The New York herald., 1869-12-10
A PICTURE MlSER,
The late Thomas Thompson's Gailery-The
Most Valuable CoIie ction of Paintings in the
C0untry--Lccentricities of a Wealthy Con-

(From the BOSTON Post, Dec. 81

MOSt SalnnDie CGAectiOn Oh faln!Ihxs III INC
Countryside -Lccentricities OF Wealthy Con-
n0isseur.
From the Boston Post Dec. 81
THE FINEST GALLERY IN THE COUNTRY.
IL is not generally known that the most extensive
ana undoubtedly most valuable collection OF oil
paintings ever owned III the Unlteu Slates is IN tho
City Boston and belongs to tue estate Of tue lasa
Mr.. thomas Thompson, o man wen known 10 all
Bostonians for ms great wealtn ana many eccentrlo
Ties. 1t VIII be remembered THAT Mr. THOMPSON
wear. and the singular beauests made IN his
VIII were but another instance OF the pecuiarl-
Ties which marked tho man through lle. lie was
lover of the fine arts from ms youth. and at
the time OF the burning OF the fremont Temple. III
March, 1892, lie lost by the con6agsaaon a fine art
collection which had cost him upwards OF $4,000,
and this, be II remenDereo, was at a time when
money was gold and everything was cneap. THIS
misfortune Tor a time discouraged him, but lie could
not overcome his tastes and nabiis III hall dozen
years his new collection was greater than tne one ne
nId lost. Occupying the entiie building over the Old
store OF Messrs Joan !. Brown 4 Son, Washington
street near The Boylston Market consisting OF more
tnan dozen rooms, the prtares not only covered
walls but were poslIiyey kept IN lilies 50 tnat
1t is pr baby SAID with rath tnat besides the
owner no one ever saw Tue entire collection or any
thing approaching the whole oil IL. Some OF our old
cl1ens, presidents Of the banks and Insurance COM
pan.cs wnere MI Thompson did business, artists
ana literary men, occasionally nvited 10 pass
an afternoon or often an entire aay among these
treasures, but they are unanimous IA the expression
traits oi citizens and trends notable personages
copies or tae Old masters and many undouOLed
originals, best specimens Of the Eagilsn, Freacn,
Itaan. Dutcn, and III TACT every school. No artist
picture dealer taat dld not at times nave lransac-
ions with this man. The poor artist 1ound nlnl
appreciatlve and kindly critic and reserved liberal
price; ms object then was TO AID the artist aud ad
vance the cause OF art. The professional dealer
found HIM n diIerent man eniireiy No one quicker
detected q cheat or demanded more Tor ms money,
but as 1t was always known that with hun market
could be found 1T q price, ana tue pay was cash
In hand, ne c-stomer not 10 be
giecreo. Among the vast col cction are many
winch nad been sold previously Ior as many
tlousauds there are aso many for whicn MIR.
Mnicn are perhaps to-day worth greatly more. No
celection known Is so rare and rcn III original PIC
tues. AS some men are mscrs Of money, TINS &C.
centric person was mser with hIs pictures; ne
loved them ms lie, ana he Kept them jeaousY TO
hniseir. PROBABLY not hundrea persons have ever
seen them and an apphcaiion to nlin for that pur-
pose was almost invariably met with pullte but
studiea evasion Of compliance VITA the request.
Nit. THOMPSON AND THE ASSESSORS.
Nearly ten years ago Mir. Thompson, although
a BostonIan ana the son and last d.scendant OF
an Old Boston family, turned his back on
determination never to set his foot In 1t
again. Tnis resolve he strictly adnercd to, and
though he lived months, almost years. IN Sa.em,
Meulord. Cambridge and other ne guporIng places,
ms properly consisted Of real estate III almost
every street. yet he never once permitted himself 10
Boston or even TO speak OF doing he ceased
70 know the nome OF his youth, to correspond with
his lrends, and many citizen has found by exper.-
ence how strict were his orders and how strictly
compiled with to his business agelt thai no me
should be posted or his whereabouts. He wante d
neither to see nor near Of place where although
had spent the best lart OF Ills lie. lie considered he
been SupeCtet TO Sill MS, want VI consider
aon. and, IN his opinlon. positive abuse. The
Tins feeling arose, IL Is believed, principally from
trouee with the assessors upon questions OF taxes,
and those VINO best knew the Iacts consider his
grounds Tor 1eeilng as he did not wholly
without foundation. From the day he left the
city he ceased to buy pictures. The artist lost q
good Trend, and picture yenders missed their
best customer. The entire coecuon was slowed
away ana IRON that day 10 this has been securely
guarded from every eye until within the past month.
