Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-06
Written for The Evening Star

WasAAuktOu 50 DchuthuA soOu uhNo nc
complished all that can be done by labor and
art, and time must complete the work designed
by man. but finished by the great beautiAer Of
nature-age. In the meanwhile other and
grsnder attractions are being developed which
will render the city the resort Of the student,
the seeker after knowledge and the lover of the
hne arts. Here all will find what they come to
seek. The universities which are now
here, and those to be built will
bring a class Of highly cultured resi-
dents, who will find in addition to those seats
Of learning the various institutions where the
highest cultured can obtain information hardly
to be found elsewhere in this country. The
Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum
and the other repositories of knowledge in
every branch of science offer such an accumu-
lation of discoveries, the results of expeditions
and Investigations carried ON under the differ
ent departments of the government, will
make this city Mecca to those whose love Of
knowledge can here be gratifed. The compile
ton of the National Library will in Few years
open its vast stores of books to the public. many
OF them only to be found within its walls, that
will attract scholars from all parts
of the world. whoss pursuits, literary
and scientific. require the mental pabulum
which this wealth of knowledge will supply.
Students in the whole range Of educational
pursuits can obtain all needed sources and
means Of information. The fine arts, of which
the government. through Congress. becomes
every year a more appreciative buyer and q
more liberal patron. will find such encourage
ment that artists will be drawn here and an
artist colony will be founded in other capt.
tails. and by the examples of the best pictures
of the country. which will eventually find
their way to Washington. all roads lead to
Rome, the incentive for that mode of embel-
lishment will be awak ed and the wealth which
has added such attractions to this city will
49,
talent In the early dlys of Washington the
artists whose paintings al re our national gal
lery, the Capitol made thei, homes here.
ARTISTS OF FORMER DAYS.
can remember when vanderlyn had a piano.
rama on the reservation opposite the National
Theater, corner 18th street, and in some of our
old families there are portraits painted by him
while he resided here. They are now Of u value
like unto that which pertains to the Copley.
Jarvis and Stewart pictures. Mr.. yanderlyn.
after he secured the commission to paint the
Landing of Columbus" went to Europe and
there he executed the order of Congress-
Mr.. j. q. Chapman had n studio in the Capt.
toll. and while here painted the beauties of our
city. One OF them he has made imperishable
by introducing her in his picture of the ..Bap-
tism of POeahontas-" The figure and face of
the Indian queen was painted from sittings
given Chapman by Miss Gardiner. the daughter
Of Col {. h. Gardiner. who was for years audi
tor of the Post Office Department. and subse-
quently city postmaster. Miss Gardiner mar
ried Gov. Mouton of Louisiana. who was Sena-
tor from that state She was one of Carusis May
Queens. who were hbeled by that cross old
crank. De Bacourt. How gross the libel was
may be judged by the sweet face and graceful
carriage of Pocahontas, which Chapman
i found in his model anI transferred
picture of The Mayao-7;r" at Yves: Point, 1
believe, where be was Tor many years professor
Of drawing and painting. Powell spent good
deal OF his time here, and painted some por-
traits, one Of which remember with pleasure
was a full length of Mrs. James Cortland Of
Baltimore. i met him years ago, a young man
then almost unknown, who came to enter the
contest for filling one of the panels of the
rotunda. He was unheard Of except locally
coming from Ohio. then pretty far western
state, but his admirable address and manner
soon made friends for him He exhibited to the
committee of the library. charged with awarding
the contract, a painting he had executed for Mr.
James Brown, the banker, but little more than
a cabinet In size, Columbus Before the Coun-
Gil of Salamanca" beautiful picture, which
obtained universal praise. / remember it dis
tlncty, though II has been a good while ago.
The painting of De Soto, which this picture
procured him the order for from Congress- has
been very severely criticised, but il passed the
ordeal Of the Salon in Paris and obtained high
praise there. The foreground and the still life
painted there would redeem more faults than
It's severest critics have found in it. The white
o.
ing was INDUCED in, was modelled from the
Arabian steed OF Abd-el-Kader. then a prisoner
In Paris where Powell was painting the pic
ture Congress showed its appreciation of him
oy giving HIM an additional amount above the
contract price and awarded him the painting
OF Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie" His
native state. Ohio. ordered a replica of that
painting. which adorns the capitol at Column
bus After executing these government orders
he devoted himself to portrait painting and
for years his studio was seldom without
sitters-
LECTzE AND HIS FREsco.
Leutze was a well-known figure here in social
hfe- His painting Of Westward the Star EN-
pire Takes Its Flight" was Of course. painted
here, as 1t Is freseo, and while engaged in that
work, great one by the by, he was a resident
Tor over year. He worked with wonderful
rspldity, never, that saw, retouching figure
after he had seemingly dashed it in. perfect
draughtsman and an unrivaled colorist, his
work came from his hand perfect in every de-
tail. but without the painful finish which takes
SO much from picture. The painting exhib-
tied by him at the Capitol. and which obtained
the order for the one I have spoken Of was his
Washington Crossing the Delaware" II was
almost the tirst of that class of pictures coming
from the Dusseldorf school, and il created
yerltable sensation in the art circles where n
was seen. 1t was purchased by Mr.. James
Leno1, who consigned it to that mausoleum of
art and learning from which the world was
excluded until his death. When the mag
nifcent art gallery and library he donated 70
the city of New York were completed thew were
opened 10 the public. For years he had gath
cred at vast expense the rarest volumes eStant
and manuscripts of great value. among
them the original Of Washington's farewa9
address, letters Of Byron Scott. Burns and
original poems in manuscript of other authors
Copies Of every edition of Shakespeare ever
issued, rare and the most costly missals iIlumi
mated manuscripts Of the early ages, one of
which, the most exquisite, was added recently
at a cost Of sl5,00O. The gallery contains the
finest examples Of the English school of the
present century and our early painters from
anti-revolutionary days to about the time of
Leutzes Washington. While that painting
was on exhibition here a youth, then think in
the patent office, Vim. ID. Washington. exc
cuted IL in fac simile in cOlored crayon on the
walls Of the room in the patent Office where
he was employed. The attention Of the public
was attracted by display Of such artistic talent
and Leutze when he saw il invited young Wash
1ngton TO accompany him to Dusseldorf on his
return and to pursue his art studies in his
studio Obtaining orders TO defray his ex-
penses from some of our liberal citizens he
returned with Leutze and studied under him
Tor some years and on his return brought with
MIN severaio OF the paintings ordered of him,
notably Cromwell and His Daughters" in the
Corcoran Gallery, and another Ia the same gal
iery-a scene OF the period Of the Roundheads
and Cavaliers His success WINS / think an
assured one, bat he died quite Young about the
close OF the war, leaving some admirable ex-