The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-13

THE NUDE VENUS AT THE DUSSELDORF Gar,
IERY.-We have received communication
from the directors Of the Dusseldorf Gallery,
in reply to criticism in the HERALD on the
nude Venus, stating that the numerous attend
ance of ladies since the arrival of that painting
is not owing to that circumstance, but to the
general patronage of the gallery by the wives
and daughters of our most wealthy and
intellectual citizens IF the obscene picture
did not attract them, we are sorry 1t had not
the effect of driving them away. The directors
do not venture to deny that the painting is i'm
modest but only contend in general terms thai
hitherto immodest works have not found q
place in their collection. Indeed instead of
defending the exhibition from the charge of
Immoral tendency, they rather in sort of
way apologize for it, by stating that they do
not derive any benefit from it, and that Mr.
Page is the sole recipient of the profits. The
following is their letter.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
Duss1DoRF GALLERY,
648 BROADWAY, Oct. IL, 1889.
Anotoe in your this days JOURNAL under the head of
sage It remarkable that unusual number Of ladies
present yesterday, although the vstaons of this
gallery have not been always remarkable for It's feminine
element"
This sir grave error; for years past the exhibition
of this collection has been principally supported by the
wives and daughters of most intellectual and wealthy
Citizens also by the thousands OF strangers who
nually crowd this great city
has been the boast OF the director as well as an ac
knowedged fact by its supporters, that no work of
impure character or immoral tendency has found rest
ing place theren and has been even the wish Of the
director TO place before the public such works should
elevate, and not debase the mind.
To the criticism the Venus your Tuesdays issue
would silently bow, deeming il the duty of the honest
journalist to express his feelings openly and fearlessly
but when shown that the gallery is supported
by ladies' only Of the arrival Of work you do
hesitate to declare mmooest, it is asked in all fairness
that you shall broadly publish the facsuch not the
We dare not resass at too great length on your
valuable space, but deem II right to add Mr.. Page
<hmser an Americap) is the recipient of the benefits
derived from the exhibition and which, owing to its great
success must prove gratifying to his numerous friends
and admirers here profitable 10 the artist
The question as TO its merits or dement's must be set
tied by the press and the public We do not dare to enter
on that point, but remain, sir, your obedient,
THE DIRECTOR
or the Dusseldorf Gallery.
As to the ladies who patfonize this work of
art, we can only say that it is all matter of
taste. Different persons have different opinions
of the proprieties Of life. In our Judgment the
exhibition of such a work is a dissertation of
art 1t seems there are troops of women, if not
men, who take great delight in it. In the South
Sea Islands the women would not only be not
abashed at seing nude Venus or Apollo ex-
hibited to public view, but they think it no
harm to go naked themselves We had hither-
to supposed that in Christian and civilized
communities such exhibitions were reprobated
by all but the abandoned; but ii seems we have
been mistaken. 1t appears from the state
ment in the foregoing letter that "the
wives and daughters of our most in
tellectual and wealthy citizens are the patrons
of indecent pictures, suited to the tastes and
habits of savage tribes We trust their hus-
bands and brothers will look more sharply
after them in the future.
In conclusion, we call upon the religious
press and the clergy of all denominations to
come out against the corrupting and impure
tendency of such exhibitions. They are most We
hement in their assaults upon the newsboys and
innocent Sunday recreations in the green fields
Let them turn their attention to game worthy o
their pursuit Or will they leave it to be said
of them, as it was said of their prototypes of
old, that ''they strain at gnat and swallow
camel?"-that they cannot stand the immortality
of alittle boy selling newspaper on Sunday,
but they bolt voluptuous nude Venus with
out the distortion of facial muscle, as a cro-
.codile would gobble naked beauty on the
banks of the Nile?