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Studying Art Abroad,
HOW TO DO IT CHEAPLY.
BY
MAY ALCOTT NIERIKER.
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?, 1879. ^
BOSTON.
ROBERTS BROTHERS. 1879
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Copyright 1S79, BY ROBERTS BROTHERS.
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PRINTED BY ALFRED MUDGE AND SON.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
En Route 5
CHAPTER II. London *9
CHAPTER III. Clothes, Shops, and Addresses 35
CHAPTER IV. Paris 42
CHAPTER V. Rome
Studying Art Abroad.
CHAPTER I
* EN ROUTE.
Art is so over-talked and over-written at the present time (charmingly, to be sure, but still overdone), that, even were a student's opinion on the subject of any value, I have no intention of adding my name to the list of those who, from critics like Ruskin and Hamerton down to the multitude of newspaper correspondents, keep America en courant with European painters, pic- tures, and gossip.
But none of these writers report the actual cost of living, instruction, or rent of studio abroad ; or how one in search of such can most easily and economically obtain them, in order to realize the desire of one's heart. Therefore, having had some experience of art studies in London, Paris, and Rome, I propose putting into readable form, facts and figures which may help another to overcome
STCDY/XG ART ABROAD.
certain difficulties attending a first trip, and the most direct attainment of the desired end.
Now that Boston, New York, and Philadelphia have their Fine Art Museums and life classes, there is no longer the same necessity for crossing the Atlantic for an education that existed some years ago. But while the feeling prevails that there is no art world like Paris, no painters like the French, and no incentive to good work equal to that found in a Parisian atelier, many will con- tinue to seek in France what, in their estimation, cannot be found in America. To such, especially if women, a few notes, suggestions, and addresses will prove useful in simplifying the modus ope- randi of settling in a foreign city.
Let me impress upon them at the outset the importance of considering well what is one's par- ticular taste or talent, aim or ambition, and to have a definite notion before starting of what one wants to learn, so as to insure the greatest amount of profit and enjoyment in a given time. For I am supposing our particular artist to be no gay tourist, doing Europe according to guide-books, with perhaps a few lessons, here and there, taken only for the name of having been the pupil of some distinguished master, but a thoroughly ear-
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STUDYING ART ABROAD.
Just as naturally will one who seeks instruction in water-color figures and landscapes turn toward London, though the Roman painters possess a fine, strong style in the former subject which can- not be overlooked. However, as every one knows, England's art speciality is water-colors, of which the summer exhibitions give sufficient proof.
Also china painting and decorative art in gen- eral flourish in the big city which is acknowledged the great picture-market of the world, and this last fact may be of some importance to an artist if re- duced to making pot-boilers, as the saying, " Live in Paris, but sell in London," was long ago adopted by painters of all nations.
Let us conclude, then, that each of the foregoing considerations has been well thought of, and after due deliberation and all possible study accom- plished before starting, that our lady artist decides on a year abroad, and begins preparations in good earnest.
She proceeds to select a large, light trunk, one of French manufacture if possible ; for those of American make are very heavy and not proportion- ately strong, and as every pound in weight is an added item of expense in travelling, this becomes a subject worthy some consideration Then pack-
EN ROUTE.
ing closely, rolling and pinning every article that can be rolled and pinned, puts in plenty of old un- derclothes and but few dresses, a strong travelling suit and a black silk being the only important cos- tumes. I say old underclothes, because the grime of London and the acid used by all Parisian blan- chisseuses soon rot and spoil anything delicate or nicely trimmed, and as the old things become too thin for use, but invaluable as paint-rags '(which artists so often have to buy), they are easily replaced by ready-made strong ones at small expense.
If the trunk is too high for sliding under the berth of the state-room, and our artist is sufficiently sensible to prefer going in light marching order on all occasions, she can take only a commodious hand-bag and shawl-strap, letting the trunk go below in the hold. The first-named should contain the necessary changes of linen, paper collars and cuffs (if she is not too proud to wear such), which, like Japanese handkerchiefs, do not require wash- ing, a dressing-case of toilet articles to hang up and sway with the motion of the vessel, gloves, veils, and little things, while into the shawl-strap should be rolled a thick wrap, water-proof, flannel gown, books to read on the passage, and overflowings from the bag.
10 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
This comprises all that is strictly needed for a voyage of twelve days across the Atlantic, though' the addition of fruit or a supply of preserved ginger to be eaten in the watches of the night will be found a refreshing luxury, not always to be obtained on board.
If not the possessor of a steamer chair, I should advise not buying one on the American side, where the cost is from ten dollars upwards, and being by no means indispensable, any one economically inclined will defer purchasing until the return trip, when very pretty folding chairs of dark wood, suitable even for parlor use afterward, can be procured from Tottenham Court Road furnishing shops, London, or in Liverpool, on going to the steamer, at the low price of ten to fifteen shillings.
Everything, then, being ready, our artist takes passage on a " Cunarder," if she prefers safety, or requires the protecting care of a gallant English captain ; but if economy is an object she will try the " Anchor," " National," or " Guion Line," where a deck state-room, for $60, will be found most airy and comfortable, and, accepting what letters and addresses are offered her, push bravely off, to begin her art studies in the Old World.
Supposing, then, water-colors to be her aim and
EN ROUTE. II
London her destination, she arrives at the Liver- pool wharf, perhaps at night, and decides to save hotel bills by remaining on board the boat until morning ; but if eager to leave the narrow quarters, where possibly she has known much misery during the voyage, she drives either to the hotel at the Lime Street Station, to go directly through to the metropolis, or, as I should suggest, to the Great Western Hotel, which is at the terminus of the rail- road, by which she leaves the next morning for Chester, as the first stopping-place of a most interesting detour, including Stratford, Warwick, Kenilworth, and Leamington. If she has from two to three pounds in money to spare, and decides to make this little trip, she will, before leaving the hotel, repack the bag, and if possible put the con- tents of the shawl-strap into the trunk (which, left in care of the baggage-master, in return for a few pence and the receipt, will be forwarded to any London address on her writing for it), and start, with art materials prepared and bag in hand, but otherwise unencumbered with luggage, for historical ground.
In tnus accomplishing the distance between Liverpool and London, one includes perhaps the
12 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
greatest number of places of interest, as well as fine subjects for an artist's pencil as can be found in any circuit of England ; and three days with two nights enjoyed en route need cost but little and be found truly delightful.
Of course this limited time admits only of a broad, rapid manner of sketching, which, however, often results profitably, most of the subjects being of a particularly salable description, and even rough suggestive bits in color proving interesting to those persons who have never visited the spots.
But our artist could be very busy and happy in these little towns for any length of time, although, as this whole district is so much travelled and familiar to all, it will only be necessary to note here a few items not found in any guide-book.
Arriving, then, at Chester, one takes the omnibus from the station for " The Blossoms," a little inn just outside the old walls of the town and in dangerous proximity for the lover of bric-a-brac to many shops which, among other attractions, contain fine old chests and chairs in carved black oak, to be bought for half the cost demanded in London or Paris for the same articles. And these the venders will forward, without extra charge, to any address on the island.
EN ROUTE. 13
Every painter knows the value of this antique furniture, and how indispensable is an imposing arm-chair in which to place the sitter to advantage for a portrait, though the striking griffins or scroll ornamentation of such become monotonous if too often repeated in pictures, particularly when many studies by the same hand are collected together, — this being very noticeable of a certain rich gilded chair, the top of which appeared above the shoulder of hundreds of sitters, from that of the late Pope of Rome to Bismarck and plain Miss A., simply because from familiarity the painter could accomplish such details quickly and effec- tively with a few strokes.
After enjoying the fine views from the old walls and ivy-hung towers of Chester, one finds much that is interesting along its quaint streets, lined with picturesque houses, here and there displaying a facade richly and elaborately carved, well worth some hours spent in careful work with pencil or brush before leaving for Stratford. Here, after tak- ing a room at the " Shakespeare Arms," one strolls to the other side of the river, which is the most advantageous spot for booking the gray stone church amid the great trees on the water's edge, so famous for containing the poet's bones. Then following
14 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
the pretty paths, leading through stiles and across green meadows, one finds Anne Hathaway' s cottage, with its mossy, sloping roof, and delights in attack- ing so charming a subject at once, not forgetting to secure a line descriptive of the " Courting Settle," as it is called, near the great chimney of the interior. But the latter must be caught surreptitiously, as well as a sketch of the boy's desk shown at the poet's house, this liberty not being allowed a visitor, though money has been known to make the guardian tem- porarily blind to such an innovation of the rules. Next on the main route, from which one deviates slightly to reach Stratford, comes Warwick, and here life can be made truly ideal by boarding at the baker's for an absurdly low price, instead of follow- ing all the world to the "Warwick Arms." From this humble abode, each morning sees our artist, at an early hour, starting, with color-box in hand, to wander about the little town or to spend the day in the ruined castle of Kenilworth.
From the fine, long windows, over which the vines festoon themselves in graceful curves, and the crumbling walls with winding stairs marked " Dan- gerous Climbing" (immediately prompting one to mount, regardless of risk,) to the great round tower of warm-toned stone-work, all form charming bits
EN ROUTE. 15
for the sketch-book. There is a perfect quiet, even solemnity, pervading the place, which is most con- ducive to good work, and keeps one's thoughts con- stantly busy with the events of the past, seeing Amy Robsart escaping by the little postern gate, as she fled only to meet her death at Cumnor Hall, or Eliz- abeth amid her brilliant train, Leicester at her side, riding forth with hawk and hound, under the shadow of the great arch, to scour the beautiful country of Warwickshire.
I think no one will consider time spent at Kenil- worth as wasted, for though by no means the most picturesque ruin in England, some of the abbeys and cathedrals being infinitely finer, yet here there is a certain indescribable charm which forcibly attracts and detains -the visitor.
Many people think to have seen Warwick thoroughly without ever finding Leicester Hospital, which is an interesting charity, founded by the renowned earl, for twelve old men ; and it is most amusing to be shown the twelve little rooms, with their twelve beds, twelve coal-bins, twelve plates, and even twelve coffee-pots steaming away on the kitchen stove, round which are placed twelve ar m- chairs, suggesting a pleasant picture of twelve old men sitting comfortably smoking their twelve clay pipes.
l6 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
A fine chapel and quaint minister's .house adjo n the main building with its many-gabled roof, and when after a hard day of painting, sitting in the court-yard, I had the good fortune to be invited by the clergyman to see the interior of his home, .which is very ancient, I took advantage of the occasion to ask why the present earl did not found a like com- fortable home for twelve old women.
If an artist lingers here late enough into Septem- ber, what is called the " Runaway Mop" may afford much that is novel ; for at this time, servants in search of places and masters in search of servants meet to form new engagements for the coming year ; and this is made the occasion for reviving many old customs quite obsolete elsewhere. A whole ox is roasted over an immense fire in the market-place, and one has but to demand a six- penny or shilling plate to receive a deliciously juicy slice of tender beef, which, eaten under the great trees, amid the amusing scenes p issing around, has a peculiar relish.
This festival unfortunately, however, is apt to fall upon St. Swetchin's week, which is thought, in that part of the country, never to fail of bringing much rain ; and certainly it would be niost disastrous to a sketching expedition, unless our artist, like Mr.
EN ROUTE. 17
Hamerton, possesses a tent containing glass win- dows, through which, undisturbed by the elements, all effects, in rainy as well as fair weather, may be transmitted to paper or canvas.
Leamington, after reading Hawthorne's charming descriptions of his walks and pleasant life in the town, cannot be entirely overlooked, though the waters make it rather too fashionable a resort in the season for one of quiet tastes. Even if the pretty river Leam, with its arched bridges, prove attractive, the place, as a whole, will not be found so convenient for excursions as Warwick, which is more central. This I discovered on my second visit, and proved still further on a third, so I mention it for the benefit of any party wanting to accomplish much art work in a limited time, by bringing away many pleasing reminders of this not only eminently historical, but charmingly picturesque district.
With a last chime from Warwick bells ringing in the ears, an artist regretfully takes the train for smoky London, and passing Oxford with its many steeples, after a look at Windsor Castle, at length enters the great Paddington Station, or, by mak- ing a change at Rugby, steams into Euston Station, which is much nearer the West Centre, and saves one a long cab drive.
