The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-23
sHERMANs LAST PORTRAIT.
"A Talk With Jas. Il. Beard About Il
Great Men Who Havs Posed for II L

Great Men Who Havs Posed for H NJ.
(Copui0hLl
NEw York, March 21-Iti is sherman to
the life. Sherman as he was in the last
years. with the furrowed and thoughtful
brow, the close cropped snowy beard. His
expression is intent aud powerful, as might
fit the taking Of the boldest chance in the
march to the sea, and yet not stronger than
his face would wear sometimes, even in
this very yesr, when conversation touched
point which fully reused him.
saw the picture in the studio of James
II. Beard. the veteran artist who had made
a name before most of us were born. He
knew Shermon well, had known him ST ce
ante-bellum DAYS Those who were ac-
quainted win the great generals peculiari-
ties will realize that the artist must have
had a strong claim or he would not have
been granted a sitting. The manner Of
granting IL, too, WINS quite characteristic
1t was in the fall of 1887 that Beard wrote
a note to Sherman asking the favor of a
sitting. The general replied with cour;e.
GUS but unnistakable refusal Beard was
disappoi ted, although he had not been very
sanguine of obtaining the desired favor. A
few days later, as he sat in his studio, the
door was pushed open, and in walked Sher-
man.
OCatOs 5hAu nc, L udNo1b uSou YOU
fairly. You shall have a sitting as soon
as you want it, and as many more as you
need"
When the sitting began Beard was able to
realize more fully the sacrifice which the
general had made to friendship. He was
too restless to maintain the pose more than
minute or two, and then he would shift,
first one way and then the other, and beg
to be allowed the consolation of a cigar.
Whan his ruaplH
bearable he would walk over and note the
artists progress. In his most restless
moments during a sitting. when no had
shifted his pose till it bore no relation to the
one in which he had been paced, he could
always be brought back by a word. At
the sound of it he would assume the correct
position with military precision.
He was always pune tual in keeping his
appointments for sitting. the artist told me,
except in che instance when he was fifteen
minutes late. In that case he began to
apologize before he had fairly got the door
open. he liked the portrait very much
when it was done. 1t has been exhibite 1
for a few DAYS in the chamber Of commerce
but has not been shown elsewhere, except
in the studio.
TIE portrait shows him in his uniform,
but there are no other military Insignia.
Sherman asked that they should be omitted,
he did not wish the sword or the COLLEEN
plumes to figure on the canvas, And so
the picture stands as If to show that Sher-
man had conquered men by his intellect
aud not by blows with sword,
The white-haired artist told me many in
teresting stories of Sherman, but most Of
them, fancy, have found their way into
print during these last few weeks. Beard
himself took honorable part in the war,
being captain on the staff of Gen. Lew
Wallace.
noticed near Shermans portrait head
of William Henry Harris IN, and was sur
prised to hear that Beard had painted the
hero of Tippecanoe from life. But that
wasn't so long ago, after all, in tue memory
of an octogenarian, aud the painter will be
one In a few months. He had sittings from
John Quincy Adams, who seems much
further back in history, and from Zachary
Taylor. His portrait Of Taylor brought a
hiSber price than any American artist had
received for a single work up TO that time.
He told me good story of Gen. Taylor,
which dates back to the time of his presi-
Dental campaign. The general was at
Baton Rouge, and the artist had called upon
him. They talked on general topics for
awhile, end finally got around to politics.
Taylor asked his guest which way he was
going to vote. Beard, whose sympathies
were not strongly with Taylor, got out of
| ii as well as he could but not well
enough 10 disguise his hesitancy. Then the
| general came out in a surprising fashion for
political candidate.
Don't you vote for me-" he cried, ''or
| for any other military man. There is moth
! ing in army life which makes sta esmen OF
US, nothing at all"
| 1t sounds strange to youngster to hear
| man tell this of these characters VINO
seemed far away even in my school days.
Beard has been painting for sixty-dve
| years. He obtained his first art inspiration
by watching a man designing figure-head
| for some small craft that was to ply the
waters OF Lake Erie. Genius is quick to
take hint. Young Beard, with the most
primitive materials. went to work and
though wholly untaught turned out some
| pictur es that were worth looking at. He
has made a special study of animals
Among the notable f. ces / observed in his
| studio was that of the late distinguished
| Mr.. Crowley. The portraiture is excellent.
| I he great ape sits IN a reflective posture
looking upward. One hand supports his
| chin. and the other holds copy of OAR
| wins descent Of Man." The Metempsy-
Ghosts of Pythagoras Is on the table wi h q
monkeys skull, while on the floor is the
skull of a man.
| Among Boards best known works are
| 'Out All Night" group of dogs; "Streets
of New York" now owned by g. P. Hunt
ingdon; 1.-THE Last Man." strangely i'm
pressive conception Of the delugs; and
"North Carolina Emigrants,n an early
work, the first which won him recognition
in the east.
He has been urged to put his admirable
portrait OF Sherman on exhibition, and may
do 1T soon. DAVID WECHsLER.