Two Years in the Forbidden City — The Empress's Portrait, part 1

CHAPTER THIRTEEN--THE EMPRESS'S PORTRAIT

AFTER staying a little while at the temple, we returned to the Palace, and the ladies said goodbye and took chairs to the Palace gate, where their own chairs were waiting for them.

I then went to report to Her Majesty in the usual way what had been said by the visitors; whether they had expressed themselves as being pleased with the reception they had received.

Her Majesty said: "I like Mrs. Evans.

I think she is a very good woman.

It seems to me that her manners are quite different from those of the other American ladies whom I have met.

I like to meet people who are polite."

Then, referring to the subject of the portrait Her Majesty said: "I wonder why Mrs. Conger has this idea.

Now please explain to me what painting a portrait really is."

When I explained that it would be necessary for her to sit for several hours each day she was excited, and afraid she would never have the patience to see it through.

She asked me what she must do during the sitting, so I explained that she would simply have to pose for the portrait, sitting in one position all the time She said: "I shall be an old woman by the time the portrait is finished."

I told her that I had had my own portrait painted during my stay in Paris, by the same artist Mrs. Conger had proposed should paint her own portrait (Miss Carl).

She immediately told me to fetch the portrait of myself so that she could examine it and see what it was like, so I gave the order right away to a eunuch who was standing by to go to my house and bring it.

Her Majesty said: "I do not understand why I must sit for the portrait Couldn't someone else do it for me."

I explained to her that as it was her own portrait, and not that of somebody else, they wished to paint, it would be necessary for her to sit herself.

She then enquired whether it would be necessary for her to wear the same dress at each sitting, also the same jewels and ornaments.

I replied that it would be necessary to do so on each occasion.

Her Majesty then explained that in China it was only necessary for an artist to see his subject once, after which he could start right away and finish the portrait in a very short time, and thought that a really first-class foreign artist should be able to do the same.

Of course I explained the difference between foreign portrait painting and Chinese, and told her that when she had seen it she would see the difference and understand the reason for so many sittings.

She said: "I wonder what kind of a person this lady artist is.

Does she speak Chinese?"

I said that I knew Miss Carl very well, and that she was a very nice lady, but that she didn't speak Chinese.

She said: "If her brother has been in the Customs service for so long, how is it that she doesn't speak Chinese also?"

I told her that Miss Carl had been away from China for a long time; that in fact she had only been in China for a very short time altogether, most of her work being in Europe and America.

Her Majesty said: "I am glad she doesn't understand Chinese.

The only objection about this portrait painting is that I have to have a foreigner at the Palace all the time.

With my own people gossiping they might tell her things which I don't want anyone to know."

I told her that would be impossible as Miss Carl did not understand Chinese at all, neither did any of the people at Court understand English, with the exception of ourselves (my mother, sister and myself).

Her Majesty answered: "You must not rely too much on that, as after spending a short time at the Court they will soon learn to understand each other."

Continuing, she said: "By the way, how long will it take before this portrait is finished?"

I told her that it depended entirely upon how often she sat, and how long each time.

I didn't like to tell her exactly how long it would take, as I was afraid she might consider it too much bother, so I said that when the artist arrived I would tell her to get along and finish the portrait as quickly as possible.

Her Majesty said: "I don't see how I can very well refuse Mrs. Conger's request.

Of course I told her, as you know, that I would have to consult with my Ministers, just to give me time to think the matter over.

If you know all about this artist lady, and think she is quite all right to come here to the Palace, of course she may come, and I will tell Prince Ching to reply to Mrs. Conger to that effect.

First of all we must talk over what we are going to do, for to have a foreign lady staying in the Palace is out of the question altogether.

As a rule I always spend the summer at my Summer Palace, and it is so far from the city that I don't think she will be able to go to and from the Palace every day, on account of the distance.

Now, where can we put her?

Someone will have to watch her all the time.

This is such a difficult matter that I hardly know what to decide upon.

How would you like to look after her?

Do you think you could manage it in such a way that no one at the Palace will have a chance to talk with her during the daytime, but who is going to stay and watch her during the night?"

Her Majesty walked up and down the room thinking it over for quite a while.

Finally she smiled and said: "I have it.

We can treat her as a prisoner without her knowing it, but it will all depend on your mother, your sister and yourself to act for me in this matter.

Each of you will have to play your part very carefully, and I mine also.

I will give orders to have the Palace Garden of Prince Chung (the Emperor Kwang Hsu's father) fixed up for Miss Carl during her stay here."

