The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-15
A THEFT IN ART.
The Story Of q Missing Portrait
Of Washington.
Belief That 1t Is Still In Existence In m,
Isle of Man-Tho Portrait Originally
Intended for the White
House.

of George Washington, painted by Gil
bert Stuart, the friend and pupil of
West, says the London Black and
White. This long missing portrait was
one of three replicas made by Stuart
from the well-known original painted
to the commission of tho celebrated
Marquis of Lansdownc. That original
and two of tho copies are well and
clearly accounted for; but the third
disappeared in the following man.
ner. and has never since been heard of.
The portrait was painted for Gardner
Baker, of New York, an active member
of the society of st. Tammany, which
at his suggestion established museum.
This museum was in 1705 made over to
Baker, who added among other attrac-
tions the full length of the great gen.
eral. In 179S he appears to have gone
to Boston to exhibit the picture; but,
dying there of yellow fever, the por-
trait went to n Mr.. Laing in satisfac-
ton of n claim. by and by the com
mittee charged with furnishing the
presidents house at Washington bought
the picture, which was intrusted to one
Winstanley, tricky ne'er-do-wecl of
painter, to pack and deliver. Winstan-
ley, however, copied the Stuart in his
own vile way, delivered the copy, and
fled to England with the original.
Stuart himself was the first to discover
and denouncc the fraud. But though
he repudiatcd the canvas that still
hangs in the white house, and though
the evidence against it is ovcrwhclm-
ing, patriotic citizens of the states will
still believe it to be the genuine por-
trait repeated by Stuart himself from
the Lansdowne full length. What be-
came of the genuine work stolen by
Winstanley, painter and thief?
Well, there is considerable reason to
believe that it is now in the possession
of William Burrows, picture dealer at
Douglas, Isle OF Man. Some time ago
there was n sale at Mount Vernon in
that island, in consequence of the
death of Mrs. Harrison, who was Mrs.
Hancock (having been twice marricd)
and daughter of one Breed, who
formerly owned Breed island in Bos-
ton harbor, whose name is immortalized
in the battle of Breeds hill. and who
settled in the Isle of Man carly in the
century. Among variety of pictures
| disposed of at the aforesaid sale was Il
| fine full length in oil of George Wash
ington, and capital impression of the
engraving which Heath made from the
Lansdownc portrait, thus robbing
Stuart Of his copyright, and leading to
probably the first and certainly the
bittercst dispute on record concerning
| American and English artistic rights.
Mr.. Burrows bought all the pictures at
the sale, and the print, the mastery
style of the painting, and its all but com
plcte identity with the engraving led
him to conclude he had acquired n
genuine Stuart Washington. Hence
those recent paragraphs anent the
discovery" in the Isle of Man; hence IL
journey to London, picture in hand, to
consult the experts.
| Now the experts all agree that it is
not only a genuine Stuart, but n very
fine specimen in point alike of color,
handling, design and mot less impor-
tanU of preservation. Mr.. Burrows
canvas is essentially the same (thc diff
fercnces between it and the Lansdownc
being extremely slight, and not even SO
marked as those which, as n rule, natur-
ally appear in rcplicas); but the Lans-
downe does not equal the delicacy and
L.
rows possession, but which ought
properly to be in the national portrait
gallery. The only portrait of Washing
ton there is poor-so poor indeed that
apparently the authorities don't think
it worth exhibiting. Washington. after
all. was as much British as Americans;
and the national album certainly should
contain likeness worthy of the man
and of the two peoples. But the author
| tiles are so impccuniOus that they can
only offer comparatively small price.
! Such an offer has been made, it is un-
| derstood; but the figure named is quite
| below the market value of the picture,
| which, unless some special means are
taken to acquire it for the nation, will
assurcdly be snapped up by some patri-
| otto American millionaire.
Finally, there is the question OF idcnti,
ty. Space forbids such lengthy state
| ment as could be made of the facts, but,
briefly, the considerations in favor of
this being the replica originally in
| tended for the white house are these:
Winstnnley came to England, presume
bly, with the portrait. about the same
time rs Breed. What more likely than
that Breed purchased the picture for
his Isle of Man home, which he named
mount Vernon" after Washington's?
1t has hung in the principal room there
for nearly ninety years; Hcath's engrav-
ing purchased probably ut the time of
publication), being in the bedroom. 1t
is pretty certain that Winstanley stole
the picture to sell; it is not unlikely
that he sold it to Breed. This Isle of
Man picture is n genuine Stuart and OBJ
viously careful replica on smaller
scale of the Lansdowne portrait; it