Wichita eagle., 1888-12-16
CRiTlClS!NG A PICTURE.
Suggestions to the Painter of George and
the Cherry Tree.

Suggestions to the Painter of George and
the Cherry Tree.
Your charge against Mr. Barker, the artist
here" said the judge, lis assault and battery,
| believer"
Yes, sir"
And your name is
Potts; | am art critic of The Weekly
Spy"
State your case"
II called at Mr. Barkers studio upon his in
vitation to see his great picture, just finished,
of George Washington cutting down the
cherry tree with his Ratchet. Mr.. Barker
was expecting to sell it for $4,000 He asked
me what thought of it, and after l had
pointed out his mistake in turning the head
of the Ratchet round so that George was cut
ting the tree down with the hammer end
asked him why he had foreshortened Georges
leg so as to make it look as if his left foot
was upon the mountain on the other side of
the river"
did lIr. Barker take it kindlyF' asked the
judge.
We'll, he looked little glum, that's all
And then when | asked him why he put the
guinea pig up.i the tree and why he painted
the guinea pig with horns, he said that it was
not a guinea pig, but COW, and that it was
not in the tree, but in the background Then
l said that if / had been painting George
Washington | should not have given him the
complexion of a new brick, should not have
given him two thumbs on each hand, and |
should have tried not to slew his right eye
round SO that he could see round the back OF
his head TO his left ear. And Barker said, oh,
wouldn't your Sarcastic, you know, sir:
and | said, No, / wouldn't, and | wouldn't
have painted oak leaves on a cherry tree,
and / wouldn't have left the spectator in
doubt as to whether the figure off by the
woods was factory chimney or a steam
boat, or George Washingtons father taking
a smoke"
(Which was it?' asked the judge.
81 don't know; nobody will ever know. So
Barker asked me what I'd advise him to do,
and told him thought the best chance was
to abandon the Washington idea and fix the
thing up somehow TO represent The boy who
stood on the burning deck. l told MIN he
might paint the grass red to represent the
flames, and daub over the tree SOS it would
look like the mast and pull Georges foot to
this side of the river, SOS it would rest some
how on the burning deck, and maybe he
might reconstruct that factory chimney, or
whatever it was, and make it the captain,
while he could arrange the guinea pig to do
for the captains dog"
Did he agreef
''He said the idea didn't strike him. So
then suggested that he might turn it into
Columbus discovering America. Let George
stand for Columbus and the tree be turned
into native and the Ratchet be turned into
q flag, while the mountain in the background
would answer for tbs rolling pillows Of the
ocean. He said he'd be hanged if be would.
So l mentioned that it might perhaps pass
for The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots ,
Put George in black tor the headsman, bend
over the tree and put frock on it for Mary
let the Ratchet stand and work in the guinea
pig and the factory chimney as mourners.
Just as | had got the words out of my mouth
Barker knocked me clean through the picture
Ny head tore out Washington's near leg and
my right foot carried away about four miles
of the river. We had ii over and over on
the floor for awhile, and finally Barker got
the best of me. | am taking the law of him
i'll the interests of justice and high art" So
Barker was bound over to keep the peace
and Mr. Potts went down to the Office of The
Spy to write up his criticism.-New York
Mercury.