The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-04-11

:
e -, ,..:e this to be the cafe. thinks no
al .:rt.'ir. j his work is done, when he
-. tt.ut -" him. Can fuch men com.
I;',' .',". 80 c neglected, or that their art,
-, -. ,,.,. ranks high among the liberal
80 procure them more refpeSt than
p .i,non workm,n, with whom their
,.,, has itrong tendency to confound
~ nger part Of iuch men now became
mons of George Morland with them
- a ual in intellect, and hyperion to them
- he was hyperion to them toe, in
a;nr.s tnce that will always obtain from fuch
e what ignorant men Coyet, the aduaton
If adociates. a ride into the country TO
.. .k-race, or grinning match, Jolly din
49,, md drinking about after it, mad fcanper
- e, with hounce into the mud, and two or
- &c otberet cefe,uy, formed the fun OF their
= joynents of thefe Morland has as much as
( defired, ard as he was the richef Of the fet,
by the community of property eitablihed a.
imong fuch jolly dogs, he commonly paid for
lthefe more than his fllare.
About this time he married, and became ac-
Iquaintcd with Mr.. J. r. Smith, the engraver,
who then dealt largely in prints: for this gen
tieman he painted many pictures of fubjects
from the familiar fcenes of life. The fubiects
were known to. and the fcntiments they convey
ed were fclt By al and the prints Mir. Smith
Iple, and ipread the fame of Morland all over the
continent as well as the kingdom. Thefe fub-
IJeets were, in probability, fuggeaed by the
ttaite Of My. Smith, as they dfplayed more fen
tinent than MOrland ever feemed to pofIefs on
any other occafop; his own talent, as it now
BURT forth in full fplendor, was landfcape, fuch
asst exits in iequeitered fituations, and with
appropriate animals and figures. He was ex-
ltremely fond of Whiting the life of Wight in the
thara "A
Ito be met with along tire ihore, at the back of
1.-THE iiland, that his pencil has not delineated
His belt pictures are replete with fcenes drawn
from this fpot. a fine rocky fhore, with iiiher-
men mendsDg their nets, careening their boats
,or Tending off their fifth to the neighbouriny
Imarket-towns, were fcenes he mcft delighted
IN, when ne attempted tea>lhore pieces and
the lille of Wight afforded abundant opportu-
mites to crafty his tafte and fancy. He was
once recognized in this his conftant ilnlyner ex-
curon, at place called Frefh- water gate, in a
low public hou:e, known by the name OF the
Cabin. a number OF fillermen, few {aiors,
and three or four ruitics, formed the homely
groupe he was in the midi of them, contri-
outing his joke, and partaking of their noify
merriment, when his friend called him Aide, &
intreated an hour of his conversation. MOI
] land, with fone reluctance, withdrew from the
Cabin, aud on his friends remonfrating with
ny, he drew from his pocket ketch-book.
and aiked him where he was to find TO true
picture OF humble life, uneis it was in fuch
place as that from whence his friend had with
drawn him. The iketch was csrreG define
alton of every thing in the Cabin rap-roorr
even to a countenance, a fool, fettcc, or the
petition of figure. This Representation his
remembrance had fIpplied after leaving the
| houle, aud one of his belt pictures is that very
tbept ,-a haJ n ~,
was itill intent on its favourte purfRit-that of
nature In her honc!ieit attre-though his man
ners at the moment betrayed nothing farther
than an eagernefs to partake in the vulgar fen
Qualities of his surrounding companions. The
lmanner in which he painted rural fubie6ts OBJ
tanned 10 much notice, that his fortune might
now have been made; purchafers appeared
who would have taken any number of pictures
he would have painted, and paid any price for
them which he could have demanded but
here the low bred dealers in pictures ftepped in,
and completed that ruin which low-bred artiifs
had begun.
Whatever their apologifts may fay in exte-
nuation of the fa9, il is certain that picture
dealers are the bane of every artft who comes
into contact with them. The dealers in old
pictures may buy and fell without iniuriug any
but thofe who are duped by the common artifi-
ceS OF their trade but the moment they find il
ing artif, that artift is doomed to penury, if not
to defruetion, unlefs he has the lingular good
fortune to eicape from their clutches.
Their ufual plan is to fird fome young man
OF talents who is poor and unemployed; him
theyiet to work at price 70 low that all his
exertions can barely procure him the means of
living, while they fell the works which they
have thus obtained from him for high prices
bnt this plan would not fucceed with Morand !;
he always knew the value of his own works, s.
always was well paid FOR them except when
he was IN diftreig, which he was often artfulIy
plunged into by tllofe who took that opportu.
nifty to obtain his pictures at Il comparatively
cheap rate.
His unfortunate pecuIiarities affixed them
much IN this plan the averllon he naturally or
at leait originally had for the fociety of gentle
men, made him averfe to fpeak to a gentleman
who only wiihed to purcbafe his piGures; this
peculiarly bis triendS tie deairJ, took care TO
encourage to ilIch degree, that men of rank, of
fortune, were often denied admittance TO fee
hin, when he was Gurrouudsd by gang Of har-
pies, who pullicG the ifs and the Joke about,
Ho'HfnaIIy at the quiz who was refuied admit
lance, but III realty, at the fool who. was the
duPe OF their artihces /; f6cy, in the character Of
friends, pnrcbaied all his pStures from him,
which they afterwards fold at very advanced
rriCes.