Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1894-04-23
sKETcHEs ny TRUmBULL.

: xosfer0ay'e New YORK Times mas tne
following ON = subject Of national interest
to lovers Of art:
The revolution was singularly barren in
people who had even arudimentary knowl-
edge Of art; We are thrown on the mercy
of amateurs like Colonel Jonathan Trum-
bull for some idea of what the heroes of /
that struggle rssemblsd at the time 1t oc- |
Cured. After 1t was over Trumbull took |
up the career of artist seriously and went
abroad to pursue that purpose. His best
known things, such as the big paintings at
Washington, the contents of the Trumbull
collection In the Art Museum at Yale col |
lsge, and the few pieces at the New York
Historical, belong to his professional Pc
riod, which was long after the revolution
itsslf. .-
A collection that processes to contain q
large body of pen and ink and sepia por-
traits made by Trumbnll between 1775 and
1885 IL In itself enough to rouse the deep
est interest in all who care for American
history and American art. One approaches
such q collection with suspicion. Where
has it beena Who has been concealing It'll
L. 1t not composed of fraudulent antiques9
The answer one gets from Messrs. Dodd,
Mead & Co., at whose publishing Offices, B
East Nineteenth street, the collection Is
shown, ia story that bears at least plau-
sibility on it's face. In his old age Trum-
bull was at Washington painting his big
canvsses for government; in 1924 he left
these sketehes and portraits in the hands
of Colonel Mosby, presumably rs collateral
for loan of money. In 1857 Colonel
Aosby distributed the collection among
his Virginia friends and they disappeared,
little being heard Of any~ef them during
the civil war and until four or five years
ago. Then the owner of q certain num-
Der, who wished to sell, learned of the ex-
istence of the others, having as guide
tho list made out by Colonel Mosby,
showing into whose hands the vari
been tracked and most of them collected.
They comprise 122 groups and single fig
ures in their old settings; one or two are
in ancient gold frames; but the greater
part in old, plain mahogany frames, such
a. were once used for smallish looking
glasses. Frames as we'll as pictures have
the look of antiques. Some of the PEN
and-inks are drawn on the rough white pa
per of old book covers, perhaps of blank
books. Ono of these Is profile of Aaron
Burr, like the profile oil portrait by Van
| derlyn in the New York Historical. 1t is
dated 1855, and like most of the collection,
| is signed with the initials J. T.
Many of the early dates are drawn with
| sepis washes on skins such as were used
l for drumheads and parchment deeds. A
/ few are on deerskin, with the hair still Wis
| ible on the back. Nothing more curious in
Americana has been seen for some time
than these drawings, which apparently arc
genuine relics of the epoch 1775 to 1908.
What accentuates the likelihood that
Messrs. Dodd, Mead & Go. have not been
taken In, is the general similarity of the
workmanship of the works of Trumbull at
Washington and New Haven. We have
here the same hard handling characteristic
of Trumbull's oil painting, a handling
which Is softened only in the case of GER
tain miniatures by him at Yale. The sepia
sketches of Revolution date, In which
| Washington, Israel Putnam, Benedict
Arnold, and Trumbull figure, are 80
exaotly like the work of q raw amateur
with strong artistic lesrnings that it seems
incredible they can be forged. The per.
spective ia often outrsgeously bad, nota'
bly, the elimination in size of figures the
maker meant to show in the background,
but which he has made far too small
There is often the most artlsss composition
} and q fearsome meagreness of figure. Some
} are comic. In one Israel Putnam has sur
| prised Washington and Miss Pollock by
putting ladder to window and fright
ening the young woman with blast from
7 q horn. In another Mrs. Pollock ane
| Washington are startled by unexpected
: noises. Warrington pulls the curtains O.
a door aside and shows to his friend th,
origin of the noise-a litter of young pige
hangs on the wall. In two group piece
| We have the same interior. In one Put
) nam and Trumbull sit at a table with bot
| ties and glasses. Washington, quite falls
, | in respect to stature, stands behind Put
| nam and puts his hand ON his shoulder
| To the left sits Benedict Arnold in profile
reading from a book, evidently readin,
! aloud. In the other Benedict Arnold cit
3 | a. before, but Warrington and Mrs. Pol
! lock are at tho table on which is tea set
, | Arnold il reading aloud. To the left is tn
dog Spads, and through the door at whiel
, the dog sits one perceives sentry. Boil
D | are dated 1776.
Il Another joke with Putnam, but thi
time Joke on him, "a dated 1776. It Is 1
drawing room with ladies. said to be tn
Misses Livingston. Putnam has just com
\ | in and IL making profound bow, while
/, | young lady takes his military hat. TIL
/ two seated ladies are plainly enjoying tn
rustic address of Old Put, for they are al
| most in q laugh. Two groups of general
| seem to be the sketches for elaborat,
paintings, for they have the air of studied
competitions. In one Washington stand
with his right arm on q musket. To tn,
left Knox grssps field glass. In the cen
, ter Putnam sits on drum. They weal
their military hats and look as If. they hai
1 sat for the composition. In the other
Greene is on the left, with sword in hi
right hand; Schuyler is on the right. with
sword in his left hand and his foot on {
cannon; Moultrie is in the center, will
; | scene is q surrender of an officer in
heavy cloak. He stands in the cente,
of Q room and hands his sword te
Washington. Three soldiers are standing
with muskets at carry, in the rear against
the wall, on which hang two portraits OF
generals, signed J. T. Still more curious
il Washington's bedchamber. A lady,
supposed to be Miss Pollock, has pulled
aside the curtains from the window. Wash
ington, meagre in drawing and falsely
diminished in size, to represent the dis
lance, is seen in the canopied bed, sitting
up. his back against pillows. This ia dated
1T6
There is badly-drawn sketch of Wash
ington, In full uniform, standing beside
his white charger, resting his right elbow
on Q cannon, against which leans an Amer
| lean flag. It resembles somewhat in gen.
eral competition the big Washington by
Trumbull at Yale, and might easily be the
first idea for that painting. All these are
on parchment, and seem to be in the
frames they might readily have had a CEN
tury ago.
Among the pen and ink portraits drawn
on the inside of the book covers are like
nesses of Rochambeau, d Estaing, Hancock,
Stark, Moultrie, Warren, Steuben, Madison,
John Randolph, r. b. Lee, Henry Lsurens,
Guy Carleton, John Gay, Capt. Brandt, and
Black Hawk. Among the miniatures on
| parchment or deerskin are Gen. Aontgom-
| cry, Paul Jones, Gen. Anthony Wayne, Rob
ert r. Livingston, Daniel Boone, Gems Lin
| coin and Pinekney, and John Adams. Among
the Cabinet portraits are two of Patrick
Henry, two of Benjamin Franklin, and
| one each of General John Bufgoyne, Roger
| Sherman, and Generals Horatio Gates and
| George Clinton; also of James Otis. There
are seven Harnesses of Washington belong
ing to 1776 in this series, while another In
| full uniform, three quarters profile Is
dated 1872 and signed J. T.
Here il q collection which should not
leave New York. It should be purchased
for one of these three museums, the His.
| torical society, the Lsnox library, or the
Metropolitan museum. The portraits are
i If rrioa1ass valua IN hjekortana opd opoh