The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-01 00:00:00

Something Like a Portrait Gallery.

A catalogue, of a really wonderful kind in its
way, has recently been issued from the Photographic
Establishment of the Messrs. John and Charles
Watkins, of 34, Parliament-street, Westminster.
It records, in a list of extraordinary dimensions,
the names of various distinguished persons, either
living or lately deceased, of whom those artists
have produced life-like carte-de-viiites.
The mere catalogue in itself is a curiosity—includ-
ing within it, as it does, the names of very nearly
all the leading notabilities of the age. Crowned
heads, world-famous statesmen, dignitaries of the
church, men of genius illustrious in art, science,
and literature, distinguished members of both the
aristocracies—the aristocracy of rank and the
aristocracy of intellect—authors with names
" familiar in our mouths as household words,"
painters and sculptors, orators and poets, novelists
and architects, actors and singers, diplomatists and
administrators—men (and women it should be
added) all of them more or less celebrated.
Referring to this list, the Art Journal for
December pronounces it to be " really a remarkable
document." Adding, "It contains the names of
several hundred of the foremost celebrities of the
age and country, including one hundred and thirty
British artists, sixty of whom are, or have been,
members of the Royal Academy. Of men and
women of letters there are about the same number,
while of the more prominent members of the
Houses of Peers and Commons, judges, bishops,
and eminent clergymen, there are perhaps a
thousand names. What a huge mass of pleasure
and knowledge may be hence obtained ! It
is impossible to overrate the value of such a
collection to the present and the future.
To estimate it rightly, let us imagine what
a treasure would such a series be that supplied us
with sure likenesses of the great men and women of
the past, who are famous for all time. Messrs.
Watkins," adds the Art Journal, " must have
greatly exerted themselves, and their influence also,
to obtain so glorious a gathering. No doubt much
of the issue results from the admirable manner in
which their photographs are produced. There are
none better, few so good; excellent as copies of the
originals, and singularly clear and emphatic in ma-
nipulation." Of the perfect justice of these commen-
dations (especially valuable in their way, as coming
from so high an authority upon matters of art as
our contemporary The Art Journal) we have re-
cently been enabled to judge for ourselves--having
been afforded the opportunity of examining very
carefully a number of the latest of the photographic
portraits of celebrities issued from this the oldest of
all the photographic establishments in England
Apart from the long and resplendent array of royal
and noble personages leading off this remarkable
list of portraits by the Messrs. Watkins—apart from
the ample artistic catalogue comprising within it
the names of nearly all the Royal Academicians,
there are conspicuously observable among a crowd
of well-known men of letters and science, such
world-famous names as those of Charles Dickens, and
'Michael Faraday, and Richard Owen, and Thomas
Carlyle. Altogether these carte-de-visites of this
Messrs. John and Charles Watkins may be regarded
with peculiar interest as an opportune series of life-
like illustrations to the English portion at least of
the biographical dictionary of contemporary cele-
brities recently published by the Messrs. Routledge,
under the title of " Men of the Time."

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SIX NEW CHURCHES are now being constructed
in Paris—that of the Trinity, at the corner of the Rues do
Clichy and de la Chaussee d'Antin ; St. Augustin, in t"
Boulevard Malesherbes ; St. Francois Xavier, on the Bou-
levard des Invalides ; St. Pierre, at Montrouge ; Notre
Dame de la Croix, at Menilmontant ; and lastly, St*
Ambroise de Popincourt, on the boulevard due Prince
Eugene,