Show ii 1 jJ l VISIT TO MME SPINELLI Copyright 1921 by WHO Th Public irr I Company HAS TEj p PARIS ARIS 00 00 Q 0 4 shay ic 4 d df f j a L 2 L' L Lt t r t a z l lt t M jl ADA IE SPINELLI It SPINELLI-It it is the present mode for lor Paris actresses to be married and to use the married form of address only the older generation of stage favorites like Mademoiselle Cecile Sorel believes in and puts dignity into the spinster title title Madame Madame Spinelli appears to possess the golden lamp of Aladdin and to rub it in many moods and ando to o gratify myriad desires And In addition to the fabled lamp a certain number of indulgent In Indulgent In- In fairies fairies- must have been present at her birth She has infinite charm and good looks no one will deny this if he examines the illustrations she has histrionic talent andIs and andIs Is one of the most popular actresses in Paris she has a house that if it is overcrowded with frith decoration and furniture is rich in splendid examples of the several p periods in decoration and art expression that entertain ber her and she continues to be ambitious in spite of repeated successes successes as an actress Her present desire is to succeed in America Amer Amer- ica nor Ica-nor nor was this statement her pretty way of paying a compliment to me her American American Ameri Amen can guest Something over a year ago Spinelli SpInelli Spinelli Spi SpI- nelli went to New Kew York and played a a. very short sketch for a scarcely longer time I j But she complained of that engagement and ind told me I am soon to go again then I hope New York will notice me a little I would K like to play in French What do you thInk hink P You may play in any language you like f. f f you yon wI will only laugh that inimitable ble laugh that makes your success S at this moment in Paris Paris I assured her And then I discovered ired red ered something rather surprising During our our ur conversation she had been showing me meher meher meher her animals animals it it might be considered a small too zoo zoo that she has on the Avenue Charles Flo- Flo and and we had gone into the garden to Inspect a pair of monkeys I You ro naughty boys she commenced approaching the cage Two gray little gnomes eyed her with pleasure chattered something that was almost intelligible and one of themi them i laughed It was the laugh that surprised tae roc me for It might have been Spinelli in the stage ge laughter that I bad had just mentioned The The resemblance was astonishing i I They are such funny boys she said They amuse me so much that I have them carried from room to room When I am amone alone one I watch them and they tell me their secrete secrets crets lAnd KAnd indeed indeed- they had told her more than on one of value for not only was her stage i laugh gh an adaptation of their shrill chuckle but fiut t some of her stage humor had been derived from this same Bame source I doubt 1 if Spinelli is conscious of this of-this this mimicry except perhaps by byway way ay of being fully conscious of the strange elfin wit of her pair of monkeys and of 11 a great desire to communicate with them but after seeing her and her monkeys act actually Ia ly joking together I cannot doubt their influence upon her stage manner which Is that of a gamin forever fore tp up p to tricks and has nothing to do with the gentle composure of her offstage offstage offstage off off- off off- stage appearance I have bave seen her many times and In va various various various va- va rious places The first time I did not know who she was I thought her the dignified little mother of two or three charming children chil chil- hildren hil- hil dren she sat so prettily and so inconspicuously inconspIcuously inconspicuously quiet in conservative blue serge waiting waiting wait wait- ing to be fitted Even in her theatre dressing room in more bizarre attire and seen immediately after a performance in which she had kept her audience In delighted shrieks of la laughter she was might I say no longer under the In Influence In- In influence fluence of her menagerie for I am not sure that it Is only the monkeys who tell her se se- se crets She was rather noticeably quiet al although although al- al though she seemed not at all fatigued or perhaps I have never happened upon the moment moment moment mo mo- ment when simian pet or or poodle is rampant in her TO BE certain that Spinelli is infinitely varied one has only to remark the changing moods and tenses expressed in her diverse photographs photographs-In In no two of them does she look the same person And apropos of this subject of photographs she became particularly enthusiastic It is In America that the most beautiful photographs photographs photo photo- photographs graphs are made I I 1 shall show you and she told a maid to bring her certain photo- photo graphs The maid returned carrying several v hundred hundred everythIng everything in this nM a r. r excessive measure You see said Spinelli It is from America that I have the best likenesses and by far the most artistic photographs She offered me one as proof and then others May iMay I quote you as preferring our American American Amer Amer- ican photographs to French ones I asked Indeed you may although no doubt Ishall I Ishall Ishall shall make an enemy or two In my own city But it is