This Palace garden is quite close to Her Majesty's own Palace, about ten minutes' drive.

It is not in the Palace ground, but is quite a separate Palace outside the Summer Palace.

Continuing, Her Majesty said: "Now, you will have to come with her every morning and return to stay with her every night.

I think this is the safest way out of the difficulty, but be careful with regard to all correspondence which she may either receive or send away.

The only thing about it is that it will give you a lot of extra work, but you know how particular I am over things of this kind, and it will save a lot of trouble in the end.

There is another thing you will have to be very careful about, and that is to watch that Miss Carl has no chance to talk with the Emperor.

The reason why I say this is because, as you know, the Emperor is of a shy disposition, and might say something which would offend her.

I will appoint four extra eunuchs to be in attendance during the sittings for the portrait, so that they will be on hand in case anything is wanted."

Her Majesty then said: "I noticed that Mrs. Conger was watching you when you pulled my sleeve.

I wonder what she thought of it.

You needn't care, anyway.

Let her think anything she likes.

I

understood what you meant if Mrs. Conger didn't, and that is all that is necessary."

I told her that perhaps Mrs. Conger thought I wanted to advise her to refuse this request, but Her Majesty said: "What does that matter?

If it hadn't been that you know the artist yourself I would not have consented in any case.

It is not the painting of the portrait that I mind, but it might give rise to serious results."

The next morning I received a letter from Mrs. Conger begging me not to prejudice Her Majesty against Miss Carl in any way.

I translated this to Her Majesty, and it made her furious.

She said: "No one has any right to write to you in such a way.

How dare she suggest that you would say anything against Miss Carl?

Didn't I tell you she was watching you when you pulled my sleeve?

When you reply to that letter tell her whatever you like, but answer in the same way she writes herself, or, better still, you write and inform her that it is not customary for any Court lady to try and influence Her Majesty in this country, and that in addition, you are not so mean as to say anything against anybody.

If you don't like to say that, just say that as Miss Carl is a personal friend of yours you certainly would never think of saying anything against her."

I therefore replied to Mrs. Conger's letter in the ordinary way, making it as formal as possible.

Her Majesty then talked of nothing but the portrait during the whole of that afternoon.

By and bye she said: "I hope that Mrs. Conger will not send a missionary lady with Miss Carl to keep her company during her stay at the Palace.

If she does I will certainly refuse to sit."

The next morning the eunuch arrived with my portrait, and everyone at the Court had a good look at it before I took it to show to Her Majesty.

Some of them were of the opinion that it was very much like me, while the others thought the painting a very poor one.

When I informed Her Majesty of the arrival of the portrait she ordered that it should be brought into her bedroom immediately.

She scrutinized it very carefully for a while, even touching the painting in her curiosity.

Finally she burst out laughing and said: "What a funny painting this is, it looks as though it had been painted with oil."

(Of course it was an oil painting.

) "Such rough work I never saw in all my life.

The picture itself is marvellously like you, and I do not hesitate to say that none of our Chinese painters could get the expression which appears on this picture.

What a funny dress you are wearing in this picture.

Why are your arms and neck all bare?

I have heard that foreign ladies wear their dresses without sleeves and without collars, but I had no idea that it was so bad and ugly as the dress you are wearing here.

I cannot imagine how you could do it.

I should have thought you would have been ashamed to expose yourself in that manner.

Don't wear any more such dresses, please.

It has quite shocked me.

What a funny kind of civilization this is to be sure.

Is this dress only worn on certain occasions, or is it worn any time, even when gentlemen are present?"

I explained to her that it was the usual evening dress for ladies and was worn at dinners, balls, receptions, etc. Her Majesty laughed and exclaimed: "This is getting worse and worse.

Everything seems to go backwards in foreign countries.

Here we don't even expose our wrists when in the company of gentlemen, but foreigners seem to have quite different ideas on the subject.

The Emperor is always talking about reform, but if this is a sample we had much better remain as we are.

Tell me, have you yet changed your opinion with regard to foreign customs?

Don't you think that our own customs are much nicer?"

Of course I was obliged to say "yes" seeing that she herself was so prejudiced.

She again examined the portrait and said: "Why is it that one side of your face is painted white and the other black?

This is not natural--your face is not black.

Half of your neck is painted black, too.

How is it?"

I explained that it was simply the shading and was painted exactly as the artist saw me from the position in which she was sitting.

