The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1891-09-03
AN INTERESTING CAREER.
History OF an Artist Who Painted
=, a Picture Three Miles Long.
A Panorama Of the Entire Mississippi
River Drawn from Sketches Made
while He Was Travelling In
a Canoe.

Canoe.
John Barnard, the artist, died the
other day in Watertown, 5. d., OF heart
failure. His career as an artist, tray
elcr and an adventurer was unique ana
interesting, says the New York Times
and the story Of his life is full OF mel
dents that go beyond the usual
He was born in New York about 1890,
and his youthful days were spent IN
study of drawing and painting ior
which he showed decided taste at an
early age. When he was fifteen years
old his father died, after losing his
property, and the boy went to LOUIS
VILE. where he worked for time as q
clerk in drug store. A year later he
had opened a studio and established |
himself as an artist. He did not long
remain in Louisville, but after painting
several pieces he started out to earn nus
living by exhibiting them, and he VS.
tied New Orleans, Natchez, Cincinnati,
and other towns, going by boat, and
sometimes giving exhibitions ON u Hat
boat fitted up for the occasion.
He made q scanty living and met
MANY adventures and hardships. one
OF his pictures, made about this time,
was n panorama of Venice, which he
painted wholly from imagination, and
nfterward exhibited with success.
While on one Of his river trips, Mr..
Banyard conceived the idea of painting
n panorama of the entire Mississippi
river. 1t was his ambition to paint the
la, In, Tho world. He set
about Il in 1870 Alone, in an open
slsiff, with no outfit except his rifle and
his drawing instruments, he Travelled
thousands of miles When his rifle
failed to bring him necessary food he
paintcd pictures and exhibited them to
make money enough to buy food and re-
plenish his materials.
For more than year he lived in this
way, and when his preparatory draw
ings were done he erected building III
Louisville, where they were transferred
to canvas and first exhibited. The
artist's ambition was realized. The
painting was the largest ever made,
and, complete, it covered three miles
of canvas. 1t was one of the wonders
of the day, after the people heard about
Il. and was exhibited in many cities of
this country and abroad, attracting
much attention.
After a series of exhibitions in Eu-
rope the artist travelled extensively in
Asia and Africa and painted many pic
lures which were exhibited. Among
these was panorama called Pictures
and Poetry of Palestine" and another
composed Of three pictures, First Bat
tle-Field of History" "Siege OF Jerusa-
lcm-Destruction of the Temple" and
''Ruins of Edom."
During the war Mr.. Barnard pointed
out to Gen. Fremont how Island No, III
could be passed by canal and certain
bayous, and he made charts showing the
route His suggestions were afterNard
successfully followed. He was pro-
life writer and was the author of about
seventeen hundred poems, several hun
dred of which have been published II
magazines here and in Great Britain
He also published "A Description O
the Mississippi River" pilgrimage t
the Holy Land" "Amasis: or, The Las
of the Pharoahs," 1.-THE Private Life
of King" and Tradition of the Tenn
ple.'
Two Of his dramas have been acted
"Amasis," at the Boston theater IL
1864, and 'Carrinia, at the Broadwa.
theater In 1875. One OF his paintings
''The Orison," was the picture from
which the first chrome made in Amer
lea was taken. Nearly n quarter of {
century ago Mr.. Banvard established
his panorama in what was thel
Woods museum on Broadway, whicl
afterward became Days thcater
Here his pictures We're exhibited, and
with his lectures, attracted considerabl
attention.
Critics have said that Mr.. Banvard'
pictures were not great in artist
merit. They uncomfortable becaus
of their magnitude and the rapidit
with which he made them. When e2
hibiting his panorama he accompanie
the pictures with n descriptive lecture
which often was feature Of his ente
'ainments. En