RETURN TO THE SUMMER PALACE
Sending off the picture to St. Louis did not sever my connection with
the Palace, for I had still other work to finish! At the end of April,
a month later than usual, the Court moved out to the Summer Palace for
the rest of the year. The country was beautiful, the trees were almost
in full leaf, and lilacs, blue and white, bloomed everywhere. My garden
in the Park of the Palace of the Emperor’s Father was full of them,
and over my entrance gate clambered a beautiful yellow rose-bush laden
with masses of blooms. Wild flowers were springing up at every turn,
and my dog “Me-lah” in his wild races through the park, when we were out
for our walks, would often start up coveys of birds; or rabbits would
scurry away at his approach. I went back to my favorite haunts in the
park, to the summer-house, where upon the threshold, cut in stone, lay
the plaint of the Seventh Prince! It was a delightful change to be in
this beautiful spot after the four months in Peking, and to see Nature
everywhere budding into perfection. The grounds of the Summer Palace
were one maze of delight. The peonies in all their royal splendor, the
fragrant lilac, the stately magnolia, and the budding elms, each added
their charm to this beautiful spot, where everything was lovely. I
could not wonder at the Empress Dowager’s desire to come back again to
all this beauty.
A charming studio was fitted up for me at the Summer Palace on our
return. Her Majesty saw how much more satisfactory it was for me to
have a proper place to work in, where I would be undisturbed, and
even had she not seen the utility of a studio, I think she would have
granted my request for one, for she was always kind and considerate.
Upper windows of plate-glass were put into the north side of one of
His Majesty’s Throne-rooms, behind the Imperial loge. It looked over
a charming terrace of the garden. The days were long, and it was a
delight to live and breathe, and the quiet of the studio, where I could
work at leisure, made me resume my work with renewed vigor.
I began at once to finish up the small sketch of the St. Louis
portrait, which Her Majesty wished to keep, and then to put the
final touches on the two portraits begun at the Summer Palace. The
Throne-room that was now my studio had only one disadvantage. It was so
near the Theater that on theater days I could hear the music and the
voices of the actors. And on those days, the court outside my windows
was filled all day with eunuchs and Their Majesties’ attendants, moving
to and fro. I decided if it was necessary for me to go into Peking at
any time, to take a “Theater day” to do so.
One Theater day I did go into Peking, and on my return to the Summer
Palace the next day I found that His Majesty the Emperor had taken
advantage of my absence to occupy his Throne-room the day before, for I
found his Theater program, distinguishable by being written on Imperial
yellow paper, and he had also left a few papers scattered around with
characters and phrases written with the “Vermilion Pencil,” which may
only be used by His Majesty. On one paper he had evidently been trying
to draw a plan of the part of Manchuria where the war operations were
then being carried on. He had also drawn a part of the Great Wall of
China, and the dividing line between China and Manchuria.
So the Emperor, notwithstanding his stoical smile, his apparent
unconcern, was not indifferent to affairs in Manchuria. He was watching
the course of events there, and he probably worried and grieved as much
as even the Empress Dowager, about what might be the result for China.
He had probably schooled himself to appear indifferent. The ceremonies
and festivals at the Palace had been going on as usual, but the two
central figures of all these functions had their own secret anxieties
and cares. The Emperor was following the campaign in Manchuria, and the
Empress Dowager was probably planning and thinking of the best course
for China to follow.
In May, the Empress Dowager had another Garden Party for the ladies of
the Legation, at which she, as usual, asked me to assist. When I went
into the Audience Hall for this reception, a few moments before the
ladies were to arrive, Her Majesty, after greeting me and scanning my
toilet, which was all in gray without any color, took a pink peony from
a vase at hand, and pinned it on my dress, saying I needed a little
color. I had just finished the largest of the other three portraits I
had painted at the Summer Palace, and Her Majesty told me she liked it
so much that she had decided to show it to the foreign ladies at this
Garden Party. As I had heard nothing of this plan before leaving my
studio that morning, I had made no preparations for it. The picture was
on my easel, unframed, and I told her I would prefer it to be placed
in its frame, before it was shown. This frame, designed also by the
Empress Dowager, and made by the Palace workmen, was a magnificent
piece of work, elaborately carved and beautiful in form. It was in the
natural color of teakwood, and this quiet tone admirably set off the
vivid color of the gown and accessories, and was a great improvement
to the picture. When she heard what were my wishes on the subject, Her
Majesty said she would see that the picture was placed in the frame,
and it was arranged that as soon as I had finished my luncheon, I
would return to the studio and overlook things myself, and arrange the
portrait as I wished.
