Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-04-13
-iRT NOTES,

brought to close on Tuesday evening last WAS
without doubt the most complete, Instructive
| aud interesting serles ever delivered on that
| subject in Washington. Necessarily from the
nature of the topic, the attendance upon such
course would be drawn from comparatively
small percentage of the community; yet the
| spacious room selected for the lectures was
well filled from the start, and it is creditable
| allke to the lecturer and the population OF the
| national capital that the audiences were il
AWNING any larger at the close than at the begin
nlng OF the course: In this connection the
| mention is pardonable that, according to DIR.
Corning, the attendance here equalled in mum
| berS that in New York upon the same course
although the available population to draw from
| IN that case is nearly ten times greater than
mat OF washington. That the audiences here
population, both resident and transient. need
not be added. 1t is. however, only Just to say
that Dr. Corning,s efforts were in every way
worthy the intelligent and appreciative pat
ranage they received. Commencing with the
| very beginnings of art, the lecturer carried his
hearers on through its various stages or eras
| TO present a complete though necessarily brief
history of the whole subiect,-the interest of
| which was greatly increased. moreover, by the
| beautiful and valuable Illustrations with which
! the several diScOurSeS were accomnanied
| The course was, in short, one of the most mem
orable and agreeable features of the season of
Recognizing the good work such an or
ganization as the Washington Art Club is
| capable of accomplishing for the community
| in which it is located, if properly encouraged.
| the trustees of the COrcOran Gallery year or
two ago conceived the happy idea of turning
| over TO that body the proceeds OF its Thursday
| evening exhibitions during the winter,-at
which, it will be remembered, a Slight admis-
@ sion lee is Is charged, 1or PRUDENTIAL rather than
has Just been carried ont for the present sea
son, the result being the transmission of
check Tor $50 from the treasurer of the Gal,
If
| the Club. The gift of so handsome an amount
Is OF substantial service to the Club, and the
| generous and complimentary motive which
prompts it not less than the donation itself. is
senslbly appreciated by the members of that
organization.
"A tOlerably correct idea of the esteem i'm
which the several leading pictures in the Cor
coran Gallery are held by the public may be
formed formed from the purchases of Photographic
mastery conception OF charlotte COrday"
leads all the rest, by very considerable dis
lance; More than one hundred copies OF this
beautiful picture have been sold since the first
OF January last, and the whole number sold
| since the gallery was thrown open to the pub
e NIf must reach well up into the thoqsandS
lowing this come in the order named but in
nearly even proportions, Boughtons Heir
PreesqHmptive," Pre- Won Thoren'S Lost Dogs.
A large number of copies of Vela'S Splen-
| did statue representing the Last DAYS of
Napoleon nave also been taken. 1t is worth
While to add that, so far as these selections in
dlcate, the popular taste is not greatly at vari-
| ance with the opinion of the critics. Accord
| ing to the Judgment of competent authorities
the paintings named are among the very best
in the gallery, and, perhaps, very nearly in the
order i'll which they are held in common
| esteem.
Mr.. S. A. SchOff, of Massachusetts,, repre-
! sented to be very competent artist, proposes
to make a line engraving from the popular
| NDrt.1 t,FE
will be five hundred artist proofs, and no
more, at ten dollars each, and the work will be
| begun as soon as one hundred names are OBJ
tanned. A year will be required for its com
pletion. Rowse's portrait is not only one of
that artists best works, but it is also cOnsid-
cred by Mr.: Emerson's friends by far the finest
Oh mat distinguished philosopher and author
ever made.
The work upon Mrs. Fassett's elaborate
painting of the Electoral Commission" is
now so well advanced that a pretty fair iudg-
ment can be formed as to the design and scope
OF the picture, as we'll as its probable merit as
a work of art The progress already made
must prove an agreeable surprise to those who
can appreciate how many difficulties surround
an undertaking of this sort. In the first place
historical truth must be adhered to- at what
ever expense of traditional artistic require
ments., The small semi circular room, with its
vaulted ceiling, in which the Commission sat
accessories and details. Then the relative posi-
tions of the prominent actors in the scene, as
we wen as OF those present as spectators, are to
be preserved. Next. the lights and shadows
must be SO managed as to produce the best
possible effects; and, finally the portraits must
| be faithful and expressive, or the whole work
goes for naught Whether all these difficult
conditions can ever be successfully met in one
work Will probably always remain an open
| is finally completed; but, Judging from what
is already done, the result can hardly fail to be
alike creditable to the artist and gratifying to
eighty inches wide by sixty in height, and it
will contain when finished nearly two hun
dred figures or heads. But these, it must be
in to swell the crowd. Every one is to be a
carefully finished likeness, painted from life,
and, with very, few exceptions, from sittingS
the SI ts Nearly
people, SO that the picture will serve at once
3 as AM national nal portrait gallery and memento
tory, of the country. The point of view chosen
| by the artist is the north side of the room,
IRON d WI. which the members of the Commission
| brought prominently into the picture; the
precise period Of time represents Mr.. Evarts
ADDRESSING the Commission. Notable people
are grouped in the BACKGROUND on the floor
and in the Senate gallery on the left. The fin
IShed heads show great care, in painting, yet
they are treated with such freedom and
breadth in their relations to the general effect
| as not to detract in any way from it, while the
arrangement and posing of the large number
| OF figures introduced are such as to preserve
| the individuality of each and at the same time
produce pleasing and harmonious tout en-
Senble. Mrs. Fassett hopes to get the picture
finished in time to take it to Paris this sum-
mer, and place it on view in that city before
the close OF the exposition; and it is also her
intention, we believe, to have it reproduced
while there by the new and beautiful photo
grayure process. 1t is to be hoped both these
expectations may be realized. 1t is certain
that, on account Of the great interest felt at
the time in Europe in the trying political event
which 1t commentaries, the picture would at
tract much attention abroad, while the pro-
posed reproductions could hardly fail to be-
come popular in this country, and thus i'm
some measure aid in reimbursng the artist
Tor the long time and patient eXacting labor
bestowed on the work.
We understand it is the intention of
number of our local artists to have an auction
sale of original paintings and drawings in this
city somewhere about the 1st of May. Should
this purpose be carried out, it is to be hoped
the venture will be more successful and salts
factory than some of the sales recently held
here. We believe, however, that it can be
made reasonably remuneratlye.
THE STORIES ABOUT FOUL PLAY having
been met with at Havana by Judge Leonard,
OF Louisiana, are not credited at the State de-
partment: neither are the rumors assigning
as the cause Of his death his excessive dissi.
patton. The department is satisfied that he
died of yellow fever. for the CnnSui Ganar,I