IS STUDYING ART ABROAD.
On a trip like this, a lady can very properly travel second, or even third class, during the sum- mer, finding the latter carriages much cooler and better ventilated than the stuffy ones of the first, though the seats are entirely without cushions, and on a long journey by an express train apt to be crowded, and this makes the difference in price of tickets very great.
The railroad regulations and order in Europe are so complete that an unprotected woman has no trouble in getting on, as she finds herself the espe- cial charge of the officials, until handed to a cab by a civil porter, with her much-belabelled luggage safely piled on the roof.
LONDON. 19
CHAPTER II.
LONDON.
Perhaps our traveller has had the forethought to mail at Oueenstown a letter to the hostess of some desirable address, and so on reaching the city, and slipping fourpence into a porter's hand to see any luggage put aboard a cab, pays a shilling fare, with two pence extra for a trunk, and reaches the des- tination at once.
But the distances in London are so very great, that one must consider well how to be near the chosen work or master, before settling for any length of time.
If the Kensington Museum or Art School is not the desired object, it has been the. experience of many that the West Centre was a central, respec- table, and cheap quarter for an artist. It is full of boarding-houses, which, however, be it remembered, are seldom, in England, as comfortable, clean, and
20 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
well furnished as in America ; yet by search, a large, desirable room can be found with full board for thirty shillings ($6.00) a week, or a smaller room for less.
During the season, from May to August, prices are all much higher than for the rest of the year, and houses very full, so it becomes difficult to obtain immediately what one wishes, for little money.
A plan, however, often resorted to by students and found to be most economical, is to hire two furnished rooms, perhaps a large one on the first ♦floor to serve as studio or parlor, with a smaller one above for sleeping, the two costing eighteen shil- lings per week, I will say, and the lady of the house providing meals as one orders them at a very rea- sonable price, including service.
Allowing our artist to be of a social nature and inclined to accept many dinner invitations among friends, this arrangement affords not only the free- dom of a private parlor, with enjoyment of more room and greater choice of food, but costs little, if any, more than the thirty shillings to be paid at a boarding-house. Although it has the disadvantage, if one's circle of acquaintance is small, of becoming rather a lonely life, unless the student forms one of a party, particularly as painting should not be con-
LONDON. 21
tinucd in the evening, when tired brain and eyes need rest. At such times and under such circum- stances, the constantly changing society met with in a London pension proves a source of great enter- tainment.
Let it be supposed, then, that our artist is settled in lodgings or at board in Russell, Gordon, Bedford, or any of the pretty squares of Bloomsbury, and looking about for masters, or to find what the art advantages are in general, before beginning to study seriously.
There is the National Gallery within reasonable walking distance, for though an omnibus from Tot- tingham Court Road runs directly to Trafalgar Square, yet I should advise any one wanting to paint from early until late, and to whom exercise must consequently become a necessity, to save doc-0 tor's bills and cab fares by accomplishing the trip morning and evening on foot.
Nowhere, I acknowledge, is driving so cheap, yet if often indulged in, a hansom makes an important item in the year's expenses, and though the most direct route to the gallery leads one through the well-known, disreputable quarter of the " Seven Dials," it is a great thoroughfare, and perfectly safe for a lady by daylight. Besides, one meets people
22 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
and catches glimpses of a life nowhere else likely to be encountered, which remind the passer of a chapter from Dickens, for here are the Olivers, Sairy Gamps, and Pecksniffs who seem like old friends, and even real Fagins occasionally emerge from the dingy little shops where many a stolen article is on sale.
To some people, this first sight of a poverty, vice, and misery of which one before could form no ade- quate conception, proves most startlingly interest- ing ; but of course, a young American lady in London would oftener give the preference to other streets.
The National is thought to contain finer speci- mens of the various schools and periods in art than perhaps any collection in Europe, and therefore becomes invaluable to a painter for careful study. Two days of each week it is open only to copyists, and an application to the director, who, since Mr. Wornum's death, is, I believe, Sir Edward Eastlake, by letter, has heretofore been sufficient to gain admission at that time. But since a young and rather idle set have, much to the annoyance of the more serious, pretended to work there, examples of an applicant's ability maybe demanded in addition.
After the Italian, Spanish, and Dutch rooms,
LONDON. . 23
perhaps the visitor will turn with some interest to the " Liber Studiorum," and three hundred lovely water-colors by Turner, varying in style from strik- ing effects in the Alps done on gray paper with body color, to the exquisitely finished vignettes designed as illustrations to Rogers's " Italy," Camp- bell's Poems, and "Rivers of France." The for- mer are hung in a small room of the gallery, acces- sibly low for study, while the latter three hundred are locked in cabinets below, where a fire is always burning to prevent any dampness. Of these, only twelve are allowed to be brought above for copying at any one time, and for this privilege a note of permission is necessary to the especial guardian, Mr. Paine, who has the sole charge of them. As they are always in great demand, it is well worth while to secure the precedence by being before the big doors in Trafalgar Square at the time of open- ing ; this analysis of Turner's work often proving more profitable to a student of water-colors than any lessons from a living master at a guinea an hour.
The Venetian views in oils, also, of a later period, are excellent for copying in water-colors, and have a most charming effect, for in these Turner seems to have painted thinly on a solid white ground, so
24 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
suggesting the more delicate medium that one is quite deceived at the first sight, the glass over them only adding to the illusion, though some of these " beautiful dreams," as Mr. Hamerton so truly calls them, are too sadly faded to be considered much more than suggestions in color.
Sometimes one sees good painting done by the copyists, who at a moderate cost will give instruc- tion on the spot to a pupil wishing such help.
Beside the Turners, in the English Department there are the Lawrences, Gainsboroughs, Landseers, Wilkies, Ettys, and Friths, which all claim atten- tion, so that a visitor can study the progress of painting from Cimabue to Rosa Bonheur with greater advantage in this collection, perhaps, than anywhere else, in spite of the contrary opinion expressed by a party of French and Spanish artists at a breakfast in Paris, — that the gems of the Na- tional Gallery were but copies, Turner a madman, and the English School in general unworthy con- sideration.
There are the Kensington and Bcthnal Green loan exhibitions also, as well as the little Soane Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields, where one can copy quite undisturbed by sight-seers, it being little known or frequented, though a curiously interest-
LONDON. 25
ing place of sliding doors and mysterious panels. It is only a few steps from Bloomsbury, the chosen quarter of our student.
The Duke of Westminster, who possesses the famous " Blue Boy " by Gainsborough, Lord Dud- ley of Park Lane, and many other private collectors are said to be notedly generous in allowing an art- ist (presenting proper credentials) many privileges. Naturally the Grosvenor Gallery and numerous an- nual exhibitions of various societies and clubs will be visited during the season, especially by one in search of instruction in water-colors, as by this means is often found, not only the style desired, but, by consulting the catalogue, the address of a competent teacher.
And let me recommend to any student wanting to acquire a very frank, vigorous method of sketch- ing from nature to see Mr. Bomford (whose name I give in the list farther on) and his work, which possesses the essential qualities of strength and purity necessary to all good water-color painting. His manner, too, of representing foliage is broad and striking, so that if one only went through a course in this branch, the benefit of Mr. Bomford's criticism would be invaluable. He is willing to receive pupils, and will even go out with a class
26 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
before nature, to lessen the many difficulties which always confront a beginner, by a wise choice of subject and practical application of studio rules to out-door practice. His terms are very moderate, being three lessons for one guinea, with loan of excellent studies to be copied at home. To reach the address in St. John's Wood one has but to cross Regent's Park from the West Centre of London. Though a student might even think it worth while to engage board for several months in Maida Vale, where the rate would probably be lower than in the city proper. All that part of St. John's Wood is attractive and the site of many elegant residences, a little cottage among these, almost hidden by trees, being the home of Mr. Greene, a fine colorist, and the former teacher of Mr. Bomford, lessons from whom may be preferred to any from the latter, al- though having a more established reputation makes Mr. Greene's charges somewhat higher.
I have made especial note of the method of paint- ing of these gentlemen, as one rarely sees the more old-fashioned, or what might be called legitimate water-color, the present English school having very generally adopted the use of white, which gives fine atmospheric effects, it is true, and adds brilliancy to foreground touches, but too often has the solidity
LONDON. 27
of a chromo, as in Mr. Ronbotham's Italian views of places he never saw, or many of Birket Foster's pictures, and destroys all transparency, which to some art lovers is the chief beauty of a water-color. To such, the sketches of the above-named masters will afford infinite pleasure, and a trip to Maida Vale not be without profit.
After the Royal Academy School, where it is exceedingly difficult to gain admittance, if an ap- plicant can pass the examination at the Slade School, Gower Street, the course of instruction will prove a most thorough one, with the advantage to those wishing to study the figure of having excel- lent life models. The rooms are large, well venti- lated, and well lighted not only by day, but also at night, so that every facility necessary for improve- ment is supplied, though the terms make six months or a year of study rather expensive. A Frenchman is at the head of this institution, and under his supervision etching has been very successfully taken up by many of the pupils, at the same time with the other branches.
A circular stating requirements and all details can be obtained of the curator in the building.
There is also the Kensington Art School, con- nected with the Kensington Museum, about the
28 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
merits of which one hears such different opinions from the best authorities that a student must visit it in person, and examine the general course pur- sued, in order to form an independent judgment.
A few ladies who remember the Boston School of Design some years ago, and were fortunate enough to belong to the class under the able and inspiring teaching of Mr. Salisbury Tuckerman, know the method to have been nearly the same as that pursued at Kensington ; and such saw with great regret that, for want of proper support at the right time, the school in Temple Place had to be given up, as it would have afforded Bostonians the best art advantages. For it was not, as the name would suggest, merely industrial in character, like the present system of Mr. Walter Smith, and was of far more breadth and earnestness than any- thing found at the Lowell Free School, where good work is almost an impossibility in the crowded, narrow rooms, that, spite of an ever-in- creasingly rich fund, are the only accommodation for the students. The School of Design seemed exactly the happy medium which best answered to the common need.
But to leave Boston and return to London, men- tion must be made of a class under the instruction
LONDON. 29
of Mr. Heatberly in Newman Street, where excel- lent casts from the antique are provided, as well as the living draped model for oil or water colors, at an exceedingly moderate price. In Queen's Square, Bloomsbury, is a rather elementary school for women, under the patronage of the Princess of Wales, who offers certain prizes for the best work done in the various classes, and of this there is an annual exhibition, which, to confess the honest truth, does not strike the visitor, from its standard of merit, as surprisingly creditable to the royal patroness.
I believe I have now named most of the places which have any special claim to attention where a new-comer would seek art instruction in London, and all of these, with the exception of the Kensing- ton School, are in the immediate neighborhood of Bloomsbury, though naturally there are many delightful private clubs and classes accessible to an artist only through the influence of friends.
While fog and mud may still keep one at work in doors and amid city life, two or three days of each week can be most profitably employed in sketch- ing under the beautiful arches of Westminster Abbey. Nothing can be more imposingly grand than the Henry Seventh Chapel, with its old carv-
30 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
ing and massive doors, the tattered banners of so many noble families, and the ceiling of won- derful fan-shaped tracery. Everything, from the great chair where so many monarchs have been crowned, to the little, narrow door of St. John the Baptist's Chapel, with its faded Latin inscrip- tion, is full of deep interest, while the sunlight, creeping softly in through the fine stained win- dows, glorifies even the dimmest corner and makes a constant succession of lovely pictures.
Sometimes, while painting in the solemn quiet, one hears rising above the deep tones of the great organ, the chanting of the sweet-voiced choir boys, and wonders if there is in existence finer interior architecture, or a church more sym- patica (as the Italians would say) than this beautiful abbey.
Nor must the cloisters be passed with indiffer- ence, where the fine lines of the massive supports form a capital frame for the towers of the Hojuses of Parliament rising beyond, and make most effec- tive sketches.
Permission for working there is granted by the Dean of Westminster to any American who can refer to a member of Parliament, or clergyman of- the Church of England, for a testimonial of good
LOXDON. 31
character, and guarantee that this great privilege will in no way be abused.