true that we have no people who know how to pose a camera and print a photograph to compare with your Amed Ameri Ameri- cans 1 examined the first picture It was very much Spinelli but it was Spinelli In a par par- mood the wide skirt decorated with flashes of color corresponding to the blue and gold plumage of the parrot who was it suggests toor too something of h her r interest in decoration for the screen against which she stands is not unlike the decoration in certain certain tain of the he rooms in her Paris house NOT every everyone one could make as liS successful an Interior as Spinelli has been able to do with modern Viennese art upon the walls ails and in certain of the hangings and then place against them Incongruously per per- perfect perfect feet specimens of Imperial Chinese se furniture I But let me commence at the portal the preface preface preface ace of house houM a and d house chronicle chronicle in in other words by the front entrance at 4 Avenue Charles Floquet A huge bronze Buddha that was one of the examples of Chinese antique art at nt the Chicago Worlds World's Fair squats placidly in a adeep adeep adeep deep alcove at nt the right as one ascends the few steps into the salon How he got there what what were the processes of sale and voyage and Paris installation I I know not but he seems quite at home indeed he may feel that f if life outside of China is to be borne with ith fortitude Paris may be his least alien Chinese table-desk table a couch of many colors and twice as many cushions and a wide door flanked by Chinese armchairs opening into an eighteenth century English dining room The English dining room was more of an interloper that than the Chinese furniture orthe or orthe orthe the golden trees loaded with painted fruit that climbed the walls waIls or the rich brocaded and tasseled canopy of the ceiling for things English have small place in Paris and none at all in such a house as this Only the black t taffeta hangings edged with gold fringe at doors and windows saved it from being a room within which Queen Victoria that impeccable impeccable im impeccable im- im ruler with so false a a. taste might lave e a contentedly drunk her evening port As you may gather from this description Madame Spinellis Spinelli's dining room lacks the cachet of her own personality The rest of her house was decorated for her with some idea on the part of the designers as a a. setting setting set set- setting ting for her now gamin now now comedienne self i After we had discussed the virtue of American photography the vagaries of furnishing and said an adieu to the several animals who were not ot following us in our voyage of inspection Spinelli offered me methe methe methe the final pleasure In suggesting that I might like to see her bedroom and cabinet de toi toi- lette Of course I liked Indeed I would have been sorry not to have seen these two most extravagant rooms in a so exotic abode And they were wre a n vision of all that is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gor gor- in color and appointment In any French bedroom the bed is always the featured decoration and Spinellis Spinelli's cham cham- bre-a bre coucher bre-a-coucher coucher proved pro no exception to this habit It Is a variation of f a n throne or rather it Is a very wide low couch framed on three sides with a single step nod the entire structure covered with gold paint and deep colored velvet elvet and heaped with a dozen brilliant cushions cushions cushions-a a modern day day lied lied that must also produce ser serene ne sleeping at night The floor was spread with a purple velvet elvet carpet and the furniture consisting only of a table or two and and a few c chairs airs o FF i L r 1 a h f f t v I 4 hi x t ab t S 1 A W Wd I. I d r rk B R o I I d house of any Frenchwoman of wealth this room in which she bathes and leisurely dresses ses in which she she receives her ber more more morein intimate in in- y friends and often serveS serves a cup of tea is the most important apartment It Itis Itis is here that she is most at home most corn com 1 and and- therefore mo most t expressive ive In J case perhaps it was also the e most exuberant of the many luxurious rooms It was of great I size bize Ize with wide thinly glazed windows and dozens of hidden lights Walls WaIls were of Nile green tiles and the floor of gold mosaic In an alcove into which one onto descended by two steps was a lined gold tub or p pool oJ The chaise chais longue was a great couch the dressing table held every flacon and und jar and bowl brush and implement in gold and crystal which any descendant dant of Eve Eve- would know W how to use And Spinelli standing in this his room smiling and content amid her luxury excusing the slight scent of or steam and arid that filled It by Ing saying sayf sayIng say- say that f she was WaS just dressed Is isso so so handsome handsome hand hand- nd some to look f at at- and S so smooth of skIn and ind nd round slenderness i of f body that she appears to to need nee 1 none of f these aids to the the look of j Innocence She She that pointed to a c cage g in Patterned iro iron stood in a corner It is for my monkeys mon inon- keys ys she explained d. d When I am alone I 1 have them brought in to entertain meI me met me I am never tired of f watching th them