The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-01-17

There have been several events In the
last few days calculated to attract attention
to the Government collections of paintings
the Executive and Departmental portrait
galleries.
The arrival at the White House Of life
size, tbree.q uarter-length portrait Of Presi
dent Hayes, by Huntington, for instance,
gains special interest from the fact that 1t
completes the collection Of portraits Of
| Presidents from Washington to Arthur in
| elusive.
The arrival at the Navy Department the
other day of crayon portrait of Cabot,
the first Secretary of the Navy, revives
interest in that Departments collection,
the smallest and most incomplete Of any of
| the Executive Departments
The White House collection, perhaps the
| most interesting of them all, is most fa-
miliar to sight-seers and affords great
| variety of sizes and styles, and very wide
| range of artistic merit Beginning with
| the large Washington portrait that hangs
4 vis.a-vis with Lady Washington's, In the
| East Room, the series is followed with
much interest through tho small paintings
| of Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Munroe,
| Taylor, Harrison and johnson that adorn
| the walls Of the Presidents cosy library, to
| the larger and more imposing portraits of
| John Quincy Adams, Van Buren,, Polk,
| Fillmore, Buchanan, Pierce, Tyler, Jackson,
Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Ar.
thur, that arc hung along the main corri-
dor and in the Red Room.
The Hayes portrait has Just been assigned
to position over the Red Room door whore
it is too high and too dark to be seen, ex-
cept on the rare occasions when the corri-
dor Is lighted. Artistically the picture is
successful and pleasing. As a likeness, it
is subject to differences of opinion. 1t re-
presents Mr.. Hayes as younger looking
man than he appeared when in Washing
ton and would scarcely be recognized for
that reason.
Whether this Is artistic hattery or
whether the great unknown has become re-
juvenated since laying aside the cares of
state Is question which the art critic can
| only surmise.
President Hayes and Mrs Hayes are the
only portraits which are from Hunting
toms easel. Healy painted the Van Buren,,
| Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce and Adams. The
| Garfield, Buchanan and jackson are by Il.
| L. Andrews. Arthur and Grant are from
| lie Claire's brush and the former is one of
the most pleasing and accurate portraits of
| the collection.
The comparison between the magnificent
portrait of Mrs Hayes in a position of
honor in the Green Parlor and the common
place picture of her husband over the Red
Parlor door in the dark will not have a
tendency to silence the unkind remarks
that have been made about the respective
influence of Mr.. and Mrs. Hayes in the
management of the Administration that
interviewed between Grant and Garfield
The War Department collection Of por-
traits is the only complete series of oil
paintings of secretaries The President and
some Of the members of the origi-
nal BOARD of War" and the
first and each succeeding secretary, and
some Of the acting secretaries, are repre-
sented, many of them very handsome paint
ings by famous artists. The collection has
been an expensive one, although many Of
the portraits were presented by relatives of
the Secretaries.
Secretary Lincoln's portrait will be added
to the series soon after his retirement from
office.
A newspaper paragraph occasionally ap.
pears announcing that Jefferson Davis is
omitted from the series, but this Is far from
being correct, as he has one of the finest
portraits and occupies one Of the most con-
spicuous places
The Treasury collection, though very
incomplete, ranks among the finest, many
of its portraits being admirable both as
likepesses and works of art. The portrait
| VI DtCIGtdTlto hlCudEubOut hOkullUCu anu
Folger are among the best.
The Navy collection is very defective,
Secretaries Cabot, Wells, Thompson, Hunt
and Robson being the only portraits, and
all but the first being oil-paintings pur-
chased by the Government.
The State Department has few fine oil
portraits, Secretaries Evarts, Fish, Webster
Jefferson, Washburn and Seward being thus
represented. Evarts Fish and Seward arr
the only ones which have been purchased
Blaine and Frelinghuysen will add theil
portraits to the collection.
The chief interest In this Department.
however, attaches to complete and uni
form collection of photographs of each of the
twenty.nine persons who have held the
position Of Secretary ofState prior to Score
tary Frelinghuysen's appointment. This
collection was conceived and executed By
Secretary Seward, and great difficulty wa:
encountered in its preparation.
Many of the Secretaries lived and died
before the days of photography. Silhou
cites, medallOns, busts and portraits Of
every kind were hunted up at the home
of the secretaries and the collection wa
gradually completed.
1t has long been tradition that on
portrait was not properly Identified ant
authenticated, but that sooner than ALLOW
the collection to remain incomplete
picture was hunted up and inserted as
portrait of Secretary Richard Smith, o
Maryland.
This story, although not entirely un
founded, is not true. The portrait of Smitl
was secured from relatives who were some
what in doubt as to its authenticity, ant
was admitted to the collection with sucl
. misgiviDgs that the name was not inscribed
b. upon the frame. Shortly afterward duly
authenticated medallion- portrait of Richard
Smith was found in Mr.. w. w. Corcoran'
= possession, and the picture was identifies
y beyond question.
One Of the most difficult portraits to oh
y tain was that Of Secretary Clayton, @
Delaware. For this picture the scare
> among public, private and family colleC
tiODs proved fruitless until the Clayto
house, an old-fashioned inn at Whining
ton, was found to contain a portrait, froI
which photograph was taken.
J. The Department Of Justice has q fe
8 valuable historic paintings. Most Of then
are very old, and some are fading out.
portrait of Evarts, although Of recent datt
is also fading, much to the regret Of thoi
who regard it as the finest portrait of I'll
New York statesman that has ever bee
painted.
There are but few of the AttOrneys.Geu
eIal jmm0rtalized upon canvas.
The Postoflice and Interior Department
I have each number Of crayon portraits an
photographs Of former Secretaries and Pos
j masters General, but the collections are fl
from being complete and have few interes