National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-13
is III A CLAUDE LORRAINE.
Artist Gibson's Reasons for Thinking
lie Has Found n Priceless Picture.

Artist Gibson's Reasons for Thinking
lie Has Found Priceless Picture.
Mr.. w. II. Gibson, the artist of 1872
Lincoln place, Brooklyn, is convinced that
the begrimed, cobwebbed old picture he
found two weeks ago yesterday in the
lumber loft of his old homestead at Sandy
Hook, Conn. Is o genuine Claude Lor-
raine. Ho has moved from his studio in
Fourteenth street, New York, to another
at IN Montague street, Brooklyn, and be
went up to Sandy Hook to select from the
antiquated furniture which had accumu-
lated In tho loft of tho old house during
tho many generations his family has lived
in II something quaint and curious to put
into his now workshop. BY accident the
dirty little picture frame caught his eye,
and he turned 10 over glngerly and fell to
rubbing its smutty face. The dim outline
of portion Of n tree appeared through
the spot he had partly cleaned, and he
became interested and took the disrepu-
table little outcast away with him for
future investigation.
II saw" he said, that IL was very an
cient, and as l believed ii the work of
some old chap long since faded to dust
and oblivion, thought / would do hi IN
the courtesy of seeing what he had been
painting about. L took 1t to the ci ty
with mo and cleaned away at 1t at times
when l had leisure. IL became most
fascinating task at last to SEQ tho poor
old waits features look out at me ono by
one as its face was secured, and | spent
many hours at the work. j went to my
mother and asked her II she remember
such n picture. My father had had a
number Of rather good pictures-several
copies of old masters and ono genuine
Poussin
my mother at first could not recall any
such picture as l described, but after q
time she remembered it quite distinct y
from the circumstances which surrounded
its coming into our possession. Your
father she said, got 1t away back in 1854
or 1855. He took it through some com
mercial transaction from O Boston gontle-
man named Edward Sohier. l remem-
Der quite well that no told me ho had SCI
cured genuine old master. But when it
came it was in such wretohed condition,
and seemed so Insignificant, that would
not hang it with our other pictures. /
doubted its genuineness. IL became
gradually more and moro abandoned
tramp about the house, and finally it
drifted to the furniture cemetery in the
loft
"This," said Mr.. Gibson, made my in
tercst in the forlorn little outcast oil the
keener. My mother could not remember
what old master my father had said il was,
and set to work ut the pictures back.
1t had lain face down in tho garrett, and
the back was even fouler than the face.
There appeared at last the outlines of a
signature made with brush. and l made
out the final letters i'm of the last name
AND ha Anal lattat-a suIat 81 h. A
last the full name Ola ude Lorraln ap.
peared so plainly that there was no mis-
taking it. need not toll you that was
interested now. l went to my mother
again, and she said she distinctly remom.
bered, now that l mentioned the name
that 1t was Claude Lorraine that my
father said he had got from the Boston
gentleman. Below tho signature on the
back there appeared q curious mon
ogram of the letters @. L.,
and ut each end of tho name
were bits of sealing wax. as though
some one had sealed bit of paper OF
parchment over tho spot to protect the
signature. l examined the Tiber Veri-
tatis and found that Claude signed his
pictures sometimes Claude Gelee,' his
real family name, and sometimes Claude
Lorrain, the name he assumed later. The
usually referred to now as Claude. His
signatures are also sometimes curious
tumble Of Latin and French. Tho SUBJ
ject of the picture, too, is SO thoroughly
in his vein as to strongly confirm my
opinion of its genuineness. The stone
bridge that appears in 1t, and tho large
tree, are constantly appearing in his
works. 1t Is pastoral evening scene,
the sun not appearing, and the light com.
ing from white cumulus cloud that
hangs near tho horizon.
'Another hint as to its genuinepess ID
the fact that the name of the gentleman
from whom my father got it is a French
name, suggesting, Of course, that the
picture might have been brought over by
some French family. There arc only
| three Sohiers in Boston, and wrote To
each. William Sohier replies that he is a
young man of 80, and has no knowledge
of the matter, but that possibly his uncle
| Edward Sohier, may give me information
From Edward have not yet heard. !
am convinced that the picture Is not q
copy from certain indescribable to uches
and fIom an atmosphere about IL which
is hard to describe, yet is very obvious
and which rarely deceives. Besides, q
copy would hardly be signed. would
like, of curse, the opinion of an expert
on 1t. There are three experts in Europe
who are especially learned in Claude'i
pictures. Two of them are French and
one of them is an Austrian, Viennese
There is not, believe, another Claude
Lorraine on this continent, if this is one
and am very sure II is. As to the dis.
position shall make of it, there is but
one thing to do shall keep it."-Neu
York Sun.
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