Painting Wild Animals' Eyes 



It is the natural expression, not the hypnotic stare that is sought 



]iy A. II. Ewing 



The process of painting from life the eyes of the animals involves many liours of patient waiting 

 in the effort to catch and hold the gaze of the restless, indifferent or resentful imprisoned beasts 



N(J\V that taxidermy has become an 

 elaborate art, the sportsman and the 

 museums alike demand an absolutely 

 lilV-likc aspcrt in a "mounted" specimen. 

 Mr. Wilson Potter of I'liiladelphia, hunter 

 of big game and taxidermist, has an entire 

 buildiny; in the city fitted up with every 

 appliance for perfecting the art of modelling 

 and mounting his trophies of the hunt. An 

 expert sculptor and an equally expert 

 taxidermist are at work in the shops, and 

 the truly inar\elous result of their work is 

 shown in the museum, at the inroad Street 

 front of the imilding. l)es])ite the high 

 grade of the work, however, Mr. I'otti-r 

 decided, a few seasons ago, that e\en the 

 best workmanship left nuich to be desired in 

 the finished effect, so long as the eyes sup- 

 plied by manufacturers were use<l. The 

 c.imera did not aid him, and so Mr. Potter 

 looked about for an artist who could repro- 

 duce the \a>t dilTerences in the eyes ol the 

 various spi'cies of animals, and the .sli.ipc, 

 color, si/e and expression of each, .is well 

 as catch an expression to suit any poM- 

 which niiglil be tlioscu for a "mounting." 



David Finkelgreen, a Phihulelphia artist, 

 undertook to give Mr. Potter exactly what 

 he wanted. When not engaged in his 

 winter presidency and directorshij) of the 

 (".raiihic .\rl tlub, Mr. I'inkelgreen went 

 far to make a careful stud\- of wild animals' 

 eyes, often uiuler dit'ticult and dangerous 

 circumstances; he also dissected eyes of 

 animals which had been shot in the chase. 

 His work in the Zoological (Jardens, paint- 

 ing eyes of the animals in cages, aided him 

 much in perfecting the art of reproducing 

 the i>e w ilh his bru>h. The process called 

 for m,in\- hours of p.itient w.iiting and eflort 

 to c.itcli ami hold the g.»/e of a restless, 

 inditferent, or resentful lie.ist long enough 

 to bring it to the h\|motic stage wiien the 

 jiainting could be done. Holding a box of 

 paints in his left hand, the artist paints in 

 the cup-like inside of a crystal mold, always 

 allowing for the dilTerence in elTect made 

 liter b\- the ujiper co\fring of crystal when 

 the eye reaches comi>letion. 



The artist contimud his elTorts until he 

 became the foremost p.iinter of animals* 

 eyes in the w>>rltl. It is easy to realize this 



mi 



