The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-03-21
requirement, one who is master of
action and attitude of the horse.

rough sketch showing how the various
brought and blended together; this is
followed by a more careful drawing of
the outlines of the whole painting in
India ind, these sketches being fasten-
ed together inside of cylinder, form
ing miniature but complete image of
the cyclorama. Careful attention must
be paid to the topography Of the
country, the positions of the various
commands of troops, the relations of the
assaulting lines, camps, etc. This
design having been completed it is
divided into 100 squares, each of.which
is exactly one-tenth the space its con-
tents are to occupy upon the canvas.
These squares are then numbered and
photographed and at night the mega
tives placed in a camera obscura and
| their outlines thrown upon a stretcher,
enlarged to fill the allotted space. The
| artist then with charcoal crayons fixes
| upon the canvas the lines which there
| appear in bold relief. In two weeks
time these 100 squares have been trans
ferred to the $4,000 square yards of
canvas, The artist then fills out the
squares in landscape and then begins
the scenes of action, the life OF the
| battlefield, its spirit and it's death.
Lookout mountain grows under the
artists brush and the struggling village
of Chattanooga is painted from an old
sketch. Orchard Knob, the ridge, the
river are painted as it were from life
| The foliage of the trees, the setting
sun and the tints of autumn of the
| mountainous Tennessee. For months
the artist in figures, faces and animals
has been busy. There are wooden
models of cannon and horses, uniforms,
saddles. tattered flags, swards, muskets
and all the paraphernalia of war scat
tered about the studio to aid him in
his work, Thus the work goes on for
weeks and finally all the squares are
filled and at last the monster canvas
seems to hold upon its surface living
| scene.
|
quired the service of three leading ar
lists and ten assistants, little over ten
months to complete it ready for ship
ment.
And what an excellent work! The
simple covering of such piece of can
vas with landscape is an arduous task
to perform in itself, but animate this
immense space with thousands of busy
| figures, some apparently but hundred
feet distant, others miles away; some
below the line of vision, others high
above, and all producing an harmonious
life like representation, is labor
which to be appreciated must be under
stood,
The actors and the action are those
of the memorable days, November 24
and %. 1868. Grant is there, Sheridan
is there, Sherman is there, Howard,
Hooker, Hazen, Turchin, Martin, Boyn-
ton, Wood, the Smiths, McClurg, Loom
is, Davis, McCook, Crook, Carl Schurz,
Williams, Geary, Osterhause, Ewing,
are all there, just where they were
with their commands.
The canvas being completed in its
entirety, the nobility and prominent
on invitations of Prof. Bracht, invited
to a private view of the canvas as it
hung in the studio and many were the
Communications Of praise given the
work by both the press and nobility OF
the German capital.
Then commenced the work of pre-
pairing the canvas for shipment to
Kansas City. A roller ifty-fve feet
long and three feet in diameter was at
tached perpendicularly to the tallest
of the movable structures and the can
vas slowly rolled upon it by means of
block and tackle and a crank, the car
supporting it being moved upon the
rails of an improvised railway as fast
as was necessary. The picture was
safely incased in a strong water proof
box four feet square and sixty feet in
length, lined with zinc and hermetical-
ly sealed 10 preserve it from ocean
moisture, Then being transported to
the seaboard, it was shipped on the
fast sailing steamer Idle July 10, 1886,
arrived in New York July p, and u
special permit was issued by the secrc-
tary of war to have the same shipped
to Kansas City in open cars from port
Of entry. The duty paid on the canvas
was over $4,000 The painting is so
by 400 feet in size, contains 10000 sup
erficial feet and weighs over seven
tons.
During the progress Of the work ON
the painting the building at Broadway
and Eighth streets, where the painting
has been on exhibition since September
IL, 1886, was being constructed by an
incorporated company, among which
were Messrs. Henry w. Hill. Andrew
McNally, Loeb Bros, Francis Lac1ner
and others of Chicago; Colonel Kersey
Coates, ID. Bowes, Captain Ed ii.
Webster, w. A. Bunker, Senator Vest
and others of Kansas City.
The building completed, the canvas
placed in position, the first public view
was given Saturday afternoon, Septem-
ber IL, 1886. A number of guests hav-
ing been invited by the board of direc-
tors. Hon, William Warner delivered
the opening address. After congratu-
lating Kansas City on the acquisition
of such painting he spoke in commen-
dation of the gentlemen whose enter
prise brought it here.
| While it is pleasing to commend
American artistic enterprises 1t is a
matter of regret to note the number of
cities that have been imposed upon by
panoramas of cheap caliber whose only
glory is popular title. A. p. c.