New-York tribune., 1922-03-28
Artistic Ghost
Hangs " oman's
Spool> Picture
Committee a, Waldorf Show
and DR.. Prince Can Find
No Other Way TO Explain
How Work Got in Gallery
Real Automatic Drawino
Mrs. E7ieIds's "Pcrsonalitv
Portrait" Called Example
of Sub-Conscious Sketch

The "Inpressionist Personality por-
rait Of Miss Edith Bennett" VIII ,cb
occupies . small corner OF the exhih;.
ton Of the Society o. IndeDen6en.
Artists on the Waldorf Roof. is y
genuine example of automatic drawI
ing no mistake about it, Dr.. Waltar
Frankliu Pr nee, psychic research soe.
c;slist and Americas s last word authnr.
ity or ghostly manifestation. deivorad
this verdict yesterday after an insnec.
ton Of the picture. DR.. Prince conid
not tell the exhibition authorities how,
the picture got into the show. though.
and after all that is principally wnat
excites the official interest.
The picture is fine lead pcac;l
she;ch, the central figure the head anI
face o, woman. The surroundico
atmosphere IS hiied by peculiar, but
easily Understandable figures OF other
women, men, bivcs, and vague outlincs
which look as though they had hesn
copied from an ancient Babylonian in
scllption. Over the central hcaa ;s
some unidentified design around a
series Of squares from which an Arab
ian Nlght Genie is reaching toward
the hgure below. interviewer are
scores OF tiny heads, such as NAV be
found on scrbbling pad in almosY
any telephone booth The whole ac-
cordinG TO Mrs Emma Mabel Field. Of
Chicago. represents the life experi
eaces Of Miss Bennett Mrs. Field
drew It. She ought to know.
Arrived Too Late for Admittance
But that doesn't explain much. The
picture was submitted to the cxhibi
ton committee ior display. 1t would
rave been hung in the ordinary course
Of events had it not been that the
sketch arrived after the closing date
tor entrance Post entries not be-
ing accepted. the committee returned
the sketch to Mrs. Field in Chicago,
explaining their regret that it had
Mrs. fic'd replied This is not an
ordinary picture 1t will appear in
your eXhibition. in spite of all YOU
may do to keep it OUT
There tie matter rested until last
Wednesday morning. when Mrs. Fields
rejected picture was found tackled into
place IN the corner where it now
hangs very substantial nail had
been drYGn into the temporary parti-
ton. fro'3 which the picture had been
suspended by decidedly material
piece Of picture wire. while four equal
y real tin tacks affixed above it the
title and description. with the intima-
tion that in its profound depths there
personality OF its subject
The committee began an jnvestica-
tion, starting with the night watchman.
who aVoWed with vehemence that he
knew nothing whatever about it. that no
one had entered the exhibition after
the time OF closing, that nobody had
driven any tacks into any partition and
that If visitors from the other world
were going TO spend their time rough
housing the roof Of the Waldorf
Astoria, then it was time he got q lob
in q church. Members of the commit
tee were equally positive in their de-
mails of all completely The picture
was not there on Tuesday night. 1t
viously there was only one man who
could deal with problem of this ma
ture, and they sent for Dr. Prince. who
has just finished running down the
ghost OF Antigonish.
at is nquestionably specimen of
automatic drawing" DR.. Prince said
~ could have told you that even with
out knowing its history. 1t was plain
the minute | looked ct it, have seen
dozens of other drawings similarly
produced and this is akin to all of
them. Mrs Field draws these pictures
while she is under the influence of her
subconscious self. She does not know
that she draws them to the extent that
she does not draw them of definite
expressed intent. She draws them just
as we do things in dreams"
Finds Pienty of Company
Dr.. Prince cast all appraising eve
around the walls whereon have been
gathered al amazing display of impos-
slble nightmares of color and design,
with occasional examples of conven-
tional art.
Il am Philistine," he sighed. ut
looks to me very much as if some OF
the other pictures are the product of
subconscious effort, too"