Life, 1911-04-06 · page 46 of 76
Life — April 6, 1911 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous profile piece on artist A. D. Blashfield, presented as a whimsical interview. The satire centers on Blashfield's prolific output of cupid illustrations for *Life* magazine—so many that the piece jokes he's literally bred them like a livestock farmer, keeping separate varieties for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. The two cartoon panels below show cupids being offered chewing gum and politely refusing, likely satirizing contemporary advertising and consumer culture. The piece affectionately mocks Blashfield's prolific but modest artistic career, his minimal formal training (studied only at the Art Students' League), and his dedication to decorative commercial illustration rather than "serious" fine art. Even a cupid character must remind the interviewer that Blashfield does other work besides creating these charming decorative figures—suggesting his talents were underappreciated or underemployed in wider artistic circles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A. D. Blashfeld ROOKLYN lay glimmering in the dawn of a beautiful day (we refuse “to. give away the month), as a weary traveler (ourself) might have been seen alighting from the Brooklyn Bridge and, ignoring the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Public-Be-Daruned System, rapidly mak- -ing his’ way toward the Mecca of all “Cupids—to wit, namely, the home of Mr. A. D. Blashfeld. + Agswe approached this happy domicil« we Sypre amazed—in spite of all warn- ings—at the number and extent of the, cupids that we saw. Mr. Blashfield has “erected a delightful little cupid house in the branches of one of the live-oak trees in his backyard, and here, on every day of the year, cupids can be seen con- zy 8régating. , They are quite tame, “T have trained them to do about as I ask them,” explained Mr, Blashfeld, holding a couple of them in his hand. “You sec,” and he smiled benignly, “only a small part of my collection ever make their appearance in Ltr “These are specially trained for this rarticular field, we presume?” we asked. “Ina way, yes. I keep all my Valen- tine Cupids in a separate place. My St 's Day Cupids are also segre- gated.” “TT suppose you are constantly raising new varieties?” “Dear me, yes. It is one of the most amusing occupations in the world.” No one has ever succeeded in drawing Sl balla) Es ha Life’s Family Album so many wonderful cupids unto himself as Mr. Blashfield. I asked him the sceret of it, but he was too modest to divulge it. Perhaps, like most great men, he was unable to define the secret of his gifts. When we pressed him for “PEPSIN CHEWING GUM, MISTER?” he was brief and unsatisfactory. You were born?” “On the northwest corner of Lexing- ton Avenue and Thirty-sixth Street, New York. At an early age I began to draw— on a milk bottle.” And then?” “My life was a blank until I began drawing for Lire.” “But you must have had some prepa- ration?” “ Dear me, yes. Students’ League.” And that was all. Not another word would he say about himself. We were about to give up in despair, and indeed were leaving (it was then nearly noon, and we had only about six hours befo dark in which to escape in safety to New York), when, on the way out, a particu- larly nice cupid took us aside. “T understand that you are writing up Mr. Blashfield for Lire?” he said. “Yes. Our reade “Precisely. Well, then, just say that we are not the only things that he does. It would scarcely be fair to pin him down to us.” “To be sure.” “For years, you know, he has been embellishing the only humorous paper in the world (ahem!) with a series of deli- cate fancies which for refinement and humor and decorative distinction have no equal in the wide world. Just say that from me, will you?” We promised we would, and we have gladly kept our word. I studied at the Art "NO, THANK you.” comicbooks.com