American Portrait Artists

In 1948, Janice found an agent to supply her with paying portrait jobs. His name was John E. Zeltzer. I remember him as a courtly man with a neat grey mustache, and heavy black rimmed glasses. His company was American Portrait Artists. "A Co-operative Assocation of Over 100 Outstanding American Portrait Artists" was stated proudly on the letterhead. I suspect that number may have been somewhat of an overstatement, due to the variety of names my mother was asked to sign to her work!

The above ad ran in the Sunday New York Times Magazine Section. Apparently BYP (Brilliant Younger Painters) was an offshoot of American portrait Artists. This oil painting of me was done around 1959.


Mr. Zeltzer would send a note like the one above to Janice for each job. It would indicate the specifics, and include photographs and sometimes swatches to assist her. Most of the clients wanted near photographic reality in their portraits, and to this end, she would have photostatic blow ups of the photos made. After we moved to Dobbs Ferry, this often requierd a special trip into the city to pick up the "stat". Note the signature sample for her to sign to her work.



Occasionally, especially in the case of female clients, she was asked to "prettify" them. See below, the request for "glamour planes", whatever they were. She once did a portrait of the King of the Mardi Gras in full costume, and another one of an adult woman sitting on Santa's lap. Another female client requested that her neckline be lowered to just show one nipple peeking from her decollatage!

Notice the lead time on this one...only eleven days. It must have been wanted in time for Christmas.

Even though Janice was glad to have the work, the process was often a frustrating one. When she delivered the finshed painting to Mr. Zeltzer's apartment, she would bring her paints and brushes and, if he deemed it necessary, she would make adjustments on the spot under his watchful eye. If a client was not happy with the finished work, the typical complaint was that there was something about the mouth that was not right. The letter below must have been written about one of these particularly difficult customers. Apparently John Singer Sargent dealt with the same issues.

"Have a nice life!" ........click on letter above to enalrge

"Hair like French frosting"?!

"I know you will do something real nice".... Comments like that galled my mother no end. She always tried to "do something nice".

Another job. She got to sign her own name to this one.

Merry Christmas! Another infuriating note from Mr. Z. He did send us a box of Florida Grapefruit every year, and occsionally took us all out to dinner. In particular, a dinner at La Fonda del Sol in the mid 1960's, stands out as and exciting highlight. Dining out at a restaurant was not in the family budget as a rule.

Janice woked for Mr. Zeltzer until 1977. These jobs doubtless helped her through the difficult time making ends meet after my father died in 1968.