Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-02
PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON.

PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON.
Discovery on the Isle of Man Of One Of the
Famous Stuart ReplIoas-A Singular
Story OF the Disappearanos Of Por-
trait of the Father Of His Country.
WASHINGTON, March Consul Cen
eral Sherman, Of Liverpool, informed the
State Department of the discovery on the
Isle of Man of portrait Of Washington,
believed to be one of the three replicas by
Gilbert Stuart, from his original painting
for the Marquis of Lansdowne, and also
believed to be the identical portrait
that was intended for the Executive man
sion. The portrait is owned by MI. William
Burrows, and is for sale at the price OF
81, 900. The size Of the canvas is 20x13
inches. 1t appears to have been well pre-
served. A photograph of the portrait &C
companying the dispatch shows it to be
Stuart beyond any reasonable doubt, and
extracts from Black and White and from the
Whitehall Revieac give an interesting account
of the history of the portrait Black d''d
White says:
"One of the most singular stories in the
annals of art is the theft and disappearance
of an authentic full-length portrait OF
Stuart. the friend and pupil of West. This
long missing portrait was one of three
replicas made by Stuart from the we'll
known original painted to the commission
of the celebrated Marquis of Lans-
downe. That original and two Of the copies
are we'll and clearly accounted for, but the
third disappeared in the following manner,
and has never since been heard Of: The
portrait was painted for Mr. Gardiner
Baker, of New York, an active member Of
the Society of ST. Tammany, which, at MS
suggestion, established q museum. This
museum was. in 1895, made over to Baker,
who added, among other attractions, the
full-length portrait of the General. In l!9S
he appears to have gone to Boston to exhibit
the picture, but, dying there of yellow
fever, the portrait went to a Mr.. Laing in
satisfaction of claim. By and by the
committee charged with furnishing the
Presidents house at Washington bought
the picture, which was intrusted to
one Winstanley to pack AND deliver.
Winstanley, however, copied the Stuart.
delivered the copy, and fled to England
with the original Stuart himself was the
first to discover and denounce the fraud, but
though he repudiated the canvas that still
hangs in the White House, and though the
evidence against 1t is overwhelming, patri-
otic citizens of the States still believe it to
be the genuine portrait repeated by Stuart
himself from the Lansdowne full length.
What became of the genuine work stolen by
Winstanley, painter and thief?
"Well, there is considerable reason to be-
lieve that it is now in the possession of
Mr. William Burrows, q picture dealer,
Douglas, Isle of Man. Some time ago there
was sale at Mount Vernon, in that island
(the name, it will be remembered, of WASH
ington's home), in consequence of the death
of Mrs Tobin Harrison, who was Mrs.
Harcock (having been twice married) and
the daughter of one Breed, who formerly
owned Breed Island, in Boston harbor,
whose name is immortalized in the battle Of
Breeds Hill, and who settled in the Isle of
Man early in the century. Among variety
of pictures disposed of at tho aforesaid sale
was a fine full length in oil of George
Washington and capital impression of an
engraving which Heath made from the
Lansdowne portrait, thus robbing Stuart of
his copyright, and leading to probably the
first and certainly the bitterest dispute on
record concerning American and English
artistic rights. Mr.. Burrows bought all the
pictures at the sale, and the print, the mas
terly style of the painting, and Its all but
complete identity with the engraving, led
him to conclude that he has acquired gen.
uine Stuart Washington.
"Now the experts all agree that 1t is not
only genuine Stuart but very fine speci-
men, in point alike of handling, color, de-
sign, and (not less importantly of preserve
tion.
FINALLY there is the question of identity.
Space forbids such a lengthy statement as
could be made of the facts; but, briefly, the
consideration in favor of this being the
replica originally intended for the White
House are these:
"Winstanley came to England, presuma-
bly, with the portrait, about the same time
as Breed. It is pretty certain that Win
stanley stole the picture to sell It is not
unlikely that he sold it to Breed, Heath's
engraving (purchased probably at the time
of publication) being in the bedroom
at Mount Vernon. This Isle of
Man picture is genuine Stuart, and OBJ
viously careful replica on smaller scale
of the Lansdowne portrait It supplies in
all essential points, apparently, the missing
full length. If, therefore, this is not the
White House portrait, then Stuart painted
another full length, hitherto unrecorded, or
there was painter in exactly Stuart's man.
ner, and who forged his signature, about
whose history we know nothing"