The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-31

and officer, whom we have mentioned above;
by Alexander Edouart, by a. EastmNn, BY ID.
ID. Neal, and by several amateurs. Edourt, who
is still here, but following the more lucrative
business of photography, IS an artist of culture
and good taste, and has done some excellent
portraits and landscapes. He is q Fleming,
we believe. II. Eastman has produced some
good water-color drawings of California scenery
and is well kno Wn as an engraver on wood. ID.
ID. Neal, who was only eighteen years old when
he exhibited a landscape in 1857, has since
studied in Munich, where he married and nov
resides, and has made fine reputation as an
architectural painter. A picture by him at
tracled much attention at the exhibition of the
National Academy of Design, New York, 1866.
His medieval interiors 0riug good prices. Seve-
raj have been broughtto san francisco, where
also copies OF Photographic album ircm his
| drawings were sold IN 1865.
Half dozen good pictures from abroad and a
few rude attempts at sculpture were exhibited
In the Mechanics Fair OF 1867. The Art Com
mittee in their report expressed their surprise
and qualification at the rapid stride which the
! fine arts have made in our infant city," aud
! believed that the State possessed ian abundant
| artistic talent yearnng to evolve itselt and
! fertile as our soil, which only awaits the cult.
! waiting hand of taste and wealth 10 foster and
promote its growth Al the next annual Fair
! of the same society, IN 1858, the exhibit of pic
! lures and other art objects was certainly very
| numerous. Tue names already mentioned are
! found in the catalogue, and we find besides
| those OF Norton Bush who had view of Mount
! Diablo, in oil; Antoine Caveau, who exhibited
views in oil of the Yosemite aud Bridal Veil
| Falls; George Ii. Burgess, who had some original
| landscapes IN water color: L. j. Donnelly, who
! had several oil portraits, and +. A. Butman. All
| these names but those OF Claveau and Donnelly
| are well known, The latter had no real merit,
and is no longer living. The name of Mr.. But
man, who came here from Name, is honOrably
! identified with the first decided movement in the
direction OF what we may call native art for he
undoubtedly gave the first strong impulse to
| landscape painting in California. Although q
| few landscapes had been produced here at inter
| vals by Nahl, JeWett, and others, our resident
painters had, up to 1858, been Obliged to condne
| themselves mainly to portraiture, Nahl alone
doing variety OF work. Tue diversified
scenery of the State was full of inspiration, and
had been the theme of many glowing eulogies;
but no painter could afford TO make exclusive
reproduction of its beauties. Thomas A. Ayers,
OF New York, who was q man of much artistic
promise, commenced a determined experiment
in this line, but pershed untimey by shipwreck
He was the first individual to eXolore Yosemite,
pencil in hand, and 10 illustrate its wonders TO
the gaze of the world.
AS early as 1856 he had taken a series OF
drawings in the valley, which were engraved for
HutchlngS' Magazine, a work that during several
years of this period published many clever
illustrations OF California scenery and curiosi-
ties. The first large general view OF the Valley
| was drawn on stone by Charles Nahl from a
pastel sketch by Ayers, and painted in litho-
graphy by L. Nagel, in 1851 A set of ten OF
Ayers drawings was sold after his death, by his
friend for the benefit of his children for three
hundred dollars.
Butmau was discursive and enterprising in
the selection of his topics. He made many open
| air studies in color of the most notable noun
| tain aud valley scenes III this state and Oregon
| sand miles north of San Fran cisco and sailing
| some distance up the Columbia river Yosemite,
| the Mecca of all our artists, was Of course in.
cluded in his sketching journeys.