New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-06
OBII UARf.
LANES SMILLIE.

James milie, who for over generation held
the first pa among line engravers OF landscape in thi
country, died NJ Poughkeepse Friday. He
WAS born I'm Edinburgh Scotland, Novem
Der %, 1907 Iii father David smill e
was a Iapidary aud slyersmijh. When James was
eleven years old he showed ambition In the direction
OF engraving. In 1874 the family enigrAcd Quebec.
James uuaidod. persisted in his engraving. do
ing any thing that bore remOtest relation 10 his loved
art His eldest brother being established AS lcwe Ter
and ,il, ersmith he aided him b. modelling crests for
harness, engraving designs upon snuboxrs and letters
upon spoons dog collars Ia those days ami Ia
that place little known OF art that hardly
understand the difficulties that had to be met For his
plates he get copper snelthlng from the ship
yard. which hc planlshod and prepared himself
Ia lisa Alr smile won his urst honor Iho Canadian
society Tor the Promotion of Arts ana sciences elected
him member and presented mia with silver II, dat
Tor engraving OF map Of the Valley OF st. John
ordered by the House of Assembly,, showing bound
AIRY Inc III dispute between the Uuitrt states
aud Canada Tne next year he en-
grayed plate OF good size. The Quebec
Tandem club" from sketch 10y young army officer
th, he published himself The art ut TINT Time liz.
very rcmuncratyr he engraved piato l2Nls inches,
" The Virgin ana infant Jesus" upon which he worked
six months and Tor watch hc was paid only 80 such
difficulties were not enough to crush MN In lS2' Lord
DahUusle, then Governor Gsnr raj OF Gambia, took an
interest III the struggling young cugraVer and gave him
passage IN An EhElSh Government vessel To London In
that city he failed 10 apprentice himself To any cugrdycr
OF reputation because hc could not command ths
siry sum 0t money 30 ne pushed ON I" MA native ciy
Edinburgh and bound himself for SIX months To Andrew
wilson, CugraYer OF moderate TAI 'ntS. Here
the rraver and the etcnlns meeaic. In
May 1928. he returned TO Quebec aud made arrange
mcns FOR The publication OF Iho Picture OF QuoDec
series OF fifteen plates, views about the city, from draw
ings made 10y himself lie was Immensely pleased by a
ptOu list OF 100 names ut 81 each. Finding
that II was impo.sbIe to have tho plates printed In
Quebec he came to New-York with them In lS29-his
INST visit. lie remained only long enough to
In 1880 he returned to New.York to try ana get loot,
hold At this time he mhdo the Hcqudutadue OF Pro.
lessor Robert w Wer then young man. just returned
from studying III Italy.
MIR. Weir desired to engraye plate from painting
that he had just hnshed " Convent GacsPaestrina."
and oftrreL to sye HIM place IN his studies NJ. AZ
CunH-st. Here MI. SmllIic worked upon this plate
made from painting Few proofs OF his plate are now
IN existence. 1t l. work wonderfully full OF tone and
delcacy Here he met A. Il. Durand and Undertook to
do some engraving Tor HIN foi u serial work then IN
course of publication. little later he engaged
upon the engraving Of series OF views In NewlOrk
city, and last, feeling that he had gained
OohOld IN this city, in the fall OF 1880 he brought his
widowed mother and his brothers and sisters on from
Quebec
Tue Garden Of Eden aftera large painting ny Tho mas
Cole It ws Published by a Boston house as an tlustra-
ton In Bible In 1882 he married Catherine Van
Nalktnburgh, native OF this state. AZ this time
no engraved plates Tor The Ncc York Mirror Then
h- most elaborate and highly finished work
done In 1910 he devoted himself largely 10 the Gu
craving u Bank Note Ylgnettrs ard more less (O
years entirely his time was gwen to this class OF
craving. About lsi5 he engraved many plates FOR
Grahdm'S Md0asino published In Philadelphia.
a an'sg Art Tnioa "Yoa ISt'oT the iV seco 5f
the .rros Of four pictures by Thomas Cole. emitted
The Voyage Of Lilo" In 1888 he commenced the
craving of the other three subjects for GOrhum d. Az
bott Into whose possession the series OF paintings have
In 1889 he lraved small plates after
that time. They were published by the Methodist
BOOK Concern OF Cincinnati. rs illustrations for The
Ladies Repository In 1854 began the engraving OF
The Rocky Mountains" after Albert Biersadt. This
was tho most important single piece Of work That he