Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-01-17
BIERsTADr.
Visit 80 fhe Painters studio al irving
tsa "a the Isudxsn.

/ Correspondent Of the National Intelligence.
Bierstadt. the great American land
! scape painter, the man whose brush has
4 made us all familiar with tine grandeur
/ Of Rocky mountain scenery, Is the last
ACQUISITION iryinEt0n has made. High
up on the top of q prominent hill, about
/ two miles east Of, hut in sight OF sunny
I side. and with the solid rock for found
alton, this clever artist has built him q
/ castle Of dark hewn granite. lt il a
{ huge, indizcri usbie pile, All architectural
Oddity.
The astist was his own architect and
I I venture 20 assert he lass given TO the
science 2 new, Il not very harmonious
/ feature. To describe the figure it cuts
on the ground, you would need TO have
I the last great work on geometry st your
elbow. Il has more sharp, short lines
and acute angles than any other house
within nay knowledge. ] have studied
il from almost every point Of view,
without finding much in it TO admire.
Indeed. II was some time before I dis
covered what our friends real object was
in building it. AT first sight IL struck
me as being built IN three sections, and
put together as the convenience Of the
owner demanded.
Then It occurred 70 me that Mr. Biers-
tadt whose mind takes q military turn
now sud then, had been studying Prof.
Mahan ou Qualifications, aud got re-
doubts, iuuettes, Varapets, traverses, enl-
brasures and ep4uiments, 80 mixed up
in his admiration that be had them iu-
corporated in his architecture; in short,
that he had built his house with a view
10 q war with England OF France, when
il could be very readily converted into
fortress. and made to perform q con-
spicu0us part in defending the position.
The walls are certainly thick enough,
and the " iudOws are so arranged that
guns mounted in them would sweep the
country on three sides, as well as COM
manC the river. Three galleries or We
randahs stretch along tie many sides of
the first, second sad third stories Of this
house, afiordiug an excellent opp0rtu-
nifty for promenade IN suFLSjer. Then
there is a lookout on the lr0nt, and an
immense cUpOi8, the distance from the
top cf which is eiglty-JwO feet. As may
be imagined the views obtained from
this cupoIs are Of the finest kind. OF "a
clear morning you can see New York on
the south ut you, the hills Of West
Point on the north OF you, while tower
ing high in the far west Is SChOOiey
mountain, I'm New Jersey.
lie: us look into the interior Of this
artists palace. What fixes the attention
here is the completeness with which
every bit Of work is finished. On the
north side Of the building is an immense
studio, sixty-eight by farty-tWO ieet, and
thirty-siX feet from the floor 10 the CEN
ter Of the dome. Broad windows eE-
tend down the sides, and are SO arranged
that the light can be graduated to suit
a B. . H# a.. ..
artist A snug little gallery runs across
the west end OF this studio, which is
finished iu the most substantial manner
with walnut and hard pine. This studio
opens west into library thirty by
fOrty-twO feet, finished ia the same sub
stan6al manner, and with large case
mated windows overlooking the river
and country below.
Above this is another studio with all
the Necessary appliances, and which
Bierstadt sets apart for any artist friend
who mEy chance % be bis guest. On
the lower moor, and directly under the
library, Is an elegantly fiiJed-Gp billiard
saloon, and also a room that may be used
for private theatricals. The heating and
yeutl4ting apparatus are Of the aOst
ingeuius and complete kind. as are also
the gas fixtures for lighting the studios
and library. Indeed, the house ia al its
parts is q curiosity We'll worth seeing.
Here, then, are literature and art blend
ing their gentle and refining influences
with the wealth and the enterprise Of
New York, and Increasing the social
charms Of IrviBgtOn. / ought 10 add,
also, that the domestic, or family portion
OF the house, a. Bierstadt calls DC, is on
the south side, and consists of at least a
dozen large and elegantly furnished
rooms.