m. m Get I them Suzanne she directed a maid And the t-ne two little tittle gray grail monkeys the first really i handsome and well-bred well ones that I have 1 ever seen Men were brought in chattering laughIng laugh- laugh ing laughing Ing laughing as Spinelli laughs T The e cat got down from my arms and walked haughtily out of the room the poodle sat down with witha with a discouraged sigh and the par keet 1 pea red i They are arc all aU jealous of my little boys boys Spinelli explained indicating the tte monkey monkeys and nd calling to to them in itt rapid French to j i lie ibe be good boys It is a pity you have no picture of yourself your your- self seif taken with them I sted sugg suggested still thinking of the tho dozens of photographs s she e r f had Ild laid about for me to choose from and wondering ting how I might decide which were tie Hie most expressive of s so o varied a person person- slits all ty Only an 10 American photographer could I 4 1 r 4 if 0 1 One of Mme Spinellis Spinelli's a own favorites in her lar large ge collection of oC photographs She is shown he here herein e d din in a mood the wide skirt decorated with flashes of color corresponding to the blue and a t l sti 12 rc gold plumage of her pet parrot which strolls nonchalantly about the salon as she is interviewed viewed Si 1 il Ir 1 By Rv Kate t iP Buss Buss Rii cR ar J x r 7 It x r. r wk A i V 0 e n i q br 0 a e 2 t l y r 7 ii ti f i f r K Y M y r s r rt i d' d 1 t 7 I IS S I t j is i tk 5 8 1 1 l f jE f C ri 1 I j S S dk r r 9 V. V 1 1 i si Spinelli changes her characterization with her photographer pho pho- 4 and her frock Here she is purely a beautiful beautiful beau beau- M woman not too impersonal to possess charm harm x but a little too posed to be perfectly Spinelli 3 nonchalantly strolling about the salon as is we talked talkea He lie had upon his head a comb of feathers repeating color as Spinelli had re repeated repeated repeated re- re It Upon her own head in the photograph photograph photograph photo photo- graph in question Even the eye of the actress was elongated and the arms fol folded ed wide about the skirt as parrot wings fold feather to feather against the reiterated l splendor of tint that completed both bird and woman The photographer had caught Spinelli arrested l a mood perpetuated It And as we laid the photograph aside the walked over and Inspected it ft H I was the most intensely expressive specimen of his race and yet the gentlest bird that I have ever met in close contact and I could write several thousand words about his beauty But after all if you wish to talk about the birds and the beasts that inhabit the forests of Africa and South America you should have only book limits and the de descriptive descriptive descriptive de- de power of a Conrad Conra or a Hudson Therefore and with perhaps an apology needed we return to Madame Spinelli and her alluring vl At this moment a ablack ablack ablack black Persian cat at entered and uld leaped on her knees knees t en Spinelli gently scolded but the serene puss settled into a n nap with no apparent concern as to where or how he ho slept He Jle was a sleek an animal round and firm and well cared for And Ana It remains for Spinelli to change her characterization with her photographer and her frock In the second picture she was purely a beautiful woman not too impersonal impersonal impersonal imper imper- to possess charm but a It little too posed to be perfectly Spinelli The photograph that I found most satisfactory shows her with one of her dogs She is in street costume and is smiling as she does docs in talking with her friends be they hey bird or beast or merely man It tells its own story of her winsome personality of her gayety her youth youth and Oil milieu Paris milieu Paris where the Louvre houses soman so man many of his bis kind an and the Museum not too far away lies has more than one splendid splendid splendid did to orient the atmosphere Beyond the Buddha one walks Into the en entrance entrance entrance en- en trance salon upon gold mosaic flooring and just at first rather avoids a great oblong pool in which in-which which lilies float life lite lazy lotus and fantail antall goldfish trail trall their wealth Once beyond the pool and passed the great Chinese screen that backs it to hide a second second sec see ond and salon wide doors open out into a hedged garden At At one side are a Chinese altar showing lights through its closed grill I and standing nearly to the balcony that marks a second story of the house a closed door covered with Velvet and a modern French grand piano In black wood Opposite in this bizarre but rather splendid salon are a mas- mas o f f 1 I r One of her most satisfactory portraits shows her with i on one of her dogs S She e is in street costume and is smiling as she does in talking with her friends be they bird or 10 t beast or man It tells its own story of a winsome perN personality per per- N 1 so gayety and youth and suggests something of f. f t her interests in decoration so strikingly presented In the rooms of her Paris Pari house t I iwas was Chinese in the lacquer that has lies the blood of centuries in its finish h. h The The bed faced a wide door that opened into the sed garden and had at its foot and against the door opening as frame two columns of |