Her Majesty then enquired: "Do you think that this Artist lady will paint my picture to look black also?

It is going to America, and I don't want the people over there to imagine that half of my face is white and half black."

I didn't like to tell her the truth, that her portrait would in all probability be painted the same as mine, so I promised Her Majesty that I would tell the artist exactly how she wished to be painted.

She then asked me if I knew when the artist proposed commencing the portrait.

I told her that the artist was still in Shanghai, but that Mrs. Conger had already written to her to come up to Peking, to make the necessary preparations.

One week later I received a letter from Miss Carl informing me that she proposed coming up to Peking at once, and that she would be delighted if Her Majesty would allow her to paint this portrait.

I translated the letter to Her Majesty, who said: "I am very glad that you know this lady personally.

It will make it much easier for me.

You know there may be some things which I may want to tell Miss Carl, but which I don't want Mrs. Conger to know.

I

mean that there might be certain things which I shall have to say to Miss Carl, which, if Mrs. Conger heard of them, would give her the impression that I was very difficult to please.

You understand what I mean.

As this lady is a friend of yours, you will of course be able to tell her things in such a manner as not to offend her, and I may tell you again that if it were not that she is a personal friend of your own I would not have her here at all, as it is quite contrary to our custom."

On the third day of the second-fifth moon Prince Ching informed Her Majesty that the artist had arrived at Peking and was staying with Mrs. Conger and wished to know Her Majesty's pleasure in regard to commencing the portrait.

Now I must explain that the Chinese year varies as to the number of moons it contains.

For example, one year contains the ordinary twelve months or moons.

The following year may contain thirteen moons.

Then the two years following that may contain twelve moons only, and thirteen moons the next year, and so on.

At the time of the proposed visit of the artist the Chinese year contained thirteen moons, there being two fifth moons in that year.

When Prince Ching asked Her Majesty to name the day on which Miss Carl should commence her work, she replied: "I will give her my answer to-morrow.

I must first consult my book, as I don't want to start this portrait on an unlucky day."

So the next day, after her usual morning audience Her Majesty consulted this book for quite a time.

Finally she said to me: "According to my book the next lucky day will not occur for another ten days or so," and handed me the book to look myself.

Eventually she picked out the twentieth day of the second-fifth moon as the most lucky day for beginning the work.

Next she had to consult the book again in order to fix on the exact hour, finally fixing on 7 o'clock in the evening.

I was very much worried when she told me that, as by that time it would be quite dark, so I explained to Her Majesty as nicely as I could that it would be impossible for Miss Carl to work at that hour of the day.

Her Majesty replied: "Well, we have electric lights here.

Surely that would be sufficient light for her."

Then I had to explain that it would not be possible to get such good results by means of artificial light as if it were painted during the daytime.

You see I was anxious to get her to change the hour, as I was sure that Miss Carl would refuse to paint by means of electric light.

Her Majesty replied: "What a bother.

I can paint pictures myself in any kind of light, and she ought to be able to do the same."

After much discussion it was finally settled that 10 o'clock on the morning of the twentieth day of the second-fifth moon should be the time for Miss Carl to commence to paint this portrait, and I can assure you that I felt very much relieved when it was all settled.

When the eunuch brought in my portrait, he also brought in several photographs which I had had taken during my stay in Paris, but I decided not to show them to Her Majesty in case she should decide to have a photograph taken instead of having this portrait painted, as it would be much quicker and save her the trouble of sitting each day.

However, as Her Majesty was passing on the veranda in front of my bedroom the next morning she stepped into the room just to have a look around and, as she put it, to see whether I kept everything clean, and in good order.

This was the first time she had visited me in my own room, and I was naturally very much embarrassed, as she very rarely visited the rooms of her Court ladies.

I

could not keep her standing, and I could not ask her to sit down in any of my own chairs, as it is the Chinese custom that the Emperor and Empress should only sit down in their own special chairs, which are usually carried by an attendant wherever they go.

I therefore was on the point of giving an order for her own stool to be brought in, when Her Majesty stopped me and said that she would sit on one of the chairs in the room, and so bring me good luck.

So she sat down in an easy chair.

A eunuch brought in her tea, which I handed to her myself instead of letting the eunuch wait upon her.

This of course was Court etiquette, and was also a sign of respect After she had finished her tea, she got up and went around the room, examining everything, opening up all my bureau drawers and boxes in order to see whether I kept my things in proper order.

Happening to glance into one corner of the room she exclaimed: "What are those pictures on the table over there," and walked across to examine them.

