Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22
l. oewenstein, Mystery Man
BY LEONEBEL JACOBS.


TT was America that gave Alfred
Loewenstein the title OF the man
| of mystery" This country could
| 1 not quite make him out. Famed
for Its hard working and hard
PLAYING men, America met a man who
worked and played even harder. Vivid.
energetic. amazingly quick-his was
personality to study.
had an opportunity to study that
personality when I painted him last
Spring during his visit in America And
I came to regard him not as man
Of mystery" but as a man OF human
hurricane, a dynamo of restless energy,
the man who couldn't sit still"
How different he was from my flrst
impression of him! At that time, sitting
next to him at an Embassy dinner In
Washington, had seen gentleman
OF leisure conversing quietly and charm
ingly with me In excellent English and
then addressing the woman on his left
in excellent French. But later. while
painting his portrait In his own sur
roundings at the Ambassador Hotel
In New York was to see very dif-
| ferent man revealed.
did not discover his vast energy
during that first meeting. but IT was
! only a few moments after We had been
| presented that I learned of his great
| love of sport. of the outdoors. OF horses
| and hunting. We found that We both
knew Victor Sifton. a great authority
| on horses Mr.. Loewenstein had dined
! with him in Canada only two days be-
| fore. And We were friends Immediately
| In our mutual admiration OF this man.
| While he spoke ! studied him. he
was of medium height and build. His
Ill. Az hFnufn
| ewes were keen and sparkling. His
mouth was firm Apparently in the
best OF health. he did not look his
! so wears. Secretly I studied him from
a pictorial standpoint.
What a fine subject" l thought TO
myself But must not do his profile.
His forehead slopes back too far. and I
would have to give up his eyes. should
like to do his smile; 1t is so spontane-
Gus. so unaffected; but there Is no
| time"
Seeing him beside me--so quiet. so
poised, so perfectly ct ease, began
planning quiet and restful portrait;
But swiftly and radically my plans had
to be changed when met him in New
York for the first sitting.
While we were arranging the time
for that sitting suggested that 1t
might be more agreeable II we made II
early in the morning.
You won't be up so early in the
morning" he said laughing. What do
YOU call early in the morning."
Nine o'clock, 8 o'clock. 6 o'clock" l
said,
He seemed surprised, so told him of
the time painted Mrs. Coolidge. When
o'clock In the morning the major domo
who opened the door greeted me with:
Il believe you and Mrs, Coolidge are
the only two women in Washington
who are up this early"
Lets make 1t at 8 o'clock" he sug-
gested finally. Nothing ever happens
before then"
And then he told me that this would
be his first portrait. Il have never
been painted before" he said. once.
when was boy, some one started
| one, but IL was never finished"
! I did not know the reason for this
then, but I was to find out later. Even
as boy he must have been unable TO
sit still.
/ THERE was great silence behind
the doors of his large suite when
| arrived at his New York hotel for the
first sitting. Comte de Grunne escort
ed me upstairs, and explained that Mr.
Loewenstein had gone to Long Island
at dawn to try out A new airplane and
| 10 ride some horses. So that was how
he spent the time when nothing ever
! happens" He seized upon those pre-
| cious minutes to play-~to play harder.
discovered later, than any one had
| ever met. No man in the public eye In
our country, am sure has ever carried
such dynamic energy into play as this
man, except, perhaps, President Roose-
! Welt
| When he learned had come To make
portrait of Mr., LoewenStein, Comte
| de Grunne threw up his hands.
Il do not see how IL viii be possible -
he said, He won't sit still long
| enough"
And, still mourning the impoSsibility
| OF the task that faced me, ne escorted
! me to the empty drawing room, Soon
one OF the secretaries appeared and Of
fered his sympathy for the ordeal
ahead.
so you are going to paint the cap
tain's portrait?" he said. tThey all
called him the captain.l Il pity you"
| l remembered MIR. Loewenstein as
had seen him in Washington. / didn't
| quite understand all OF the sympathy
| until half hour later. when he sud
denly appeared like hurricane, bring
ing the spirit Of the out-of- doors with
him. In riding clothes and fur cea.,