But when the pleasant season approaches, the student will want to enjoy the fresh air, and turn frcm chilly churches toward the lovely environs, to which trains, omnibuses, and ferry-boats (the latter affording much that is picturesque on the way) quickly transport one.
Windsor, then, seems to come first on the pro- gramme of artist or sight-seer, and generally proves most interesting, for after visiting the castle and fine old chapel, by crossing the river and turning to the right, just behind the red walls of Eton Col- lege, one catches a good view of the great round tower on the height, with river and boats in the foreground, for filling a leaf of the sketch-book; and the drive to Virginia Water makes a delight- ful ending to a summer day, before going back to London. Hampton Court, too, with its picture gallery and lovely Bushy Park, are attractive places for excursions, of which the labyrinth and donkey races form no unimportant feature.
Pretty new gardens and the fine view from the terrace at Richmond Park are to be seen, where, from the deer feeding close at hand, the eye fol- lows the river between its green banks, made gay
32 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
with picnic parties, until it rests on that beacon for so many miles around, the great dome of St. Paul's.
Some people, however, prefer Hampstead Heath, made famous by Copley, Fielding, Turner, David Cox, and so many other English painters, the extreme beauty of its distant prospect being no- where equalled.
It is a pleasant resort, with colors and lunch in the pocket, for wandering about or sitting under the one group of tall pines, to try putting on paper the effect of London, charmingly hazy in the dis- tance, or the shadow of fleeting clouds playing over the brilliant green of the surrounding slopes. Our artist can do the fashionable thing by going to Greenwich to eat whitebait, or row on the river to Twickenham, where there are many pretty bits of scenery, and just above the bridges plenty of subjects for the brush. Clumsy lumber-boats with dull yellow sails moored along the Thames embankment, flanked by immense breweries, — which, surmounted oftentimes by stone lions and striking devices, might easily be mistaken for palaces, — make capital compositions, as Dore has so powerfully illustrated. Or, better still, take the train from Shoreditch Station to Angel Road,
LONDON. 33
where, after a walk of a mile between flowery hedges and through verdant meadows, the lover of the pic- turesque sees with delight the ruined Norman tower of Chingford Church.
Descending the hill from this crumbling pile, standing amid the time-stained headstones of its little graveyard, by traversing a part of Epping Forest, lying a long way farther on, a traveller can drink a beaker to the memory of old Joe Willett, at the veritable " Maypole Inn," seated at the table where Dickens himself has often dined.
Guildford, too, not far from the city, has quiet, attractive scenery, with some interesting old houses, and Seven Oaks, in Kent, is particularly recom- mended for its many beautiful trees. Clovelly and Dartmore take artists in that direction ; and if one ventures as far as the uncertain climate of Wales, Bettws-y-coed is said to be the most favorable spot on which to pitch a painter s camp.
After some of these country excursions it is a good plan to occasionally select a successful study, and try one's fate at the hands of a critical jury, say that of the Dudley Gallery, for instance. Accept- ance of a picture for so small and popular a collec- tion is always a great encouragement, and if by good chance the modest student finds, on a first 3
34 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
visit, a black star affixed to the frame of her pro- duction, announcing to the world its sale at the " private view," when only the invited few are admitted, such a happy surprise is worth making an effort to enjoy. A famous painter once said, " Criticism never hurt any one, but praise has spoiled many a good artist" ; and on this principle, beginning early to expose one's work, and taking success or failure in the right spirit, seems the surest road to improvement. Beside, no money ever seems so entirely one's own, or to last as long, as any thus earned.
Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham also have excellent exhibitions during the summer, opening just after that at the Royal Academy is over, and have the reputation of being the best places for selling amateur work. For England's greatest art patrons are not the noblemen, as a stranger might imagine, but the rich manufacturers and tradespeople, who buy pictures freely, and pay most generously for them.
CLOTHES, SHOPS, AND ADDRESSES. 35
CHAPTER III.
CLOTHES, SHOPS, AND ADDRESSES.
Perhaps after six months or more of painting, our student wishes to replenish her wardrobe, and begins to haunt the shops, and wonder which are the best to patronize, and where a good dressmaker can be found. If so, a few hints on these points may not be unwelcome ; for even to a busy, econom- ical woman, who only wishes to be neatly and taste- fully dressed, whether at work or play, the subject of clothes must sometimes become a necessary consideration.
And to combine beauty with cheapness is always found to be difficult, so one discovers with satisfaction that substantial cloth of all kinds and^„ dress goods cost less in London than elsewhere There is little taste or style, to be sure, shown in any of the ready-made costumes displayed in the *> windows at such reasonable prices; but at Howells
36 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
& James, Regent Street, Peter Robinson's, Oxford Street, or through court and theatre furnishers, pretty and well-made suits can be obtained.
Evidently the English do not, like American ladies, believe in the oft-quoted remark, thai "there is a repose in being well dressed that religion fails to give," for nowhere is the so-called dowdy as frequently encountered as in the great capital.
A certain class of Londoners express a praise- worthy disapproval of slavishly imitating fashions set by the Parisian demi-monde, though unfortu- nately, most of those holding this opinion entirely lack the eye for color and effect, which, without going to any extreme, can produce a charming ensemble. Perhaps, then, the task of combining English sense with French taste must be left to my countrywomen, together with the wearing of water-proofs, thick boots, and heavy materials, so characteristic of the former, with the same grace as the exquisite but less durable fabrics of the latter.
Possibly our student, like Miss Hosmer, loves art much, but horses more, and needs a new habit, in which to occasionally take a turn in Rotten Row, or refresh a weary head by a ride to Rich- mond Park. If this should be the case, she will go
CLOTHES, SHOPS, AND ADDRESSES. 37
to Wolmershausen, Curzon Street, Mayfair, and after selecting a suitable cloth, is shown to the fitting-room, where, summoned by a bell, a gentle- manly individual appears, and, somewhat to her surprise, proceeds in a business-like manner to take the necessary measures. On a second visit she mounts a life-size rocking-horse, and endeavors to find a flaw, if possible, in the faultlessly fitting garment, the skirt of which, cut with a peculiar gore at the knee, hangs in most graceful folds.
Strange as it seems at first to be fitted by a man instead of the usual deft fingers of a woman, yet one is obliged to confess that the result proves him to be, in this as in so many other professions, the more clever of the two.
One masterly stroke of the scissors, forming what is known as the " Wolmershausen gore," has alone given this establishment its world-wide repu- tation, though not only habits, but every descrip- tion of costumes, to the thinnest ball-dress, is made here in an equally perfect manner. Consequently, though the first cost is perhaps somewhat greater than at other places, patronage of the Mayfair firm will in the end prove economical.
A beaver riding hat for a lady, also, only to be pur- chased in the United States for seven or eight dol-
33 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
lars, can be had at .Sparrow's in High Holborn for twelve or thirteen shillings, which certainly shows a considerable difference.
Reliable black silks, either Bonnet or of English manufacture, must be sought for at Hilditch's, less being demanded for the former by this house than at the company's establishment in Lyons, it has been affirmed by travellers.
The India Outfitting Company supplies the best of ready-made underclothes, and water-proof cloth by the yard ; also Scholbred or Bennet, South- hampton Row, the most substantial hosiery at reasonable prices. London is the city of all others in which to buy furs, and August the time to pay from eight to twenty guineas and become the pos- sessor of a long sealskin paletot or silk, fur-lined circular in which to defy the -cold of many Ameri- can winters.
Bonnets, ribbons, feathers, and little things are spoken of as presents at Whiteley's, where a lunch too is offered free of charge to any one making large purchases, after the style of the cake and sirop given ladies at the Bon Marche in Paris. But to any one of thrifty disposition, with patience enough to delay buying until the close of the Lon- don season (when articles of every description are
marked down to the lowest figures), shopping will become a pleasure.
A resident of England for any length of time will undoubtedly choose the " Civil Service " or " Army and Navy stores " as being preferable to others in every respect, particularly if living in lodgings and providing for one's self, when a ticket to the grocery department will save many pence in the course of a year, and the quality of everything be warranted.
It is taken for granted that a painter will not neglect before leaving to lay in a large stock of water-colors, from Winsor & Newton's, Rathbone Place, as such are so much more expensive else- where ; also paper of all kinds, whether for artistic or literary purposes.
Mr. Callen will do any framing of pictures neatly and cheaply, or act as exhibition agent if desired to do so, though by asking for a Bowney Catalogue at any color-shop, all dates and necessary details can be obtained for attending to such matters with- out an agent's assistance.
TEACHERS OF WATER-COLORS.
Mr. Naftil, 4 St. Stephen's Square, Bayswater. Mr. L. G. Bomford, 5 Lanark Villas, Maida Vale, St. John's Wood, W.
40 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
Mr. E. Greene, 3 Circus Road, St. John's Wood.
Mr. Keween,- Oakfield House, Park Road, Haverstock Hill,
N. W. Mr. R. P. Noble, in Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square. Mr. READS, Wells Street, from Oxford Street. Mr. J. Steeple, 18 Leighton Crescent, Brecknock Road. Mr. L Carlisle, 56 Adelaide Road, Haverstock Hill, N. W. Mr. NEEDHAM, Sunny Side, Sutton, Surry. Miss Charlotte Phillot, 259 Stanhope Street, Mornington
Crescent, N. W. (For heads and figures.)
BOARDING AND LODGING HOUSES.
Miss Hills, 14 Thayer Street, Manchester Square. (Prices
high.) Miss Jack, 9 Dorset Square. (Prices high.) Miss JiNCH, 82 and 84 Seymour Street. (Moderate.) Miss Reddit, 86 Seymore Street, Hyde Park. Miss Flemings, 15 New Cavendish Street. Miss Rutter, 9 Woburn Place. Misses Warner, 23 Torrington Square. (Cheap.) Mrs. Wasley, 43 Upper Bedford Place. (Clean, and very reason- able.) Mrs. Adams, 37 Somerset Street, Portman Square (ten shillings
for room, and meals as one orders), 25 and 59 Torrington
Square. (Excellent lodgings.) Mr. Burr, ii Queen's Square, 23 Norfolk Street, Strand. (Small
hotel.) Mrs. Brown, Warwick. (Can be heard of at Timm's bakers' shop,
Main Street.) Miss Wareham, No. 3 Crosby Terrace, Leamington. (Neat
lodgings and excellent food.) Mrs. Piper, 156 Walton Street, Oxford. " The Blossoms," Chester. Shakespeare Arms, Stratford.
CLOTHES, SHOPS, AND ADDRESSES. 41
' SHOPS.
Scott Adies, Regent Street. (For water-proofs )
Howell & James, Regent Street. (For dresses.)
Peter Robinson, Oxford Street. (For dresses.)
Hilditch, 3 Cheapside. (For black silks.)
Scholbred's, Tottenham Court Road. (For hosiery.)
Cooke's, 71 Oxford Street. (For furs.)
Sparrow & Son, 66 High Holborn. (For riding hats.)
India Outfitting Company, Cheapside. (For ready-made
underclothes.) Whiteley's, Westbourne Grove. (For bonnets, ribbons, etc.) Brodie & Middleton, 79 Long Acre. (For cheap art materials.) C allen's, 12 Great St. Andrews Street, Bloomsbury. (For cheap
frames.) Nytch and Wardour Streets, for antiquity shops. Covent Garden Market (For fine flowers.) Civil Service Stores or Army and Navy Shops. (For every
description of article and provisions at strictly just prices, but
a card from a subscriber is necessary.) Leaper & Dawson, Vere Street. (Excellent dressmakers.)
42 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
CHAPTER IV.
PARIS.
The American art student, who gives but a week to London and water-colors before passing on to the gayer city Paris for an education in oils, will find it economical, if not provided with a through ticket by the steamer company, to cross the channel by almost any route rather than fash- ionable Calais and Dover. Say Dieppe and New- Haven, for instance, where the fare is but thirty francs, second class, the baggage rates very low, and the boats of the company larger and more comfortable.
