The Sunday herald., 1886-10-17
The Sharples Pictures 10 BE, Offered to the Cover
ment Noon TO De Exhibited Here.


ment Noon to De Exhibited Here.
An unusually interesting exhibition OF Washing
ton portraits Will he opened In Madison Square,
portraits painted in 1894 by James Sharples, young
English artist and pupil OF George Romney. The
two examples. one full face and the other pro.
ale; Martha Washington, Mary Washington, Mira
ef Mrs. Mss
Peae, Mrs Robert Fulton, tsse LIvngstonJ and Dr.
Prestiey. The most important Of these are the por
and Mary Washington-the last named, however,
being the work not OF Sharples, but OF Middleton.
S S cary ~ 'ns whe was
Washingtons agent In that city, and who 20 use his
own words) "greaty coveted portrait OF his loved
friend, the illustrions General, by competent
painter, who should do Justice to the noble subject
Washington had given his consent. and si!ilngs
How successful Sharples uhe second syllable OF
whose name, by the way, is pronounced In England
IKE ns s a % may be
hands, wrote the General ,hat his tsharpiesS two
lar lar the best Of I the many man y made" Gilbert Stuart i
will he remembered, had not yet tried his practced
psrtra OF washnsoa % was lent to the New YORK
Historical Society "fOr the inspection OF the coun
trys patriots, and was sent also to Sunnyside the
"more OF lip and animation than 10 that by Stuart"
and decared that gave "a better idea Of the innate
ant was similarly Impressed because "the counte.
nance expresses Thought, resolution, sensiby, and
| high degree OF physical energy" showing WASH
stuarts portrait Of him was taken"
Mr. Henry Wadsw0rth l.Ongfeow saw the por-
trait, together with those Of Martha and Mary WASH
| ingtOn, In London two years later. "rhese pOr.
be. They are treasures which highly price"
Four years ago, IN 1882, the two portraits Of Wash
ingt0n and the portrait OF Martha Washington were
sent 70 this country and exhibited A. the Century
| the city of Washington They received much atten-
iion from the press, and excited TO marked degree
the Interest OF artists and connosseurs. Much sym.
pathy was felt with Nathaniel iswthornes estimate.
written In 1884: ~ had long two hOnrs with
Sharples's beautiful portraits Of Washington and
Martha. No wonder at IrvinR's enhancement, even
under the dstracting thought OF such treasures
being lost TO their own country, their only ntilng
home. Our Boston StuRrts lose much OF their charm
when contrasted with these realistic, though possi
| bly, less artistic canvases" Ralph Waldo Emerson
| had already been charmed by them.
OF course the Idea Of the owners are descend.
ents OF Robert Cary and residents Of England-is
70 sell the four Washingtons TO the United States
Government, and they Will cause them soon to be
the White House. Those OF us who saw the pictures
In 1889 will be glad TO see them again. Their quality
as art Ia excellent, their historic value incOmpara
be. Middletons portrait OF Mary Washington IL
1t may be added thai the works are now brought 10
this country by member OF the Cary family, MAI
James Walter, OF the Fourth Lancashire Artillery,
who has written q book, entitled "Memorlas OF
Washington, and OF Mary, his mother, and Martha,
his wife, from letters aud papers by Robert CARY
and James Sharples, illustrated with portraits OF
nent American women Of lhe period, and portrait
Of Prieslley. from paintings by Sharpes also p0r
trait OF Mary Washington by hlddleton" All lhess
portraits are skful artoiype reproductions OF the
originals. The book. which In handsomely printed
and bound, with Wide margins and large clear type
IL published by Messrs. Charles Scribner's Soma