The Washington critic., 1890-02-09
ART.

carefully colored, could impart even an
idea of the picturesque population of the
Nakadort or OF Maia street. The trundling
iinricBshas, the little shock-headed Japs In
dark-blue coats and tight trousers, the tiny
women-kind with hair banded and brushed
into fantastic, glossy, immovable coiiTures,
the mothers with the slit-eyed babies
lashed upon their baeks-so like TO dolls
that you almost look for the wire where
with TO make them wink and speak; the
postmen in soup-plate hats running along
with letter bags; the endless clatter OF the
innumerable wooden pattens; the slow
shaggy oxen dragging the bamboo wagons;
the pretty, grave, delightful, happy chill
dren, racing along the public way,
with flowing sleeves, like those of q
Master OF Arts, and flowers In their hair or
flying kites of astonishing devices the
small black and white houses ranged in
endless rows as II out of wooden toy-box,
with paper fronts and sliding shojis; the
startling things in toy shops and restau-
rants and "butcheries,n where the wild
b0ars and silver pheasants are hanging up
at the poulterers', besides ducks and snipe
and hares; the great kites and noisy crows
sweeping round and round above the traffic
of the bazar, and at the four cross way,
where long vista opens westward, Fuji's
grand peak fifty miles off, towering above
the rosy clouds Of sunset, lifting itself to
our far-on gaze I'm such majesty Of form
and color as no other mountain in the
world possesses.
Dark blue, dark gray, puce, purple aud
black embroidered with white are the lead
ing colors OF the dresses of the japanese
..N1 1...N.s tl.aN -
the moving crowd is not so variegated as
the throng of an Indian town presents.
But happier-loolsing population can no.
where be studied. The deep reverences
these little people make to each other in
the street are charming for grace and ap-
parent goodwil-the commonest coolie
bends with the air of q finished teacher of
department when he meets q friend or ac-
cepts an engagement. Indoors the obei-
sances are moreiowiy still The little forel
heads touch the-earth or the spotless clean
mats, and the little hands, almost always
exquisitely formed, are spread out, while
the kneeling Moosumee prostrates herself
and musically utters the Ohayol
The skill displayed by Japanese florists
is abundantly entertaining, but the most
striking objects are always those dwarfed
and twisted trees which they know how to
produce, so that, like. the Chinese, they
can carry about fir, or thuja, or plum
tree, sixty or eighty years old, In small
fowerpot. This is obtained with infinite
patience by pinching off the rootlets week
by week and nipping and training the ends
Of the branchlets till the tree is stunted
into the exact likeness of giant of the
forest, while it will not measure, perhaps,
more than twenty-four inches high. Then
they dot these pigmy timber trees all about
tiny artificial hill, and plant all over it
miniature rocks and crags, and dig out
fairylike lakes, and lead hither and
thither absurdly pretentious little rivers,
which, for their bridges, cataracts and
rapids, might be the Nile, the Missouri, or
the Orinoco; and near at hand they rear
| delicious little tea-house, and sit there sip
| ping ridiculously small doses of saki, from
/ thimble-like cups, nibbling such tiny bis
| cults as might satisfy the appetite OF a
| butterfly, smoking microscopic pipes of
brass and bamboo, which hold about three
whiffs, and generally thus looking upon
| life through reversed telescope aud
making delicate and friendly fun out of all
| its aspects.
Since the death of Mrs. Cameron of
| London no one has attempted to follow in
the footsteps of that gifted lady in the
| particular field of photography which she
made her own. In view of the great ad-
vances which have been made in the tech
nical part of photography, this circum-
stance has been not a little surprising.
| Within the last few months, however, Mrs.
Frederic Myers, sister of the gifted painter,
| Miss Dorothy Tenant, has turned her at
tention to the artistic side of photography
with extraordinary success. Mrs. Myers
endeavors to bring out the possibilities OF
beauty IN the subject she selects, rather
than to produce faithful likeness of any
particular person. Her method is, in short,
that of the painter or the sculptor who en-
deavors, from the suggestions which q
model affords, to create work of art
in accordance with his own ideal
Mrs. Myers, 1t must be admitted, has been
singularly fortunate in her models, and in
none more so than the lovely children who
form the subjects of several of her finest
Photographic studies. ''The Little St.
Johnn representing the lines: "a young
lambs heart among the full-grown flocls'
is instinct with poetry and charm; as
is also winged head, entitled "The Com
passionate Cherub.n "Entering on Life''
and ~ am Monarch of all l Survey are
delightful examples of English childhood
in its undaunted courage and innocence
In the last-named picture the sheen of the
child's silken draperies, the texture of the
fur and the modelling of the limbs are all
reproduced with more than usual finish
The series also comprises some beautiful
girls heads.
Mrs. Myers was fortunate enough to be
able to take several portraits of the late
Mr.. Browning when the poet visited hel
Cambridge home last summer. The fines
of these is perhaps a full-face likeness
The expression which it bears of vigor and
manly determination are well in harmony
with its inscriptions:
I was ever fighter-so one fight more
The best and the last!
Mrs. Myers has now taken between
thirty and forty photographs, some o.
which are platjnotypes, and Others in sepia
The majority are studies, but few, as il
the case of the photograph just mentioned
are artistic portraits, and to this lattel
class belong two likenesses of Mr.. Balfour
NJ. p. 1t should be added that the photo
graphs may be obtained at Mr.. Maclean's
Haymarket; at Mr.. Spooner's, Strand, ant
at Mr.. Mansell's, Oxford street. Th
Queen.
A monument to Carl Formes, the singer
who died recently in San Francisco, ha
been designed by II. Schmid Of that city
The bust OF the basso is seen against ped
estal, which is crowned by female figur,
representing Song. Bust and figure are t.
be in bronze.
Denver, COL, has an International Ar
Gallery, wherein is shown at present col
lection of paintings belonging to Barol
Won Richtofen. A number of these picture
are from the nude and as such have shocked
the sense Of propriety of some Of Denver
citizens. The vner has been forced &
withdraw the nude pictures owing to tn
expostulations addressed TO him on th
subject.
The French artists met in the Palais
lIndustrie of Paris not long ago to decid
the vexed question about the ''exempts
at the next Salon. In other words it wa
desired to know whether French and fereig