Arrived in the metropolis and turning toward what is often called the painters' quarter of the rive droite or north side of the Seine (that circuit lying between the gave du Nord and gave St. Lazare, the Opera House and Montmartre), finds almost every block on Boulevard Clichy, Rochechonart, and the
PARIS. 43
intervening streets entirely given up to studios ; for not only do some of the leading masters, like Bon- nat, Gerome, and'Miiller, meet their elasses in that locality, but also have their private residences there.
All Paris, however, is apt to strike a new-comer as being but one vast studio, particularly if seeing it for the first time of a morning, either in summer or winter, between seven and eight o'clock, when students, bearing paint-box and toile> swarm in all directions, hurrying to their cours; or still more when artistic excitement reaches its height, during the days appointed for sending work to be examined by the jury of the Salon. Then pictures literally darken the air, borne on men's shoulders and backs, packed in immense vans, or under an arm of the painter himself, all going to the same destination, — the Palais de 1' Industrie on the Champs Elysees.
L'Ecole des Beaux Arts, beside Monsieur Jackson and other masters, attracts many to the Latin Quar- tier for forming another little art world, so a stranger decides each arrondissement offers some advantages, and it is not a question of so much importance as in limitless London, where one selects an abode.
But to a party or painter, counting expense and crossing the Atlantic for several years of study in Paris, to hire and furnish an apartment is undoubt-
44 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
edly much cheaper than any hotel or pension can be. For living, until one learns the real French manner of doing it, is quite as high as in America, and a visitor is sadly disappointed if cheapness is expected to be found in anything beyond gloves and Turkey carpets.
To furnish even a small apartment prettily takes time and trouble, as every woman knows, but if one chooses to spend a few hundred francs at Hotel Druot (the great auction-rooms of Paris), a fine collection of useful and ornamental meubles may be bought for surprisingly little money, not pei haps quite new, but if carefully selected, suitable to adorn an American studio when no longer needed in France. And as household articles after a year's use, together with bric-a-brac which belongs in the category of " artist's tools of trade," can pass the customs free, the question of heavy duties in trans- porting such has not to be considered.
It is found very convenient, and even necessary, to number in a party about to settle in Paris one member of a domestic turn of mind, as a bonne, fcmme de menage and blancJiisscnse each need care- ful looking after. For, like the merchants, they seem to consider all foreigners as fair prey, and proceed to fleece such unfortunates to the best of their ability.
PARIS. 45
It has never been my happy experience to find one of this class who could be called strictly honest, and it becomes almost laughable to see how, like so many among the Irish help of America, they make a decided distinction between the purse and the provisions of a mistress. For though a pile of gold may be safely left for any length of time within reach, everything, from butter to charcoal, is un- hesitatingly appropriated in the cuisine, and family or relations in the neighborhood luxuriously sup- ported thereon.
Some ladies do not mind such trifles, and quietly submit, paying the thirty francs demanded for ser- vice by a bonne, beside board, clothes, and lodging, per month without a murmur. Others try to settle this vexed question of help by preparing breakfast and lunch for themselves, only engaging a femme de menage, at five sous per hour, for all other work and cooking the dinner.
I have known ladies coming to Paris for only a short time, wishing to accomplish much shopping or sight-seeing with economy, be very comfortable by taking a room at the " Grande Hotel du Louvre," where by aid of a spirit-lamp a delicious cup of coffee is provided in the morning, lunch taken at a restaurant, in any part of the city where their
46 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
wanderings may have led them, returning only at night for the substantial table d'hote of the hotel.
Still another way, which has been followed by many students with success, is to hire a furnished room in some small hotel, such as one finds in Rue de Douai, for instance, at a franc per day, make one's breakfast of a roll and cup of coffee, taken at a cremerie, buying lunch en route for the studio, and at six o'clock going to the nearest Duval establishment for a dinner, costing from one franc, fifty centimes, upward.
This, amounting in all to about four francs per day, a lady affirmed, judging from her own experi- ence, was by far the cheapest and simplest arrange- ment possible for one intent on studying art in Paris.
For though it may have a somewhat homeless sound in description, yet the French live so entirely in the theatres, cafes, and on the boulevards, that a stranger looks in vain for anything corresponding to an English or American home, the comfort and beauty of which, like the word itself, seeming quite unknown in the frivolous capital.
Then, too, supposing our artist wants to study from early until late, and has perhaps sufficient strength and eyesight for the evening seance at the
PARIS. 47
chosen cours, the hours are so fully occupied, there is no time for homesick repinings, so I will try to aid in the accomplishment of her plans, if possible, by mentioning some classes for instruction that have come under my notice.
Firstly, then, is the well lighted and ventilated studio of Monsieur Krug, No. 1 1 Boulevard Clichy, devoted to female students in all branches of art, and where the much-discussed question of the propriety of women's studying from the nude is settled in a delicate and proper manner by the gen- tlemanly director. Here one has the great advan- tage of severe and discriminating criticism, two mornings in each week, from Monsieur Carl Miiller, the painter of the well-known " Conciergerie dur- ing the Reign of Terror," hanging in the Luxem- bourg, and the recipient of every honor France has to bestow on a man of genius. Monsieur Cott and the sculptor, Carrier-Belleuse, also visit the class to inspect the afternoon and evening draw- ings. Monsieur Krug's prices are moderate, being one hundred francs per month, for the two daily and one evening seance, with no extra charge for the excellent models provided, or for towels, soap, etc., as is often the custom.
This is, on some accounts, for an American lady,
48 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
new to painting and Paris, the best atelier she could choose, for many are overcrowded, badly managed, expensive, or affording only objectionable compan- ionship. Still the pupils or admirers of each lead- ing painter sing his praises loud and long, and those who receive ladies are Messieurs Chaplin, Barrais, Duran, Cabanel, Jackson, Luminais, Bou- gereau, Robert Fleurry, and Lefebre,
Then there is Jullien's upper and lower school, in Passage Panorama, where a student receives criticism from the first leading authorities, and is surrounded by splendidly strong work on the easels of the many faithful French, who for years have crowded the dirty, close rooms, though I believe the lower school, as it is called, or male class, no longer opens its doors to women, for the price, being but one half that of the upper school, attracted too many. Also with better models, and a higher standard of work, it was yet found to be an impos- sibility that women should paint from the living nude models of both sexes, side by side with Frenchmen.
This is a sad conclusion to arrive at, when one remembers the brave efforts made by a band of American ladies some years ago, who supported one another with such dignity and modesty, in
PARIS. 49
a steadfast purpose under this ordeal, that even Parisians, to whom such a type of womanly char- acter was unknown and almost incomprehensible, were forced into respect and admiration of the simple earnestness and purity which proved a sufficient protection from even their evil tongues ; M. Jullien himself confessing that if all ladies exer- cised'the beneficial influence of a certain Madonna- faced Miss N. among them, anything would be possible.
Something beside courage was needed for such a triumph ; and young women of no other nation- ality could have accomplished it, though, it must be acknowledged, a like clique will not easily be met with again.
So, let those who commonly represent the indis- creet, husband-hunting, title-seeking butterfly as the typical American girl abroad, at least do her the justice to put this fact on record, to her credit.
It only needs, however, the co-operation of a sufficient number of earnest female students to form a club, hire a studio, choose a critic, and engage models, to secure the same advantages now enjoyed only by men, at the same exceedingly low rates. This plan was seriously talked of not long ago, and only failed of being put into execution 4
50 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
from the want of one member with time and energy enough to take upon herself the respon- sibility of making a beginning.
But it is the right thing to be done, and the only way open at present to successfully rectify the in- justice of prices charged by Parisian masters for art instruction to women. Though, strange to say, these same masters, outside of their own studios, are generous of their time and will seldom refuse criti- cism to a class of ladies entirely free of charge.
This, however, may not be from wholly disinter- ested motives, as pupils are constantly proving by their ability and success, that time has not been wasted on them, and the honors received can only give added lustre to the master's name and make his troop of followers the larger.
American women, particularly, are beginning to lead in this direction, so there should be no pains spared to remove all obstacles in the most direct path to a thorough education for them, by bring- ing the best in every branch within their (too often) limited means.
An unprejudiced judge of pictures, in Paris, making the tour through the studios of Americans of both sexes, and carefully examining the work found there and at the Salon consecutive seasons,
PARIS. 5 1
cannot but admit that in many instances that of the women is far superior and, what is somewhat surprising, far stronger in style than most of that done by the men.
If Mr. John Sargent be excepted, whose portrait of Carolus Duran .alone undoubtedly places him in the first rank of painters, there is no other male student from the United States in Paris to-day, exhibiting in his pictures the splendid coloring always found in the work of Miss Casatte, from Philadelphia, or the strength and vigor of Miss Dodson's " Deborah," particularly remarked in this year's Salon.
It is something of a boast for America to possess even these women candidates for artistic honors whose work bears favorable comparison with so much that is excellent done by the men of the same nationality, and that of the French in the great exhibitions ; for even among the latter, a nation of painters as it is, the names only of Rosa Bonheur, Nelie Jacquemart, Louise Abbema, and Sara Bernhardt occur as having so far distin- guished themselves in art. With the last named, too, it seems more the versatility of talent shown by the leading actress of the Theatre Frangais, than real merit as sculptor or painter, which attracts
52 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
the crowd about any production of hers. And what is notably striking in the pictures of Rosa Bonheur is her bold, almost masculine use of the brush, compared with the more delicate, even un- certain style of her brother, Jules Bonheur. A stranger, seeing the two canvases side by side, would unhesitatingly select hers as the work of the man. Of the same lady M. Krug tells a story.
Some years ago, before Barbizon became the rendezvous it now is for artists from every part of the globe, he, together with a party of painters, went to that corner of the beautiful forest of Fon- tainebleau, on a sketching trip ; and in coming and going from the one little hotel the town contained, they often met a slender, solitary youth, who with easel and colors seemed from early until late intent only on work.
His great reserve and unsociability awakened, naturally enough, some curiosity about him, until it was discovered that the youth was no other than the distinguished Rosa Bonheur, who, for greater independence, had donned male attire to paint un- known at Barbizon. The artists religiously kept her secret, and not until long after did she learn that she had been recognized and her disguise of little account.
PARIS. 53
The art school which she founded, and which, if I am not mistaken, bears her name, has success- fully operated for years, and offers many advan- tages, free of all cost, to the aspiring young French girl.
Monsieur Jackson, who. holds a high rank as draughtsman-, though little is heard or seen of his pictures, enjoys a great reputation as a teacher, being severe in criticism, exceedingly thorough in method, and slow to allow a pupil to begin in color until well grounded in drawing. He visits the lower gallery of the Louvre twice a week, where many of his class draw in charcoal from the antique, as this is thought the best preparation for begin- ning from life, which seems at first so insurmount- ably difficult. His atelier is in Rue des Beaux Arts, and his prices are somewhat high, being one hundred francs a month for one daily seance. Fantin-la-Tour, whose work, so often exposed in London shop-windows, has only to be seen to be admired, has his apartment in the same street, and occasionally takes pupils for moderate remu- neration.
Charles Jacque, also, whose sheep, amid such rich forest scenery, seem to blink at a spectator from so many frames, considers Americans his best
54 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
>
patrons, and will receive a student desirous of be- coming an animal painter.
There are stories told, too, of a famous artist living at Ecouen, who has one entire side of his ground-floor working room built of glass, and open- ing directly into a yard where his favorite animals are kept ready for study at all times. But the name of this gentleman is discreetly withheld, to- gether with the fact of whether he would willingly allow pupils the same advantages as those arranged for himself.
Ecouen (since Couture no longer attracts Ameri- cans to the little village on the hill so Ions: com- mon meeting-ground for students) has become very popular. For not only is living cheap and the country pretty, but Monsieur Edouard Frere does much not only as painter and teacher, but by hospitably opening his salon once a week, to make the town an agreeable residence for strangers.