The Audience passed off as usual. Immediately after luncheon the ladies
were invited to go to the studio to see the portrait. The Empress
Dowager had evidently forgotten about my wish to go there first, and as
she herself, contrary to all precedent, led the way, followed by the
ladies, I could not, of course, precede her. I had not thought that
she would make such an innovation as to, herself, accompany the ladies
to the studio. I felt greatly honored, but I feared the eunuchs had
not arranged things as they should be, and knew I could do nothing
with Her Majesty present, and what was my chagrin on reaching the
hall in the wake of the Empress Dowager and the ladies, to find that
the portrait, though placed in the frame as I had desired, was in the
center of the narrow hall, and every window on both sides had been
opened to its widest extent, and the light came in from all sides! I
had shut off all the lights of this hall, except the double windows to
the north, where I had the upper glasses put in, and this is where the
picture should have been placed, but as Her Majesty’s Throne always
occupies the center of the Throne-rooms, the eunuchs evidently thought
that was the proper place for her portrait when on exhibition. As
the halls are narrow in proportion to their length, no one could get
further off than four feet from this life-size portrait. This, added
to the cross-lights, was heartrending. I was in despair. Her Majesty’s
presence prevented my ordering the eunuchs to change the position
of the portrait, and, besides, every one had already seen it! The
ladies, who could not do otherwise than express their admiration in the
presence of both the August Subject and the artist, duly praised the
portrait. Her Majesty, who knew how it looked in its proper light, and
who only glanced at it here, did not realize at what a disadvantage it
appeared, and was perfectly satisfied with the effect.
[Illustration: THE PORTRAIT OF THE EMPRESS DOWAGER IN ITS FRAME
This Frame is Made of Camphor-wood Carved in the Palace after the
Empress’s own Designs and under Her Direction]
An amusing little incident took place while the ladies were looking
at it. The Empress Dowager, in her cursory examination in this light,
noticed a part of the trimming of the gown where the design was not
well worked out. She came up to me, as I stood in a group of ladies,
and pointed out the defect. She took my hand in hers, and said in an
almost pleading way, “There is a bit of trimming that is not well
finished. You will arrange it for me, will you not, Ker-Gunia?” She did
not believe in leaving anything to the imagination, and wished every
detail fully worked out!
This portrait was very successfully photographed, and Her Majesty
concluded she liked it much better than the one which had been sent
to St. Louis. She said it would make me “famous.” But when I thought
of how I might have painted this wonderfully interesting woman in the
unique setting in which she was placed, I realized that “it might have
been” are really the “saddest words of tongue or pen.”
The precedent having been established, the idea of a representation of
the Sacred Person of a Chinese Majesty being seen by the world having
been accepted, the painting of Her Majesty’s first portrait not having
been followed by the dire results that the Chinese had prophesied, the
traditional prejudice was overcome, and when she saw how quickly the
photograph was made of the portrait, and how satisfactory it was, she
decided she would have the photographer try one of herself, and she was
not one to stop at a single trial. After waiting sixty-eight years to
see a counterfeit presentment of herself, I know she will now indulge
this new fantasy of hers to its fullest extent, and perhaps some other
artist may at some time paint her according to western ideas, and
represent her attractive personality in its best setting. But there
must always be a pioneer, and he it is who suffers the hardships and
makes the way clear for others, which must be my solace and consolation
for not being able to paint her as I should have liked. The Empress
Dowager “consented” to have a portrait of herself painted. Before I
finished the first one she told me she wanted “many,” and suggested my
passing the rest of my life out in Peking. I painted four. Who will do
the others?
I felt I could not go on forever painting portraits, according to
Chinese traditions, of the Empress Dowager. I could not spend my life
in this dalliance with Oriental splendor. The world beyond the Palace
gates called me. I hurried to finish my task. The last portrait was
nearing completion. My sojourn at the Palace was drawing to a close.
Though I longed to be where I might paint in a freer way, I looked
forward with real regret to leaving the Palace, and especially to
leaving the Empress Dowager and the young Empress, for I had come to
really love them. I found Her Majesty by far the most fascinating
personality it had ever been my good fortune to study at such close
range. The young Empress was a sweet, kind nature, full of dignity
and pathos, for whom I prayed there might be greater happiness in
store than had yet fallen to her lot. My sojourn at the Palaces of Her
Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager of China, my association with
herself and the Ladies of her Court, I shall always remember as one of
the most charming experiences of my life.
TRANSCRIBERS’ NOTES
The following changes have been applied to the text:
Page 30: “transcience” changed to “transience”: _It was a plaint on
the transience of worldly glory_
Page 94: a period was added to the end of: _reaches a high state of
cultivation with them._
Page 95: “pendative” changed to “pendentive”: _The carved wood ceilings
were in pendentive designs_
Page 125: “Macchiavellian” changed to “Machiavellian”: _no Machiavellian
schemes would be forwarded_
Page 204: “pendatives” changed to “pendentives”: _dome, with elaborately
carved pendentives, was painted in_
Page 238: “ge” changed to “get”: _it was impossible to get any
atmosphere in the background_
Page 247: “Hierachy” changed to “Hierarchy”: _the Priestly Hierarchy of
the whole_
The following markings were added to the plain text to indicate the
original text styles: “=” for bold and “_” for italics. In addition,
all small-caps have been replaced with capital letters.
All inconsistencies in the hyphenation of words and the spelling of
names have been standardized.