New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-11-13
TINE ARTS.
an. 20 RELIEF COLLECTION.

-.ra.4 A.. most hopeless sufferers by the
CAi.ogo vrrr ,ts artists. An Academy Of Art
nv ...rtlv been established in the city. and under
10" .,.,,ns of wealth and taste spirited and prom
tnohool of artists was growing up. Their annual
AN.S gave Inof decided merit and origin
80 the public spirited citizens with Just pride
.s.,oged their ra;iNc talent with Liberal ORDERS
CIV %ir5Iy appreciation. But the fire put an end TO
80. Not Onh I'D the artists OF chicago loSe
=. ~ their plotu,nCrs IN tho flames thS' ue-
.A their ST. los and their Academy Ous
49,. s.,r sWept out Il existence IN nlSnt tnen
'nti-s field Of lab 7. There IS no money 10 UhC"so
% dsy 70 buy pict res; u VIII DC tons o.
W-uey uonv If ,Lc,e artists who on the sth OF Oc-
any, 80 "a Tow. ni with confidence to q career OF
WV ioI and t;bo work. now find themselves
oous 80 Ia net u walt The artists OF New
80 nv u Generous sympathy for their I'M
~ .,o hro,b1,l. cf tie Wet, have Literally con-
,sI ~ their own pr dCCti1ns TOR their relief
roo,on n,,Lr fer tLis purpose is to-day open
~ TIT a, tlr au,tion rOCIls Of Leavltt d Co.,
70 'I - rloce The Cntiro collection which IN
Al .or,s sycell mt Ictures, will be sold on Thurs
so,,a,orino the Iatu. and we hope the result may
Gay 80 consolation tn Chicago and encourage
,,eDt TO the studios oil NeW-lOIK'
TIE tATLIN GALLERY.
collection of po!tInitS ard sketc6cs UNIQUE IN
~ World is now IL tNE'li,ioh at the Somervlie
Cauo-v in Fif:h..,c. Mr. George Catlin has IN
"nsi +o,nnoraril in t,s hall his collection Of
~ The ab.nrilal ihcs of America, and no
-. .bonld omit ,i.:t ~ tbs remarkable gallery.
ras the intention If l'az1c, in his Coincide HUI
..;,, n give 81 complete rctnre Of French society
a. tbs nineteenth century that il all other literature
s.sed TO exist All exact presentation of the life ana
manners Of the age could be gained from that WORK.
plan 40 gigantic WIS., e course, impossible OF nc
oomnlishneut but even this colossal fragment Is the
most considerable Contribution ever made 70 phllo
sonhical fiction. The Plan which MIR. Catnn
forty wears ago proposed tc himself was OF the same
sweeping character, though far more Practicable he
resolved to preserve. a. far as 1t was possible the
faces forms costumes. aud manners OF the vanish
ing races Of America 80 that when the EXTINCTION
which threatened them hal oyertakeu them, the
world could at least know fiom his pictures what
manner Of men they WERE The plan, though ambi-
tOus and Rudaciuns, WAS not ah"gether
visionary; for, uf.cr all the number Of tribes
was not very great. and their habits ana
customs were far e:ls,r TO seize and dCncate than
those Of our complex civilization. He went cour-
sreousy about his work and for fourteen years. living
constantly among the savage tribes of the two CON
tneuts pursued II with passionate devotion. The
resnlt IA TO be seen nj SOmcryic Gallery. The col
lection embraces co oil paintings containing 40
porrsts and more than $4,000 figures of the Indians
Of the two Americas.
twill be impossible in these columns TO give even
3 classification Of vast variety of sketches.
But large the collection is, there is very little
repetition, very few dup icates 1t is most in
suctive page Of pictorial history. Already the pre-
vision Of the artist has been proved by the facts.
and some Of the most interesting tribes have already
ceased to exist The group of keokuk and Black
Hawk" has already gnined q high historical in
tersst with the extinction Of their families and the
desperation of their tribes. The four days religious
ceremonies Of the Mandaus are In the highest de-
gree interesting and important in view Of their close
relations with the sef-tOrtureU OF the
Oriental sects These ceremonies have &C
utterly ceased with the disappearance Of
the tribes which practiced them, that
ortain Indian experts have accused Mir. Cathn OF
hyenting them-a charge which he readily dis
moved by the evidence Of intelligent pioneers and
SOsh accurate observers as Humboldt and Neuwied.
No ~ u q singular sketch of Chicago as it was
xhsnM Mr. Catlin first visited that city-s group OF
WinnShagOes dancing on the grass. and only three
huussa By the lakeside No. 2S4 is portrait OF one
q those superb Crow warriors who have long since
vanished. He d oiling bis long black har. which
reaches Ike horse tail banner to the ground and
tails there for several feet. Very curious, also, Is
the portrait Of EltoDo o chief Of the Apaches, who
altar long persuasion consented to stand for his pic
ture BE came to the artist surrounded by his wives
and rOtaineB, and threw his rich vestments
around among them until he stood naked, or only
clad in his wai-paint. Paint me" he shouted to
NJ. Catlin; my clothes can DO seen always, but l
h8L pass away" One Of the most characteristic
sketches Is that Of the Ndch-e-o-0 or Dance Of
Beauty, with which the artist was favored By the
Chief Of the Gooagives Of Venezuela Three young
prA dressed in a severely simple costume of brace
lets aud silver har-piBs, their red limbs wbitened
with pipe-clay 70 resemb BILE statues dancing on
carpet of tger-skins in the fresh morning light on
the prairie and form pretty enough group of South
American graoes There is one bit Of savage satire
In the picture Of a Crow Chief on his way to Wash
ngtOn, and the same parsonage on his way back
The first picture il full of dignity and
even beauty. 1t is hard to conceive of q
more impressive costume than that superb one of
furS and feathers. But the portrait of the unfor-
unate chief after his visit to the Great Father Is
to- grotesQue for caricature, and is evidently true.
He wears full cOlOnel's uniform, given him by
Jackson, the sword drags between his gTOggy legs,
. bottle of whisky prOtrudes from his pocket, q
black hat dsgraees his head. and cigar slants row.
Oily toward his eyebrow. This is what civilization
hAs done and s doing for these picturesque savages
We should be very grateful TO Mr. Catlin that he
caught them before they began to look like Caucs
sisn losfers and to dress themselves from the sloD
ahOps Of the Pale-faee.