO biscuit qnilt-and now ii is a. !
round fr9'ing-pan; because it is the
+ 'style.' Your ladies must make them
selves hideous.'' There ought to be
something entertaining in her books, il |
3sthea Baroness will only keep IN this
lick. Somebody ought TO tell her how
ever. that a large part of the biscuit
and frying-pan effects We're largely
made in Germany" and that they|
have been worked off on the unsus-
pecting Americans in the course or
trade Down in Richmond. where the
only true Americans are to be found
the women wear their own hair, in the
( main. and wear it in most charming
u way. The Baroness ought to drop in /
4 Tor day or two IL She wish to-
make her books what they ought TO
2Sbe. We doubt that she has seen a. real
American since she came over here.
and besides, she would probably SELL
more of her paintings it she. would use
q little more Of the French SAVIOR ii, |
her advertising business.
The hardest thing said by The
.1alr' about the Americans and
their ways was In relation to our song
birds. which carol whenever they can
get q chance in the Poets Corner" OF
the newspapers, or such OF them ash
keep up that interesting feature OIL
journalism. as 1t was and as it ought
TO be. America Ia young. and America
has the faults and the virtues of It's
youth and America is the land OIL
easy divorce and lis threatened with
woman suffrage. and you think You
are pcrfeet--,tllat IL the trouble But,
thank Heaven. We faro Improving all
tbs time ~ was at this point that