The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-11-03
MR. pnNPor.
A SCENE IN AN ARTISTS STUDIO.

SCENE IN AN ARTISTS STUDIO.
OF all the IlSmbugs in this humbugging age Mr..
THOMAS HART BENTON is unquestionabIy the most
pompous and vain. Those who have been in the
habit Of attending the sttings of the Senate will
member numberess instances of his conceit and
egotism. But the following unexaggerated descrip-
ton, by eyewitness, of scene which occurred
some time ago, in an artists studio in this city, gives
peculiarly vivid and faithful view of the height,
BREADTH and depth of the Missouri Humbuggers
soul 1t is from the Washington Correspondence Of
the Baltimore Patriot. Mr.. Benton had his portrait
taken by the artist who at the time in question
busiy engaged in finishing likeness Of Mr.. Van
Buren,
Enter Mr.. BENTON. Good morning, sir !! good
morning, sir" (The Senator from Missouri, like
Justice Shallow is fond of iteration.) "Have you my
portrait? Have you my portrait 2"
The polite foreigner all smiles and graces, dropped
his pencil and fastened to present to the great Colo
mel the image of himself The Colonel gazed upon it
with the highest satisfaction Hazltt it is who says
there is a natural desire in the mind of to have
ones likeness multiplied The Colonel evidently felt
it, Admirable excellent p he exclaimed. After a
pause he added, You must have it Autographed
And my friends have suggested motto, which wish
you have placed below the picture in the Autograph
copies 1t is short SRA single sentence sir. Here
it is And he forthwith produced copy Of the Globe
at is from the great expungng speech-my great cx
punging spcech-you hava heard of it sir Ia speech,
sir, which will be read every where not only in this
country, but in Euiope-yes. sir in Europe, sir Here
is the sentence sr-a single sentence" He read,
with the air of Bombastes Furioso the magical words
-" SOLITARY AND ALONE, AND AMID THE TAuNTs AND
sNEERs OF MY OPPONENTS, | HAVE SET THIS BALL IN
NOTION"
There, sir" he continued, Ga few words only
but place them at the bottom Of your picture and you
will sell thousands and tens Of thousands in the
ern country !"
The artist was dissolved in grattude-he poured
out his thanks in the cordial and glowing expressions
of his country They swelled the vanity Of the great
protector of the expunging farce-and nothing would
do but he must split the Of the polite foreigner
with paragraph after paragraph of his prosy and point
less twadde. Certes, he did read more than column
and half Of the Globe pointing out the beauties that
lay couched in the language ideas, and commenting
as he went along thus Z fine idea that, sir |" an
admirable image that, sir And after paragraph or
two of nmitable absurdity he would cry, "ah, sir
there are some noble plunges p (not flights, but
piunges! Good that is it not and most appropriate
Let hereafter dignity the efforts of young ora
tors by calling them true Benonian plunges y hAh
sir there noble plunges and the whole speech
is in the style. Many of my speeches are argu-
mentative and demonstrativc, but this is sort Of wind
ing up-more establishment here--it is peroyation-
it is all peroration sir !"
The enthusiastic artists eyes kindled as he spoke
As the Colonel poured out his magnioquence he
would exclaim, :" ali very fine grand!" &c. &c
He evidently considered his fortune made Ii was q
lucky stroke of the pencil that made the likeness of
man who solitary and alone, has set a ball in mo.
ton Whose great expunging speech will be read
every where in Europe and America Whose mot.
tocd image will be sold by tens of thousands in the
western country and whose Senatorial efforts are
all PLuNaEs and PERoRArIoNllll D.