Evening star., 1939-03-02
MAGAZINE Cover Girls All Alike,
Artist Christy Complains
Points Out Lack
Of Distinction in
Illustrating Nowadays

Howard Chandler ChrlSty, creator
of the famous "Christy girls" of
nearly two decades ago. believes
that present-day cover-girl illus
trations are too much alike.
They lack distinction" the famous
artist said here today. Pick up any
kind of magazine with that kind Of
cover illustration and it will be just
like dozen others"
Although he stopped illustrating
years ago, Mr. Christy showed he
keeps up rather we'll With the trend.
He is called on occasionally for illus.
| trations, but all he does now ic
posters he contributes to worthy
causes such as the infantile paralysis
campaign.
He stopped illustrating to devote
himself to portraits. One can't mix
the two. Mr. Christy says. They are
entirely different things. While he
was illustrating. the artist said. he
made no attempts to paint portraits.
His Past Pursues Him.
No matter where he goes Mr..
Christy never entirely escapes his
past-the past identified with beau
tiful girls and illustrations. He
picked five Miss Americas but
stopped that practice some years
ago.
He's still asked to judge beauty
contestants and consistently re-
| fuses-most of the time. One of
! the exceptions was the contest for
the prettiest girl at the University
of Maryland. Il didn't intend to
do this he said. but a young
man came up here and asked me.
liked him and decided to accept"
| Mr.. Christy scoffed at such things
as measurements in picking beauty
winners. Its all a matter of bal
ance," he said. That means per-
sonality as well as looks
| Sixty-siX years old now, COM
pactly built man with a shock of
gray hair, Mr. Christy can look back
on an interesting career as an artist
There are really three phases of that
career. First was the beginning in
New York, when he was struggling
to make a livelihood.
Slept on Floor at First.
In a reminiscent mood, he re-
called that he rented a studio with
his last s25 and for several weeks
had to sleep on the floor. From
illustrations he sold to magazines
he got enough to buy food and two
boxes which he placed together and
he made bed
He interrupted his work to go to
Cuba in the Spanish American War.
On returning he soon established
a reputation for his soldier illustra-
tions. magazines got so they
wouldn't let me do anything else,"
Mr.. Christy said.
How did he get started illustrating
girls? That, the artist said. resulted
from an illustration he did for one
of Richard Harding Davis war
stories about soldiers dream of the
girl. Instead of drawing a picture
of the soldier, the artist did the
girl of the soldiers dream
He Does Portraits Now.
The Illustration was instantly ac-
claimed. Before long, Mr. Christy
said, he was not doing any illustra-
tions but girls. That was the second
phase of his career as an artist, and
lasted until the early 20s. Then the
artist began doing what he always
wanted to do-paint portraits. Since
then he has painted more than 300
portraits, "all over creation to use
his own description. Last year he
painted Vice President Garner,
House Speaker Bankhead and Mrs.
Bankhead.
However, he's not in Washington
this time for work. He is taking a
little vacation from his studio in
New York and enjoying himself, he
said, in "the most beautiful city in
the world"