Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-17
The ROn-CaII.

The following account of Elizabeth
Thompson Buffers wonderful painting,
"The Roll-Call," is taken from the
article written by the artists sister:
In the spring of 1874 "The Roll
Calf was duly sent in to the ROYAL
Academy, and was received with cheer
by the committee By degrees tidings
of its success were carried to the PAINTER
and her family. There weTe unmistall-
able signs of a sensation in the town:
the clubs were full Of rumOrs of q great
picture by a woman; scraps OF talk
were overheard in railway trains. And
yet this preparation hardly broke the
shock of surprise when, ON the morning
after the Academy banquet, the speeches
of both the Prince of Wales and the
Duke of Cambridge were found to refer
Ia terms Of generous praise to the work
OF the unknown girl. Such a compli-
ment had seldom OF never been paid to
q new name, and it was the prelude to
popular furore which Gun only be deei-
cl1bed as UneXampled. The Private
View had but one topic of talk, and Tive
picture was preserved from destruction
at the hands of mob of friendly sigig55-
seers only by the efforts of policemen.
N0t'sinee the days of Wilkes first grea5
success had such a guard been necea-
sary. But "The Roll-Call" officer had
unquestionahy q busy time OF it.
From morning till night the tllrong
never loOsened OF relaxed from its hard
knot in front of the picture, except, in
deed, on one occasion, when a gap, as
memorable as the crowd, occurred on
the day when the Queen, who did not
visit the Academy at that time, had the
picture removed to Buckingham Palace
for few hours, that she might sec y
work of such special interest to :
sovereign who has always loved her
army. "The Roll-Call" was, as has
been said, the result of q commission;
but, when her Majesty expressed
wish to possess it herself, the
owner loyalty ceded his claim, on
condition that the next years picture
shO!lld be his. The COPYRIGHT was
GO fifteen times the amount OF the
original commission, and during the
ensuing four years was either in the
hands of the engraveT (NIr. StackpoOle.
who produced an admirable plate) OF
on view in the provincial towns, where
It became even greater lion than Il
ihsd been in London. And if the
picture was lion, the painter was the
heroine of the season. and so pursued
with her celebrity that the preservation
cf serenity of mind was no slight
achievement. The whisper OF her name
drew crowds about her in bathrooms,
Is exhibitions, in the public ways; but
SIZE never relaxed work for day The
next years picture was her constant
preoscupation, and neither the pleasure
Of celebrity nor the distraction of
notoriety ever discomposed her.
"Quatre Bras was exhibited in 1875,
23d drew a crowd equal to that which
t'wOnged rOusld its predecessor; it had
ESQ the honor of Mr. Ruskin's praise.
1t IS" he wrote, "the first fine pre-
E"phaelite picture OF battle we have
lad, profoundly interesting, and show
ing all manner of illustrative and
realistic faculty. The sky is most
taaderly painted, and with the truest
outline of cloud of all in the exhibition :;
and the terrific piece of gallant wrath
and ruin Oh the extreme left, where the
c1lirassier is catching round the neck OF
hi horse as he falls, and the couvu!$el
fallen horse, seen through the sno&e
below, is wrought through all tie t.1tA
Of lis frantic passion with Gradationa oG
color and shade which [ have nct seen
the like Of since Turner'S death. lie
Return from Balaillaya' followed "a
1916, and "Inkermann" "a return cf il
fantey in this case-in 1677.-&j.
Nicholas.