THE PRINCE OF WALES AND OTHER FAMOUS AMERICANS

                  [Illustration: The Prince of Wales]

            THE PRINCE OF WALES AND OTHER FAMOUS AMERICANS


       BY MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS WITH A PREFACE BY CARL VAN VECHTEN


                NEW YORK · ALFRED · A · KNOPF · MCMXXV

     COPYRIGHT, 1925, BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. SET UP AND PRINTED BY THE
     VAIL-BALLOU PRESS, INC., BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK PLATES ENGRAVED BY
     THE ÆTNA PHOTO-ENGRAVING COMPANY, NEW YORK PAPER MANUFACTURED BY
     THE TICONDEROGA PULP AND PAPER CO., TICONDEROGA, NEW YORK, AND
     FURNISHED BY W. F. ETHERINGTON & CO., NEW YORK BOUND BY H. WOLFF
     ESTATE, NEW YORK.

             MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA




PREFACE


ON September 12, 1923--as this was the birthday of both Alfred Knopf and
Henry Mencken, I readily recall the date--my friend Sherrill Schell
hailed me on the telephone to request me to examine some drawings by a
Mexican boy who had recently arrived in New York. "He has nothing to
show editors but caricatures of Mexicans, unknown here. If you like his
designs, I thought perhaps you might introduce him to some New York
subjects." Now any person in public life is the object of at least one
such appeal every week of his career, and it is usually a waste of time
to listen to it. Usually, as a matter of fact, one does not listen. In
this instance, however, whether by chance, or whether because Sherrill
Schell 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!

                                                       CARL VAN VECHTEN

New York.
March 17,1925.




CONTENTS


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


FLORENCE MILLS [Illustration]

OTTO H. KAHN [Illustration]

WILLA CATHER [Illustration]

JACK DEMPSEY [Illustration]

CHARLIE CHAPLIN [Illustration]

CALVIN COOLIDGE [Illustration]

H. L. MENCKEN [Illustration]

GEORGE JEAN NATHAN [Illustration]

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER [Illustration]

ANN PENNINGTON [Illustration]

AL SMITH [Illustration]

JASCHA HEIFETZ [Illustration]

MARY PICKFORD [Illustration]

THEODORE DREISER [Illustration]

HAROLD LLOYD [Illustration]

ALFRED STIEGLITZ [Illustration]

ED WYNN [Illustration]

GEORGE GERSHWIN [Illustration]

GEORGE HORACE LORIMER [Illustration]

RUDOLPH VALENTINO [Illustration]

LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI [Illustration]

BABE RUTH [Illustration]

CARL VAN VECHTEN [Illustration]

EDDIE CANTOR [Illustration]

ALEXANDER WOOLLCOTT [Illustration]

MRS. FISKE [Illustration]

JOSEPH HERGESHEIMER [Illustration]

LILLIAN GISH [Illustration]

FRITZ KREISLER [Illustration]

PAUL WHITEMAN [Illustration]

EUGENE O'NEILL [Illustration]

FANNIE BRICE [Illustration]

FRANK CROWNINSHIELD [Illustration]

FRED STONE [Illustration]

HEYWOOD BROUN [Illustration]

LENORE ULRIC [Illustration]

FRED AND ADELE ASTAIRE [Illustration]

FRANKLIN P. ADAMS [Illustration]

LEE SIMONSON [Illustration]

JOHN BARRYMORE [Illustration]

HELEN WESTLEY [Illustration]

WILL ROGERS [Illustration]

ROBERT EDMOND JONES [Illustration]

GLORIA SWANSON [Illustration]

RALPH BARTON [Illustration]

MORRIS GEST [Illustration]

IVY MADDISON [Illustration]

AVERY HOPWOOD [Illustration]

WILLIAM S. HART [Illustration]

CARLOTTA MONTEREY [Illustration]

IRVING BERLIN [Illustration]

EVA LE GALLIENNE [Illustration]

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS [Illustration]

ROSE ROLANDO [Illustration]

PAULINE LORD [Illustration]

PICASSO [Illustration]

W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM [Illustration]

XAVIER ALGARA [Illustration]

PLUTARCO ELIAS CALLES [Illustration]

ERNEST NEWMAN [Illustration]

JOSE JUAN TABLADA [Illustration]

IGOR STRAVINSKY [Illustration]

RAMON DEL VALLE INCLAN [Illustration]

SERGE KOUSSEVITSKY [Illustration]


HE MURDERER

MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS [Illustration]