South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-12-21
PRINCE OF PIRATE
ARTISTS Is WYETH
Life Has Been as Adventurous
as His Work to MassaChU-
sets Painters.

BOSTON, Mass. Dec. ZU.-N- -
wyeth. the prince OF pirate artists.
has a life story as full OF color az
his large paint-thickened palette. In
the 10 years that ne has been roam
ing the country he has met with ad-
ventures as alluring as any that
Long John Silver" or the boy
Hawkins" ever had.
Ard certainly no treasure chest
Halvaged from South Sea islands
ever contained more romantic
wealth than the old chest in Wyeth's
studio I'm Needham, Mass, from
whose depths came creaking folds or
strange costumes with blood-and-
thunder histories.
When he left the old home IN
Needham 10 years ago. Wyeth's
wealth consisted chiefly OF muscle
. and bone. six feet OF them. on the
day OF his recent return, he headed
he procession OF trunks and boxes
n a seven-passenger touring car.
He seems more like one OF RoOse-
Vets Rouyh Riders than a painter
i Ipf fantasies and murals. Except for
his thick. curly brown hair His
coarse shirt is open at the neck. his
khaki pants tucked into faded leg
Fings, a. broad-brimmed western hat
= IN his large, clean-cut hands
We crossed a sodden field In the
rain walking from his house 70 his
] studio. The Charles river, only
1 burblinz stream here. ran at the
foot; there were stark trees and a
blacklist windmill before us
No Pirates I'm His Youth.
Great. ail thisl" said the artist
with "a wide sweep OF his big arm. Il
must make a picture OF IL some time.
] learned 20 skate on that creek:
nearly got drowned oncei Now my
kids will learn. How / used TO like
80 take a slab OF bacon and some
eggs and cross that river and build
up n FIRE and tx lunch all by my
self"
And imagine you were a pirate ?'
put IN.
mo. 7 didn't" ne confessed. ITS
a strange thing but I seemed 10 lack
all that imag inative stun that most
kids have. I was quiet and my
mother said I was very observant,
but saw things as they were. and
not as the fairy tales paint them.
] didn't get acquainted with pirate
stun til after I was fun grows'"
His seeming lack was evidently a
blessing. FOR when nc was asked TO
illustrate Stevenson's Treasure Is
land" he came freshly 20 the book
and got so possessed with the roll
licking spirit of the pirates that he
could see them all IN his minds eye
md 20 was comparatively easy for
him O. paint them all In all their
glory and color. The same Trims
was true Of Scottish Chiefs and
Grip Van Wlnkle'-the characters
were all new acquaintance whose
valo~ous or homely deeds struck his
awakening imagination with all the
vig0r OF freshness.
As "a matter OF fact HIS mother OF
his former teachers will tell you that
books didn't appeal TO him very
much in those early dsys-especialIy
school books lie was put into a
private chool en- the hope that no
might catch up" in arithmetic, but
a year OF coaching left him unappre.
ciative or the value or declmals and
fractions and his father I'm despair
decided TO send him 20 the farm OF q
friend IN New Hampshire who would
give him IS a week az farm hand
HIS mother interviewed. She re
nembered his carly love FOR draw.
ing-nipped ln tho bud, as il were
10y am cart" teacher OF the "olt
scbooimarm" type. and "N. c." wa,
sent 20 tho normal art school-ant
then 20 Pratt-and then 90 Howard
Pyle. with whom he lived for severa
years in Delaware and Pennsyl
vania. But I'm getting ahead too
fast
Studio Speaks Of Adventures.
The studio--au old tower rebuilt
with a large window on one side
was Nr. Wyeth's Boswell" Tha
faithful biosrapher OK Samuel John
son could not have told his friend
story more accurately than this littl,
studio proclaimed the character and
adventures OF this versatile artist.
There were lots OF pictures. o.
course couple Of mural paintings
landscapes herOines az history anC
mythology. pirates some Of the Civil
war battles for which ne Is famous
Even aside from the pictures. 10 wa.
hos s. paradise Every gun and ol,
musket and siX-shooter stacked 80
the chimney corner had its grin
tale A -barrelcd musket o.
Daniel Boone's, given 90 Rooney hi
running mate. occupied "a place o
honor under the mantel a stack o.
Mexican hats under a table pointet
their queer cones up at grea
green bottle that the early Quaker
used FOR wine.
This old thing" said the artist
handling a Revolutionary war can
teen with Liberty" painted acros
the front. was the beginning OF IN,
collection. was = years old. her,
IN Needham when well. 20 D,
honest, I SWITCHED it from an OLD
house across the rlver-the atti,
was dark and dusty and full OF thD
most gorgeous old relics. the ole
ladies who lived there let me 20 III
one day. and somehow or other tina
canteen got thrown out OF the win
dow. and that night well, i fount
Il on the grass. and here &c Is"
There was an old polo sticI
reminiscent Of the dav when nobody
knew how famous young wyeth wa