As soon as she picked them up, she exclaimed in much surprise: "Why, they are all photographs of yourself, and are very much better than the picture you had painted.

They are more like you.

Why didn't you show them to me before?"

I hardly knew what to answer, and when she saw that I was very much embarrassed by her question, she immediately started talking about something else.

She often acted in this manner when she saw that any of us were not quite prepared for any of her questions, but she would be sure to reopen the subject at some future time, when we were expected to give a direct answer.

After examining the photographs for sometime, which by the way, were all taken in European dress, Her Majesty said: "Now these are good photographs; much better than the portrait you had painted.

Still I have given my promise, and I suppose I shall have to keep it.

However, if I do have my photograph taken, it will not interfere at all with the painting of the portrait.

The only trouble is I cannot ask an ordinary professional photographer to the Palace.

It would hardly be the thing."

My mother thereupon explained to Her Majesty that if she desired to have her photograph taken, one of my brothers, who had studied photography for some considerable time, would be able to do all that was necessary.

I would like to explain that I had two brothers at Court at that time, who held appointments under the Empress Dowager.

One was in charge of all the electrical installation at the Summer Palace, and the other, her private steam launch.

It was the custom for all the sons of the Manchu officials to hold certain positions at the Court for two or three years.

They were perfectly free to walk about the grounds of the Palace, and saw Her Majesty daily.

Her Majesty was always very kind to these young men, and chatted with them in quite a motherly way.

These young fellows had to come to the Palace each morning very early, but as no man was allowed to stay all night in the Palace they of course had to leave when they had finished their duties for the day.

When Her Majesty heard what my mother said, she was very much surprised, and asked why she had never been told that my brother was learned in photography.

My mother replied that she had no idea that Her Majesty wished to have a photograph taken, and had not dared to suggest such a thing herself.

Her Majesty laughed, and said: "You may suggest anything you like, as I want to try anything that is new to me, especially as outsiders can know nothing about it."

She gave orders to send for my brother at once.

On his arrival Her Majesty said to him: "I hear that you are a photographer.

I am going to give you something to do."

My brother was kneeling, as was the custom of the Court, whilst Her Majesty was addressing him.

Everybody, with the exception of the Court ladies, had to kneel when she was speaking to them.

Even the Emperor himself was no exception to this rule.

Of course the Court ladies, being constantly in attendance, were allowed not to kneel, as Her Majesty was talking to us all the time, and it was her orders that we should not do so, as it would be wasting a lot of time.

Her Majesty asked my brother when he would be able to come and take her photograph, and what kind of weather was necessary.

My brother said that he would go back to Peking that night, to fetch his camera, and that he could take the photograph at any time she desired, as the weather would not affect the work.

So Her Majesty decided to have her photograph taken the next morning.

She said: "I want to have one taken first of all in my chair, when going to the audience, and you can take some others afterwards."

She also asked my brother how long she would have to sit, and was surprised to learn that only a few seconds would suffice.

Next she enquired how long it would be before it was finished, so that she could see it.

My brother answered that if it were taken in the morning it could be finished late the same afternoon.

Her Majesty said that was delightful, and expressed a wish to watch him do the work.

She told my brother that he might select any room in the Palace to work in, and ordered a eunuch to make the necessary preparations.

The next day was a beautiful day, and at eight o'clock my brother was waiting in the courtyard with several cameras.

Her Majesty went to the courtyard and examined each of them.

She said: "How funny it is that you can take a person's picture with a thing like that."

After the method of taking the photograph had been fully explained to her, she commanded one of the eunuchs to stand in front of the camera so that she might look through the focusing glass, to see what it was like.

Her Majesty exclaimed: "Why is it your head is upside down?

Are you standing on your head or feet?"

So we explained when the photo was taken it would not look that way.

She was delighted with the result of her observations, and said that it was marvellous.

Finally she told me to go and stand there, as she wanted to have a look at me through this glass also.

She then exchanged places with me, and desired that I should look through the glass and see if I could make out what she was doing.

She waved her hand in front of the camera, and on my telling her of it, she was pleased.

She then entered her chair, and ordered the bearers to proceed.

My brother took another photograph of Her Majesty in the procession as she passed the camera.

After she had passed the camera she turned and asked my brother: "Did you take a picture?"

and on my brother answering that he had, Her Majesty said: "Why didn't you tell me?

I was looking too serious.

Next time when you are going to take one, let me know so that I may try and look pleasant."