The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-17
ARTIST BEHIND THE PICTURES
 ROUND AT THE LYRIC

It isn't often that the interviewer" has an experience like that afforded by Maude Henriette de Serriss. whose Re- productions of Famous Works of Art, v round at the Lyric this week, are among the most beautiful. artistic and original acts ever presented in vaudeville
 Moving pictures, living pictures and all sorts of pictures have been produced on the stage, but it has been left to the device of this clever French woman to originate and present an entirely new and unique creation which the world ol art has highly commended and which the casual art lover enjoys with unlimited pleasure.
 Madame de Serriss is the artist behind the pictures and while she does not appear herself in any of the "reproduc- tions.'' it is her master hand and master mind that has conceived this beautiful idea, and put into practical effect an achievement which took years and years of study and hard work to accomplish.
 It is bit unusual in a theatrical story not to have the interview" with the Heading lady''--that is, the leading lady on the stage-but Madame de Serriss is more than the Heading lady in this ase: she is the whole show for it is her wonderful talent, her colorful eye and her artistic gift that has made these pictures world renowned and world fam ous
 Madame de Serriss does not speak sin gle word of English-absolutely none-but her French is wonderful with that ador- able accent which cannot be acquired by any save those whose lives have been spent among French people. and she was born and bred at Bordeaux, where the wines come from, and she chatters in her native tongue with the softest and most euphonious accent imaginable. quite to her owr delectation, but to the despair of the poor ''intervewer,' whose French is confined to the commonplace phrases on the menu between the ''consomme' and the ''demi-tasse.
 But madame has provided against that evil day, by the presence of her manager, Mir. Albert Leroy, who, although French himself, speaks English charmingly, and is one of the most cultured and delight ful of people.
 Madame de Serriss speaks innumerable other languages-Italian, Spanish and all of the soft Latin tongues which belong to those exotic climes in which she has spent her life, and I suppose she even has the Russian language at her command but as l did not enter eloquently into any of these foreign tongues, and she as sured me that zee English" was not in her line, MT. Leroy gallantly threw him self into the breach and began to in terpret' something that had never hap pened to me before, not even with the Divine Sarah or the lovely Pavlova both of whom are the bane of interview ers''
 Madame listened with her head on ont side like an intelligent bird when MT Leroy had translated into voluble and polished French my questions. and sh, closed her hands and laughed delightfully."- and nodded her head until the very top
 most Marcel of them all, if it hat not been attached by the roots to it resting place, must inevitably hav' rolled off.
 i Then she spoke softly and the accom- ] plished Mir Leroy translated into Eng :, fish the story that I wanted to hear. l Madame de Serriss proclaims he l French nativity by every word, gestur and sign, and with her quick French wi and clear understanding and the earnes 1 look in her eyes which resembled nic broken autumn leaves. she indicated tha
 she is appreciative of your interest il
 every shape and form.
 Ma dame says" MT. Leroy began. tha i I shall tell you that all her young Tiff was spent in the studio of her husband a ] Bordeaux, where she studied art an posed as an artists model. Practical, l %t-s -s.<-~ .1 It., 1 beauty, color and ,s'ect. and her love o the great masterpieces and of really beau tiful art works is innate as well as cul | tured. :"
 Tt was in the year 1900,"s MT. Lero. continued. that Madame de Seirres
 decided upon the idea of the 'Reproduc tion of Famous Works of Art bsfor