The Washington critic., 1888-02-18
FORTUNES IN PAINTINGS.
Some Interesting Facts About tn
Metropolitan Galleries

h0ne interesting taCtS Ahout the
metropolitan Galleries.
New York Gydpdic: The sales at
the present Water Color exhibition
include several important works. w.
M. Magrath has sold his picture, "a
Bacchia Dance" occupying the place
of honor, for $500. r. w. Wood
has sold his "When We We're Boys
Together for 81 ,250. Henry Farrar,
the secretary of the society, has sold
two pictures, one at 81 900 and the
other at 800.
With all this, American art Is not
appreciated in New York. The most
extensive buyers of New York pic
lures live elsewhere. Mr.. Hull of
Elmira has fine collection. One of
the best in the country is owned by
Edward Leighton OF Milwaukee.
Another appfecintor of American art,
whose appreciation is practically cv-
pressed, Is Sir George Stevens OF
Montreal. Sir Daniel Smith also
buys largely here. Such exam
pies of titled appreciation ought
to impress our swells, but,
so far most of the pictures sold in
New York are to people who are buy
ing only few pictures for their own
qualification rather than TO found gal
leries. There is one comfort, and that
is that as our people come to under
stand more about art they will grow
in appreciation of American pictures.
That Is why, despite the sights put
upon them, our painters, all who are
worth mentioning, want free trade in
pictures. They are sure of their. own
merit.
New York is really becoming one
of the great art centres Of the world.
One of tho first dealers in the city,
with exceptional chances for know
ing, calculates that more than Sl0,-
Coco are invested here in PIC
lures in private galleries. The
purchases made during the last
fifteen years show great advance in
intelligent acquaintance with art.
We no longer 60 in for the Titians aud
Rubens and Van Dykes and Raphaels
of shady origin that used to adornour
best parlors. Travel abroad has
taught us some thingsas well as made
fools Of us in some others.
The pictures i'll eighteen private
galleries in New York are actually
worth and could any time be sold to
dealers for Sc, ,0O0, 600. These collec.
tons are almost altogether modern.
Frenchmen are more prominently
represented in them than painters Of
any other nationality.
That of the late William H. Van
derbilt is the biggest and costliest
private collection in the country. 1t
has three Meissoniers, three Millets,
two Corots and several examples each
of Diaz, Dupre, De Neuville Gerome,
Detaille, Rosa Bonheur, Munkacsy,
Millais, Breton and Schreyer. In all
there are about 200 pictures.
Mr.. Cornelius Vanderbilt has q
gallery worth something like $780,
900. Alma Tadema, Alfred Stevens,
Rousseau and Fromentin have painted
some of his best pictures, Frenchmen
again taking the lead, you see.
Mrs. Marshall O. Roberts has a col
lection Of about the same value and
much the same character as Cornelius
Nanderbilts She has also some
American pictures. +. M. Church's $
"Sunset in the Tropics, for instance,
but they represent period of Ameri-
can art that our artists to-day don't
think much of and sum up under the
name of the Hudson River School. :"
Jay Gould doesn't say much about
it, but he has 200 pictures we'll worth
100000. He has been adding con-
si65cably to his collection during the
last sAree years. He bougst - .tle .tle
Morgan sale, and wac o-e Oh Jne IeW
rich men who endured anything on
fh.o InIpressionist pictures brought
over by NJ. Durand Ruel.
Among his pictures is Corot's
"Dance of the Nymphs," superb
Diaz, Rousseau and of course the
inevitable Bouguereau.
Bouguereau doesn't interest the
painters here much. They admit he
can draw, but they have no enthusi.
asm for him; but then he certainly
has got the rich people in New York
on his side. They think that TO be
truly respectable they have got to
own Bouguereau. Most New York
ers, for that matter, think that his
"Nymphs," in front of Ed. Stokes'i
bar, us the greatest picture in America
Judge Hilton, August Belmont
Thomas II. Butler, John Jacob Astol
and w. w. Astor are among othe
owners Of fine collections of pictures
worth from S250,000 to S850,000.
Mr.. Belmont's is especially notice
able because of its high average o
merit, all the pictures, most of which
are from the painters already men
toned, being selected with care anC
unusual intelligence and not poo
canvas being in the lot.
Other valuable collections are Jere
miah Millbanks, worth Sl50,000; Al
bert Spencer's, worth $3.50, ,000 Jare,
NJ. Fisk's, worth 100000; William
Rockafeller's, worth $500, 900; Hebe
X, Bishops, worth $3.50, 900, and d
| o. Mills, valued at $500, 900.
/ Gnhianfa fnt. NIaHEnuI rnIInnaG