Before turning toward the banlieue, an artist may think it best to copy some of the Rembrandts of the Louvre, so often suggested by Bonnat to his pupils as good practice, or the smaller yet attractive pictures in the Le Caze room, or even put an easel up before the more modern ones in the Luxem- bourg, though the charming old Hotel Cluny, with
paris. 55
its ruined baths standing in the pretty garden, its spiral stone staircase leading to the quaint little chapel, royal chambers, and even royal bed above, and the many chariots and interesting relics of the museum below, will prove, I imagine, irresistible. The picturesque front, with its antique windows and fine stonework, old well, and escutcheons, makes in itself a good subject for color at the entrance, though to take it from the opposite sidewalk would not be easy, sketching in the open air in Paris be- ing surrounded by all kinds of difficulties, from the permission which must be demanded of the au- thorities, to the impertinent rabble that immedi- ately collects to look over one's shoulder.
To avoid all this, the painters of street-scenes, a subject most fashionable just now, resort t6 hiring a fiacre by the hour, seated in which, with pencil or brush, they can catch a likeness of the passers or desired object, unobserved and unmolested.
An order for working in the Museum or the grounds surrounding it is easily obtained from an official in his office on the second floor, if a student is not discouraged by the disagreeable concierge, who gives as little information as possible on the subject, and is very reluctant to show the way up.
Everybody goes to St. Germain (en Laye), to
56 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
enjoy the extended view while dining in the hotel- garden, or to St. Denis to examine the church and relics, to the Sevres china manufactory, or Ver- sailles, £pr its picture gallery, Trianon, and Grandes Eaux ; or taking one of the bateaux mouches, which from the quay ply the river in each direction, goes as far as St. Cloud, to walk in the park and climb the hill to the walls of the once fine chateau ; or, after the fashion of the pleasure-ioving Parisians, mounts a tram on a Sunday for visiting the fort and forest of Vincennes.
Very possibly, however, a good Puritan would hardly accept that last suggestion, or approve the hard-working French ouvrier, who, with big din- ner-basket, takes wife and children, to spend this day of leisure in some neighboring wood, or if too poor to go as far, stretches himself on the grass amid the yellow dandelions encircling the city fortifications. For Sunday is wholly the people's day in France, and always a gay one, galleries, theatres, and every place of entertainment being open ; yet there is less drunkenness and disorder than at other times, the extra trains bearing the bourgeois by thousands into the country.
Many Americans resident in Paris resort in summer to the towns named above, preferring a
PARIS. 57
taste of country life to watering-places and the sea. But all of these resorts, especially Versailles, St. Germain, and St. Cloud, are fashionable and more or less expensive, the farmers and market-gardeners preferring to transport their products directly to the central city halles and pay the high rate of octroi to selling in smaller quantities nearer home, and this makes provisions and actual living higher than in the capital itself, though rents and other things are proportionately less. Even Ville d'Avray, Meu- don, and the smaller places are not found to be as cheap as a stranger might expect, but apartments are plenty and the scenery picturesque.
Meudon deserves description a little more in detail, as an artist could select no lovelier spot for sojourning in any of the environs, and it is easily reached in twenty minutes from the gare Mont- parnasse, by the rive gauche for Versailles.
The well-known view from the Terrace, of Paris with its many spires, gilded dome of the Invalides, and towers of the Trocadero, relieved against the steep rise of Montmartre, the Seine winding under its white, arched bridges almost to one's feet at Bas Meudon, makes, on a sunny day, a truly dazzling panorama, which fully equals, if not surpasses, that famous view of Rome from the Pincio.
58 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
The air is like champagne, wonderfully clear and invigorating, for Meudon is built along the sloping sides of a hill rising very abruptly from the Seine and green Val Fleury. It seems quite on a level wfth Mont Vale'rien, whose embattled summit shows finely through the vista formed by the beau- tiful lime-trees, on either hand of the " Avenue du Chateau."
The building to which this fine avenue conducts was erected by the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV., who died in it, Napoleon fitting it up for Marie Louise, to be destroyed in 1S71 by the shells of the Prussians, so that now only three sides of it remain, one corner of the outer bdtiment serving as an observatory, the rest as barracks or stables.
The artist will walk delightedly about the village, and perhaps discover the straggling pathway lead- ing to the plateau at the foot of the chateau-wall, from which one commands a very extended pros- pect. The lofty viaduct and wooded valley, with the red roofs of Issy, make a becoming fond for the large wheels turning like windmills on the hill of Fleury, or for the stone abreuvoir, where noble Normandy horses, in heavy harnesses, blue sheep- skin collars, and squirrel-tails dangling at their
Paris. 59
ears, drink in close proximity to the peasants wash- ing their salads. But the charms of the far-reach- ing " Bois de Meudon" are beyond description, it not being carefully laid out in walks and artificial ponds, but all is wild and picturesque along its broad avenues, which in times past have seen so much royal hunting.
In autumn, when the fagot-women, in bright handkerchiefs, stuff skirts, and sabots, are at work, or the woodcutters, in blue blouses, their scarlet belts filled with glistening knives, sing as they chop, amid the rich russet tints of the grand old trees, it is like opening a portfolio of sketches by Millet.
Perhaps other woods are quite as beautiful, although that at St. Germain, St. Cloud, or Vin- cennes cannot compare with it, yet the bois, with the attractive views and healthy air, makes Meudon a most charmingly artistic retreat for an outing.
Farther off from Paris, Grez, near Nemours, within walking distance of Barbizon, and donkey- ride of Fontainebleau, has its admirers. For this small hamlet, never heard of until lately, when rumors of its picturesqueness and the free life led there have reached the studios, has now become quite popular.
60 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
One painter after another, with mind filled by many lingering doubts as to what it would be like, has ventured to go, generally being received on his arrival by all the inhabitants of the town, who turn out to see each new-comer and divide any luggage among themselves, for transportation to the one little inn, which, until this year, has been the only accommodation afforded.
The place has its old bridge and ruin, its boating and bathing, the river making these possible for ladies as well as gentlemen, flannel shirts and tramp dresses being the order of the d ly. Fine clothes are out of place and strictly forbidden by the freedom-loving set which now annually meets in the small rooms of the aubcrge, where board was from four to five francs per day, but lately, since a hotel has been started, the rate is raised to six francs, I am told.
The address can be found in the list at the end by any one desirous to try roughing it a little in France ; for Grez quite corresponds on one side of the Atlantic, to Clark's Island, off Plymouth, Mass., on the other, and though not by the sea, it still possesses the same charm to those who have once been adventurous enough to spend a summer there.
But if a student prefers taking advantage of the
PARIS. 6 1
cheap excursion tickets, issued by many of the railroad companies, to see Switzerland, Venice, Nor- mandy, or Brittany, to spending a vacation nearer Paris,' a few hints about some picturesque and his- torical places in the latter district may be accept- able. If not approaching the western coast from New York to Brest, or Southhampton to St. Malo, the route from Paris takes one through Chartres and Lemans, where the cathedral of each being very fine, it is well worth stopping over a train to see them.
For the first, besides its grand proportions, and the added interest of Henri IV. having been crowned there, possesses, perhaps, the finest stained glass in all France, and three rose-windows among its one hundred and thirty, which mostly date from the thirteenth century, are very beautiful.
The cathedral at Lemans, dedicated to St. Julian, deserves great attention, parts of it being of the eighth and ninth century, and the choir is of 1220, that period when pointed Gothic architecture was in its perfection. The colored glass, too, is almost as lovely as that at Chartres, and in the town some specimens of mediaeval work still remain, the house of Queen Berengaria being pointed out as one of these.
The traveller will hardly stop at Rennes, unless
62 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
for changing trains to St. Malo, in the north, which is an old, picturesque place, and from which one takes the boat, going up the pretty river Ranee, passing under the magnificent viaduct to reach Dinan. Here an artist can rest with delight for many months, as everything, from the adjacent country, which is thought to be the most beautiful in Brittany, to the ancient gateways and clock- tower in a street so narrow that the gabled roofs meet overhead, is sufficiently attractive to keep the brush constantly busy.
Queen Anne's castle, now a prison, the old town- wall and watch-towers, fine fosse, and Romanesque St. Sauveur, all are interesting ; also the steep descent to the river, two hundred and fifty feet below, clown which the many little streets run so precipitately, that, particularly in Rue de Jerznal, even a foot-passenger finds the way almost imprac- ticable, and wonders how the royal carriage ever accomplished an exit by this, at one time, only route.
It may be a disappointment not oftener to meet, in this corner of France, with the old costumes which one naturally expects in a place where the world seems to have stood still for centuries. But it is only occasionally on a fete-day that one en-
PARIS. 6$
counters a peasant en grande tenuc, and the white caps, of different styles and shapes, seem the only- distinguishing feature of the various towns or can- tons. Curious figures sometimes make their appear- ance at the weekly pig-market held in Place St. Louis, where the women do the trading, fighting valiantly with an obstinate or enraged animal, and sometimes conquering only by mounting him, squealing loudly, on to their shoulders, and so bear- ing him off in triumph, amid the commendations of the crowd. It is a most amusing scene, so decidedly new and varied in character as to be well worth taking a stroll to see ; but further, in the same direction from the town, is pretty Lehon, with its castle, abbey, and chapel of the Beauma- noirs, the latter standing so near the river that its ruined windows are distinctly reflected in the stream below. The thatched huts of the peasants, too, who sit stripping the golden osiers at their doors, and the fine view from the hill of Dinan's antique towers and spires, make this a charming walk. But there are plenty of excursions in almost every direction to the Chateau de la Garaye, read of in Mrs. Norton's verse, and a good subject for color, where the old stables, now used as a house, con- tain furniture made from the carved oak manners
64 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
and stalls. The castles of Montafilant and La Hunaudaye, reached by donkey-ride or carriage- drive, must all be visited.
Toward the coast is Morlaix, which is very quaint and boasts the finest viaduct in France ; and here, too, one at last sees the real Breton costume, the trunk-hose, wide-brimmed hats, and shaggy locks. There is much old Gothic archi- tecture also remaining, and a fine carved staircase near the quay.
Going from here, a little south is Pontaven (Fin- istere), so much frequented lately by artists. It is near the sea and within carriage-drive of the Pointe or Bee du Ray, which is the most tempest-tossed part of the coast, the Baie des Tre'pasess being at all times covered with wrecks and affording fine effects for a marine painter.
But from Dinan a more history-loving traveller will take the diligence to the nearest station on the main railroad, and retrace the way as far as Lemans, diverging there southward to Tours and so follow for a time the Loire, along which so many kingly chateaur are found, either going via Bourges, Moulins, Lyons, and Geneva into Switzer- land, or taking Amboise, Chenonceaux, Blois, and Orleans on the return route for Paris. Tours has
PARIS. 65
a fine Gothic cathedral, with a strikingly rich orna- mental facade dating from the fifteenth century, beside some stained glass that will arrest the vis- itor for a long morning before going on to Amboise, where the castle, conspicuous on the great cliff, was long the residence of the French kings. One can mount from below to the summit of this height by following a broad, winding passage— up which carriages were wont to drive, the ascent is made so gradually — within the tower.
From these walls were hung the bodies of the Huguenots slaughtered by the Due de Guise, and from the balcony Catherine de Medicis and Mary Queen of Scots" watched the execution of still more of these victims.
The little chapel in the garden has a most beau- tiful carving over its doorway of St. Hubert and the stag with the cross between its horns, and the groined roof and frieze of stonework is of the most delicate sculpture. The building in the form of a cross was erected for Anne of Brittany, and re- stored by Louis Philippe. It is said, too, that Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life at Amboise in the Chateau de Cloux.
The drive from the Lion d'Or to Chenonceaux is most delightful, lying through the forest and 5
66 STUDYING ART ABRO.IP.
crossing the moat to the picturesque chateau built by Francis I. directly over the river Cher. The old furniture, armor, and enamels have been pre- served, and make the interior, with its tapestry and picture-gallery of historical portraits, seem very home-like. Among the latter is one of Diane de Poitiers in the very abbreviated costume of the goddess for whom she was named ; also one of Agnes Sorel and Rabelais ; and in the apartments of the present occupant (which are occasionally obligingly shown a visitor) are two magnificent Troyons, such as one seldom meets with even in large collections.
The chateau has known many royal inhabitants, having been given by Henri II. to Diane de Poi- tiers and used by him as a retreat when hunting. Then Catherine de Medicis took possession, and bequeathing it to the widow of Henri III., it de- scended to the Condes. In the time of Madame Dupin (George Sand's grandmother), Voltaire and Rousseau visited it, and the latter's opera, " Le Divin du Village," was performed in the little theatre adjoining, so the loquacious guide informs the visitor.
