The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-04-18
TAFT DESIGNATED
HANDS0HEST MAN
Sculptor Says His Face
Shows More Force Than
RooSevelt'S.
HAS BUST MADE
FOR ACTORS FAIR
Model Is Completed Without IN
terTupting Presidents
Work.

NEW YORK, April st Believe the
President IS the handsomest man IN
public lffe,'' said Robert / Aitkin, the
sculptor, on his return from Washing
ton, where he has oecl TO make model
Ter a bust for the Actors Fund Fair
Mr. Aitken brought back the wax ng-
NuTP. and he is very proud q It, rs II
the first bust Of president Taft. and
$fIso the only one ever modelled entirely
p the Presidents private desk at the
tTlite House The bust was made while
he President was working and Mr.
kftken invented a COlIapsibIe box, which
kIowed him TO let the wax model doYn
any part Of chr desk SO that he
right view the Presideu- from every
znele IS lIr Taft attended TO his Of
ciaI duties.
yes. 1 think he IS the haudsomest
Ian in public life M Aiken declared.
SINE lreople VI saw he is tn ueavy,
z.but after YOU have been with him few
minutes you forget his weight entirely
He TupreSseS You merely as a big man
You are only aware Of the firnuess OF
his face and lie co7ter0aIanClns f-Tn-
ness OF his features
Other Statesmen Compared.
It have studied the faces OF all the
men who called upon him daily, partic-
uIarIy the Cabinet officers, the Senator's,
an Representative. and I found none
tEat compared wica his
Mr.. Taft IS a very difficult man to
model Il Is 50 easy 10 burlesque and
carfcature him, without producing the
real man. his forehead and eyebrows,
with the little sag above the eyes, IS
full Of force and determination He has
the prominent bulges that denote per
cepti0n- The tremendous power latent
in these characteristics is not hard 70
express in marble
..The difficulty comes in showing the
genJleness or his eyes They are eyes
Of great depth and Of unusual kindness
and caudor- Yet it was his eyes that
convinced me he had even more force
than Roosevelt, we're he ever called
upon 10 show IL at crisis
Mr.. Aitken arrived in Washington q
week ago last Thursday and spent the
entire first day watching the President
and studying his features
Work Not Interrupted
THE next day said MI Aitkin. =
brought my wax IN the coIIapsi5le box
and began modelling The President sat
on one side Of the long desk. with his
back TO the light from the four windows
/ and his secretary. M Carpenter. oppc-
. site The light was bad handicap, and
T was forced TO work from every aDg-z
4 the desk often Mr.. Carpenter gave
p his seat that might get a better
few. but in general the work OF the Of
ice went on as II I were not there
The necessity Of adjusting the posi-
ion Of the wax 10 the position Of th'
Presidents face. instead OF adjustinl
the subjects face 10 the position OF INT
MODEL, was another handicap, buJ tlil
vas overcome by q simple mechanism
which allowed me 70 tilt and slant tht
model whenever the President ChangeC
the position Of his head The result va
that I practically had a continuous sit
ting for six days while the Presiden
ent on with his Office routine, dIctat
&. receiving callers and comforting
ithout giving much time 20 the Usua
bsiDE-"
The President has agreed TO come q
en- York to open the fair On May s.