Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-09-30
. A THEFT IN ART.
The Story Of Missing Portrait
Of Washington
Belief That 1t Is Still In Existence IN the
Isle or Mantle Portrait Originally
Intended for tho White
House. -

appearance of an authcnti" full length
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 rcplicas made by Stuart
from the wcll-known original painted
to. the commission of the celebrated
Marquis of Lansdowne. That original
AMI two of the copies arc well and
clearly accounted for; but the third
disappeared in the following man
ncr, 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
ut his suggestion established museum.
This museum was in 1895 made over TO
Baker, who added among other attrac-
tions the full length of the great gen
cral. In 1898 he appears to have gone
to boston to exhibit the picture; but,
dying there of yellow fever, the por-
trait went to q Mr.. Laing in satiSiac-
ton of Il claim. I;y and by tho COM
mittcc charged with furnishing tho
presidents house ct Washington bought
the picture. which was intrustcd To one
Winstanlcy- 4 tricky Ec'cr-tlo-wccl Of .
painter. to pack and deliver. Winst;n-
Icy, however, copied the Stuart in HIS
own vile why. delivered the copy. and
| fed to England with the original
Stuart himself wuS the first 10 discover
and dcnOuncc the fraud. But though
he rcputiatcd the canvas that still
hangs III the white house. and though
the evidence against it is 0vcrwhclm-
| ing, patriotic citizens Of the states will
still believe it to hc tho genuine pnr-
| trait repeated by Stuart himself from
the LnnsClowuc full length. What be-
| came of the genuine work stolen by
Ninatarlcy, painter and thief?
We'll. there IL considerable reason to
| believe that it Is now in the possession
| of William burrows, Il picture dealer ut
| Douglas, lSlc of Man. Soma time ago
| there was u sale ut Mount Vernon III
| that island, in consequence of the
death Of Mrs. Harrison, who WAS u Mrs.
| Hancock (having been twice ul"rricd}
| and q daughter Of one Breed, who
| formerly owned Breed iSlaru in ECS-
| ton harbor, whose name iSirImOrtaIiZCd
i'll the battle of breeds hill. and who
settled in the Isle of Man carly in the
| century. Among q variety 81 pictures
| disposed of ut the aforesaid sale was q
| fine full length in oil Of George WASH
ingtOn, and 4 capital impression of tho
engraving which Heath made from tho
Lansdownc 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.
| Dir. Burrows bought all the pictures at
the sale, and the print, the mnstcrly
style of the painting, and its all but COM
! pletc identity with tho engraving led
| him to conclude nc had acquired Il
genuine Stuart Washington. Hence
those recent paragraphs ancnt the
discovery" in tho Isle of Man: hence 81
journey to London, picture IN hand, to
! consult the experts.
| Now the experts all agree that it is
not only genuine Stuart, but very
fine specimen in point alike of color,
handling, design and mot less inpor-
tant) of preservation. Mr.. Burrows
canvas is essentially the same (tho diff
fcrcnccs between it and the Lanstlowne
being extremely slight, and not even SO
| marked as those which, as n rule. natur-
| ally appear in rcplicas); but the Lans-
townc does not equal the delicacy and
distinction Of the work now III Mr. Bur-
| IoNS IOSSc5SlDll, INV Which, OuntL
| properly TO be in tho national portrait
gallery. The only portrait OF Washing
Ton there IL poor-so poor indeed that
apparently the authorities don't think
IT worth exhibiting. Washington, after
all. was rs much British as, American;
and the national album ecrtssnly should
contain likeness worthy ct the mnn
and of the two peoples. Butthc author
only offer n comparatively small price.
such an offer has boon made, il is I'M
dcrstood; butt tho figure named is quito
below tho market value OF the picture,
which, unless some. special mcan0 arc
taken to acquire it for thc nation, will
ase,ircdy be snapped up by some patri-
otto American millionaire.
1'r1r, ,,,n., Rho ;n firs-,.clirrr ,y,;+l, Ma