St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-12
Amelia B. Edwards, Scholar
and LitterateuP, Lectures
in st. Paul.
Portrait Painting in Ancient
Egypt Delightfully."- Depict
ed and Described. 4
50
A Brilliant Party to Mark a
Benevolent Society j.
Epoch.
The Methodists Discuss the
Advantages Of Social Re- Z
unions.

An audience representing the intel
lectuality of st. Paul last evening
crowded the Peoples church to greet
Miss Amelia B. Edwards, the distin-
guished English Psychologist, novelist.
traveller and journalist. The church
was represented by many eloquent d.
vines, the bar by some of its eminent
lights, medicine was represented
by its most learned practition-
ers, and there vera hundreds
of others prominent in the
Guys professional and social life. Miss
Edwards was escorted onto the plat
form by Judge Flandrau, who briefly.
Dut appropriately, introduced her to the
assembled ladies and gentlemen. Loud
applause met the lady as she rose to
speak on: Painting in Ancient
Egypt" Miss Edwards first appeared
wearing a shawl. This was sub
sequently discarded. Her dress
was entirely black, unrelieved by
any color or ornament, excepting
brooch at the throat. She is rather
above the medium height, and, although
htty-elght years of age. seems as vigOr-
Gus as most women at forty. Her eoun-
tenance is singularly attractive, with
Its mobile mouth, expressive eyes and
scholarly forehead. from which her
black hair. tinged with gray, is combed
straight back. Her delivery and voice
are good. being heard 10 advantage in
the remoteSt part of the church. Her
manner IS quiet and prepoSSesSing, and
her appearance is in accord with her
reputation as one of the most intel
lectual and able women of her time.
Miss Edwards first enlarged upon the
growth of Egyptian art from its incep-
ton. 1000 years before the Christian
era. BY this she demonstrated how
painting and sculpture
WE'RE TWIN ARTS,
born of the fruitful Nile. Her descrip-
tions of early Egyptian art were partic-
ularly rich. The Egyptian artist knew
nothing about perspective; he was igno-
rantof light and shade. The consequence
was, in the outline pictures found on.
the most ancient Egyptian monuments
the mans head was given in profile, the
eye was drawn to full view. the hodyl
was in front view and the legs were in
profile. Ridiculous as this may seem,
the drawing was so free, the effect so
interesting, that much of its incongruity
was lost. People must not run away with
the idea that these. Egyptian artists were
poorly paid for. their work. Some of
them got from 100000 to S275,000 for
their works. Miss Edwards reverted to
Greek painting, taking the line that the
Greeks displayed less artistic taste in
their early paintings than did the
Egyptians, and this she demonstrated
by pictures thrown on the screen. The
earliest known Egyptian and Greek
works were. thus depicted, to the
no small amusement of the audi
enee, and the advantage of the
Egyptian. The work of the latter was
decidedly less crude, and displayed
deeper artistic ability than did the
creation of the Greek. The lecture
concluded with description of twenty
four portraits discovered by Prof. Petre
on the site of the Sabaryuth, a part of
which was
TURNED INTO A CEMETERY
by colony of Greeks. Romans and
Asiatics. Photographs from the origi-
nal pictures were spread on the scene
and then described by Miss Edwards.
The original pictures, or panels, were
discovered in the cotfius of the people
buried in this cemetery about the time
of Adrian. The pictures are supposed
to be those of the people buried. Many
of these portraits were surprisingly
modern in their appearance, and the
artistic finish of several ELECTED warm
dppl1uSS. mere were several Deautl-
tut faces of women and girls. Mrs. Ed
wards particularly commented on the
articles of apparel, ornaments and fash
ions of dressing the hair, which bore so
peculiar and startling resemblance to
those of the women and girls of to-day.
Indeed, added Miss Edwards, if the
original of one of these pictures were to
walk the streets of this city, there
would be nothing in their head-dress,
ETC., to distinguish them from the
women of to-day. There were bad art
lists among the Egyptians. as there were
to-day-a fact disclosed by the reprodue-
ton of these ancient portraits.
Miss Edwards lecture occupied nearly
two hours. Her style was so charming
and the address was interspersed SO adj
mirably with effective word-painting Of
artistic analysis that the huge audience
was transtixed with interest. At the
close the spell was broken with pro-
lOnged and deserved applause.
A second lecture will be delivered by
Miss Edwards this afternoon On Queen
Hatsu and the Women of Ancient
Egypt"