Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-04
CRlnCISlNG A PICTURE.
Suggestions to the Painter of George ar
 ffa Ch0rry TroA

-
 Suggestions to the Painter of George and
 the Cherry Tree.
 ''Your charge against MT. Barker, the artist here," said ths judge, ''is assault and battery, believe!n
 'sYes sir"
 Ana your name lS"-
 Potts; am art critic of The Weekly Spy"
 State your case"
 Il called at Atr. Barker's studio upon his in- v1tatlon to sec his great picture, just finished, or George Washington cutting down the cherry tree with his hatchet. Mir. Barker was expecting to sell it for S1O,O0O. He asked me what 1 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 I 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"
 Ibid Mir. Barker take it kindlyan asked tho judge.
 Well, he looked little. glum, that's all. And then when asked him why he put the guinea pig up in the tree and why he painted the guinea pig with horns, he said that it was not guinea pig, but a COW, and that it was not ln the tree, but in the background Then said that if l had been painting George Washington 1 should not have given him the complexion of a new brick, should not have given him two thumbs on each hand and l 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 l said, No, wouldn't, and 1 wouldn't have painted oak leaves on a cherry tree l 3ntt hoy 1,fS h. doubt as to whether the figure off by the woods was factory chimney or steam boat, or George Washington's father taking 0 smoke'"
 wv hich was it?" asked the judge.
 Il don't know; nobody will ever know. So Barker asked me what I'd advise him to do, and l 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.' I 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 to thlS 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 agree?"
 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 hatchet be turned into n flag, while the mountain i'll the background would answer for the rolling pillows of the ocean. He said he'd be hanged if he 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 hatchet stand and work in the guinea pig and the factory chimney as mourners. Just as l had got the words out of my mouth Barker knocked me clean through the picture. My head tore out Washington's near leg and my right foot carried away about four miles Of the river. We had it over and over on the floor for awhile, and finally Barker got the best of me. am taking the law of him ln 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 Yoyk Mercury.