The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-09-28
AT THE BIG SHOW.
The Pictures.

have word or two in these letters about the
i Art Building. Let me begin by saying that
lido not pretend to any specia nicely as a
critic. nor to any extraordinary enthusiasm
in matters of art. Yet, in common with all
children and many grown people, am fond
Of pictures, especially good ones. Accord
Iingly my little boy Frank, who was with me
and myself both bad happy time in the
splendid galleries, corridors, arcades, and
payilliops of Memorial Hall. 1t was like
going through the whole world of history
and ideas, both ancient and modern. Here
in the mann moth painting of Breeke. was Col
umbus discovering America over again.
And yonder before you, Sitting on the rag
gedest kind of an edge, is old Prometheus,
/ whom Jupiter has chained to the sharp
rocks OF Mount Caucasu US, with the yultures
eating at his vitals--a scene as real and
more terribly vivid than in the old tragedy
Of HschYlus Itself Here rascally centaUr
has been down to earth aud stolen a beauti-
full nymph and is bearing her off thu ough the
clouds to give her asa wife to one Of the
cruel DDS. And then over there you are
! suddenly brought back to actual events, as
YOU behold in the canvas Of Countvon Harach,
Napoleon III at sedan doing his most
graceful obesance and laying down empire
at the feet of King William. Aad SO you pass
along amid scenes which transport you
rapidly from age 10 age, from earth to
heaven, and from heaven back to earth
again, and sometimes even to the fiery
realms below.
If / were willing to he entirely frank with
my readers, should be obliged to confess
that in this journey among the pictures, my
little companion bothered me good deal.
That is to say, his many questions were
EN- phatcally, as one of,the poets has it, sill
to solve" I was made to repent more than
once thatI did not know everything. If
you want TO find vocal Interrogation point,
take any ordinary boy Of about eight or
nine years, and you have it. The company
of such lad in picture gallery may be
wholesome in one respect. You viii be
forced to realize how little you know about
what you see. Such was my experience.
Nevertheless Frank and I got through
after some fashion, and without any very
violent breach CT the peace.
The Art Building is. itself gem of art.
Next to the Main Building, it is the most
costly of the Centennial structures. Fitting
" It's position is the most elegant ard i'm
posing, standing as it does on a terrace
raised several feet above the general level Of
tLo ~ Tn is
with magnificent dome rising from the
center, the corners being in the form of pa
villions connected by arcadeS, balconies,
halls, and corridors. Together with the
annex, which is nearly as large as the origi
nal building, it contains wall-room sutfic-
cut for the display of more than one
hundred and twenty thousand square
feet of picturee. Unlike the other
buildings it is wholly of enduring material
granite, glass, and iron. fire-proof. and is
designed to remain as permanent memorial
OF this grand celebration CT the nations first
Centennial Anniversary. It is the gift Of
the city Of Philadelphia and the state of
Pennsylvania, and cost million and half
of money. The world never saw before so
splendid temple reared in honor CT art.
But beautiful as is the building externally,
the SURPRISING array Ct glories is to be
found within. The art treasures and the
art culture of many lands and of various
ages are here represented. Italy, whose fine
ouarries make her forever the home of the
scul ptor, is here with offerings from the
studios OF her greatest artists. Here are fam
Gus works from all the art capitals of the
Munich, Dusseldorf, Weimar, Berlin, Brus-
sells, Paris, Vienna, London, Madrid, Seville,
st. Petersburg, &C. &c have all been law
ish In their offerings, Even the Pope sends
several favorite pictures from his own
private collection; one of them remarka-
BILE represents alton in tapestry of the MAR
tyrdom of st. Agnes;' another mosaic of
one of RaphaeFs maconnas Queen Victoria
denudes her palace walls of some of her
choicest paintings That our eyes may feast
upon them here; among them two princely
marriage scenes: also Benjamin Vests cele-
DRAFTED picture of the "Death of Gen. Wolf"
which has been made familiar by engrav-
ings to many eyes that never saw the paint
ling itself. Other titled dignitaries too have
remembered u.s. The Duke of Manchester,
Earl Russell, Lord Northbrook, Lady Ash
burton the Duke of Westminster, the
Marchioness of Lorne, Baron Rathschild,
Viscount Hardinge, the Countess OF West
moreland, and I cannot tell how many other
/ eminent names are in the list OF those
who, by loans from their private galleries,
have added wealth to this brilliant display
To 90 through this colectionis in some res.
Ipects not so good, but in other respects bet
i tier, than to make the tour of the art cities
II of Europe You miss of course certain