Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-05-17
indicating Mrs. Mackay.

ALI the Year Round.
indicating Mrs. Maokay.
Boston Herald.
In private letter from an American
artist in Paris we find so searching an
examination into the merits Of this now
famous case, and so complete vindica-
ton of our countrywoman'sa action in the
matter, that we hske asked permission
to publish it, 10 correct, it may be, some
erroneous opinions that have had cur
rency in Boston. As the letter was not
designed for publication, its quaint man.
ner of summing up the case hlust be
overlooked, its merit as well-reasoned
and chivalrous defense of true art and OF
lady being beyond question.
PARIS, March %, 1SS4.-It has got to
be very old story to you, but I can not
help remarking that it stirs me to see
some of your papers taking sides with
Meissonier against Mrs. Mackay. Some
of the English papers and students here
do the same, being great respesters Of
persons; but the bulk of intelligent
American sympathy is with the lady as
against The artist. will formulate my
remarks under few heads.
l.. 1t nothing certainly against Mrs.
Mackay that she is so rich.
2. She has given immense sums unos-
tentatiously to the poor of Paris.
8 She has proved herself so much Of
a lady as to attract to her salon "a very
large portion Of the highest French tai
ent in Paris, artistic, literary and music
al. .rsAArss.'+t A."
4. Meissonier has, for a long time, bad
the reputation Of being ill-mannered, ar
bitrary, and overweeningly conceited.
5. And also being proverbially con-
temptuous of Americans, while yet fat
tening himself at their expense, and get
ting from them prices that none of his
own countrymen would ever dream of
paying. q ...e,.
9. In the present case mo stipulation
having been made as to price,, he de-
handed and got much more for his por-
trat, PERHAPS double, than what he had
ever had the effrontery till then to ask
of even an American, or the good for
tune to get. ~ $50.
T. He had the impertinence to sex
hibit" the picture before its completion,
and without the knowledge, still less the
consent, of the lady, which was breach
of the rules and customs of the profess
sion in such cases in all civilized socie-
4es' .eEasII2aVGA OF
+. s. She and her friends declare that
the picture. was no likeness" and hence
lacked all value to her apart from Meis-
sonier's famous name in its corner.
O.. 1t had been arranged, when the
artist and his sitter parted for the sum-
ner, t. at he should do further work on
it but when, on her return, she express
sed displeasure at his having taken the
liberty of exhibiting It, he got angry and
refused to finish It, declaring that It was
good enough for her as it was. .....-..
10. MIR. Mackay said that he did not
care for the money, but that "his wife
should not be insulted," and so they
paid the price and burned up the pic
ture and in my opinion they did well
and not i'll. e.. e. Tt.-.1.
IL. The Goulois stood up manfully
for the Americans, and duel was en-
Meissonier. The elder was too old to
fight, and he got his son out ofthe scrape
by apologizlDg. .i..-, .sr.-
IL. Numbers of the other Paris papers,
including the saucy Figaro, undertook to
back up. the, French side, calling the
MA4kay's'aetiOn in destroying the pic
ture can insult to an old man, to a gen.
ius, to art itself, and to France-a purse
proud assertion of money as paramount
TO art, taste, talent. etc" making it out
to be almost crime to annihilate Meis-
sonier's masterpiece, no matter from
what motive or under what legal right.
IL. All ofwhich is simply big talk,
and will not bear examination for,
IA. This picture was in no sense
masterpiece. l saw it myself, and every
artist that have seen saws the same
thing 1 do: at was hard, dry, rigid,
evincing no talent, without any artistic
charm or airy claim to be considered
good painting" There are scores and
scores ofquite young men in Paris whose
average work is better in every respect,
and there are several in New York who
would consider themselves disgraced by
exhibiting such work as this was. 1t was
simply picture ranging from common
place to bad.
Is. So far as I can ascertain, Meis-
sonier hasn't painted anything at all
comparable to his early work, or that is
in any way notieeably good, for at least
over quarter of a century, He made
his reputation and did bis good work
which was very fine, but in no way re-
sembling his modern work. as long ago
Is that. Ia % Il =, t,s
16. As the picture then was not q
ike1e9, uprS ggod pA6ueAlof k1e Rr,
tist' himself, nor a good work OF art 1
can conceive Of Mrs. Mackay'snot caring
10 hand down "snchi looking thing" in
her family, simply that somebody in the
future might speculate with it, owing 10
the name Of the artist Her act put one
more poor specimen of painting out jb
the way, and left one less to deceive
people and do mischief to the world.
The only regret / feel is that she should
have 2ppe to him inthe beginning, un-
der the eidesFfed error that because he
got big 3ricas he wopld paint well In
stead ofits being 'Tulgaf act Or an
ainonlf N, The o~<o r<,<r. ~ - oe an ,x,on