# Marla Olmstead:  Child Prodigy or Pawn in a Fraud?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marla-olmstead-child-prodigy-or-pawn-in-a-fraud/484979>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 9, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marla-olmstead-child-prodigy-or-pawn-in-a-fraud/484979 "2009-02-09T00:19:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marla-olmstead-child-prodigy-or-pawn-in-a-fraud/484979/21 "2009-02-10T23:37:36Z")

</div>

So, are the art lovers deluding themselves, or do they not want to admit they paid tens of thousands of dollars for scribbles?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marla-olmstead-child-prodigy-or-pawn-in-a-fraud/484979/22 "2009-02-10T23:53:01Z")

</div>

> [@Meltdown](#):
>
> When my son was very little and used to draw pictures, I’d add to them. Little details – shapes in the background, objects in the foreground, fingers at the ends of hands, that kind of thing. His mom would come downstairs and ask, “Did Tim draw this?” And I’d answer yes, because what am I going to say? “No, Tim’s a talentless hack. Without me he’d be nothing.” So, yeah, I’d let her believe that he made the drawings himself.

Er, what would be wrong with saying, “Yeah, he drew the original but I added some stuff here and there because I got bored and felt like doodling.” It’s not like she’s expecting him to turn out great work…he’s a kid.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marla-olmstead-child-prodigy-or-pawn-in-a-fraud/484979.md?page=1)