LATE EMPRESS DOWAGER

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 9

LATE EMPRESS DOWAGER

I > ■ PAiNTINC HER; PORTRAIT. ' ;, ■ -IIi3S: Katherine.A;. Ca'rl ; one'of the few Americans who were admitted to the cori.fidenco,of the late Dowager . Empress of China,;,was commissioned to paint,a portrait' of Her Imperial Majesty for the; Louisiana Purchase Exposition, at St.. Louis. .By the favourof: the Empress, from August,. 1903, tb'i'the early..spring .of-1904, she lived in , a:'residence: that had belonged to .the Emperor's father; - with a , large number of. servants, at her disposal. In each of the ■ palaces' in' which.' the Dowager Empress was residing, a studio was set up for the American artist. She 'painted,,.in:all, four portraits, thethird 6f';which was chosen for-the Exposition, arid , has 'since been- presented'to the United States Government. - It now: hangs •' in: the Corcoran Gallery at; 'Washington: ■ The following aritiole, -from an 1 -interview, appears in the '.'ladepeudent'."-.;.'■■■■:.:.' , :-:: ,, ;■"■'- '■' .; A :; The idea, of painting the portrait of Her .Iriipe'rial Majesty the■ ■ Empress- Dowager'■ of China.'originated with Mrs, Conger,' the American: MinisterV;wife,; who, was anxious that some likeness,of. : the Empress DbiVager, should be sent but to -the' Exposition to correct false: impressions that had.goneabroad regarding Her:,^Majesty's;personality.'.-1 had gone.out to. China to visit my brother,. Francis'A."Carl, who is-a Mandarin of the second degree, in: thevemploy of the, Chinese , ernment. :' Mrs. : -Conger made the preliminary arrangements, and presented me .to the Dqwa-" ger ;EmpTess..;The day.-thnt'-'I was presented was' -the day oh; which 'I was to begin, the' ■portrait.:;.':. ,'.■.■• ; '-''■'.:■-', l; -'•■■.'■":.■• ' ■••■ : : ■■ : '. •■■ : ::'' ; -- : ./In this '.article : I wish to correct,; statements; that iiaye. been made .concerning Her Majesty," some of. wliiohwcre wrongly credit-ed-td;me,; .that -Her Majesty-was, "shrewd. I'.and:tempestuous,"-, and had' "the'soul, of a tiger:in the body, of !a woman." Her Majes-' ■ty. wasValways : ; very considerate, arid tried' 'to: : help. me', in .every way. She' was,' herself very,,. artistic,''and , understood the,: require-! ments of;'rriy::Tvork. The'Empress'had a charming :<xpros6ibn,'Brid had ; wonderful dig-. nity : and:grace;,-The'real charm of her face depended;.upon. : her.'.expression: ; ; Her, smile was;.brilliant:-;and absolutely; fascinating. .; I . have .neySr. seen',a face more changed ; than !hers ! ,>hen'': illuminated ;. by; this •'wonderful smile. ' :f. ''■.''>■ ~: ■- -.;.. ;-■■■■ -, : :'. "f~'?i '■■: '■■ : - : ''K ■■'•■■-In ; China , for every undertaking , the: dai-s; and ■; almanacs are' studied. as to' ;what tme',is'propitious." , '; Aftercareful';. considera"tioriiof 'this'. s6rt,"it-'n'as decided that August .5," 1903, was thbmost on'spidiqus'.day'for.begirining: the. portrait;-The auspiciouß hour ,jvasialsoohpsGn—eleven.o'clock■m,the morning,' -And;? 50 r.began my work. -This wae the first of four pictures. "The one which was" finally chosen, the third in the brdor in Which 'it'-was:executed, was commenced in January,. -:■ ; ; i '■, -,:v ?„:/:■';, ..■'.■Tho'se;:wh6 have seen.the , portrait will re;inenibQr, that it'; shows no. 'lines', in the fac,e.- ; vTHw'-is-.absolu'tely tfii^i t6"lifb;;althbuglV:her' ; Majesty.;wa's seventy : years old' at that time. ■Her-Majesty-had a -particularly clear;: fine, magnolia-like, olive complexion. iShe; never ■painted her-faco norfused. cosmetics|, observing this'rule'Vbooause,she.',was; a\widow.'f-Tlie; beautiful skin of the Chinese women generally. ;iN/tho"' more'. remarkable when;one" ■that 1 they nevor wear any ; hats;;whon. they, go'out nor any gloves. .'Their, faces and hands sire.' alvfays; exposed, to the weather; yet '.-'I •really; think, they", have the .finest texture of skinof any..;wpmen'in the. world.