Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-24
GIVING AWAY A $1,000 PICTURE.
An Old Painting in the Pitt Mansion
that Nobody MOuld Bid so Cents For.

An Old Painting in the Pitt Mansion
that Nobody Would Bid so Cents For.
For many years there lived IN hand
some villa residence on ClarKs Hill
wealthy old gentleman named Charles
Pitt, says a Stamford, Conn.,, letter to the
New York Sun. who was said to be kins-
man of the great English statesman,
William Pitt. At his death his heirs
ordered the house and its contents to be
sold by auction. The sale took place on
May 81, 1888, under charge of auc-
tiOneer Henry A. Hubbard. Purchasers
were found for all the articles in
the house except some old pictures
which had been slowed away in the
attic and which were looked upon as
rubbish. These, however, were finally
disposed of to persons looking for relics
at prices ranging from % cents to 81.
One of them, i'll an old gilt frame, was
started by the auctlOneer at 80 cents.
Rubbing off the dirt, he saw the portraits
of an old and young man. Hubbard
called it "YOuth and Sternness," or some.
thing to that effect, but failed to find any,
one who would raise the bid, and had to
keep the picture himself. He took it to
his Office, where it remained for some
time, and then carried it home, intending
to clean 1t, His wife, after requesting
him to take it to the barn, one day in his
absence returned it TO the office.
Some time afterward a wealthy visitor
to the Office saw the picture, and asked
Hubbard where it came from. Hubbard
offered to present it to him, and after re-
moving it from the frame the man took 1t
home. subsequently he took the picture
to a celebrated art establishment in New
York city, and left instructions to have it
cleaned and framed. When he went to
take the picture away, not long ago, he
asked the dealer how much it was worth.
81 will give you 500 for it," was the re-
ply. Not supposng the picture to be
worth anything like that sum, but being
made suspicious by the offer, the owner
said it was not for sale, but, being urged
to fix a price upon it, he offered it
for $1,000. The dealer said it was very
old picture, and valuable, but not worth
so large a sum. He would, however, give
$1,000 for it. The offer was declined, and
the pictuee was hung in one OF the most
beautiful parlors in Stamford. A few
days later Mr.. and Mrs. Hubbard were
invited to call at the house named, which
they did, and they saw the picture and
were told of the offer for it. Hubbard,
who is a Yankee, and prides himself upon
his native shrewdness, experienced a SEN
satiOn from which he has not yet recoY-
cred.
Mr., Hubbard was seen yesterday by
reporter, and substantiated the above
statements, but declined to give the name
of the present owner of the picture, who
is now in Europe. He said that the gem
tleman would not like the nOtOriety.
Other pictures We're sold at the Pitt sale
to DR., Rowell, Prof. Francis IL. Brown,
Mrs. Bland, pawnbroker, and others. A
small portrait in the possession of Prof.
Brown is that of Pope Leo H., and bears
the name of Raphael. Mr.. Hubbard saws
that If the date the portrait bears is
genuine, the famous painter would have
been % years old when it was painted.
Not one of the pictures from the old Pitt
mansion can now be purchased unless
with a small fortune.