The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-12-30
Portrait Of King William BY MARI
From the Galaxy for January.


out feeling a wild, tempestuous ambi
ton to be an artist. I have seen thous
, ands and thousands of pictures in my
of them in the galleries of Europe-but
never any that moved me as the Galaxy
portraits do.
There is-a portrait of Monsignore
Capel in the November Galaxy; now
could anything be sweeter than that
And there was Bismarck's, In the Octo-
Der number; who can look at that with
out being purer and stronger and no
bier for it7 And Thurlow Weeds pic
ture in the September number; would
|. not have died without seeing that, no,
mot for anything this world can give.
But look back still further and recall
my own likeness as printed in the Au-
gust Galaxy; if had been in my grave
a thousand years when that appeared,
l would have got up and visited the ar
tist
1 sleep with all these portraits under
my pillow every night, so that I can go
on studying them as soon as the day
dawns in the morning. 1 know them all
as thoroughly as if I had made them
myself; 1 know every line and mark
about them. Sometimes, when compa-
ny are present, / shuttle the portraits all
up together, and then pick them out
one by one and call their names, with
out referring to the printing at the bot
! tom. I seldom make q mistake-never,
when 1 am calm.
I have had the portraits framed for a
long time, waiting till my aunt gets
everything ready for hanging them up
in the parlor. But first one thing and
then another interferes, and so the
thing is delayed. Once she said they
would have more of the peculiar kind
of light they needed in the attic. The
old simpletonl it is as dark as tomb
up there. But she does not know any
thing about art, and so she has no rev.
erence for it. When / showed her
my 'Map of the Fortifcations of
Paris, " she said it was rubbish
Well, from nursing those Galaxy por-
traits so long, have come at last to
have perfect infatuation for art I
have teacher now, and my enthusi-
asm continually and tumultuously
grows, as learn to use with more and
more facility the pencil, brush, and
graver. am studying under De Nell
vile, the house and portrait painter.
His name was Smith when he lived
West. He does any kind of artist
work q body wants, having q genius
that is universal, like Michael Angelo.
Resembles that great artist, in fact.
The back of his head is like his, and he
wears his hat-brim tilted down on his
nose to expose it.
have been studying under De Nell
vile several months now. The first
month / painted fences, and gave gen.
eral satisfaction. The next month I
whitewashed barn. The third, was
doing tin roofs; the fourth, common
signs the fifth, statuary to stand be-
fore cigar shops. This present month
is only the sixth, and am already on
portraitsi
The humble offering which accom-
panies these remarks-the portrait of
his Majesty William III, King of Prus-
sia-is my fifth attempt in portraits,
and my greatest success. 1t has re-
ceived unbounded praise from all class
es of the community, but that which
gratifes me most is the frequent and
cordial verdict that it resembles the
Galaxy portraits. Those were my first
love, my first admiration, the original
source and method of my art-ambition.
Whatever am in art to-day, 1 owe to
the Galaxy portraits. 1 ask no credit
for myself deserve none. And I
never take any, either. Many strangers
have come to my exhibition (for have
had my portrait of King William on
exhibition at one dollar ticket, and
would have gone away blessing me if I
had let them, but never did. I always
stated where got the idea.
King William wears large bushy side
whiskers, and some critics have thought
that this portrait would be more COM
plete if they were added. But it was
not possible. There was not room fer
side whiskers aad epaulettes both, and
so L let the whiskers 60, and put In the
epaulettes, for the sake of style. That
thing on his hat is an eagle. The
Prussian eagle-it is a national en-
blem. When say hat mean helmet;
but it seems impossible to make pic
ture of helmet that body can have
confidence in.
wish kind friends everywhere would
aid me in my endeavor to attract little
attention to the Galaxy portraits. I
feel persuaded it can be accomplished,
if the course to be pursued be chosen
with Judgment. 1 write for that maya
zine all the time, and so do many abler
men, and if I can get the Galaxy por-
traits into universal favor, 1t is all I
ask; the reading matter will take care
of itself.
COMBINATIONS OF THE PORTRAIT.
There is nothing like it in the vati-
can. PIUs *.
1t has none of the vagueness, that
dreamy spirituality, about it, which
many of the first critics of Arkansas
have objected to in the Murrilo school
of art. RUsKIN.
The expression is very interesting.
J. w. TITAN.
(Keeps a macaroni store in Venice,
at the old family stand.)
1t is the neatest thing in still life I
have seen for years. Rosa BoNHEUR.
The smile may almost be called
unique. BISMARCK.
Inever saw such character portrayed
in picture face before.
DE MELVILLE.
There is benignant simplicity about
the execution of this work which warns
the heart towards it full as much as it
fascinates the eye. LANDsKER.
One cannot see it without longing to
contemplate the artist.
FRRDRIcK WILLIAM.
Send me the entire edition, together
with the plate and original portrait, and
name your own price. And, would you
like to come over and stay awhile with
Napoleon at Wilhelmshohe2 it shall
not cost you cent WILLIAM I'LL
A LIBRARY IN ONE VoRUNH-Among
the mountains of Virginia, sometime
since, the writer of this, met man on
horseback, behind him, and attached
to his saddle, was a large package,
which he seemed to guard with pecu-
liar care. "You appear to have great
treasure attached to your saddle we
remarked. " Yes, SIR" was the re-
sponse-" Yes, sir, I have been over to