Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-04-14
Letter from Barbee, the Artist.

!
mate, will be read with pleasure by all who may
give il perusal The honor of his birth be.
longs to Virginia: let generous patronage show
her appreciation of it:
BALTIMORE, March goth, '5S.
Mn Esteemed Friend Your kind favor of
the 10th inst. came duly to hand. The interest
we have mutually felt in each other from our
schoolboy days, up to the present time, is clearly
evinced, on your part, in your letter. cannot
sufficiently thank you, my early friend, tor the
sympathetic tenor of your feelings, and the
mount of pride with which you seem to have
reviewed my short career OF lie. l can only
repay it by an assurance OF similar interest on
my part in all that concerns you.
1t has ever been matter of the liveliest con-
Germ with me- to trace the doings and destiny of
those with whom have been associated in ear
| ly life. 1t may be, perhaps, owing to the same
sort of feeling with yourself, that lind in your
letter request that give YOU synopsis OF my
life.
Biography generally, however barren of Incl
dent, has its destinations for most readers; but
when you will find patience to trace the straag
Cling characters of my pen, through the series
Of nv "ups and doons," / cannot tell. Bnt
since you desire it, do not know how to refuse
to condense few of the leading particulars of
nv life, and spare you the thousand details,
which would not only weary You, but consume
more time than can at present devote to such
task.
| was, as You are aware, born in Rappahan'
mock county, (then Culpeper,) something near
thirty six years ago. My birth place was at the
foot foot q Of the Blue Ridge, near Thornton's Gap
While was still an infant my father removed
to the top of the Mountain, where spent all my
earlier life Whatever could have created in my
mind, situated as | was, love for the Arts,
must remain among the mysterious elements that
make up the human organization. But certain
it is, that at that spot nature had supplied me
with a facility for the indulgence of my peculiar
turn of mind over which gloated with child.
ish delight. 1t was soft soapy stone, that
carried ever about me-to my school and else
where, and with my pen knife would shape into
every conceivable image of living things Inns
propensity was strongly combatted by my early
teachers: and time, and time again, was chas
tsed for the wilful idleness. Gas it was termed,)
of my childish pursuits. But this singular fond
ness for transferring every form saw, pursued
| me through all the vocations and changes of my
life. Even when we were school boys together
| at Jeffersonton, / can recollect the thousand
srotesque images traced ON the walls OF the
Academy, and every place that would receive
pencil or charcoal line.
Some short time after our term of study at this
Academy had expired, my father sent me to the
Richmond College, with view of preparing me
for the study of the law, in which | engaged inn
mediately upon leaving the College, and was ad
united to the bar before was eligible under the
law-or before | was twenty one years OF age.
But, before l entered upon the study OF the law,
| appealed to my father-a strong practical man
to suffer me to 60 to Italy and study the Arts.
have since often wondered at this strong pre-
dilection in that way for up to that period, and
long after, / had never seen statue, plaster
cast, or even painting, or other thing that
could have gwen an impulse to such turn OF
mind, or directed it into that channel. My IA
ther dissuaded me from entering upon such
pursuit, as one giving but little hope of dstinc.
| ton, or promise of pecuniaTy profit Hence
had to abandon the cherished hope of my life.
I entered upon the practice of the law, and con-
tnued it, with some degree of fondness for the
criminal branch of il, for nearly ten years. But
during this time found myself constantly pur-
sued by INV early fondness for the Arts, and
produced. in secret, Dumberess little statuettes
The last of these-a Psyche and Venus-the
| one in marble and the other in alabaster-were
the products of my chisel during the last year OF
nv practice in the town Of Luray, Page county
They ELECTED praises from the press and con
noisseurs. which did not know they merted.
The result was an earnest solicitation from
number of distinguished men of my acquain
tance, to abandon my profession aud 60 at once
to italy, To this gladly yielded. and was proud
of any acknowledgment of merit that would give
me hope of success in the Arts.
went. The result you know. 1t would be
scarcely necessary to recur to the ten Thousand
difficulties had to encounter, 10 build up the
little reputation it has been my fortune to obtain.
was located abroad, in the midst OF the great.
est living artists, whose fame, for twenty years
before me- had spread from land to land. |
went stranger and frienddss, among people,
where the searching eye of the critic is ever
fixed upon the young aspirant. Side 6y side.
with the great masterpieces of the living and
ancient ages, had to build up my own produc-
tions, and rise or fall, by the trying comparison.
The helping hand, and encouraging voice of no
kind patron ever came to my relief in my severe
struggles for position among my brethren.--
Upon myself, and my own resources, had to
RELY alone For one year | left my family in A
merica under the most painful Affections to them
and to myself-a sacrifice which required all the
philosophy of my mind TO Withstand. But du
ring that period | employed every element OF
application at my command in the production OF
the "Coguette." l completed the model and re-
turIed to America in the spring OF 1903, and
re. embarked for Europe with my family, in the
month of June following. resumed my studies
Immediately upon my return to Florence, and
erected the model of my Fisher Girl" Du
RING the progress of my severe labors on this
work. found my health fast failing me. My
c. 70
and the studies imposed upon myself too ardu-
ous for nv physical constitution. These, to-
gether with the debilitating influence of the eli
mate, and the numerous sources of mental sut-
fering that sprang up continually around me, at
last brought me prustrate upon my bed. just at
the time | had completed, with the most delicate
care. this model of the Fisher Girl, found my
self no longer able to occupy my post at my
modelling stand and was forced to yield. Fol
three months fingered under the care of the
hest professors of Italy. They finally declared
nv case hopeless, and folded their arms to watch
the receding spark of life vanish forever. But
the "Deity that shapes our ends" reversed their
decision. and took my case in his own hands,
With faint prospect of returning strength, my
pbysican advised me to take a long sea voyage
Immediately made preparations to return tt
INV country. So. feeble and emaciate, embark
ed with my famii iiy from the city of Leghorn OF
the a5th day of October, 1856, in sailing ship
hound for New York, through the Straits Of Glib
raltar, and bade long adieu to the land of my
sufferings and after stormy voyage of fifty
two days, we arrived in port on the 18th day o.
December following.
felt that had accomplished my mission tt
the Old World, thought it came well nigh cost
inc q sacrifice of my life. started out with the
ayowed purpose of returning to my country te
aid in building up her neglected arts, just a,
soon as the critic world of Europe had made thai
1or,on,ant of nv labors which woud give m.