Still more royal history meets one at Blois, and seems brought very near in certain rooms of the
PARIS. 6j
castle where so many momentous events took place. For the winding staircase, very richly decorated with the salamanders of Francis I., leads to the apartment where Henri III. distributed the daggers, and beyond, to the very cabinet where Henri le Balafre, just as he was pushing aside the portiere, was attacked and pierced by many blades. The valet de place points to the very spot where, as the body laid, the royal murderer spurned it with his foot, saying, " Je ne le croyais pas aussi grand."
The observatory of Catherine de Medicis, with its inscription, " Uraniae Sacrum," is shown, as also the window from which Queen Marie de Medicis escaped when banished here by Louis XIII.
Besides the fine staircases and sculpture of the castle, Blois is in itself interesting and picturesque, with numerous streets of steps and old houses of the domestic architecture of the sixteenth century, which to do full justice to on paper or canvas, would employ a painter for some length of time.
Orleans has little of interest to offer beside the relics of the famous Maid, whose equestrian statue, with base of bass-reliefs, is the best among the many of her in France. Also, her portrait at the mairie, and house of carved wood, are generally considered
68 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
objects to be visited, as well as the site of the old bridge and the fort of " Les Tourelles," which was the scene, it will be remembered, of her most brilliant exploit.
This city would be the end of the little tour which I have tried, in a general way, to suggest, as preferable for any artist wanting to secure a rich historical background for pictures, while mak- ing Dinan, or St. Malo perhaps, the final destina- tion for living cheaply in the most attractive part of Brittany.
MODES AND MAGASINS.
Even supposing our lady-artist has been strong- minded enough to leave London without buying new clothes, she will certainly find it quite impossi- ble to say good by to Paris without at least one new costume, fresh from the hand of some stylish coutu- rier e} and by buying the materials of silk or woolen, say for a spring suit, a little late in the season, at one of the annual sales in the large shops, when coupons of such, together with trimmings of all descriptions, are nearly given away, a comparatively small sum will cover this first outlay.
Then Madame Thierry, for instance (whose name
PARIS. 69
is in the annexed list), possessing taste and fitting well, will for forty or fifty francs, linings, etc., in- cluded, make an entirely satisfactory suit.
So that as a whole, if accomplished in the right way, this addition to a lady's wardrobe can hardly be looked upon as an extravagance.
At the same time ready-made costumes are all reduced in price, and the " Petit St. Thomas " gen- erally exhibits particularly pretty ones, at much less cost than the same at the well-known " Bon Marche." As regards the latter magasin, there is a very mistaken notion of its being cheap, for with the exception of gloves, ornaments, and little articles, everything is notably costlier than at the Louvre, Printemps, Tapis Rouge, and smaller shops. The dressmaking department is expensive and not par- ticularly commendable, but being especially patron- ized by Americans, prices are high accordingly.
Sacques and paletots are offered too, in return for little money, though for anything of this de~ scription in furs, London is preferable. English ladies affirm that mourning and all black stuffs also show a great difference in expense, believing them to be much cheaper in their own capital.
A good Bonnet (and that made by the rival house of Jaubert, Andras et Cie.) black silk, of soft, rich
STUDYING ART ABROAD.
quality, costs in Paris about eight francs a metre, of sixty centimetres width, and a firm at 79 Boulevard St. Michel advertise the making- up of mourning and all black material as a specialty at low rates.
Boots of a comfortable make and durable quality seem about the only necessary articles of wear that are not to be found ready made in France. For though the shop-windows are full of enchanting boots, shoes, and slippers of every shape and kind' unless a woman wants to deform her feet by mount- ing on immensely high heels (which immediately proceed to tread over), there is nothing desirable provided between these and sabots, although at No. 61 Rue Mt. Orgueil, those for fourteen francs, with or without Louis Quinze heels, will prove quite good for service ; or at a little shop No. 7 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette, a more sensible article, with cloth or leather tops, costs eighteen francs. But a well-made pair of London guinea boots will wear out three pair of Paris make ; so the conclu- sion is that for everything substantial, from na- tional characteristics to matches and pins, one must go to England and the English.
Hotel Druot is worthy one visit at least, as the private collections of pictures sent there for sale contain sometimes valuable ones seen nowhere
PARIS-. 71
else, and if, as I have before mentioned, an artist is about furnishing apartment or studio, it is sur- prising what pretty modern or antique articles can be bought for little money.
A very effective set, of richly carved black wal- nut with velvet covering, I once saw and admired in an atelier, cost but 200 francs, or $40, at Hotel Druot.
There also is a marcJie known as the " Temple," frequented by artists for the purchase of tapestry, portieres, and rich stuffs of various kinds, found at low prices in the little stalls principally kept by Jews, — though no one, under any consideration, is ever made to confess being a patron of this bazaar, as it is not at all comme il fant to be seen there, and a purchaser is occasionally haunted by the unpleasant idea that perhaps the seeds of the plague or small-pox lie hidden in the folds of the gorgeous material just bought. The perfectly business-like manner, too, of the saleswomen, in some of the booths, who accept five francs for a bonnet, where at least twenty francs was demanded in the outset, is entertaining, though before mak- ing this amiable concession, the aforesaid may have looked a lady in the eye, asking calmly, " Etes-vous folle ? "
72 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
It is quite the same kind of bargaining, if not a little worse, at the Italics, where one goes for fresh flowers, or any delicacy too expensive elsewhere, and if, on objecting to a price, one turns to pass on, all kinds of offers and unflattering remarks are hurled after the retreating purchaser until out of sight.
The only way to successfully cope with such people is to marcJiander, in a pleasant manner, and receive all their impertinence with perfect good temper, which converts them into firm friends, ready to serve reasonably and respectfully ever afterward.
As to colors and art materials, those students who prefer to use the best, buy the Edouard and Belgic tubes, taking them from larger picture dealers. But a beginner, using oil colors in quan- tities for daily studies merely, will find the quality of such sufficiently good, and everything of that nature very inexpensive, at No. 4 Quai des Orfevres. Also all sized paint-brushes at wholesale rates, by going to Petit Aine, 24 Faubourg St. Denis, where a dozen cost but one franc fifty centimes.
Oil colors, as a rule, are cheaper in Paris than in London ; the bitumen is better, and imported to some extent from the latter city, by those who do
PARIS. 71
not believe, with several of the French masters, that it is dangerous for use, and a color which will never dry, the " Shipwreck," by Gericault, in the Louvre, being cited as proof this. In a few classes it is strictly forbidden to pupils, " Brun de Bru- xelles" replacing it in the color-box of the mer- chant who appears at stated intervals at the studio door.
Jules Lutteus, 12 Avenue des Tilleuls, Mont- martre, is a handsome model, who supplies painters with large palettes, mahogany panels, and such articles, at small cost. Also on the other side of the Seine (which is generally considered the cheaper quarter for everything), an ebmisle, at 83 Rue des St. Peres, executes all commissions neatly and at reasonable prices. And lastly, if an artist is not fluent in the French language, and wants a teacher (though at many pensions the host or hostess includes one or two lessons each week in the cost of board), Mile. Robert, 33 Rue de Clichy, can be warmly recommended, as very thorough, and far from exorbitant in her terms.
In one and all of the above notes, it must be remembered that cheapness has been the main object, as no visitor can deny that Paris shops are the most brilliantly attractive in the world, offering
74 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
all, from distracting bonnets and flowers, to the dazzling display of diamonds seen in the Rue de la Paix or the Palais Royal, that the feminine heart can desire. But such can only be patronized by the rich, and our particular American student is wanting to economize, in order that the often- counted pile of golden louis may not diminish too rapidly before a thorough art education is com- pleted. Moreover, this foreign life, even under the most humble conditions, is full of keen delight to every lover of the beautiful, seeing only the pic- turesque side of things, and enjoying the little makeshifts I have hinted at as suited to the sur- roundings, and possible only on the European side of the Atlantic.
MAITRES DE DESSIN ET DE PEINTURE.
M. Bonnat, 6 Place Vintimille. (With but one exception receives
only male pupils.) M. Bouguereatj, 75 Rue Notre Dame des Champs. M. CABANEL, S Rue de Vigny (Pare Monceau). M. Duran, 11 Passage Stanislas M. Suminais, 26 Rue de Laval (Avenue Frochot). M. Lefebvre, 5 Rue de la Bruyere. M. Fantin-la-Jour, 8 Rue des Beaux Arts. M. Krug, 11 Boulevard de Clichy. M. Jackson, Rue des Beaux Arts. M. Jullien, Passage Panorama.
Paris. 75
M. Barrias, 40 Rue Fortuny.
M. Jacque, 1 1 Boulevard cle Clichy.
'PENSIONS.
Mme. Thierry, 44 Rue de Clichy. (Good room and table, 6 francs per day.%
Miss Cooke, 9 Avenue de Trocadero. (Moderate prices and much frequented by English and Americans.)
Mme. Penson, 3 Rue de Boulogne. (Neat, and reasonable in price.)
Mile. Gravier, 127 Faubourg St. Honore.
Mesdames Gautier et Dalamt, 6 Rue Castiglione.
Miss Ellis, 2S Rue Bassano, and Miss Roberts, also Champs Elysees. (Both expensive, but exceedingly comfortable.)
Mrs. Wooley, 7 Rue Calysee. (55 francs per week.)
Mme. Beim, j6 Rue Bonaparte. (8 francs per day.)
No. 67 Avenue de l'Alma. (Rather expensive but comfortable, and French lessons included in board.)
61 Avenue Friedland, Champs Elysees, and 72 Boulevard St. Ger- main. (Both comfortable, and not expensive.)
2 Rue Larribe, au coin de la Rue Constantinople.
HOTELS.
Hotel du Palais, 28 Cours la Reine. (Good room and table, 8 francs per day.)
Les Trois Princes, Rue Ncuve des Petils Champs. (Small pri- vate hotel, central and well kept.
Small hotels, with cheap rooms, Rue de Douai.
M. CHLVIL! on fils, Grez, pres Nemours, Seine et Name. (6 francs per day )
DINAN.
Hotel du Commerce. (Clean and comfortable.)
Mrs. HOBBE's pension. (35 francs per week.)
Mile. Coste's pension, Place St. Louis. (Comfortable and cheap.)
STUDYING ART ABROAD.
COUTURIERES.
Mme. Levilon, 14 Rue de Rome. (Satisfactory but expensive.)
Mme. Emanuel, 19 Avenue Martignon. "(Fashionable and rather dear.)
Mme. FEMARY, 42 Rue Boursault. (Price 60 f/ancs ; dress mate- rials included.)
Mme. Thierry, 6 Rue Joubert. ' (Stylish, and moderate in price.)
Mme. Duvanson, 16 Rue des Martyrs.
Mile. Sherrronkee, 45 Rue Abbatucci. (Recommended as excel- lent and cheap.)
Mile. Ferret, 14 Boulevard St. Jacques. (Seamstress only.)
MAGASINS.
Petit St. Thomas, Rue du Bac. (Good for ready-made costumes.)
Bon Marcher au coin de la Rue du Bac et Rue de Sevres.
Tapis Rouge, 67 Rue du Faubourg-St.-Martin.
Printemps, Boulevard Haussman.
Hotel Drouot, Rue Drouot.
Ti mple, Rue du Temple.
A. Cholet et Cie., 9 Rue de la Chaussee d'Antin. (For Edouard
and Belgic colors.) Vieille, 35 Rue de Laval. (For reliable colors.) Ponnel, 4 Quai des Orfevres. (For cheap colors and materials ) Jules Luttens, 12 Avenue des Tilleuls, Montmartre. (For panels
and palettes.)
ROME. 77
CHAPTER V.
ROME.
Rome, in my estimation, is the place for a student of sculpture rather than of painting ; and as to what art advantages it offers at the present time, I can give but little information, having studied there for one winter only, some years ago.
True it is, however, that the happy graduate of l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, whose trial sketch receives the Prix de Rome, finds in the solemn atmosphere of the old city sufficient inspiration to accomplish the great picture that, later exposed in Paris, makes his reputation, and perhaps adds his name to the already long list of French masters.
