McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-05-01
Washington Irving.
Interview with DIR. Peters.

"Can you give me some sketch of
Mr.. Irving's personal appearance,
when you knew him, DR.. Petersp"
swell, he was not tall, and was
rather stout. He had splendid fore
head and beautiful eyes,"
"What was the color of his hair, or
was he gray when you knew himp''
"That is rather delicate subject.
The truth Is he was absolutely bald
80 much so that when he was dead it
was only by turning back the ears that
few hairs could be found to be cut off
as a family memento. He lost his hair
when he was very young, and he al
ways wore wig, but he wore it so
carefully that scarcely half dozen
friends knew anything about it. When
he went to bed he used to tie silk
handkerchief about his head in the
Spanish fashion, and hardly anyone
ever saw his head bare until after his
death. Mr.. Moses II. Grinnell and [
went together to look at the body in
the ice coffin. 1t had not been fixed
for the funeral yet, and the wig was
not ons Mr.. Grinnell was his near
neighbor and one of his closest friends,
and when he saw the body he threw up
his hands and exclaimed: 81 never
should have known him! never should
have known him! never should have
known him?'-just like that. For my
part L gained, if possible, a greater idea
than l had before of his intellect from
seeing him in this way. He used TO
wear the wig so low that no idea could
be formed of the size and massiveness
of his forehead. His head was alto
gether one of the finest 1 have ever
seen. l often regret that l omitted to
take the measurement of it at the
time.''
DIR. Peters now showed the reporter
several portraits of Washington Irving.
They all showed the handsome face of
a young man. In their general char
acter they agreed with the portraits
currently known. At last he showed q
Photographic negative, which he said
was a copy of the only photographs
daguerreotype-that Dir. Irving ever
had taken. 1t was the face of an elder
ly man with wonderfully fine eye.
The expression and features denoted
humor, benevolence and strong will.
DIR. Peters told the story of the picture
thus:
Gone day Mr.. Irving, who had an
almost invlncible prejudice against
sitting for photograph, yielded to the
solicitations of his niece, with whom
he was walking on Broadway, and went
with her into gallery and had one
picture taken. After his death | OBJ
tanned the loan of that picture to be
copied for private distribution. told
the photographer to whom | took it
that it was the portrait of a very
sensitive old gentleman, and wanted
to bargain specially that L should re-
ceive every printed copy, spoiled and
finished alike, and the negative. the
man consented, and when l called
again he gave me some forty or fifty
pictures that I ordered, a dozen or. so
of spoiled copies, and the negatives.
sAre you sure that is ALL l asked him.
He said, Il think so, but there is the
drawer where we throw spoiled pictures
and you may look for yourself |
looked through hundreds of spoiled
pictures, and l found two or three
more of Mr.. Irving which were thrown
in by mistake. put these in my
pocket and prepared to go.
"sWell, now said the artist, 'may
1 ask you who this old gentleman is
who is so very particular about his
pictures
"'Really L don't mind telling you,'
said l.. now that l am sure L have
every copy. The picture you have
just copied is the portrait of the late
Washington Irving"