The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, January 1904, No. 157Various
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, January 1904, No. 157
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
Indeed, we shall not be at a loss if we seek for examples of the trouser
which is manufactured exclusively in the studio of the sculptor. Mr.
Brock is certainly a great sinner in this regard (we have only to turn
to his statues of the late Mr. Cookson and Collin Campbell), and Mr.
Adams-Acton has shown in his statue of the late Professor Powell that
he, too, does not always follow the fashion of the street. We think we
can safely lay down the proposition once for all that no trousers can
possess simultaneously both properties--length and bagginess. We have
every confidence in the tailor as well as the greatest admiration for
his art, and we do not wish to be considered as speaking lightly or at
random when we say that long deliberation and consultation with the
highest authorities have shown us that these two qualities are
irreconcilable. We must, therefore, in all fairness condemn several
pairs of chiselled trousers which seem to us to violate this law, as
even the elegant continuations with which, thanks to Mr. Simonds, the
late Hon. F. Tollemache stands for ever endowed, the inexpressibles of
the late Mr. Palmer, and even Mr. Pinker's genteel specimens upon the
legs of the late Professor Fawcett.
[Illustration: THE HON. FREDERICK TOLLEMACHE, BY GEORGE SIMONDS.
_From a_]
[_Photo._
]
[Illustration: JOHN POWELL, BY J. ADAMS-ACTON.
_From a Photo._]
After all we have said, it is to Nottingham that we must attribute the
unique distinction of possessing the worst pair of sculptured trousers
in the kingdom. They adorn the legs of the late local worthy, Sir Robert
Juckes-Clifton; and, as the reader will see from the accompanying
photograph, embody not inadequately the talented sculptor's dream. That
they embody anything but a dream it is out of our power to believe, as
we are reliably informed that it is not in the nature of our most
flexible English tweeds to assume such grotesque folds, unless there are
goods in the Midlands, for which the lamented Sir Robert Juckes-Clifton
expressed a weakness, which surpass ordinary material in this respect.
After all, they are not so bad as Gambetta's trousers in the statue
opposite the Louvre in Paris, already alluded to and reproduced on page
76. The sculptor's aim was apparently to breech his subject
æsthetically, and he has spared no pains to bring about this result. As
a matter of truth, M. Alphonse Daudet has borne printed witness to the
fact that Gambetta's trousers were invariably too short--not too
long--and revealed some inches of white sock. But could a sculptor be
expected to take cognizance of this?
[Illustration: SIR ROBERT JUCKES-CLIFTON--"THE WORST PAIR OF SCULPTURED
TROUSERS IN THE KINGDOM."
_From a_]
[_Photo._
]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account