St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-12-04
The Julian Scott Picture.


truth about this last elephant the State
of Vermont has invested in, but what 1t
does tell it says quite fOrcihly:
The inotlensive people of the State of
Vermont have. during the past two
months. been compelled to hear Il great
deal about Julian ScOtt's Great War
Picture" the Battle of Cedar Creek,
painted for the State under Il JOINT res
olution adopted three Years ago, direct
ing the governor to contract with Scott
for some picture of the kind. The sum
mentioned in the resolution to he paid
was $4,000, and that amount has been
paid. but it is claimed that the picture
cost more to produce than was original
ly proposed, that it has i'll fact cost
Scott, reckoning his expenses while ut
work upon it, but not counting his
time, considerably over 5000, and that
the good faith of the State was pledged
t" pay him more than that sum. We
seem to remember that ut ut the outset
Mr.. :. talked about giving" his time,
but no matter for that. He finally
painted the picture and struck Tor
money. And instead of doing that 10y
simply putting III bill and going before
the committee with his ShOwi ing. which
would have given him something with
no trouble, he went at il as if he were
substituting IL railroad. getting cheap
putfs into the ewspapers. and finally
getting powerful lobbying interest at
Montpelier; and when the bill came up
in the House it appeared that he had
secured the aid OF every lawyer in it.
even the speaker taking the floor and
advocating that tuppcnny matter at
length an attention which he gave no
other measure during the session. And
all the organic new spapcIS were filled
with praise of Scott and of the picture
Scott originally sought for $lO.nOO. hut
the amount WAS reduced To S5UW before
it WAS discussed in the House. and III
that discussion the House spent first
and last, TWO or three Thousand dollars
worth of time. The bali opened last
Friday Afternoon. and after the hottest
debate of the session Nh. Buell. of Mid
dlctutI offered an amendment >ub>titU-
tim" S2JilO for SJOID. and Mr. BurIl was
Kissed clown. The kissing had tine mat
ulal effect of bringing about IA prompt
dismissal OF the hill. y vote of CclISIIrc
of the kissing WAS passed i'll the evening.
and the ncNt day MI. Burll moved II re
consideration of the vote Diminishing the
bill. he motion WAS made Il special
order fuI Tuesday morning. when the
vote WAS reCon>ldtTcd and the hill
passed amended to give SlOtO. and the
Senate comcurring. Mr.. Scott gets >!WOO
toI IL picture which is after all not much
W"I>e. either as To merit or position.
than l.aIkm Mcad's yIINcn image. ou
4 In ten l. I,.I
ing, thnugh. To SEC the state ..rncour-
aye Vermont artists hl pay ing them It"
spoil good paint and canvass in that
Way. while it keeps its books. which
include the only law library OF con-r-
Iucncc III Vermont. i'll a rat hole. and
permits the Historical >ocictl'> collcc-
Iiun> to Ice slowed away in dust bins
where tho! aIr quite useless.
Concerning the picture: Scott i II
Vermont boy VIII" served in the army
during the Rebellion. and hence il seems
I" Ice assumed that the picture i Il great
and perfect W"lh of ant. and any one
~ Ii" ventures to cIitici>c il in ANY re
>pc,t l. held up To ~cuIm ~ an uupatri-
"tic >c"licI and Il hrlctic: but the pie
turr l. nevertheless without the approx
al of ANY single human being Whu>r
Judgment of such things j. entitled Ia
the least respect. a. ii dlwIl, viii hc
Nj. Scott plainly has Il good deal of
natural ability III the line at ll- work
and he painted Il ',altlr piece with the
very gIcat advantage "t HAY ing seen
what he tIicd to represent. With
twenty Years at stud, Ia. might paint II
picture which would hc Il credit to him
and To the state. but This thing is mel
IL A., 4
could not he Good work. whether in
the line of pi,trIc making OF store max
Iuy. OF any thing ri>,. done 10y men. i
always the result with OF without nat
uraj aptitude. of patient study and
practice. aud of nothing else. No man
ever lived who. with the preparation
which scott hI> received. could paint Il
picture such a. he attempted, and the
only singular thin. about thi. u.rrtrl j.
that he lacked the >eIr~c To let il alone
The fact that Mr.. Scott served With
credit III the amy l. proper raI-c tuI
gultitudr from the state in his east. Is
in thousands of other. but -hn"tiil. even
the most wicked Of rebels i. uutW it'll
standing the >i,rrchr> made ON the sub
Irct. hardly the "n, thing urcc>>ar, to
make Il tir>t-cla>> Iti>t OF sewing ma
chime agent.
We cannot undertake. u detailed crit
ici>ln of the picture. hut in Il general
way it can t." said that while some ui
the details are good. many pa>>ahlr and
others "NcCIahlc. the general design.
the "c"mp">itIun. and the gc;,cral an
IIng"mcI.t of light and shade. are sim
ply ridiculous. We III" told that Mr.
scott spent Il %Ivat deal of time and
money i'll collecting photographs of men
who were engaged III the battle. rN-
amimim% TIA" ground. &C.. and that tn,
picture Is specially true To- fact. Il great
many portraits of those present being
introduced. That i all very we'll. al
course. hut the photograph cuisines,
WAS attended L" III such Il way we have
instead oi 4 battle with studrN figure,
in the foreground. >undrN groups al
! men >ittiu" tor their portraits viii
something lik' dim Fourth of july
thrown in for back ground. The thing,
of first Importance are given compare
lively little prominence. while matter.
which should hc secondary or accesSnr,
, to the heart of the picture are boldly
given and alone catch the eve. Thi
. fault is radical and is alone fatal to an,
| claim for general excellence of the work
Il j. lis if i'll a portrait Il table in from
, of the subject WAS given the main liwh
, and painted with the greatest care
while the portrait itself waS left il
nearly undistingui>hahlc shadow. Tn,
fact that the state has II" place To pu
= So large Il picture l. of course not tn,
" fault OF the artist. but il i IL fact whicI
would rob even It good picture of hal
it, practical value. This picture i
Il. L 4 4 :,