Life, 1883-11-22 · page 10 of 16
Life — November 22, 1883 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "An Art School Legend" by Henry Baldwin This satirical poem mocks the aspirations and romantic entanglements of art students. Lorenzo, an ambitious painter at the Art League, dreams of wealth and fame while currently churning out commercial work ("potboilers"). Angelica of Cooper, a fellow student, secretly harbors feelings for him while publicly criticizing his work in crayon sketches. The satire lies in their mutual disdain masquerading as indifference: he notices only a charcoal smudge on her chin; she insults his figure proportions. They meet once by chance and nothing comes of it. Lorenzo eventually achieves modest success (signing "N.A."—likely meaning National Academician), becoming a committee man who gets rival artists' work "skyed" (hung unfavorably high). Angelica marries someone else entirely. The ending mocks their wasted romantic opportunity and Lorenzo's forgotten legacy in dusty auction rooms. The cartoon satirizes art-world pretension, failed ambitions, and the gap between youthful artistic dreams and mundane reality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
264 - LIFE: AN ART SCHOOL LEGEND. ORENZO of the “ League,” in reveries, Before his battered easel, who could blame, As in the middle distance of his life He saw awaiting him both wealth and fame ? Dark was the foreground, with potboilers paved ; But days were near—so flattered rainbowed Hope— When, hanging all his pictures on the line, He could his brushes cream with Lubin’s soap. Angelica of Cooper, pallid maid, Nibbling her noontide cracker, mutely wooed The young Augustus she had vilified In crayon all the morning and in mood Half faith, half doubt, besought the dusty cast, Some human shape susceptible to wear, And cross her path at evening’s quiet hour When elevated railroads lower fare. Did Fate unite these two ambitious souls ? I spread no varnish o'er my canvass small : On the academy’s quite neutral ground, They passed one rainy day and that was all. He only thought, “I wonder if she knows She has that smudge of charcoal on her chin.” She, looking down : “ For such a heavy bust, Methinks the pedestals are rather thin.” In time, he came to sign himself, “N. A.,” And, as Committee Man, his rivals skyed. Brief was his glory, and his landscapes vast In depths of cobwebbed auction rooms abide. She wedded one who really hailed from Rome (New York State), but had never heard of Greece; His profile was Milesian ; let that pass. The Trio :—Requiescant, all, in peace ! Henry Batpwin, CABIN LACONICS. A PATCH am a heap easier to karry ‘bout wid yo’ dan a tailor’s bill dat yo" kyant pay. _ BY BRUDDER ROMULUS. Poor felles in dis worl’ ain’t gin'rally good fur much ‘ceptin’ DE wise squir'l ‘tends all de p'litical meetin’s to fin’ out whose jes’ to look at; de rose-bush doan’ pan out well when yo’ cum to cohn am goin’ to stan’ out in de shock all wintah, lay in yo" wintah fiah-wood. __ Lire am offen sich a long thread dat it dun snaps in de middle Ir am de chap dat hain’t shuah "bout allus habin’ a clean shirt {um its own heft. — dat has his coat made to button right ap to de chin, De chap dat am stoopin’ ober hoein’ out his tater patch, ain’t ap’ to see all de leetle failin’s ob his nabur's. Dar am a heap moah folks in dis worl’ dat limp ‘kase dey w'ar tight boots dan ‘kase dey dun fall lame a wuckin’to’arn an hones’ De muel am a good deal like his master when he turns roun’ bin’, an’ kicks de chap dat brings in his oats. comicbooks.com