The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-09
A PICTURE MISER.
Half Million Dollars Worth OF Rare Pnint-
inRs HOHrdeG by an uArt-WOrshiDper-No Eyes
Except His Own Permitted to see Them.

Half a Million DoIIars' Worth o. Rare Paint @
Except His Own Permitted to See Them.
Readers will remember that short time ago was
chroniced the death OF Lyman Allyn, miser, who
died in New Jersey, worth probably a million of
dollars. A mser died in New York in the spring of
the present year. no less remarkable for the sngu-
lar turn of his mind-perhapS more remarkable
than was Mr. Allyn. This gentleman was Mr. Thomas
Thompson, who for years mad been collecting and
boarding pictures and packing them away until at his
death, his gallery was worth about half million OF
dollars. From early youth he had been lover of the
fine arts, and, at the time Of the burning Of Tre-
mont Temple, at Boston, in the year 1852, he lost
pictures which were valued at about S92 000 Not
discouraged at this misfortune he again set to work.
and in a short time had a collection more valuable
than even his former one, and one which occupied
more than dozen rooms in an old building in
Washington street, in the neighborhood Of the Bos-
ton Market These pictures were not only hung on
the walls but were packed away in piles and 1t is
probable that he himself was the only person who
ever got look at them after they had come into his
possession.
In this collection are not only fine portraits OF Mr.
doubted originals, of the best English, Dutch
French, and Italian schools He was always fond
of befriending poor artists, and bought many of
their works. but was very sharp at detecting fraud
and evidently understood the business of collector
Very few persons-perhaps not over hundred
have ever seen the collection.
About ten years ago lr. Thompson left Boston,
| and although he possessed large amount of real
estate in that city, never again returned 1t, pass
ing most of his time at Cambridge, Salem and Med
ford. So deeply rooted had become his aversion to
the Club" and its people that he would not
respond with them, and gave strict orders to his
agents that his whereabouts should never be dis
closed; he was even unwilling to hear of the place
where, he said, he had been subjected to slight and
ndignity After leaving Boston he ceased entirely
to purchase pictures, and his entire collection was
slowed away and seduousy guarded from every eye.
About month ago the eXecutrix Of his estate en-
poyed Mr. j. Harvey Young, the portrait painter, to
examine and catalogue the collection, which, accord
ing to the opinion Of Mr. Bierstadt, could not now be
equalled at less expenditure than half million OF
dollars. The pictures soon to be brought to New
York, and not less than ten freight cars will be re-
| quired to transport them.
| In the collections are pictures said to be unques-
toned originals by such artists as Sir Charles East
| lake, Thomas Lawrence, Sir Joshua Reynolds Sil
| Peter Lely, Hogarth, Meadows, C0pley, and Turner
| of the English school; Boucher Lambinet, Mlgnard
and De Dreux, of the French; while the German
| and Italian and Dutch schools are represented b.
| Seebach, Schidoni, Guercino Vandyke, Van Mas
| ntharG.