Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-05-26
A RARE PHOTOGRAPH
THE REPRODUCTION or TIE olo
DE WITT CLINTON DuE TO IT.

A Unique Bit of History Which Dean
with the Old Anti-Nissonrs Feeling In
New York stare over sixty Years Ago.
Clever Artist With Scissors.
''The New York Central r abroad com
Pany's reproduction Of the irst railroad
Eain and locomotive ever run in New
York state, most interesting and valu
able exhibit at the Chicago fair, said al
old resident Of Albany, causes me to
wonder how many Of the officers Of that
company know that if the disappearance
Of Morgan from Batavia 65 years ago
bad not been attributed 10 murderous
Vaccinations Of the Masonic fraternity,
which resulted in the great anti-Masonic
excitement that spread throughout the
country and became a sensational poht-
ical factor, they would not have been
able 10 make the reproduction, and the
appearance Of that curious railroad train
and engine would never have been known
in accurate and pictorial representation.
1T was years l~f0re the discovery and
practical introdt Of that crude pred
scessor Of photography. the daguerreo-
type. when the pioneer railroad train in
this state was run. and as the future i'm
portance to history Of the appearance Of
that train never occurred 70 those inter
ested in bringing it into existence the
skill of no artist with his pencil was
brought into use TO perpetuate il on
paper 1t happened that young man
named Brown William H Brown of
Philadelphia-was in Albany on the day
the train was run. Aug. 9, 1881, and had
been in the place several days
He had a marvellous talent for cutting
with pair Of scissors out Of black paper
hfelike profile portraits and accurate
Representations Of buildings, machinery
and even landscapes
THE remarkable part Of this talent Of
his was his power o. make perfectly
exact portrait OF persons days and even
weeks after having seen them but once.
and that only casually on the street.
He had for some time made good NV
ing by the exercise Of his peculiar art
Thaddeus Stevens was at that time just
beginning 10 make a reputation in poll
tics and had seized upon the auti-Masonic
idea for use IN Pennsylvania, as il had
been 80 successfully worked by Thurlow
Weed and MS heuteuauts IN New York
state. The feeling was growing IL Penn
sylvania, and young Brown thought It
would be q good stroke Of business for
him 70 60 to Albany, have a look al
Thurlow Weed and Uthers. snip their
likeness out IN silhouette. and besides
getting a fee from them for the work
duplicate the pictures f0r sale among
the antj-Masouic enthusiasts IN Peunsyl-
wanna and elsewhere.
HE went % Albany early in August,
1881. and did great deal more than get
tine portraits Of Thurlow Weed. His
wonderful work took the town by storm.
and be was kept busy from morning IN
Ill night cutting the silhouette hksnessss
OF people Of all kinds. sexes and age
that fOcked 10 ms rooms
HIS greatest artistic feat was the cut
ting N one large picture Of the famous
Burgess corps entire. with stat and band
u full parade each members portrait
being Of surprising accuracy. This pic
turs Is among the most precious relics IT.
the state library
And % h happened that TINS unique
young artist wac In Albany on the day.
the quaint locomotive De With Clinton
with ia equaly quaint coaches. was 10 be
run On its first trlp over the Mohawk and
hudson railroad.
De was one u the passengers on the
train. ana when II returned 70 Albany
he cut with his Scissors an exact picture
u the locomotive and two u the coaches
making the portrait Of David Matthew
the engineer, and John 7. Clark. the con
ductor, On his seat on the outside Of the
front coach
In that picture appear the hkenssses
Of Thurlow Weed Ex-Governor Yates
and other distinguished AlDanians Of
that day. but neither Mr. Weed nor the
ex-governor was on the train. Without
thought Of the future Of that picture
az n valuable contribution " history,
the artist cut those portraits merely a.
an exercise Of his skill in depicting sub.
1ect from memory. lie told me - him
self 40 years afterward
while Artist Brown was in Albany
he concluded TO go 10 Boston and Hart.
FORD 10 make some portraits and other
cuttings with his marvellous scissors
While in Hartford ho showed the picture
he had made Of the railroad train and
locomotive TO a member Of the Connect
cut Historical society. who at once saw
what treasure II must necessarily be
come, and the artist presented II 10 th,
society. where it is today a relic beyon,
price
''Some 80 years after cutting that pic
ture Brown became interested In TIN
railroad business himself having lonl
ceased to exercise his artistic skill pro
fessionally. and one day, having aimos
forgotten the Albany picture, he reat
in q newspaper an account OF n litho
graph that had Just been publishe,
from photograph Of the silhouette pic
ture he had presented to the Connection
Historical society.