The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-02-08
A Sitting from Brother Blaine.

Brother BLAINE is having his portrait paint
ed. The department over which he once pre-
sided ut Washington has decreed, according
to its custom. that 1t shall be added 70 the
nations gallery of statesmen.
Brother BLAINE Is q man that any artist
might be glad to paint. The area upon which
his emotions depict themselves, when he per-
mits them to come to the surface is large
and. as an artist would express it, "full OF
drawing" He has respondent nose. finely
proportional, rich in tone, and replete with
character. 1t is an aggressive nose a nose
Of sef-assertion and determination, n nose OF
generosity and amplitude, a fine nose every
way and any way you look at it.
Then his eye. From out the experience OF
all time there has been handed down to
woman the Injunction to beware OF q rolling
eye! Such an eye has BLAINE. 1t Is rolling
eye OF the most perilous kind. Round, full,
and prominent, 1t glistenS with Il warm and
kindly humor, flashes with the fire Of tur-
bulent and daring spirit. or mclts in the honey
OF amiability-just as occasion requires In
his case it may be said that his eyes are the
bay windows Of his soul, and too much credit
cannot be given to him that he has 80 stead
and thereby spared many an aching heart.
Add to these an expansive brow, not OBJ
scured by locks too abundant, n brow strongly
lined with the impress of many events, broad
cheeks, and u snowy beard which conceals
nothing OF the strong jaw beneath or OF the
expressive mouth, and you have the present.
ment OF JAMES G. BLAINE very consdera-
BILE and potent individuality. and a gentle
man who has SLATED upon thinner Ice and
cut handsomer figures on 1t than any other
gentleman in our whole political history. or
course any artist would be- glad to paint
him! Never was there subject more inspir-
ing, or opportunity more covctablc. To have
painted BLAINE is fame cnough
Wo have always conceded the intense
Americanism OF Brother BLAINE, whenever,
as In the late campaign. there has been made
In his behalf urgent and public claim to that
quality. We never saw any harm in it, Now
however, that Brother BLAINE's features
are to be immortaized upon canvas at the
expense OF tho people, we learn that he has
selected an English painter to do the work,
instead of employing an Americaulartst, as,
conformably to his intense sense OF nation-
atty he naturally should have done! Had
40 ~" I, iSus A-hS pOi ptiuIcI,
supposng that there We're such an one, the
proceeding would have been defensble on
the ground that the country might have
been the gamer OF u fine and notable work Of
! art. 1t would have been excusabe, too, in
some degree, had he sought out even fair,
ordinary painter like HERKoMER. who re-
Gently painted some hasty things In Ne w
York for good round sums HERKoMER Is q
clover artist, and with such subject he
would have made very respectable portrait
indeed. But Mr.. BLAINE has chosen an OBJ
| scure English artist, a painter OF neither
merit nor reputation, who will furnish what
ut best can but prove very commonplace
| and Indifferent portrait Brother BLAINE is
the great Republican protectionist, Ameri-
can to the vertebre, intolerant OF
everything that is other than Amer
lean. and yet he prefers to be paint
ed by an English painter! Had he
had himself painted by an Irish painter. it
would have been all right, because the Irish
lately came very near making him President,
and 1t would have been only delicate recog-
milton OF his obligation to that gifted race
had he engaged one Of its sons to linn his
features. But while the Irish have not, just
at the present moment, great painter among
than. thav mtsht have han snArsd the re-