New-York daily tribune., 1844-08-02
THE TRIBUlNE E.
From the Knickerbocker 10, August.
FREDERICK S. AGATE.

artist has led many to seek 70, some recofd ol Ms
life and character. With some difficulty we havs
been able to collect few incidents connected
with his career but those who were scqna!h'eul
with him must be aware, that with Il person oi
his retiring disposition and uninterrupted oe'o-
ton to his profession, his life offers Little ior mar
ration and therefore to his works, rather than 10
his nersonal history we must look for materials
for an article of this character.
n. vss born in the village Of Sparta, West
Chester County, n. Y. in the year 1877. When
very Young he showed a fondness Tor drawing
figures of horses, ships, cattle, &c. and at the
age of thirteen, through the instrumentaiily OF
Mr.. Ro!linson who at that period was one oi tie
most popular copper plate cngraveFs IN ,his c',y'
and by the aid also of Reverend gentleman oy
the name of Wittingha nc was sent 10 Ne%-
York and placed under the tuition oi John IL.
Smith, Esq. who taught drawing and painting
with considerable success. MIR. Smith beng an
excellent Judge Of pictures, and very able
teacher, from his thorough knowledge oi the arts
generally, Mr.. Agate had an opportunity 10 I'M
prove himself which rarely occurred To the young
American artist at that date .hr. Siniths
scholars were numerous, but among them we co
not learn that any adopted painting as a profcs-
sion, except MIR. Agate and Thomas >: Gum,
mings, the present Treasurer oil the Na'ionai
Academy of Design. Mr.. Stout, who has be-
come favoraby known for his models IN plaster
was also pupil of Mr.. Smiths. His other
scholars were amateurs, or persons who very
properly studied drawing as 4 necessary part OF
an accomplished education. While with Mr..
Smith, Mr.. Agate applied himself with great IN
dustry, and became very careful and corrcc,
draughtsman, u qualification too much neglected
in the education of the present race oil young
artists. We cannot find that he attempted any
original subject at this period, very spllted
sketch of his friend Cummings, which is still
preserved among his drawings.
In the year 1925 he left Mr. Smith and en-
tered as pupil TO S. F. b. Morse, who was then
among the most prominent artists OF this CITY,
but who, like Fulton, has since laid aside the
brush and conferred upon lis country an endur-
inp benefit in the invention of the Magnetic
Telegraph. Under Mr.. Morse's tuition he com
menccd the practice Of oil painting, studying at
the same time from the antique In The old Aine-
rican Academy of Fine Arts. lie employed
himself chiefly in copying MIR. Morsc's pictures,
and such was his fidelity that few persons could
designate the originals from the copies.
About this time difficulties occurred between
the artists of this city, who now form the Ma
tonal Academy Of Design, and the American
Academy of Fine Arts, whose location was III
the old Aims House in the rear OF the City Hall.
1t appears that The younger artists were IN the
habit of drawing from the casts in tho antique
room of the American Academy, but instead oi
meeting with u liberal and accommodating splrlt
ON the part of those who had charge of these
rooms, they frequently had to wait at the doors,
seekinp in vain for admittance. On one occa-
sion Mr.. Agate and MIR. Cummings finding the
doors locked against them, returned home and
had petition drawn up, addressed to the D!rec-
tors of the Academy, asking for the use of the
Directors room to pursue their studies during the
winter evenings, they agreeing to furnish, at their
own expense the fuel and lights. While this
paper was passing round among the artists for
signatures, a suggestion was made by one OF thcir
number that they should form themselves into :,
club, meet at each others residences, and draw
from such casts rs each artists might have III
his studio. This suggestion was adopted, and
the petition TO the directors abandoned. The
initiation fec to the club was five dollars per
annum, and the plan succeeded so well, and they
found their number increasing so fast, that 1t he
came inconvenicnt to entertain them at then
respective dwellings,, and accordingly application
was made to the New-York Historical Society
for the use OF their room, which being readily
granted, each member brought his casts to this
room, ana tNuS was lulu luC w q iicN
Academy instituted and managed exclusively By
the artists. In all these proceedings Mr.. Agate,
though very young and still pupil, took an ac
tive and Jealous part. In the formation Of the
National Academy of Design, it was resolved
to entrust its entire management to thirty pro-
fessional artists residents of the city, fifteen of
whom were named and elected at once, and they
were authorized TO appoint fifteen others. Mr..
Agate was one of the fifteen thus appointed.
In 1927 he left Mr.. Morse and took rooms u,
No. l52 Broadway, where he established himself
as an historical and portrait painter. In portrait
painting he was unusually successful for so young
an artist, and his works were spoken of us being
ccyerly colored and always faithful likcnesses.
The first exhibition of the National Academy
of Design was held at the corner OF Rcadc-strcet
and Broadway, in May 1896; and ii is worthy
of remark that at that exhibition there were one
hundred and twenty-five pictures exhibited, and
the receipts SO small that the artists had to sub
init to an assessment of seven dollars upon each
member, at the close of the exhibition to meet
its current expenses while now, eighteen years
after, the number of pictures exhibited is rising
of four hundred, and the income over the eX-
penses, several thousand dollars To this first
exhibition MIR. Agate sent four pictures, two ot
which were landscapes and two portraits. Al
the second annual exhibition IN 1897 ne exhibited
six pictures, all Of which were portraits; and in
1928 he exhibited eleven pictures, one OF which,
"A Mother lamenting over her Child from ii
poem by Pickering, was most excellent produc-
tion and placed the artist at oncc above the ord
nary class of painters Previous to this he had
been painting portraits merely and although
several of these were full-lcngths of children,
where he had an opportunity 10 exhibit his
knowledge and taste, yet it was not until this
picture was exhibited that he displayed that fine
imagination which placed him so much abovc
the mere imta,or of nature. The subject repre-.
sents the corpse of beautiful child, snatchcd
away in the moment OF health, with Its mother
hanging over it with the most Intense expression
of griei, while by her side stands little oaugh.
ter too young to understand the loss she has sus-
tained but old enough to be touched with her
mothers suffering presenting at glance one
of those scenes of afiliction which reaches and
softcns tho heart OF all who behold 1t. 1t was
well drawn and carefully painted, and the cx-
preston upon the couatenanccs OF the figures
showed great observation on the part the artist
Il