THE PRINCE OF WALES
AND OTHER FAMOUS AMERICANS
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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 THEVAIL-BALLOU PRESS, INC., BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK PLATES ENGRAVED BYTHE ÆTNA PHOTO-ENGRAVING COMPANY, NEW YORK PAPER MANUFACTURED BYTHE TICONDEROGA PULP AND PAPER CO., TICONDEROGA, NEW YORK, ANDFURNISHED BY W. F. ETHERINGTON & CO., NEW YORK BOUND BY H. WOLFFESTATE, NEW YORK.
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
PREFACE
On September 12, 1923—as this was the birthday of both Alfred Knopf andHenry Mencken, I readily recall the date—my friend Sherrill Schellhailed me on the telephone to request me to examine some drawings by aMexican boy who had recently arrived in New York. "He has nothing toshow editors but caricatures of Mexicans, unknown here. If you like hisdesigns, I thought perhaps you might introduce him to some New Yorksubjects." Now any person in public life is the object of at least onesuch appeal every week of his career, and it is usually a waste of timeto listen to it. Usually, as a matter of fact, one does not listen. Inthis instance, however, whether by chance, or whether because SherrillSchell had never before asked me to do anything for himself or anybodyelse, I bade him bring the young man to my apartment that afternoon atfive.
Schell arrived at the appointed hour, accompanied by what appeared to bea youth just out of the adolescent stage, so shy, indeed, that heimmediately began to bombard me with a volley of quite unrecognizableEnglish. Nevertheless, I was able to pick out a few words, enough togather that he had recently been stopping somewhere in Mexico withWitter Bynner and D. H. Lawrence. "Why," I demanded, "didn't you drawthem?" His abashment was complete: he confessed that he was unaware thatthese fellows were celebrated!
I gently tugged at the portfolio that Miguel Covarrubias hugged underhis arm, which, in his modesty, he had not voluntarily relinquished, andproceeded to scan the contents. Although I found myself ignorant of thevery names of the subjects, with the single exception of Ramon delValle-Inclan (and I had no idea what he looked like), I was immediatelyconvinced that I stood in the presence of an amazing talent, if not,indeed, genius. That afternoon he made the sketches for his caricatureof me, delivered two days later, the first, I think, of this New Yorkseries. 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 manyothers. I also introduced him to Ralph Barton who, with unselfishadmiration for the rare gifts of this rival caricaturist, rendered himinvaluable aid and encouragement. As soon as Covarrubias had drawn a fewlocal faces I invited him to join me one day for lunch at the Algonquinwhere he was acclaimed at once, held, indeed, almost a reception. Fromthat moment he was launched—as I knew he would be: one glance at hisdrawing