Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-14
CRiTlCiSlNG 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, sis 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. Barker's studio upon his in
vitation to see bis 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 had
pointed out his mistake in turning the head
of the hatchet 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 Mr. Barker take it kindly2n asked the
| judge.
We'll, he looked little glum, that's all
| And then when / asked him why he put the
| guinea pig up in the tree and wis he painted
| the guinea pig with horns, he said that it was
not guinea pig, but cow, and that it was
not in the tree, but in the background. Then
| / said that if l had been painting George
| Washington should not have given him the
complexion of 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, On,
| wouldn't your Sarcastic, you know, sir,
| and l 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 of by the
| woods was a factory chimney or a steam
boat, or George Washington's father taking
smoke"
(Which was itT asked the Judge.
| 81 don't know; nobody will ever know. So
Barker asked ne 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 told him 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 tc
this side of the river, SOS it would rest some
how on the burning deck, and maybe he
| ANNSAA9el ~ NIdS ihNtOi eAlhAiG+H VI
whatever it was, and make it the captain
while be could arrange the guinea pig to dc
for the captains dog"
Did he agreeyn
, "He said the idea didn't strike him. 81
t then suggested that he might turn it int
| Columbus discovering America. Let Georg'
r stand for Columbus and the tree be turneC
] into native and the hatchet be turned int
a flag while the mountain In the background
would answer for the rolling billows of thI
ocean. He said he'd be hanged if he would
So | mentioned that it might perhaps pas
a for The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
I Put George in black tor the headsman, bent
4 | over the tree and put a frock on it for Mary
let the hatchet stand and work in the guine
/ pig and the factory chimney as mourners
Just as had got the words out of my moutl
Barker knocked me clean through the picture
a My head tore out Washington's near leg an,
r my right foot carried away about four mile
of the river. We had it over and over o
!. the floor for awhile, and finally Barker 60
g the best of me- / am taking the law of hir
i in the interests of justice and high art" S
n Barker was bound over to keep the peac
: and MIR. Potts went down to the Office OF Tn
h Spy to write up his criticism.-New Yor
a Mercury