Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-12
CITY AND DISTRICT.
THE FACES ON TIE WALL.


Likeness Painted By Brumidi In shs
Freseoes - the Capitol
THE CHILDREN on JKyYERsoN DAVIS JIcURrNo
As cHxRUBu-rHB FIVE yIoURB REPRE-.
sENTrNG DDcoAD-TH1 LACK OF ALLE0oR-
ICAL HArKRIAL, &C
Two Of the cherubim on the frescoed walls Of
one of the Senate committee rooms at the Capt.
tol have the faces Of Je6 Davis two children.
AT the time this frescoing was done Mr.. Davis
was Secretary Of War. MrA Davis gave Capt,
now Gen., Meigs, who was then in charge of the
Capitol, the pictures Of the children, and asked
him to have Brumidi use them TO paint FROM
The artist objected that they were not beautiful
enough for the purpose, when the pictures were
nrst handed him, but on being pressed shrugged
his shoulders and went to work. Gen. Meigs'
son, q pretty golden-haired boy, does
duty as cherubim, also, in company
with little girl, the daughter OF
toll 1t is said that the face of JEFF. Davis him
self appears conspicuousy in the frescong in
the canopy above the rotunda, but in q charac-
claimed, however, that the likeness was not in
tenuonal. In this great allegorical piece five
figures representing Discord are being driven
from the scene by the angry goddess One of
these figures, whether by accident or intent,
has the face of Davis and the others are con-
sidered fair likenesses of General Robert h.
Lee, Stonewan Jackson, Alexander stephens
and Calhoun. Architect Clark thinks these
IL
blances are only fancied. The one OF General
Lee, for instance he said TO a STAR reporter,
was put there when Lee was remem-
bered as a dapper man with no beard. Yet it
was a very fair likeness OF the bearded man
who surrendered to Grant Brumidi had no
means OF knowing that he had let his beard
grow.
LIKENEssEs POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED.
Two likenesses that are known 10 have been
put into this grand alegory Intentionally are
those of Mr.. Walter. the architect, and Robert
Norris, the great Secretary of the Treasury
Mr. Morris IL the figure representing the mer-
chant Brumidi first placed the head of Gen.
Meigs upon this figure. but that gentleman re-
Quested that il be taken out much against the
wishes of the artist, who wanted To do this
honor to his kind patron. He finally agreed,
however, to substitute the head OF Robert
Norris who was considered to have done more
than any other man of his day tor the commerce
of the country. The figures of Franklin, Morse
and Fulton were used to- perSonify science and
invention, and il is not unlikely that the artist
casting about for DiscOrd in about the year Il 1853
should strike upon the great secessiopists and
that the likenesses in that case real as
in tho others. Certainly the artist was q little
bold in his allegory, for in another piece OF
work done n little later, he represents u winged
messenger placing i'm the hands of the goddess
n pair Of reins to which is attached curb bit,
while q much milder looking messenger is
handing her the palms OF victory on the other
side. Thus it Is delicately suggested that the
victor should hold a tight rein over, and curb
the vanquished. Throughout tine Senate wing
there has been much more labor expended in
the way of frescoing than on the House side,
but there are many vacant panels, which were
intended to contain faces. In the lower corri-
dor these vacant places were designed to con-
tain portraits OF distinguished jurists, but the
great trouble has been to find them.
RUNNING SHORT OF MATERIAL.
Kent, Story and Livingston were in stock
and were put to immediate use, their features
now being on the wall. and Parsons the of con-
tracts) and Greenleaf have been voted places.
But here the material has given out, and they
looking around for jurists of sufficient orig
iual merit to I'LL in with. In the halls above
the Senate lobb- and reception roOms-it is
proposed that the portraits OF Vice Presidents
who have never become Presidents should be
used 10 complete the fresco, but nothing
in this direction has ever been done. In the
frescOiBg on the walls of the senate committee
on foreign affairs the portraits of Henry
Clay. Charles sumner, William Allen. and
Simon Cameron. The faces OF Washington,
jefferson, Hamilton, Fulton, Franklin, and
Fitch appear In appropriate places, and there
are. of course, many other portraits but they
out OF the realm of allegory and are not
actually part of the frescoing. The great diff
Guilty, as in the case of the present artist at
work on the frieze work about the walls of the
dome, has always been the absence OF proper
categorical subjects. The artists have always
painted themselves out of history before they
got half through the walls.