The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-05
THE HIDDEN NAME.
\ Photographic Revelation Which
 Fixed Fraud on the Guilty.
(New York Times.)

Several New York artists who were doing their best to make a hot night toierable at an uptown roof garden Tell into discussion of the hardest luck any of them had ever known one or or tneir profession to experience in the way of attack upon the original lty or authenticity of his work.
 They agreed that the experience of a comparatively unknown western ar list was worthy of taking first place among such instances. George Ot- tinger was the artists name, and he gained what fame has come to him through portraytng scenes of pioneer llfe in the days of the overland freight trains and pioneer campfres
 one phase of his youthful ventures had led him as a sailor to Mexico, and after he had settled down into the small village of Salt Lake City in the days of '49 he was attracted by the legend of Montezuma and the White Cod who was expected to visit Mexico at the time Cortez and his Spaniards put in their appearance on the eastern seaboard. In his odd hours Ottinger worked the Montezu- ma legend into a painting, using Mex lcan types, as he rem embered them, from his brief visit, for the principal figures.
 y painting had become we'll known in the Far West and had gained him several medals in the Utah territorial fairs. Ottinger was invited to become a member of an art society formed at Salt Lake City He accepted, but on the occasion of his first appear ance at its meetings was made the object of an attack that for a little while nonplussed his admirers, and caused his retirement from the so- ciety.
 Another artist who had been in Mexico on a visit asserted at the meeting in question that he had found in Mexico City photograph of an ancient Mexican painting of which Ottinger's work was ,ln exact copy. There could be no doubt about it. he said, and to prove his statement he passed around for the delectation of Ottinger's friends several replicas of the photograph.
 It seemed plainly enough to carry it's own weight of conviction. They were marked as having been made by photographer of Mexico City from an ancient Mexican painting:
 Ottinger in a crestfallen sort of way asked for one of the photographs and it was given to him. He took it home and for several days made no comment upon the affair. Then WAeH CdIue u SO0 IIlIIl dl HlS rough studio, he asked them to look at the photograph through a power full magnifying glass which he had provided, paying especial attention to the lower right hand corner. Those who did so smiled broadly and grasp ed the hand of the artist, for what they discovered there was the name "Ottinger,'' just as it was signed to all the artists work. The same word was found on all the other copies OF the photograph available. It was then discovered that a Mormon mis- sionary had carried a photograph of Ottinger's painting to Mexico with him. He had taken it to a photog- rapher's to have some more copies struck off and the photographer had liked it so well that he had kept the plate and had gone into the regular business of printing off and selling the pictures. The caption From an Old Mexican Painting he had added to give local flavor to the picture and increase it's sale to tourists.