But the thorough familiarity with Roman his- tory which is always required of a Beaux-Arts student accounts for this choice of locality, as well, perhaps, as for the many Neros, Caligulas, and togaed senators who annually make their appearance on canvas of immense proportions.
7<S STUDYING ART ABROAD.
Monsieur Hebert was a recognized critic in Rome for some time, and Monsieur Bellay much liked as a teacher in water-color heads ; also Mr. Crowninshield, from Boston, opened his studio to a class of ladies in sketching from nature.
A few of the Italian painters received female pupils, wishing to work from the draped living models, mostly in water-colors also, they them- selves forming an evening class, which met in a large, dusty room, off a little street just behind the Via Babuino.
They were a lively set, smoking or singing as they painted, in a bold, clashing style, from the pretty or interesting model posed under the brill- iant reflectors of the raised platform. And even in this artificial light their touch was certain and effective, so much so that it would have been instructive to watch them work, if the smoke of numerous cigarettes and increased confusion, as it grew late, had not prevented this, as well as the possibility of painting with any comfort one's self.
Beside, any lady, seeking instruction here, even seated modestly behind the principal group, might, if perfectly familiar with the Italian tongue, occa- sionally find the conversation of the students be- coming slightly embarrassing, when they freely
ROME. 79
discussed not only her ability with color, but her personal appearance and manners.
Also, as the lesson began late, it was apt to keep one at work too far into the night, making an escort home through the deserted streets each evening a matter of absolute necessity. For Rome, even since Victor Emmanuel has made so many improvements, is not comparatively safe, like Paris or London, where a lady can traverse the streets at almost any hour without fear.
It is often a disappointment to art students to find it impossible to copy in the great galleries during cold weather, there being nothing but a scaldino of the smallest dimensions provided as a heating apparatus, which in no way affects the atmosphere of the stone-floored rooms or keeps off the rheumatism, that enemy of a persistent copy- ist in Italy.
So one must believe, as consolation and accord- ing to the critics, that the gems of the Borghese, like the Cenci of the Barberini, are such works of pure inspiration that a satisfactory reproduction of them is impossible, and that Guido himself might have failed in a second attempt to portray the tear- ful face that so universally interests and absorbs.
The Pitti, Uffizzi, and Accademia -delle Belle
80 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
Arti of Florence are much more hospitable toward a student, though, if desirous of copying the very popular Fra Angelico Madonna, or angels sur- rounding it, one may have to wait months, even years, for the opportunity, the list cf applicants' names always being full, and each obliged to follow in turn.
But few people, particularly artists, will care to frequent galleries when surrounding nature is so wonderfully beautiful, and rich-skinned, large-eyed models sit patiently on the long Spanish -steps, or round the fountains, awaiting the Bonnat or Bou- gereau who is to immortalize them in color.
Certainly none of the profession understand the real art of posing like the Romans and Neapoli- tans, who make it a regular business, beginning from the cradle and training their children and children's children in the most perfect manner. So that, hackneyed as the type has become, it must also be the chosen one.
Nor is their faithfulness to be forgotten, as that of the beautiful Vincenza, who, after sitting like a statue for hours to a class of ladies, fell fainting from sheer fatigue, yet insisted on finishing the seance even to a minute, though money was not an object, full compensation and cab-fare being
ROME. 8 1
pressed upon her as inducement to go home and rest.
There is much pleasure, too, as one passes in hearing the- " Buon giorno, Signorina," spoken in soft tones, accompanied by words and smiles from such belles of the Trastevere, for it makes a foreigner feel more one of them and thank a kind fate for drifting one thither, even for a short time, to live among them.
Doubtless a student will do much sketching in the Borghese Gardens and the grounds of the numerous villas, or, driving beyond the city gates, see pictures enough to occupy one for a lifetime.
Particularly on a day appointed for the hunt, when a gay group of equestrians circle about the master, whose scarlet coat makes him a mark for all eyes, and the hounds are hardly to be con- trolled in their eagerness for the first scent of game, while amid fashionable Rome, crowding every avenue, the American sculptor and horsewoman, on her three-hundred-guinea hunter, presses for- ward to participate in this exciting scene of the meet. Or later, when the scattered parties turn homeward, riding recklessly over the treacherous ground, through the poisonous purple glow of the incomparable Campagna, that lights up even the 6
$2 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
distant, white-capped mountains, it is something for a colorist to see.
Guide-books describe Rome so in detail, as well as the many summer resorts among the mountains, that I will merely add of the latter, Albano is not only high, healthy, and picturesque, but moderate in expense and is occasionally enlivened by a party of Roman painters in various costumes, who drive to this height for enacting a small carnival. Models, too, are not only cheap, but there are the veritable shepherds, in the clothes so often adopted by atelier professionals, and seen in pictures, which counts as an advantage ; for in Italy, as in France, a stranger must seek the national dress only in very out-of-the-way places, to find it at all gener- ally worn.
The rough-looking mountaineers make grand subjects to exercise an artist's skill and talent upon ; and the women, though not handsome, have fine, pronounced features, and" heads that, with their braids of blueblack hair, studded with golden orna- ments, make strikingly interesting etudes.
At rare intervals one encounters " l'homme a la musette," in face and figure so like Couture's pic- ture— exposed since the painter's death in the Sa- lon by the owner, Monsieur Barbedienne — that it
ROME. 83
must be supposed all of these musicians belong to one family.
Banditti are still said to hide in mountainous regions, but if a student has sufficient courage to risk an encounter with such an unfriendly troupe and go to Roma Vecchia to dig for undiscovered treasures, perhaps a fine piece of sculpture or antique jug may turn up under the shovel to reward one's exertions and add to the properties of the studio.
All such things double in value when once on the American side of the water, and nowhere are hanging lamps, bronze tripods, and all such orna- ments cheaper than in Italy.
The advice cannot be too often repeated to trav- ellers intending wintering in Rome, that plenty of flannels and warm clothing are as much a neces- sity there as anywhere, for roses do not bloom on the Pincio all the year round, nor does the sun shine "all day and all night too," as a beguiling padrone was heard to assure some Americans, on showing her rooms to them. The want of prudence among foreigners in a great measure accounts for the sick- ness and mortality so common at certain seasons in their midst.
The going from hot outside air and sunny side-
84 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
walks into damp churches, to sit through a long service, perhaps without the addition of an extra wrap ; or to see the Coliseum by moonlight, at an hour when almost every breath is a deadly malaria; or still worse, driving from picture-gallery to ruin, from villa to catacombs, or joining the Archaeological Society, intent on exploring some old cistern or sewer in a mouldy corner of the Palace of the Caesars or Baths of Caracalla, only to end the fatiguing day dressed in gauzy attire for dancing at some German until morning. These are the things that develop Roman fever, oftener than do dark apartments, Campagna air, or the much-talked-of bad drainage, which frightens so many new-comers to crowd one particular quarter, and prevents the enjoyment of much that is beautiful.
Concerning cost of living in Rome, it cannot be called cheap, though taking an apartment, in pref- erence to hotels and pensions, is as much more so there as in Paris or London.
But the Italians do not always prove an agreeable nation to have any large money dealings with, and to find an honest, honorable padrone with whom to sign a contract, is an important affair. In this respect, No. 2 Piazza Barberini can be highly rec- ommended to a small party, and the square itself,
ROME. 85
though not so fashionable as Piazza di Spagna, Via Felici, or Sistine, is bright and cheerful, with the fountain of the " Tritone " for an attractive object to see from one's windows.
The Hotel Costanza, Via Nicolo di Tolentino, and the pensions of Mme. Telenbach, and the Misses Smith, in Piazza di Spagna, would make a pleasant home, particularly for a lady travelling alone, the price at the last-named being twelve to fifteen, lire per day.
Florence is better for shopping, in general, than Rome, where at one time Massoni's on the Corso was nearly the only reliable dry-goods and dress- making establishment in the city. Also to a walker a supply of comfortable boots is even a greater luxury than in France, as many of the narrow, stony streets are without sidewalks and make anything but agreeable footing.
An artistic souvenir of Rome is made by buying a copy of the " Marble Faun " or " Roba di Roma " in the Tauchnitz edition, and inserting the vignette photographs of the places described mounted on fresh pages, binding the whole in the lovely Roman vellum, which has the advantage when soiled of being easily made white and spotless again by washing with soap and water. At one time the
86 STUDYING ART ABROAD.
arrangement of these albums was so much the fashionable amusement among foreigners who could neither sketch nor paint such charming bits of antiquity as the Temple of Vesta, Hilda's Tower, or the Ghetto 'bazaars, that complete sets of the photographs, arranged in regular order, could always be had in the print and book shops.
In ending as in the beginning this paper on Rome, I can but express the conviction that to a sculptor it has everything to offer.* From the Vatican, Capitol, New Museum, Ludovisi, and so many other collections to even the street-fountains, and the strong conceptions of the modern Monte- verdi, all are for the worker in clay, while the painter will find the cities on the other side of the Alps offer infinitely greater advantages for art study in color. Although the latter can but see with deep regret the last days of a Roman visit draw toward a close ; for not only is the landscape exquisite, but the hour's spent in the quiet studio, absorbed in the beauty of head or ensemble before
* Several Italian painters, now receiving honors in Paris, are graduates of the school at Naples, which, according to the opinion of the very few Americans who have studied there, offers the best course of instruction, both in sculpture and painting, of any city in Italv.
ROME. S7
one, are most precious, or when the critic takes palette and brushes for making with one stroke the weak line strong, it is a lesson indeed ; and this life in Italy becomes worth making a struggle for, and forms an episode seldom anything but profitable or delightful to recall
So let painter and sculptor touch glasses at trie Fountain of Trevi as they drink to their certain return to Rome !
THE END.
Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publicatio
us.
THE NO NAME (SECOND) SERIES.
SlGNOR MONALDINI'S NIECE.
Extracts from some Opinions by well-known Authors.
"We have read 'Signor Monaldini's Niece' with intensest inteiest and delight. The style is finished and elegant, the at- mosphere of the book is enchanting. We seem to have lived in Italy while we were reading it. The author has delineated with a hand as steady as it is powerful and skilful some phases of human life and experience that authors rarely dare attempt, and with marvellous success. We think this volume by far the finest of the No Name Series."
" It is a delicious story. I feel as if I had been to Italy and knew all the people. . . . Miss Conroy is a strong character, and her tragedy is a fine background for the brightness of the other and higher natures. It is all so dramatic and full of color it goes on like a lovely play and leaves one out of breath when the cur- tain falls."
"I have re-read it with great interest, and think as highly of it as ever. . . . The characterization in it is capital, and the talk wonderfully well done from first to last."
" The new No Name is enchanting. It transcends the ordinary novel just as much as a true poem by a true poet transcends the thousand and one imitations. ... It is the episode, however, of Miss Conroy and Mrs. Brandon that is really of most importance in this book. ... I hope every woman who reads this will be tempted to read the book, and that she will in her turn bring it to the reading of other women, especially if she can find any Mrs. Brandon in her circle."
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THE COLONEL'S OPERA CLOAK.
"A jollier, brighter, breezier, more entertaining book than 'The Colonel's Opera Cloak ' has not been published for many a day. We defy the coldest- blooded reader to lay it down before it is finished, or to read it through without feeling his time well spent. There is plenty of satire in its pages, but it is good- natured satire. The characters are sharply drawn — some of them from nature, we fancy — and there is spice enough in the way of incident to satisfy the most exacting palate. Of course, everybody will read it, and, in that presumption, we promise everybody two hours of thorough enjoyment." — Boston Transcript.
"The No Name Series abounds in contrasts, and that between ' Signor Mo- naldini's Niece' and the present story is among the most decided it has offered. This we do not mention by way of disparagement. On the contrary, we can see a distinctive merit in a series which includes so much variety of aim and interest as this does, without any regard for the conventional demand that a succession of stories in the same binding should all be of one school and in something the same tone. We can see why an admirer of the last novel may at first be taken aback by the light tone of this, and in so far disappointed ; but we shall expend no sympathy on that person. 'The Colonel's Opera Cloak' is a bright and thoroughly alluring little book, with which it would be foolish to find fault on any score. And, more than that, it is well written and brimming over with wit. The notion of a story in which there is avowedly no hero or heroine excepting an old opera cloak, is clever, and, so far as we know, quite new. . . . We can assure every one who wishes the double pleasure of laughter and literary enjoy- ment, that this is one of the books to carry to the country." — Boston Courier.
