The Prince of Wales and other famous Americans — Context and Discussion

ll had never before asked me to do anything for himself or anybody else, I bade him bring the young man to my apartment that afternoon at five.

Schell arrived at the appointed hour, accompanied by what appeared to be a youth just out of the adolescent stage, so shy, indeed, that he immediately began to bombard me with a volley of quite unrecognizable English. Nevertheless, I was able to pick out a few words, enough to gather that he had recently been stopping somewhere in Mexico with Witter Bynner and D. H. Lawrence. "Why," I demanded, "didn't you draw them?" His abashment was complete: he confessed that he was unaware that these fellows were celebrated!

I gently tugged at the portfolio that Miguel Covarrubias hugged under his arm, which, in his modesty, he had not voluntarily relinquished, and proceeded to scan the contents. Although I found myself ignorant of the very names of the subjects, with the single exception of Ramon del Valle-Inclan (and I had no idea what he looked like), I was immediately convinced that I stood in the presence of an amazing talent, if not, indeed, genius. That afternoon he made the sketches for his caricature of me, delivered two days later, the first, I think, of this New York series. That afternoon, too, I began to use the telephone in his behalf, and for the next few days I made appointments for him to meet H. L. Mencken, Waldo Frank, Avery Hopwood, Eva Le Gallienne, and a great many others. I also introduced him to Ralph Barton who, with unselfish admiration for the rare gifts of this rival caricaturist, rendered him invaluable aid and encouragement. As soon as Covarrubias had drawn a few local faces I invited him to join me one day for lunch at the Algonquin where he was acclaimed at once, held, indeed, almost a reception. From that moment he was launched--as I knew he would be: one glance at his drawings sufficed to exhibit indelible proof of his prowess.

From the beginning I was amazed at his ability to size up a person on a blank sheet of paper at once: there was a certain clairvoyance in this. I had believed, hitherto, that it was necessary for a caricaturist to study his subject for some time before he touched pen to paper. Covarrubias, at least so far as his own work was concerned, effectively demolished this belief. Speaking English imperfectly, a newcomer to this country, frequently he was actually ignorant as to whether his model was actor, painter, or author. In spite of this handicap, or because of it, his caricatures almost invariably go deeply behind the mere sculptural formation of the face. They are often a complete criticism of a personality. Moreover, the artist does not depend on ridiculous collocations of figures or witty captions, in the manner of Max Beerbohm, for his effects. His arrangement of the lines of the face alone tells the story, occasionally, it must be admitted, a cruel story. There is, of course, a sequel to this history of our first encounter a little more than a year ago. At the present moment, Miguel Covarrubias is about as well known in New York as it would be possible for any one to be. In fact, when I desire to meet any celebrated person nowadays, my instinct suggests at once that Covarrubias is the man who can most easily manage the introduction. On the whole, therefore, I fancy it would be more appropriate for him to draw a frontispiece for a book of mine than for me to furnish this poor preface for this brilliant book of his. I think, in compensation, I'll ask him to do it!

New York. March 17,1925.

PREFACE by Carl Van Vechten

THE PRINCE OF WALES FLORENCE MILLS OTTO H. KAHN WILLA CATHER JACK DEMPSEY CHARLIE CHAPLIN CALVIN COOLIDGE H. L. MENCKEN GEORGE JEAN NATHAN JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER ANN PENNINGTON AL SMITH JASCHA HEIFETZ MARY PICKFORD THEODORE DREISER HAROLD LLOYD ALFRED STIEGLITZ ED WYNN GEORGE GERSHWIN GEORGE HORACE LORIMER RUDOLPH VALENTINO LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI BABE RUTH CARL VAN VECHTEN EDDIE CANTOR ALEXANDER WOOLLCOTT MRS. FISKE JOSEPH HERGESHEIMER LILLIAN GISH FRITZ KREISLER PAUL WHITEMAN EUGENE O'NEILL FANNIE BRICE FRANK CROWNINSHIELD FRED STONE HEYWOOD BROUN LENORE ULRIC FRED AND ADELE ASTAIRE FRANKLIN P. ADAMS LEE SIMONSON JOHN BARRYMORE HELEN WESTLEY WILL ROGERS ROBERT EDMOND JONES GLORIA SWANSON RALPH BARTON MORRIS GEST IVY MADDISON AVERY HOPWOOD WILLIAM S. HART CARLOTTA MONTEREY IRVING BERLIN EVA LE GALLIENNE DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS ROSE ROLANDO PAULINE LORD PICASSO W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM XAVIER ALGARA PLUTARCO ELIAS CALLES ERNEST NEWMAN JOSE JUAN TABLADA IGOR STRAVINSKY RAMON DEL VALLE INCLAN SERGE KOUSSEVITSKY MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS

THE PRINCE OF WALES AND OTHER FAMOUS AMERICANS

GEORGE HORACE LORIMER

FRED AND ADELE ASTAIRE

PLUTARCO ELIAS CALLES