Evening star., 1941-05-13
Mr.. Flogg Comes to Washington
Coustc-Toneued Artist, Who Makes Anmosity Hobby
Sketches Notable Figures He Met on Visit to Capitol

SkSCCneS NOCOOI6
Beginning tomorrow, The Star will
publish series of daily stories and
sketches by the celebrated artist,
James Montgomery Flagg, on some
of the notable figures he has met
during visit in the Capital.
The first article from the pen of
this famed 63-year-old illustrator
will be on Secretary of State Hull
and Undersecretary of State Welles.
Mr.. Flagg, whose pleasingly curved
beauties long have enlivened lead
ing magazines, is a man with
enough pet aversions to keep a
dozen experienced haters on 24-hour
duty.
Not the least of his pet hates, the
illustrator told Vesta Keeling of The
Stars Special News Service in an
interview, are coat hangers wearing
lipstick." That is Mr.. Flagg's word
picture of calorie- counting modern
women.
Animosity q Hobby.
The lean 6-foot-2 artist disposed
of fashions in females with wave
of his hand and launched on a
subject he likes better-phony folk
and phony attitudes-in a manner
reminiscent of Whistler.
Like another caustic-tongued art
ist, Mr.. Flagg makes animosity a
hobby. He despises athletics. He
doesn't mind getting up, but he
leather getting dressed early.
Once he wrote to a radio station
protesting that jazzing the classics
was like feeding people tea so that
they'll like coffee
He hates tennis and squash and
golf. Bouncing little balls" he
shudders. Il do not like to play
anything but the radio"
The very word "basebalr makes
him i'll, he declares.
He neither likes the game nor
the dust -. the yelling :. the pop
bottles -. the peanut shells :. the
shirt sleeves the sweat.
Il must be a snob," he concludes.
People Like Soft Soap"
About the current European war,
the man who painted 46 posters for
the last one said: II feel like picking
up my hat and saying, This is where
came in"
This cyniciSm, however, is hardly
even skin deep, because 1000 900
copies of posters for which Mr.. Flagg
did not charge a cent were circu-
lated during the World War and
he has just completed five on the
current emergency.
One, Speed Up America" he did
for the Committee to Defend Amer
lea by Aiding the Allies, two are for
the Red Cross, one for Bundles for
Britain and another for China Re
lief.
His famous "I Want You" poster
Of Uncle Sam pointing was ordered
back into service last year.
Mr.. Flagg detests the word "se-
lectees" used in place of "draftees,"
"evacuees" rather than refugees" or
public relations counsel for press
agent" Phony attitudes spawn
them, he thinks.
People like soft SOAP" Mr.. Flagg
mourns. They like having butter
poured over them"
Formed Better Dead Club"
THE Better Dead Club" was
formed some years ago by Mr..
Flagg and his friend, the late Jim
Metcalf, drama critic of old Life
magazine. to which their pet hates
were elected at regular sessions.
In 1882, Mr.. Flagg refused to par
ticipate in the selection of the six
prettiest girls of Syracuse Univer-
sity, giving as an excuse the fact
that he was bored to death with
college girl beauty contests"
Hung in Mr.. Flagg's studio are
paintings of many lovely women,
one large canvas which he says is
his finest nude dominating the wall
near wide windows which extend
from floor to ceiling.
Over the fireplace is his portrait
Of his now 16-year-old daughter,
Faith, when she was 4, fianked by
a portrait Of Ethel Barrymore and
a study of Abraham Lincoln.
One Of his best known oils is OF
John Barrymore as Hamlet, which
was hung on the stage in the actors
last seasons Broadway vehicle, MY
Dear Children" based, in part, on
Mr.. Barrymore's life.
Mr.. Flagg used himself as the
model for Uncle Sam In his Speed
Up America" poster.
Also a Writer.
Posing in a mirror was q prob
lem," he explains, making faces to
illustrate. THE most difficult part
was doing my right hand. I had
to drop the brush, take the pose,
squint and then grab the brush and
make a stroke or two"
Mr.. Flagg could not have hired a
better model. All he had to fake
was the beard.
He has high-nosed patrician
/ face, heavy eyebrows and thick gray
hair which grows back from mis-
forehead at the temples with a
somewhat mephistophelian effect,
belied by eyes which seem to have
taken In lots In the past SO years
and found plenty Of it funny.
Like Whistler, Artist Flagg Is also
a writer. A few years ago he won
a contest of the International Marx
Twain Society with a story on
President Roosevelt he dashed OH
as an afterthought following q
sketching appointment.
To give you an idea Of the Flags
literary style, we quote from this
essay:
"The President looked at my Is
minute sketch and said
"'I like it it has flair.
don't know what fair Is but