"The author's touch is always that of the ar'«ist ; it always has the magic power of portraying individual men and women, never giving us shadowy outlines, how- ever few or hurried the strokes of the pencil may be, and saying this we say that the author of 'The Colonel's Opera Cloak' has in large measure the best and most necessary qualification for doing really fine work in fiction. If he is still yourg, as certain things in his story indicate that he is, his future efforts may well hi looked for hopefully." — N. Y. Evening Post.
In one volume. i6mo. Green cloth. Price $1.00.
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Our Autumn Holiday
ON FRENCH RISERS.
By J. L. MOLLOY. With Pictorial Title. i6mo, cloth. Price $1.25.
" A quite fascinating book for idle summer days. Mr. Mollov has the true gift of narrating. He is a charming chronicler of the voyage of 'The Marie' on the tumultuous Seine, and on the solemn, mighty Loire. . . . A bright, sunny book, so full of pleasant fun and refined enjoyment." — Boston Daily Advertiser.
"There is not a stupid page in the whole book; every chapter is jolly, fresh, observant ; the whole reflects delightfully both the spirit in which the jaunt was undertaken, and that in which the country-side accepted the jovial wanderers. . . 'An Autumn Holiday' will cause many readers to pass a happy hour or two. It is not stimulative to the brain , it requires no effort of thought ; intellectual per- sons may find it spun out, and serious people discover its levity ; but hot and tired people will regret neither the coolness of its main theme nor its happy super- ficiality " — New York Times.
"Mr. Molloy has a singularly delicate and quick touch; and his fun and pathos are equally ready and genuine- His little volume of sketches is a raie work ; it is in every way charming, full of information, and delicious as the fra- grance and savor of a peach grown against a south-looking wall with its crimson cheek set toward the sun. Wherever the lover of pleasant books may be, — in quiet country town, under shade of mighty hills and their pine-forests, or near the sounding promontories of the sea, or if he stay in the heat and noise of the town, — he can have no more delightful reading than this record of an Autumn Holiday on French Rivers." — Portland Press.
" Roberts Brothers are issuing a charming series of books of out-door life, which is just the kind of books that are called for both by the present season and the growing taste for that kind of recreation Another one just published is 'Our Autumn Holidays on French Rivers,' by J L. Molloy, and is as bright, breezy, spirited, and racy of the country life which it depicts, as any one can desire." — Hartford Courant.
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CASTLE BLAIR:
A STORY OF YOUTHFUL DAYS.
By FLORA L. SHAW.
i6mo. Cloth. Price #1.00.
" There is quite a lovely little book just come out about children, — ' Castle Blair ! ' . . . The book is good, and lovely, and true, having the best description of a noble child in it (Winnie) that I ever read; and nearly the best description of the next best thing, — a noble dog," says John Ruskin, the distinguished art critic.
" ' Castle Blair,' a story of youthful days, by Flora L. Shaw, is an Irish story. A charming young girl — half French, half English — comes from France, at the age of eighteen, to live with her bachelor uncle at Castle Blair, which is in possession of five children of an absent brother of this uncle. The children are in a somewhat wild and undisciplined condition, but they are as interesting children as can be imagined, and some of them winning to an extraordinary degree. They are natural children, in manner and in talk ; but the book differs from some American books about children, in that it is pervaded by an air of refinement and good-breeding. The story is altogether delightful, quite worthy, from an American point of view, of all Mr. Ruskin says of it ; and if circulation were determined by merit, it would speedily outstrip a good many now popular children's books which have a vein of commonness, if not of vulgarity." — Hartford Courant.
" It is not too much to say that nothing more interesting or more whole- some is offered this year for older boys and girls. It is a charming story, in which the author has delineated character as carefully, and with as keen an artistic sense, as if she had been writing a novel. Her book is a novel, indeed, with children and the lives of children, instead of men and women and their lives, for its theme." — New York Evening Post, ♦—
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TRAVELS WITH A DONKEY
IN THE CEVENNES.
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
With Frontispiece Illustration by Walter Crane. i6mo. Cloth. Price $1.00.
"This is one of the brightest books of travel that has recently come to our notice. The author, Robert Louis Stevenson, sees every thing with the eye of a philosopher, and is disposed to see the bright rather than the dark side of what passes under his observation. He has a steady flow of humor that is as appar- ently spontaneous as a mountain brook, and he views a landscape or a human figure, not only as a tourist seeking subjects for a book, but as an artist to whom the slightest line or tint conveys a definite impression.'1 — Boston Courier.
" A very agreeable companion for a summer excursion is brought to our side without ceremony in this lively reprint of a journal of travel in the interior of France. For all locomotive or four-horse stage coach, the writer had chartered a little she-ass, not much bigger than a dog, whom he christened ' Modestine,' and whose fascinating qualities soon proved that she was every way worthy of the name. Mounted on this virtuous beast, with an inordinate supply of luggage slung over her patient back in a sheepskin bag, the larder well provided with cakes of chocolate and tins of Bologna sausage, cold mutton and the potent wine of Beaujolais, the light-hearted traveller took his way to the mountains of South- ern France. He has no more story to tell than had the ' weary knife-grinder,,' but he jots down the little odds and ends of his journey in an off-hand, garrulous tone which sounds as pleasantly as the careless talk of a cheerful companion in a country ramble- The reader must not look for nuggets of gold in these slight pages, but the sparkling sands which they shape into bright forms are both at- tractive and amusing." — N. Y. Tribune.
" ' Travels with a Donkey ' is charming, full of grace, and humor, and fresh- ness : such refined humor it all is, too, and so evidently the work of a gentleman. I am half in love with him, and much inclined to think that a ramble anywhere with such a companion must be worth taking. What a happy knack he has of giving the taste of a landscape or any out-door impression in ten words! " ♦—
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LAOCOON.
An Essay upon the Limits of Painting and Poetry. With remarks illustrative of various points in the History of Ancient Art. By Gotthold Epiiraim Lessing. Translated by Ellen Frothingham. One volume, i6mo, with pictorial title, representing the Laocoon. Price $1.50.
"The incomparable little book. . . . Its effect upon Goethe can only be appre- ciated by those who, early in life, have met with this work, and risen from it with minds widened, strengthened, and inspired. It opened a pathway amid confusion, throwing light upon many of the obscurest problems which torment the artist. . . . Lord Macaulay told me that the reading of this little book formed an epoch in his mental history, and that he learned more about Art from it than he had ever learned elsewhere." — From Leives's Life 0/ Goethe.
" We wish it were a text-book in the colleges, for, in addition to the excellence of its contents, it is, in respect to its style and method, a specimen of the best sort of writing." — From the Boston Daily Advertiser.
OUR, SKETCHING CLUB,
Letters and Studies on Landscape Art. By the Rev. R. St. John Tyrwhitt, M.A., formerly Student and Rhetoric Reader of Christ Church, Oxford. With an Authorized Repro- duction of the Lessons and Woodcuts in Professor Ruskin's "Elements of Drawing." 8vo. Cloth. Price $2.50.
• Sketching clubs are as common in England as dancing clubs are in this country. They certainly develop some real skill in the operations of art. " If," says Tyrwhitt, "these societies only afforded intermission and relief from that sad idleness and emptiness which is one of the dangers of English middle life" (he might extend the remark to America as well), " they would be valuable ; but they do more, and really amount to a means of self-education and self-expression. To young women in particular they afford, under good criticism, just what they most want ; that is to say, help and encouragement to learn something thoroughly, and in a standard or workmanlike manner.'' The book before us is the record of the doings of an imaginary club, and is a series of letters and studies on landscape art. The lessons and woodcuts in Ruskin's " Elements of Drawing" have been worked into the book in a more popular form than that in which they first appeared, and under the sanction of their author. The result is a manual of practical art, which will be found valuable to the student of adult years and of average culture in other matters, as a guide in drawing.
SARAH TYTLER'S ART BOOKS.
The Old Masters and their Pictures.
Modern Painters and their Paintings.
By Sarah Tytler, author of " Papers for Thoughtful Girls." 161110. Cloth, neat. Price of each, $1.50.
Designed for the use of Schools and Learners in Art, and extensively used in Academies, Seminaries, &c, throughout the country.
" An excellent introduction to the history of art." — Daily News.
"These two books give in a simple and concise manner the prominent facts that every one who desires to be well informed should know about the great artists of the world. For beginners in art and for school use they are valuable." Courier-Journal.
" Really supplies what has long been a want." — British Quarterly Review.
"We are not aware of any work of the kind written with so much intelligence which yet is so untechnical." — Nonconformist.
"Too much praise cannot be given the conscientious manner in which the author has worked. There is no obtrusion of useless details or of unwelcome criticism ; but in very pleasant style, with clear and well-defined purpose, the story of the growth and progress of art is told through the lives and works of artists. The volumes are most agreeable reading and profitable study." — Boston Post.
Musical Composers and their Works.
For the Use of Schools and Students in America. By Sarah Tytler. i vol. i6mo. $1.50.
In this unostentatious but carefully written volume, the author of " Old Masters" and "Modern Painters" has given a simple account of the great musicians of the world and of their works. The book is designed more especially for the use of young peopie in the course of their musical education ; but the author trusts — and with very good reason — that it will commend itself also to older people, who are interested in the subject, but who have not time or oppor- tunity to refer to original sources of information. Not the least attractive portion of the work is the sketch of Wagner with which it closes.
Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publications.
ON THE KIG-HT USE OF BOOKS.
A Lecture. By William P. Atkinson, Professor of Eng- lish and History in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. i6mo. Cloth. Price 50 cents.
M Full of good sense, sound taste, and quiet humor. ... It is the easiest thing in the world to waste time over boc'.s, which are merely tools of knowledge like any other tools. ... It is the function of a good book not only to fructuy, but to inspire, not only to fill the memory with evanescent treasures, but to enrich the imagination with forms of beauty and goodness which leave a lasting impres- sion on the character." — N. Y. Tribune.
11 Contains so many wise suggestions concerning methods in study and so excellent a summary of the nature and principles of a really liberal education that it well deserves publication for the benefit of the reading public. Though it makes only a slight volime, its quality in thought and style is so admirable that all who are interested in the subject if good education will give to it a prominent and honorable position among the many books upon education which have recently been published. For it takes only a brief reading to perceive that in this single lecture the results of wide experience in teaching and of long study of the true principles of education are generalized and presented in a lew pages, each one of which contains so much that it might be easily expanded into an excellent chapter." — The Library Table.
READING- AS A FINE ART.
By Ernest Legouve, of the Academie Francaise. Trans- lated from the Ninth Edition by Abby Langdon Alger. i6mo. Cloth 5c cents.
{Dedication.)
TO THE SCHOLARS OF THE HIGH AND NORMAL SCHOOL.
Tor you this sketch was written: permit me to dedicate it to you; in fact, to intrust it to your care. Pupils to-day, to-morrow you will be teachers : to- morrow, generation after generation of youth will pass through your guardian hands. An idea received by you must of necessity reach thousands of minds. Help me, then, to spread abroad the work in which you have some share, and allow me to add to the great pleasure of having numbered you among my he;urers the still greater happiness of calling you my assistants. E. Legouve'.
We commend this valuable little book to the attention of teachers and others interested in the instruction of the pupils of our public schools. It treats of the " First Steps" ir. reading, "Learning to Read," " Should we read as we talk," " The Use and Management of the Voice," " The Art of Breathing," " Pronuncia- tion," "Stuttering," "Punctuation," " Readers and Speakers, " Reading as a Means of Criticism," "On Reading Poetry," &c, and makes a strong claim as to the value of_reading aloud, as being the most wholesome of gymnastics, for to jtharvthMtoice is tc strengthen the whole system and develop vocal power.
itren|tha<vti
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