Josephine Hull

New Ipswich Historical Society

Happy New Year

Josephine Hull (left) performing in an Idler Play at Radcliffe, circa 1898. I assume she was a resident of New Ipswich since we have this photo in the collection.

On this day - January 1, 1898

William Jurian Kaula diary - Is someone in love?

This winter has been passing along very quietly for me, and there has been much less going on among the boys, or, at least, I have not been with them on their various expeditions like last winter.  I have been hard at work on two portraits which are slowly getting underway.  I am posing for Miss Lufkin who has started a half-length portrait of me.  She can paint a better portrait than any of the fellow that I know in Paris.  Most of the men turn up their noses and sneer whenever the conversation turns on the woman artists but there are a few in Paris who do work far above the average man - and Miss Lufkin is one of them.

A few of us went and called on Monsieur Collin in the morning to leave our New Year's greetings as it is customary for students to pay their respects to their professors on this day.  He was not in - Amsden has a studio on the same Impasse Rosin and we dropped in to see him.  He has been working repainting most of his studies of landscapes made in Crécy and has produced some better canvases.  He was full of explanations and new schemes of technique by which marvelous effects of atmosphere could be obtained.  Amsden talks like a boy who has just taken up art and who thinks that when he has learned a lot of the tricks he will then master the art.  We also visited a Mr. Proctor who has a studio opposite.  Mr. Proctor is a sculptor - particularly of animals.  His small works had much merit but the larger things were painfully out of proportion.  If a sculptor cannot master construction there is little hope for his productions - no matter how original they may be, the faults are apparent to anyone.  With painting - especially the modern impressionists, the general public cannot comprehend and criticise [sic] knowingly because the execution is something too far beyond ordinary comprehension.  How many people who are not artists can go into the Impressionists room, that Chamber of Horrors, in the Luxumburg Galleries and understand where the beauty and art exists in those works?  There was a very strong agitation and movement to have these works removed.  Gerome was one of the foremost leaders against the Government acquiring this rot but it has been decided that the works will remain.  Perhaps the Government is cautious, after making so many mistakes in the past  where they have failed to recognize and encourage art that was being condemned by the masses which was finally recognized - afraid now that there may be a mistake and it is perhaps a wise course to allow time to prove the merit of such men as Renoir, Sisley, Monet, and Pizzaro.  When years have elapsed and paint becomes dull what qualities will most of these works posess{sic]?  If this collection only represented the best works of these men it would be a better test rather than the experiments which were produced at the beginning of the new movement and date back ten and even twenty years ago.

I went to the Café Rouge during the evening with Miss Lufkin.

On this day - January 1, 1909

James Roger diary entry

1st (Friday)

Frost fine day cool west wind.  David packing ice at Wilbur’s and Joe’s  I went to Greenville and met Hamish.  Got letter from Sandy today.  H & I put in the settees in afternoon.  Mrs. Spofford went away today.