, 1864-02-19
Are any Of IIosarth,s Pictures Owned
In the United States.

1nele are ~ pltseuL On eXHioltlOn, at Tue
Mechanics Institute, three original paint
inge, said to be By Hogarth. The first is No.
Of the great Eattrfst's series Of the * sRakc's
Progress" The second, No. s Of the same
series. The third is the portrait Of an uu-
known gentleman. The story told by tbs cx-
h!bitors Is this: They say that Noa. and
Of the "Rake's Progress are not to be
years ago a gentleman named Smith-rathes
. common name-emigrated to the United
states, bringing, among other valuable works
Of art, the three pictures VIC have mentioned.
They descended to Ills grandson who, Is
years ago, pledged them for loan under
promise Of redemption after seven years.
printed account, Il Mrs. Stillmun, OF Rochcs-
ter, State OF New YORK, Is now tho owner Of
these pictures.'' In the inventory delivered
with them to the person with whom they
were pledged, they are sald to hare been de-
scribed as two. original pictures Of the
"Rake,s Progress" BY Hogarth> and the
munication has been entered into with the
directors Of the British Museum" who, as
We understand, will purchase them If gcnn-
Inc. They are now on their way to London,
hut, before they get there, 1t is sought to
"turn an honest penny" by exhibition.
Many Questions, Of course, natuE4liy occur
are really missing in England. So far as
these shown are concerned, 1t Is no use going
back further than Smith, the grandso1. Il
the document in which they were ennme-
rated twenty-five years ago were produ.ed,
It would 20 fur TO establish public conf
cd along with the pictures Then, to COM
pletc tile chain ofeVidence, It would be nc
. cessary to show how .Af1s. Stillman became
possessed Of them, Surely there must b:
some evidence Of the transaction Was 1t
b will, By purchase, BY gin, or by marriage?
case, b5 the production of the original docu-
ment, OF by tho testimony OF persons, re-
duced to writing aud duly authenticated
Other questions will arise as the matter is in
vestiEated. But there is another mode Of
establishing the validity Of the pictures-
Many people. upon looking at them, would
ut once say that, because they appear to have
Nothing Of the soTt. When NJ. Smith aTst
brought them to this continent, they may
then have been copies, for: aught we know.
Or further, they may even have been copied
in England, and sent here at much later
period. We doubt, If fraud has been per
petrated, that It has hnd its origin in America
for the simple and plasn reason, that our
ency In the art OF making old pictures appear
neW, In. England, France Italy and Ger
many, many men earn their livelihood by
tricks Of the sort. The cracks In the paint
are sometimes produced BY tho simple pro
cess OF baking IN IN oven, the hne Of old age
by the application Of MQuorice water, and It
requires a very large experience 10 detect
frauds Of the Kind There are plenty OF con-
noIsaenrs at home, the greater part Of " hose
lives lIs been given to the study Of old
paintings, who are quite competent to the
task and who will hare the advantage of
comparing those now here with other works
Of the great master. We have also In To-
ronto artists who will be able to pronounce
a trustworthy opinfon-t1ough upon sueh
matters, in country like Canada, it is very
e.ey to grow rusty In looking ut the
fIame Of the picture Of Chatham's ffiend, 1t
will be seen that 1t is considerably damaged:
The cracks at first sight appear too angular,
as though they had been pnrposely made, as
Il beggar sometimes makes rents in his
clothes,' that be may appear the more dilapi-
dated. It may be, however, and most proba-
bly, is, that these cracks OCCUR ut points
where the different SECTIONS Of the plaster
have been laid upon the wood work, These,
however, and other questions, we leave to
the learned in such matters. who will doubt
less discuss them; thoroughly. It would be
too had either to have the public deceived, or
to. allow Mrs. Stillman's agents to make a
journey to England for nothing.