Mr. j. Harvey Young, the wei known portrait
painter, ana director OF the Fine Arts Exhloiton Of
Boston Atheneum, was empoyed, by order OF the
eXecuirix. 10 examine ana catalogue the collection
TIE ONLY pEgsoS WHO HAS SEEN THE GAL, ERy.
MIR. Young Is probably the only living man who
has all these pictures They are stored IN Ful
ton street, most unpromising place. and build
Ing which no one would suspect OF beng sucn a
repository. Mr.. ioung asserts tat although he had
In his youth some knowledge of tnenl, and mad him-
sell contripYed one or Two Efforts. yet when ne
entered the uhiiding and found sucn Immense piles,
close packed one against another tier altertier, and
moor above floor he was aghast, and, aitnougn de-
yoting to the work all the spare time whlcu the
demands Of his profession allowed, and having all
the assistance he required yet weeks were needed
before any thing Ike a list could be prepared.
VALUED AT HALF A MILLION.
Bicrsladt, the artist. who knew Mr. Thompson
wen, and oil whose own paintings there are some
dozen more, ex presses an opinion that similar
collection cannot now he put together for hall a
million dollars. No nall in Boston Is sufficiently
by the fact when tney were removed to Their pre-
sent resting place the actual cost o. carthage was
The collection 10 New York, where it vii snortIy be
TAKEN less than ten freight cars Will he required
even II packed close without boxing or the waste OF
any supernnous room.
Upon tue catalogue made by Mr. Young arc found
signed pictures OF all schools, many unquestoned
OF ginals by suca artlsts Sit Char,es Eastake,
Thomas Lawrence sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Peter
Lely, godfrey hnecr, Allan Ramsey, George NOR
land, Gansborough Philips, uogarth, Meadows,
Ely Turner Nasmyth kumncy, Ope, Copley Stew
art Newton and Stoddafd, Of the English school,
and Boucner. Lambmet, De Bufe, Mlgnard Baron,
Burne, lsapey, De Dreux OF Inc French. 1talian,
Dutch anu German are represented by Schldoni,
GuercinO genlcrs, Seebacn, Paul ZuccaIe ell, VAN
dyke. Van 0sade, Diaz, Boucher. Van Mas and
been MADE famous and original pictures from whose
hands have become tare. there are large number |
OF copies and originals by the most celebrated
urtlstes OF the hCertn sixteenth anu seventeenth
centuries sucn as lltian, Renlorandt kupens ana
others. Many pictures Of the beauties or Boston and
~ American society buried beneath the weight
OF superintendent picouies ana viii bo brought to
the arr anu sunshine once more
AMERICAN ARrisTs--TIE SLEEPING BEAUTY.
American artists are largely represented, ana
many OF Inc early works Of men now famous may
be found here some OF the giving ne early promise
OF genus no " at Its zenith. Jnc names or SuDy,
lnuiau, Blerstadt Durand Brown Peale, Hart,
brch, Doughty. and nearly every one who was
known ten years ago. mas be iounn iarueiy repre-
seniel on the catalogue lhe very 'ast picture
added TO the collection was the SlcepinR Beauty"
by wight or this city. II was purchased by Mr.
Thompson before 1t was finished ior the sum OF
$3DOD the artist retaining the right OF exh1Dtlon
FOR certain time. After being on view ut the rooms
over TO the business agent of the absent purchaser
who never saw In IT'S finished state, and since
which time the beautiful GulDeth has had supple
mentArr sleep OF near half scoro 0f YearA