Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-02-06
GREAT men UN7|DY
Noted Painter Had Smallest and
Dirtiest Hands on Record"
Doctor johnson Was Grotesque, But u
Was Fitzgerald Who "Took the
Cake" for SlovenIiness in the
Ranks Of the Great.

1t is surprising how careless OF their
outer appearance many famous men
nave been. It is said Of Turner, the
great landscape painter. that his hands
were the smallest and dirtiest hands
on record" Perhaps that. Is an exag
gerauon, but he was certainly very
slovenly in his Dress He wore a black
swallowtail dress coat. very much in
need OF a clothes brush vigorously
used, and In the warmest as well as in
the coolest weather. he wore round his
throat sort OF wrap or muffler, which
ne would unloosen. letting the ends
bangle down in front and dip into the
co!ors OF his palette. He always
worked either with his old hat on his
head or with this same large muftier
over his head. His appearance was
more like that OF an old time coach
man than Of famous Royal academi.
clan. for he was short and stout. with
red and blotchy face.
Doctor Johnsons slovenliness has
almost passed into proverb There
are many contemporary accounts OF
his turning out of his house in Bolt
court with his wig back to front and
his stockings down. When Boswell
visited him at Inner Temple lane. he
records. His brown suit OF clothes
looked very rusty; he had on a little
old. shriveled, unpowdered wig, which
fNr ic shirt
neck and the knees of his breaches
were loose, his black worsted stock
ings Ill drawn up and by way OF slip
pers he had on pair of unbuckied
shoes" When it is added that this
great man was constantly twitching,
grunting. shaking his head, putting his
cheeks and blinking his eyes it must
be admitted that his appearance was
not only uncouth. but grotesoue.
Thomas Carlyle. coming out OF a
peasant race, never conformed to so
ciety garb. He was always the In
spired peasant. He would sometimes
60 out in his old dressing gown. over
which he buttoned big coat. gray
with age. When he was left alone In
the house he delighted in swilling his
fagstones with pals OF water. and
many a distinguished friend found him
thus engaged with kind Of smock on
and his bushy hair all tousled. tie
went about all the summer among the
highest aristocracy in a frfeze jacket
which was part OF an old dressing
gown. All the cabmen and bus drivers
Chelsea way knew him. One said: HE
may wear a queer at. but what would
yer give for the 'eadpiece inside OF
it,"
1t would not be seemly to describe
Tennyson as slovenly in any real
sense. He was a singularly noble look
ing man, but he did not care 3ot what
he wore. His old SLOUGH hat had seen
unnumbered years and tapped about
at all angles, and the Inverness cape
which he invariably wore was abont
as old as his hat People who met him
without knowing his immense distinc'
ton would have regarded him as q
rather quaint character. and tailor q
cutter would not have assessed nlh ~
halt dollar. all told
This IL a description OF the daily ap
pearance OF Edward Fitzgerald. the
immortal author Of THE Rubaiyat" OF
Omar Khayyam: "Straggling gray hair
and slovenly in dress. wearing an an
cieut. battered, black-banded. shiny
edged tall hat around which he would
in wintry weather tie>a handkerchief
to keep it in place: his clothes OF Gag
Nv blue cloth, as though be were a
seafarer, his trousers short and his
shoes low. exhibiting length OF white
or gray stockings. With an unstarched
shirt front, high. crumpled. standup
collar, a big black silk tie in a careless
bow: in cold weather trailing green
and black and gray plaid shawl. IN mol
weather even walking barefoot with
his boots slung to stick" Surely
"Old F1tz," as Tennyson called him,
took the cake for siovenliness OF all
the immortals!