The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-06-19
Mr.. Bankers Picture

"Your charge against Mr.. Barker, the
artist here" said the Magistrate, sis as
sault and battery, believed"
ayes, SIR"
sand your name is"
"Potts am art critic Of the Weekly
Spy"
Estate your case"
II called at Mr.. Bankers studio upon
his invitation to see his great picture, just
finished, of George Washington cutting
down the cherry tree with his hatchet.'
MIR. Barker was expecting to sci it to
Congress for fifty Thousand dollars. He
asked me what thought Of it, and after
l 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 George was
cutting the tree down with the hammer
end, l 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.
ibid Mr.. Barker take it kindly2'
asked the justice.
swell, he looked little glum; that s
all. And then when I asked him why he
put guinea pig up in the tree, and why
he painted the guinea pig with horns, he
said that 1t was not guinea pig, but a
COW, and that it was not in the tree, but
in the bacr ground. Then I said that
l had been painting George Washington
l should not have given him the COM
plexion of salmon brick; I 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, 'Oh, wouldn't
you2' Sarcastic, Your Honor. And said
no, I wouldn't; and I wouldn't have
painted oak-leaves on cherry tree, and
I wouldn't have left the spectator in
doubt as to whether the figure off by the
woods was factory chimney or a steam
ing smoke"
(which was it2' asked the Magis-
trate.
II don't know. Nobody will ever know.
So Bar" er asked me what I'd advise HIM
to do. And I told him thought his best
chance was to abandon the Washington
idea and to fix the thing up somehow to
represent the Boy v no stood on the Burn.
ing Deck I told him he might paint
the grass red to represent the flames, and
daub over the trees SOS itwould look like
the mast, and pull Georges foot to this
side of the river SOS it would rest some
where on the burning deck, and maybe
he might reconstruct that fractory Chin
ney or whatever it was, and make it the
Captain, while he could arrange the
guinea pig to do for the Captains dog"
ibid he agreef"
HE said the idea didn't strike him.
So then I suggested that he might turn
it into Columbus discovering America.
Let George stand for Columbus, and the
tree be turned into a native, and the
Ratchet made to answer for flag, while
the mountain in the back ground would
answer for the rolling pillows Of the ocean.
He said he'd be hanged if it should.
So mentioned that it might.
perhaps, pass for the execution
Of Mary, Queen Of Scots Put George in
black for the headsman, bend over the
tree and put frock on it for Mary, let
the ratchet stand, and work in the guinea
pig and the factory chimney as mcnrners.
But Barker said that there would bc
somebody worse hurt than Mary, Queen
Of Scots, if kept on
"Didn' t like it, hey2i'
II s'pose not. And I said that while I
did not want to force my advice upon
him, l would say, if my opinion y as
asked, that the best hope Of that picture
would be to make it representation OF
the Delnge. Build in an ark around
George, put shirt On him and call him
NOAH, crowd in other animals with the
guinea pig, let the factoy chimney do for