New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-14
STORIES or GILBERT STUART.
THE ARTISTS LIFE NOW MADE KNOWN

HIS CAREER IN LONDoN-wEST AND REYNOLDS
his Observation-Disclosures PORTRAITS OF
wAsnISGToS-Hrsc ARELTssNTss IN MONEY MAT
TFRs-ANrCpOTEs AND SAYINGS.
Nearly all that has been made public re-
specting the life of Gilbert Stuart, has con-
sisted of anecdotes. many of which were
of doubtful authenticity; but as already an
nonnced, it has recently fallen to the lot of
George c. Mason, of Newport, to write an
extended life of him AT the request
of Miss Jane Stuart. the only sur
vivng member OF the artists fam
ily. Miss Stuart had intended to pre-
pare the biography herself but finding the
work too labOrious. owing to many other de-
manhs upon her for her time, she assigned the
work to Mr.. Mason after few chapters had
been published 10y Der "a magazine articles.
Mr.. Mason's book, the pull lie will be glad to
know, will be issued early this week by
Charles Scribners Sons as very handsome
0partO illustrated volume. The writing OF
Stuarts life. Mr. Mason saws, has not been q
light task since, with the exception OF .
few letters addressed to him, the drafts Of
a couple of letters that he wrote in 1900. and
a few brief entries made in notebook while
he resided in Boston Stuart lett no papers
that could be made available in sketcling his
career" BY favor of advanced sheets from
Mr.. Charles Scrlbner, TIE TRIBUNE is able
to give its readers to-day some of The many
interesting theses about Stuart which the
volume contains.
The house in which Stuart was born is still
to be seen at the head of PetaGuamscott Pond
in the Narragansctt country. Rhode Island.
Seldom visited and little thought Oft, the
house is old-fashioncd. gambrel-roofcd and
lOw-pOrtaled, and " shut in by trees and iar
away from tlS din and stir Of tie world
For the asking one may see The room
iii which the painter was born. rev
changes have taken place there other than
that the wheel that once ground snuiI Tor me
ma d. "A
ncighborhood" Stuart's father was the snuii
grinder, and he had rs Il partner one Dr.
Moflait, who. had brought down. upon his
head the wrath of mob" because he sienu-
ously advocated the famous Stamp Act. by
This mob his house was entered, his library
and other vauables were destroyed, ana
10 escape personal violence lie sought
shelter on board trlgatc IN the halD0r.
An artist named Cosmo Alexander, took
an interest in Stuart, and after beng two
years in the country. chiefly ut new
port, whittier the young artists father
had moved, he returned To Europe,
and took Stuart with him. But Alexander died
soon after they landed and friend to whose
care he committed Stuart, snStlally enough,
died shortly after he did. Left alone as Stuart
was and unable to earn enough TO live as he
wished. he resolved 10 return home. The Voy-
age it is said, was made IN collier, and every
hardship was suffered Stuart never alter
ward could be induced to speak OF the ex-
percnce.
When he got home he found the country in
great excitement. 1t was difficult to obtain
sitters, and war with England seemed lneV-
Itane, with n prospect OF continuing iOng
time. so that an opportunity To visit England
AGAIN would at least he remote. lie wished
intensely to study under West, his own cOun-
tryman, land so. with but one letter of intro
dtlction in his pocket, he embarked on board the
last ship that escaped detention in Boston Har-
bor in the Spring of 1775, and sailed for Great
n
went to West, but when at last he called 1t
was without any letter OF introduction TO him.
Yet when West saw him he listened To his
petition with kindness and attention., request
ing him to bring III something he had painted.
This was gladly done. land in a few days
he commenced his studies with West, and
shortly after in the Summer of 1717, he was
donliciled in his family. At that time he was
two and twenty years of age" Stuart,
wears afterwald, spoke of Vests attentions
to him AS .paternal." ~ worked hard under
him. and more than repaid him, no doubt by
the work he did on his pictures. Meanwhile,
he was attending the discourses of Sir Joshua
Reynolds, studying anatomy and drawing rom
life. Trumbull, it SO happened, was studying
with West during Stuarts stay, and an anus
ing anecdote is told at the expense of Trum-
bulls having lost the use OF one of his eyes.
Seeing a drawing of TlumbulFs one day. he
remarked to a friend, in TrumbuFs, pres
ence, that it looked "as if it had been
appeared much hurt at this, and replied" | take
il very unkndly, sir. that YOU should make the
remark" Stuart did not understand him and
asked what he meant " presume, sr," an
swered Trumbull, " that you know have lost
the sight of one eye, and any allusi0n to it i'll
this manner is unkind." Stuart then said to
his friend: "Now | never suspected 1t, and
only the oddness of the drawing suggested it,"
A few years found the artist in prosperous
ways, with fame coming to HIM so fast that his
-
own. I'm 17SS he had taken house, Il friend
writes, and Is going to set up q great manT'
West and Reynolds gave him help by
sitting to hun, and he soon was
able to ask and receive prices for his
pictures which were only exceeded by the
" For time,' says Mr.. Mason, Stuart lived
in splendor. Money rolled i'll upon him and
he spent il as lavishly, never giving heed to
the morrow, nor cared he what became of his
earnings. AS bird loved to sing, so he loved
To paint. and with sitters waiting their turns
and with those around him with whom he
could give play to his remarkable CONVERSE
tional powers, he WAS contented and
happy. Daily his looms were thronged with
visitors who thought 1t n privilege to sit To
him, and who were ready to pay anything that
he thought proper to charge them" To mill
tary men lie would talk OF battles, to states
men of Hume's or Gibbons history, with law
yers OH jurisprudence, with farmers of seed
time and harvest, and with ladies of what
things concerned and interested them most.
He began to give dinners. and invited forty
two persons to dine with him linen of mark
in literature, music, painting or on the stage,
and when the dinner was over he said To
them: ' | can't have you alt every day, but
| will have seven of you to dine with me
each day III the week, and | have cOntrived
it SO that the party shall vary without further
trouble. i have put up seven clOak-plns In
my hail, so that the first seven who come in
may hang up their cloaks and hats the eighth
man, seeing them full, will go away and proba-
bly, will attend earlier the next day" This plan
was carried out literally, and Stuart found II
"the greatest of all human luxunes.n West,
shook his head at it aud said it would - eat
itself .out.n This 1t died in about six months,