Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-01-02
NARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.

NARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
A Rare Miniature OF tho ia pless Q uee .
Its Curious HtstOry.
Correspondence of tho N. 7. Evening Post
RICHMOND, December s, l872.-It is
said by those who are familiar will,
the subject that there is no authentic
likeness of the beautiful and unhappy
daughter of James the First. The
portrait which hangs in Holyrood Pal
ace, and the Lochleven picture owned
by the Earl of Merton and copied in
Lodges Portraits, are alike of doubt
fnl authenticity. Convinced that there
was not in the United Kingdom any
picture OF Mary drawn from the origi-
nal, Chalmers, who wrote her biography,
caused an ideal likeness to be painted
i'll which the best and most correct
features of the various portraits and
sketches found in England, France and
Scotland were, rs he conceived, happily
blended. This ideal, together with
the Lochlcvcn picture, were inserted
in his biography.
When Elder, an artist of thls citv.
had decided to paint a picture of Mary
on her way to the block, he naturally
applied at the State Library for the
best likeness Of his subject which the
books then could furnish. Dissatisfied
with tho engraving in Lodge he turn
ed to Chalmers, and found, to his re-
greet, that both of the pictures which
it originally contained lad been cut
out by some artistic thief. In despair
he was about to return to his studio
when gentleman who happened to be
present said:
~ can tell you where you will find
the most perfect likeness of Mary
Queen of Scots that have ever seen !;
finer than that at Holyrood, with which
I am familiar"
"Where z" the artist asked eagerly.
" In this very city; at Mrs. -'s,"
giving the number of the house ana the
street.
A ROMANTIC HISTORY.
Hearing of this incident, your cor
respondent sought an interview with
the gentleman just mentioned, and in
the conversation which ensued learned
the history of the picture in question.
It is sufficiently curious. Forty or
more years ago Mr.. Joseph Mayo (for o
long time Mayor of Richmond), then q
young lawyer, net in the street an old
lady exposed to q drenching shower.
He promptly offered his umbrella.
Thanking him for the courtesy, she
asked his name and residence, in order
that she might know where to send the
umbrella after she reached home. He
gave the desired information, the UNI
brella was returned aud the matter
forgotten. A few days afterwards
he received note requesting him
to call at such house in a certain
street. On entering, he was greeted
cordially by the old lady whom he had
befriended, and, to make a brief story,
the interview resulted in his becoming
her attorney for life. She proved to be
a widow, of Scottish birth, named
Kerr. Her property was large, and her
conversation and every surrounding
showed her to be woman of extraor.
binary taste. culture and refinement.
Her son and only child was lunatic.
OF her history previous to her coming
to this country the present writer has
been able to ascertain nothing whatso-
ever. Mr.. Mayo had charge Of all her
business matters up to the time of her
death, which must have occurred FIVE
and-thirty years ago. She was then
ninety.
iature of Mary Queen of Scots. This
miniature, she declared, had been in
her mothers family ever since she
could remember; was an heirloom, in
deed, of many generations, and she
priced it beyond all her other posses.
sions. That she did not leave it to her
crazy son is not to be wondered at;
but why it was not bequeathed to some
other relative is mystery. This rare
picture-the age of which is only mat
ter of COM ecture-your correspondent
had the pleasure of examining a few
evenings ago.
THE MINIATURE.
Originally the miniature was encased
in heavy ugly wooden frame, discol.
ored by age, but without paiat or var
nish. As likeness it resembles some-
what the Lochleven portrait, but is
very much more beautiful. The ex-
preston is wholly different. As work
of art it is unquestionably OF high
order of merit. From the long but not
prominent chin the face rises in rap
idly widening oval to a brow massive
and broad, shaded by curls of the most
exquisite auburn, graceful, delicately-
penciled curls, in which the unknown
artist discovers masters skill. He
was III love with that hair, and we'll he
might be. The brows are arched. the
eyes of decided brown are wide
apart as the o1-eyed Hera's, the
nose broad but finely cut, the lips
handsomely carved but urskilfully
colored, and the complexion clear and
pale, with the faintest tint of the rose
near the cheek-bone. A coquettsh hat
of straw, worsted or other light brown
material-it is hard to tell what-cov.
ers her head. The ruff is unlike any
other, broad, deeply cnt in points, and
beautifully worked; it lies fiat on her
shoulders, displaying part of her fair
throat and adding great to the effect
of the picture. It is drawn together
under the chin little way by q white
cord with tasselled ends depending on
her breast. Her dress, of which only
% 0AAuA pOAGAOI Chu NC Sc0u, 10 ut8Tks
solid indigo blue. The express
sion is mild even to tenderness,
and wistful withal. It is Mary in her
softest mood. The fires and vivacity
which one would expect to find in her
face are wholly wanting, but the edge
of the fire is seen in the embered au-
burn hair, the long chin tells it's tale of
strength, and the angle of the ear, to-
gether with the general conformation
OF the head, betrays the leonine
breadth of the occiput. The lioness is
all there, but asleep. In the wide,
compact forehead, brain enough is dis.
covered to justify Schiller's magnifi-
cen conception of the interview in the
garden with Elizabeth, and pauau-
schek's no less magnificent rendition
of it.
Such is the picture and such the i'm
preston it produced upon your CORE
spondent. Who painted it, when, un-
der what circumstances, and how it
came into the Kerr family, are ques.
tions unanswered. That the miniature
Is authentic and trustworthy as q like.
ness taken from the living face of
Mary, one, in looking at it, might easi-
" believe. But this is not asserted.
That it is unique, very old and rare,
there can be no question whatever.