Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28
wrfttso for The Evening Star.

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Al NY ONE ENTERING MR.. BRADY's GAL
IA lery finds himself face to face with the
portraits Of the long line of Presidents from
John Quincy Adams down to the present day.
The few who remember them can enjoy . re-
Prospect which they cannot find elsewhere.
With the Presidents are also their cabinets
and Senators and Representatives, judges OF
the Supreme Court from John Marshall through
the long years Of succession to the present day
Heroes Of the three wars, military and naval;
foreign representatives from every court
With whom We hold friendly relations; leading
editors Of the country and those whose literary
fame has shed such luster on America; pvets,
painters, sculptors; in fact every celebrity Of
the past and present generation looks down
from those walls upon those who visit there.
You question the fact that these men of the
long ago had given to Mr.. Brady sittings, as he
stands beside you relating with wonderful
memory incidents Of each and all Of them a.
We pass in review before them.
Mr.. VI. j. Brady was a student of Prof. Morse
OF telegraphic fame, who was in Paris when Da-
guerre made known his discovery and returned
90 New York in 1899 and had the first instru-
ment constructed by Wolfe. the Optician, and
with it first adapted the daguerrsotype to por-
traiture. That instrument is now in the Smith
,onisn Institution Daguerre visited this cOun-
Of disolving views. and then met Prof Morse
with whom he discussed the crude ideas he
subsequently developed in the daguerretOpye
In conversations with Mr.. Brady found SO
much of interest in his recollections OF those
men Of the past and of the ladies whose faces lend
such attraction to his gallery that l concluded
your readers would be pleased to hear some OF the
many instances which he retains so wildly III
mis- memory Of those eminent sitters whose
''counterfeit presentments' have outlived 80
many memories of them
SOME NOTABLE LADIES.
The long list Of those men of the past would
ind more space than / claim, and so 1 will
make 3 beginning with the ladies, and first
Mrs. Alexander Hamilton. who at the age of
ninety-three gave Mr.. Brady sitting, and his
picture of her represents her at that advanced
age full Of life. with eyes hardly dimmed by the
many years they had looked upon this world,
her costume a relic of that past. on her head
d plain cap close fitted to her small head. Her
conversation was. Mr.. Brady saws, exceedingly
Interesting. and she loaned Mr.. Brady the
famed miniature of her illustrious husband on
ivory, in profile. which Is to be found on the
treasury notes. On one Of her visits she was
accompanied by Mrs. Gen. McComb, of whom
Mr.. Brady obtained very fine picture, and
copied for her picture Of her husband, who
well known here
In striking contrast with Mrs Hamilton Mr.
Brady's picture of Mrs Madison stands pre-
eminent Age had made but little inroad on
her face. and where il had touched ii the trace
was carefully oblitersted. Nj. Brady says he
never saw delicate and smooth a cheek on a
lady anywhere, and she retained that evidence
81 early days 70 the very last years of her life.
The indies who grace Mr. B-adys gallery came
u later generation and will find place in
chronological order il The STAR will yield NE
space. Mr. Brady relates with remarkable ex-
,ctness the peculiarities of his eminent sitters,
who at that time had to rely on the daguerreo-
type, this years before the photograph
had been applied to general use. Many of
these pictures we're taken IN New York.
HENRY CLAWS SITTING.
Mr.. Clay was always a very difficult subject
TO obtain sitting of, but Mr.. Brady invoked
the aid of Mr.. Clay's personal friends, all of
whom wanted a portrait of him. and on a visit
to New York in 1856 Mayor Brady. the Hon.
Joe HO1ey. Simeon Draper and Moses H. Grin
nell made arrangements for the sitting Of Mr..
Clay, fixing the day and as near as possible the
nour. The crowd which followed Mr.. Clay,
and the eminent men of that day filled Broad
xay in front OF Mr.. Brady's gallery, then cor
0er Of Fulton and Broadway. when it was an
aounceG that Mr.. Clay would be there about u
O'Clock Mr.. Clay did not come any nearer Mr..
Brady gallery than the CITY hall. where ne was
taken possession of by the aldermen. and in the
tea TOom.' as it Was called, he received the
thousands who thronged the city hall and park
20 greet him. At last the word came that Mr..
Brady was to come to the ''tea
room and there take Mr.. Clay's pic
sGre. "ers up us ihstr umehls ana
~ oPete'olS. WIN VIC eIu VI INC Poice
.Aes maze tner wy NlIouSn lhe uehse crown
" we presence Vi M LAY, VINO was seated on
APIa'Io9il d. 'ne heae oi tne room ana almost
0os1e- IN 10Y y, sIelI .nloAe- Inc sen
100 800 SAenlo.us uSet IN -n.'s ia! causeu VI
prsof we most uneasy Ieehh8; ne rearing thatth
Oao 44sHt anu 'he cLoud Vi shoAe mig nv ih.erlere
very seriously WIN ms picture: Mr. Gay re-
1eNed MN very GOrdlaIIy ana sald' Weli' mere
am; ana Nr. brady Poseu MIN as wen as ne
eoui1 ul'1er sheh CIRCUMSTANCES ana mus took
we nTst picture Oh hLm' Dut subsequently Cd
Hlheu sisuhg AZ Lhe We" iorA holel IN
more IasOrap.e h9ht anu surroundings
anu ~ was the recognized portrait oil
ar. Clay anu the one rom whlch the portrait
II the Oaplioi was painted Dy Daroy. MI Gay
was very much OPPoseu 10 sIunS LOT MS por-
uAit a. an! une: AGmirai Niehoison related 70
me us meeting M Gay anu az his request ae-
COmpah!lhB MN 10 e.'e nan hour slttlnS 10
APortfSit painter, whose studio was on the cor
ner ol 90 street anu the avenue, whose name
ne eoua no, reineIhoer- IL wa NOT long before
MS oe.'n. MI Drauy say II required good
deal o. uiPlomacy anu hlhuehee 10 OBTAIN SIT
nhgs rom tne Sinlheh' men OF mat cay Tor
sn"n IN We" ioIA .ney were IN tne nanos
% municipal eonnhi''ees VI lheir Pontica1
Hiehus
DANIEL wEBsTER's coxPLAcEScY.
Mr. Webster's sitting well illustrates how