-; Npver does one.seo pimples on.a : Chinese woman's face; , her'complexion: is, always exquisitely satiny. ; ' Her. , Majesty had. 1 vory;piercing , eyes, , and : thoy;'were riot'slanting. Her. eye was full, ,with : :a' light lid, as it might be called, .perfectlyistraight. \Not a gray hair appeared .in the full suit, all her bwn ): ;wbich' was' drawn out in a wing-like , construction over: a support. The; dress.that she wore was-her .iniporjhl "Winter Gown," of very heavy satin,■ stiffly;; embroidered and lined:. with; furi, The round '"sho,",,which' means■ longoyity,'.appeared' everywhere in the, decoratioHs,;as her Majesty,was very fond of, this, character, r.nd , had it over the_palace.evory-r 'where. Her, Majesty ; was 1 , particular-also tb; ,have -a' pyramid;of,apples appear in the.picture,,, for, the apple.means' ''peace and pros.perity." .For the.perfume as well she lovedthe'aßpleSj some of: the apples of the: Chinese being much more highly odorous than any; that; America' possesses. ■'- Pearls "were a, favourite'jewel of .the 'Empress. She had her pearl..mantle, in' ; Which each gem Ms worth almost'a fortune, remodeled for the portrait., ■About the foot of the dross which she.woro. was; a- real pearl, fringe,-intermingled with, .amethysts' and rubies. : ■:■ ' ■';. •;' •: - .v,; ■".;'.l'"was :sorry."in the.-picture''that.• I■ 'had■ so' ,little'i liberty in the way of shadow's arid of posing tho figure. The face had to be painted as-aVsinglo' mass of colour. If'l had not ! b_eto ; "compelled to observe' Chinese converi-' tipns: so closely, ..the; picture ■.would. have shown, a:finer-looking..woman, and' it, would ht-ye been more like; her.' Yet,it is a good likeness, as I.saw. when I had it' photographed,, ■. very much- smaller, for:-' the copy--right. .Among the multitude; of details were the,:lorig_ fingei-riails.of her Majesty, which I tried faithfully' to portray, Tne-long- finger, inailj'bf .course, is a. mark , of -rank in, China. No,'. 'one, else except. kdios of high rank, can' ;.l6t the nails grow, in this way.:. They culthird.and fourth fingers particullarly, and wear jewelled shields of jade or gold over; them. Before the Boxer, troubles,' her Majesty's -nail' were much longer .than they ev v er became afterward. In her hasty depar,ture ;from Pekjn allies'came her nails 'were so, injured that, they : had to be out.,; Their length' , at-jihe time of the picture was only about three inches. :'.•.. ; , '.v.Thfe picture was considered sacred from Ine time.it was begun. Whenever I was not at work on it, it was covered with a yellow screen , and put reverently away. If any of ,thb, eunuchs past through the room'i while I was;- painting,they .never failed , to make bbeisance.to the portrait, as thoy,would have done to the Empress herself. They told me, tbb,.that they felt the same awe when they ptood before the picture.that they would have felt, in her "presence. ■■•=■• : Tho portrait was raterrnptpd by .many festivals 'and ceremonies, so that the work was kreatly lengthened. For. the Chinese New Year I had,to stop for two weeks. But I lieyer'had more consideration shown to mo by :anyono whoso portrait I have painted, . and my recollections of the hours spent with this; wise and great ruler will be among the happiest memories of my life. . , The.-Kfiramea Steamship Company advertise the Eoho to sail for Westport and Karamea on Saturday. '''-■'. . . , Messrs. Dalgety and Co., Ltd., advertise -tlio entries.for their Levin Stock Sale to be held on January 20. ' . . : • ■In our advertising columns Mr. H. Ernest Loightou inserts a list of farm properties for sale.; '•• ' .. - ,'■■-. To-day, Messrs..A. L. Wilson and Co., acting under instructions received from the' Registrar of tho Supreme Court, will sell by auction a sectionin the Hutt district. .■;■ . We are all engaged in an effort to learn mqre ■about the rest of the world. The Germans are ourious about the Frenoh, the French are trying to understand tho British, and Americana aro striving to find out wherein we differ from Europeans -in general.—"Saturday : Evening I'ost, Philadelphia.