New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-27
PORTRAITS IN LONDON.
WITH BRIEF MENTION OF Iho0h
PAINT THEM.

,o America and dread To 'hlhA " -.
NOV await him at the hands OF 'ho i.i'n w
when If becomes known thaI no - P" 9.
- American Minister at the Court ol ~
P'oS'"' -, .roit will nevertheless be an inter
'"ri'' , e., the rest of mankind. No recent ike
So At, Lowell can be said to he entirely sue
~,r1 Mr. Sandvs has tried him IN coiorou
ohoIks and Mrs Anna Merritt i'll oils. Both "orN'
hove considerable merit, but MI. Sandyss mas maui
,he Doet n LITTLE too smooth and nice ana lie'" -
o,,o, while Mrs Merrltts is wanting III stIc"st
and in Il e expression of culture ana ol 'u'S
lectual yivacity which il stamped on "No'S .'au
of MIR Lowelrs cOuntenance. Mr. herho,"'' $780,.
artist capable OF seeing into the soui " H''
ii I'm, us something more than the nioio "a
ternal facts of face and hgure. .a.o
st" uorlomers celebrity is Of very recent dave
don't suppose the general public knew any '".,e
.rort him previously to the exhibition IN eho
Roval Academy of his first successful picture i"1
Cne,ea Pensioners :" or 1t NAV have been urech
"a ,ot Chelsea | cannot verify the tltle LOT MI
IIorto,,.rs name does not occur IN the most Iecon'
hooxx Of contemporary biography. Inc plc'uio
,,ust have been exhibited as long ago as 10 W.
o.rso # was again exhibited in the Pars lnuerha-
+io,al Fxposition of 1878. The fame IL Orousn' ito
author in England was local. year later ITO was
known to all the world The jury awarued " MN
and TO Mr.. Millais the two goid nieuSis VI WV
T-nch.b art section of this Worlds Fair. Inc as
+,rction he had won at the Academy was as ho'hlne
IN thi, and the award was the more RENAL N""io
because Mr. HerkOmers art was there represent"
Nv hut a single picture,the one above haihou' W.
MuoiS had many and was IN me iulhess Vi A''
deserved renown. SO had other Engllsh artis.s you
socorti,ated were the iury by Mr.. Herkomers one
canvas that they at first were disposed 10 "uluue
the highest medal TO him and to HIM only. W men
tha
hestirred themselves. Sir Frederick Leighton pro-
totod AGAINST il as an injustice to English ART OF
1vbose interests he was the official guardian. In
tbe end the matter reconsldered' ana MI
Nilais was bracketed with Mr.. Herkomer' IhaV
soothed some susceptbiities, but not all anu To-
dav when Mr. Ilerkomefs position Is pefecuy
assured. the jealousy reused by that rchch a""'"
is not all laid asleep English artists sun cohspoi
that If was not "a iuStahle thing and Ihcy are per
haps the more persistent IN their protests Deca">o
Mr.. Herkomer is not English by BIRTH ne l"c'
that he has since proved himself equal 10 the posi-
tion INTO which ne was suddenly thrust, Is honor
able to him but does not, in English minds, exon
crate a foreign jury from some uh sISP'cion VI
anti-Fnglish partiatles.
Whist Mr. Uerkomer has done in these last four
,-oars shows how wide his field is and how various
III ambition He is more than painter III OILS
NV. ,e,rs ago he exhibited at the GrOsvenor Gal-
lery the largest water-cOlor drawing known. ho
delights in trlumphiug over technical dllhcu4tle''
and nothing would suit him hut picture eAceedihs
in dimensions any Drocnrable sheet OF dIa"'hS-
naner He ioined four sheets together. ana MS
work proyed remarkable for better qualities than
mere M.ncss lie has published many etchhSs
and at least one mezzotint. His maine WAS attached
las1 wear to that extraordinary scheme winch was
I, turn the streets of London and other towns INTO
au AIT Gallery. The one design which Is remenl-
1ared the only one so far rs | know, engraved and
nosted. was his. Continuing 10 paint historical
nictures he has devoted also good part OF MS
fine To portralture now certainly the most profit
ohle branch of painting in England. Here, too MI.
1Irrkomer has made his mark. and for the moment
II seem, to absorb most of his faculties lie Is
poing 10 PANT portraits in America ana you VIII
Ecu discover for Yourselves what degree of penetTa-
finn into character what skill IN flesh tlnts ana
modelling. what sentiment OF dignity, ana what
truthiulnes, distinguish his work. But IL Is hheIy
enough that, once IN America, Mr. HerAomer Will
discover mat he is interested in SOMETHING else mole
than in portIait-pain:mg,-p perhaps landscape OF
.cnlpture or architecture. For the men whom he
seems TO have chosen his models are the great men
of the golden age of art wAo took not one lorih oi
aIt bnt all art to be theh province
Fashion. naturally enough has much to do with
the success of "a attcular artist III portrat-pant-
ing There is always someoody WHO Is In tdsinoH ;
how long he remains depends none the less good
deal on himself NJ Mil!ais has long stood the
updisputed head of Euci, portrature iilseXtraor-
dinarv mower. fully uutitle hun to the great fame
aud great pecuniaTy success that b" has won. And
vet ever, body knows that no small part OF both is
dne 10 other influences. 1t is not Industry or
genius. alone or iii company, that has built the
,,alace in which Mr. MillaiS lives that has hult
his great fortune or that goes to the making of the
so. 900 a year which il still ainus's hun u earn
l onre heard an artist attribute M MiIals : pre-
cniucnee to the fact that he had found ont MS
vocation SO early while some of us. said my
friend were doing our Greek ahd Latin, Mllials
from ten years Old was drawing as hard as he
could" That also is good basis, bnt ii leaves the
question Of external Influences and accidents an
1onched. II Mr. MIlla:s's house had not been a
social centre. and he bIuself iayorite, he could
never have lad commissions from half the ar,Stoc-
racy Of Great Britain Unlike most OF his brethren
he pitched his tent in a fashionable quarter, and
has fnund his account in the 100000 which that
operation cost him. H. further. there had not been
good management on the business side, the prices
of his portraits and pictures would never have
reached the figure at wluch they now stand. don't
think me nov touches brush To canvas Tor less than
Gl.OOO
Nj Frank IIo perhaps stands next to Nj Mllai'
on the lis, of to-day Four years ago nobody knew
Of Nh Frank lIoll as painter of portraits, no.
had his other pictures been sold for any but very
moderate pu,es. He may now ask what he likes
and his income Is put high as Mr. Miaiss.
single portrait that Of Mr. Cousins, the engraver
took tie public fancy OF rather the fancy OF some
one v hose word is law Ia such matters, and In An
other month oi two M. IlOll was in full work
Aud very beautiful and admirable work 1t is. Mr.
Onless began earlier than Mr. frank llol. ant
maintains bu, is not improving his posil ion
Painted too much and too rapidly say the critics
fault of winch he viii nave time TO mend i
fashion should cease to mark HIM for her own No