Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-05-07
Arr IN THE DISTRICT OF col
UMBIA. llo

ART IN THE DISTRICT or col
UMBIA. 1lo
Prepared BY Captnin y, q, Adams for
the ButtAp 0f Nstionai Educa'
tlon. lrl4l.t 'l N'ian'
-la ila55 irraopucfIor. ron Il' OBJ Y
4 We purpose In this report 70 oonflnb our
self chiefly 10 what has hocn done BY Com
4 gress for the encourag ement Of the hne arts
In this District Tho various purposes 70
which work. Of art may DO applied IN edu-
eating aud improving me eonahlol o. peo-
| pie, q stimuiating Industry, and Increasing
| he material wealth ofa nation BY giving u
| KILLED labor. AZ q eubieet Of 30 much I'M
| portancS IN our political economy ~ 10 de-
| hinnd thn Inost serious Attention OF our leg
| lalators. palntingss Illustrating the import
| ant events ID tho early history OF great
nailont lie rise and peogtess, Us achieve
menn In science aud utilization, belong to
Tho valuable legaoies Il leaves 70 posteIity
events illustrated by the artlst b heroic or
clyie In their character. 2l ' ~. ,.t
The sane may be said Of staiue, OF the
great men, who BY their wisdom, courage,
and foresight, gave US the form Of govern
ment under which wo have enjoyed freedom
and prosperity eQualled only by our great
nees AZ a nation. The people always 1nd
10 these subjects matter 10 Interest and lu-
struet themj and IN selecting works Of art
70 decorate the Capitol and OTHER public
buildings, our Efforts should not only DO
directed TO their ontortaiument and Improve
uient, but TO giving them what they can
readily understand and appreciate. hlo. {.
Il Is also essential that works OF art, To-
tended 70 perform 80 Important part iu
decorating o building that has cost tho peo-
pie 90 much money, and OF which they are
50 Justly proud, should DO executed by art,
lsts whose already established reputRtiohs
would DO a sufilelept guarantee fof the pro
per performance of thor works. Nothing
dlscourages real merit more than to sec pre-
tension patronised aud when the Govern
widely and dlsastfously felt.
By employing artists with cstabllahed
regulations the people give more tune aud
study TO their works and feel At the same
time that they have got something or real
valuo--something that faithfully expresses
the events they set out TO Mus tratc, In al.
ls.lliou TO thls, works OF art intended 10 dec.
crate the Capitol building OF a great and
rapidly progressing nation like outS, should
faithfully represent tho progress art has
from time 20 time made IN II. ny. p. ~
It's In buildings like these that the poo
pie look for and expect TO ind examples OF
the best artistic tnlent the country has pro-
duced. And hnless We employ the reeog-
nized talent Of the country We shall mlalead
the people az 10 what Il eau perform.
The question Of employing native artists
10 decorate the Capitol was ono which early
engaged the attention Of Congress. Some
Of our public men ., that time appreciated
The value 10. the people OF decorating the
Capitol with paintings Illustrating the moro
Important events OF the revolution, as well
as portraits 81 the tneti who figured proml-
nentiy init Bat they donbted the skill OF
American artists 10 produce anything OF the
kind successfully, aud were not for spending
thd peoples money On what might turn out
10 be only q costly experiment. Others
doubted the power of Congress 10 use the
peoples money for any such purpose. In
short, these latter regarded Il IA an attempt
on the part OF Congress 70 encourage Idle.
meas and make reckless expenditure Of the
peoples money! D. '- poi. t..-
The debates in Congress At that time on
art and employing American artists TO dec.
crate the Capitol are as novel rs they are
Instructive. They afford the student Of to-
day ready ard happy means OF contrasting
the great progress We have made In iitera-
ture, art aud science, as we'll as whatever
appertains 70 the vital and material wealth
OF nation, with what was predicted for
Il by some Of our public men, who saw the
/ lutuFe only tuclT Own CfNInpe0
We had even at that time two American
artists some In porlraiture, the other In land.
scapo--whose works had attracted consider
able attention both 10 this couptry and Eng
land. Indeed, Il must DO confessed that
they received q more generous and discrim-
mating criticism from Engllshmen than they
did at the hands OF Americana; for while the
one seemed capable ouly OF pointing at and
condemnlng their defects, the other found
something to praise In their merits. stu,
American art was In IL Infancy, and being
In lts infancy had few friends among men
In public or private life. And II Is SAFE "a
say that the few men Of wealth and taste
who patroulzed II did so more from respect
70 the artist personally, perhaps prompted
BY worthy feeling to relieve his neeessi,
ties, than for any intrinsic value they be.
llcved his works contained.
All this Is changed now. In no other
country has tho progress OF art been 40
rapid and complete as In the United States,
The American artist, II he be prudent aud
Industrious, no longer struggles against
that poverty o any believed inseparable from
his professicA, on The one side, and that
popular pr<pdlce which saw nothing AkIli.
ful that cShie Of American Industry, on the
other. % I'd 900 mrll cot 'EE on 10 'H'
Il cannot really be sAId that American ari
has received au encouraging hand from the
Government, aud yet it has struggled on
and established itself on a solid basis solely
on Its merits, The great and rapidly In.
| ereasing wealth OF our people; their I'm.
proved educatloni their more cultivated
Taste for works OF a substantial klnd4thcss
have contributed to furnish the American
artist OF reputation with remuneratiyo en-.
ployment. nn I..s f.'7" ".'
In nearly all Of our large citles American
i artists have established academies OF design
formed large aud Important societies for be-
nevolent add other purposes; built costly
and imposIDg edllces; have drawn around
them the wealth and talent Of their local.
tiesi and, Indeed, extended their influence
forgood over society generally. The NOR,
cultivated our taste for art bccomes, and th,
better We can get the people 70 understand
the valuable uses TO which art and scleneI
may be applied In securing wealth and pros
perlty, the better Il will be for the mAterla
wealth OF the nation. '. .."s l..-L
Our best landscape painters now ranl
equal, VI not superior, to the best OF Europe
and the works OF such men as Bierstadt
Church, lnnls and others have found patron
among the nobility Of England, and mucl
more appreclative and generous criticism a
the hands OF her critics than from those o
their own, country. Others, less publicly
known but equally meritorlous In their lines
haNb| AhNs = tNaANAcA aAA0 Auu Ao1NAN0u bghko
prices for their works abroad; and, indeed
have found Il to their advantage TO resld
there permanently. ... .as.. .r'
Tho statements hero made, we would sug
geat, should have some weight In shaping
the action Of Congress when IL comes i
consider what encouragement hAll be give
TO American art In decorating the Capitol.
THE TEUMBULL PICTURES,
John Trumbnll, commonly called Colone
John Trumbull, Of Connectlcut-a Stat
claiming at that tlmo TO have given to tn
country the frst historical painter Ii had pre-
duced-has been nearly two years endeayoi
Ing 70 enllstthe sympathles Of Congress 4
behalf Of American art and securing from
an order to paint four pictures representa-
important events In the Revolution. N
succeeded at last, with the aid OF indueutIa
friends, 10 convincing Congress, hoWeVe
grand and Imposing public building nigh
DO, Internal decoration was necessary /
make Il attractive to the people and con
, plete as a whole.
Studies Of several Of these subjects mad
hW nnfnnal REaN.ls,,II1b .,,,f l., a.