Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-06-15
Mr.. Bankers Picture.

NAthin my ladE $ eyes .....f p ,5.-.gef -sa
Mr.. Bankers Picture.
Your charge against Mr.. Barker, the
artist here" said the Magistrate, Sis as
sault and battery, believer" FL
Yes, sir"
And your name is-''
potts! am art critic OF the Weekly
Spy"
State your case
II called ut Mr.. Bankers studio upon
MS invitation to see his great picture, just
finished, of George Washington cutting
down the cherry tree with his hatchet.'
MI. Barker was expecting to sell it to
Cong ress for fifty Thousand dollars. He
asxed me what thought Of it, and after
had pointed out his mistake in making
the handle Of the Ratchet twice as thick
as The tree, and in turning the head OF
the Ratchet around so that Geerge was
cutting the tree down with the hammer
end | asked him why he foreshortened
Georges leg so as to make it look as if
his left foot was upon the mountain on
the other side of the river.
Did Mr.. Barker take it kindly?"
asked the justice.
"Wcll, he looked little glum; that
stt And then when asked him why he
put guinea pig up in the tree, and why
he painted the guinea pig with horns. he
said that it was not guinea pig, but a
COW, and that it was not in the tree, but
In the back ground. Then 1 said that if
had been painting George Washington
should not have given him the com
plexion Of a salmon brick; should not
have given him two thumbs on each
hand; and should have tried not to slew
his right eye around SO that he could see
around the back Of his head to his left
ear. And Barker said ooh, wouldn't
you!' Sarcastic, Your Honor. And said
no, wouldn't; and I wouldn't have
painted oek-leaves on Il cherry tree, and
( wouldn't have left the spectator in
doubt as. to whether the figure off by the
woods was factory chimney era steam
boat, OR George Washington's father tax
ing q smoke"
(which was it?' asked the Magis-
trate.
II don't know. Nobody will ever know
So Barker asked me what I'd advise hin
to do. And told him I thought his bes
Chance was to abandon the Washington
idea and to fix the thing up somehow t
represent the Boy who stood on the Burn
ING Deck told him he might pain
toe grass red to represent the flames, ant
dAub over the trees SO it would look lik
the mast, and pull Georges foot to thi
side Of the river SOS it would rest some
where on the burning deck, and mayb
ne might reconstruct that fractory chin
neg or whatever it was, and make it tn
Captain, while he could arrange tn
guinea pig to do for the Captains dog,
Did he agrce!"
He said the idea didn't strike him
So then suggested that he might tur
it into Columbus discovering Americs
Lex George stand for Columbus, and tn
tree be turned into native, and tn
Ratchet made to answer for flag, Will
the mountain in the back ground woul
answer for the rolling pillows Of the ocean
He said he'd be hanged if it should
So I mentioned that it Nigh
perhaps, pass for the execute
OF Mary, Queen of Scots Put George
black for the heatlsman, bend over tt
cree and put-a frock on it for Mary, II
the Ratchet stand, and work in the guine
pig and the factory chimney as mourner
But Barker said that there would
somebody worse hurt than Mary, Quee
Of Scots, if kept on
Didn't like it, hcy?'
II spose not. And said that while
did not want to force my advice upt
him, l would say, if my opinion W
asked, that the best hope of that pictd
would be to make it a representation
thc Deluge. Build in an ark aroul
George, put shirt on him and call hi
Noah, crowd in other animals with t
guinea pig, let the facto;y chimney do +
Mount Ararat, and the tree for the sto1
pipe projecting from the roof of the a,
Just as I had got the words out of Il
mouth Barker knocked me clean throu
the picture. My head tore out Washin
toms near leg, and my right foot CARR
away about four miles Of the river. '
mad it over and over on the floor
while, and finally Barker whipped.
am going to take the law Of him in {
Interests Of justice and high art.''
So Barker was bound over, and \
Potts went down to the Office Of the S
&c write up his criticism. -Mac Adeler,
N. z. Weekly.