The times., 1898-04-17
"HeirIooms In MinIatures.-


Holiingsworth Wharton. Il contains re-
productions of representative American
miniatures. with records Of the individ-
uals portrayed. and some sketches Of
early American artists. The artists o.
the Colonial and Revolutionary period.
were men of attractive and interesting
personality, and the book thus becomes
not only a work of special interest to 4
few, but a collection of traditions
and histories not elsewhere TO be
found. and valuable TO the student o:
general history.
The fronuspiece of the book is a repro
duction, in colors. of a portrait of Mrs.
Alexander Bleecker, painted by MaIbone.
Engravings OF other miniatures are to
be found scattered through the various
chapters. and showing the especial style
OF each painter. The pictures and ma
terial for the book have been gathered
from Nor, ,hern and Southern States alike.
Extracts from old letters and old po-
ems are given. and the whole aim OF the
author seems TO be to reproduce the So
ciety and atmosphere of Colonial and
Revolutionary days.
The chapter devoted to two pioneers
in American art. Benjamin West and
John Singleton Copley, is a particularly
interesting one, and contains some
quaint anecdotes, The author says OF
West, the Quaker artist:
The small stone house in which Benjamin West
first saw the Light Is still standing. II Is IN
Springfield Township. Pa about five miles north
OF Chester and near Swarthmore College
Whether not there is any truth in the quaint
story q Young West having pulled the hairs out
OF the cats tail TO make brush with which 10
paint the face Of his sleeping niece, there Is no
doubt that the materials which he used were Of
the cGudest, and that nothing but a strong inbon
love Of art and indomitahle perseverance carried
the future president Of the British Royal Acad-
eny through the struggles Of his early years.
We imagine him escaping from the task
of plowing 10 which his father had set him
md, IN fence-corner, executing rude portraits
of neighboring family, with an improyised
Hiisil and with The juice OF the pokeberry Tor
coloring- There is no reason TO doubt that
Mrs. ests indigo pot supplied the young artist
with blue, and that friendly Indians who visited
the settlement shared with him the red and vel
low earth used by them for the decoration of
fhcir persons. One OF Benjamin Vests bograph-
eIs says that he made his colors Of charcoal and
chalk, mixed with the juice Of berries. these
coiors being laid on with the hair Of a cat drawn
through goose-quill. The Italians said
81 HIM. He came from know not where
and le paints We know not how. . One of
the anecdotes related OF him while in Rome is
That during ms masters absence from his studio
be slyly painted fly on the canvas upon which
the artist was engaged The master came in
resumed his work. and made several attempts 10
A
il is that Americsni''
There are innumerable bits of interest
ing information TO be found in the book
and IL is easy to select at random from
any one of the chapters. One of the
miniatures reproduced is that of Rebecca
Gratz. who was the original OF the Re-
becca in "Iyanhoe." 1t is not generally
known that the character of this beauti-
ful and accomplished Jewess was de-
20 Nv
She attended Matilda Hoffman. Irving's
hancee in her last illness. and her Iowa
bic and beautiful character made so
strong an impression upon the young
American that in his after friendship
with Scott he spoke of her continually
and the Wizard of the North" found in
her most attractive heroine.
II was Rebecca Gratz who founded the
Jewish Sabbath schools of Philadelphia; /;
and there were few charities in that city
which did not owe some part of their
prosperity, If not their very being to her
devotion. She lived to be nearly ninety
years old. and was never married de-
voting her entire time. after her brill
;ant eirlhood was past, to works of char
fly.
Another chapter, devoted to 1.-THE
Beauty Of Our Grandmothers." is rather
reflective than historical. The author
comes to the conclusion that the beauty
d
and ethereal order which is not common
nowadays. She says:
in days when Stella scorned the thought Of
being las robustious man." these
artists, many OF them being good lin
neTs, must have had some authority
for type that runs through most Of the work
of the period. The daYs Of gTandmothers.
being not far removed from those OF ''Evelina''
when fainting was stu IN vogue when yigOr-
Gus appetite among women was not highly
commended il is today. and before crOquet
tennis, golf and bicycles had begun to beguile
women into the open. IL seems not unreasonable
% believe that the type Of beauty in that ear
lier time more delicate than il is today While we
may not be in sympathy with the men and women
of tie older generation who. when confronted
with the charms OF blushing debutante, ex-
claimed with wistful sadness in their eyes,
les. charming; but she does not compare with
her grandmother; she a rare beautv." We are
willing 10 believe that there is something more
than mere glamour Of the past Ia these recol-
lections- Women may be- and probably are, quite
as beautiful today they fifty or one
hundred wears ago. but their beauty is Of a differ
ent quality, depending less upon delicacy Of fea-
iuTes and complexion and more upon expression
ana Individuality Even with this admission. a
generous margin should be allowed for the ex-
ercise q the creative faculty of the artist-for the
temptation which assails every artistic nature 10
produce a beautiful picture. This extenuating
grace should be especially applied TO miniature
work. in which exquisiteness Of complexion and
face represented
celebrated French miniaturist when interro-
gated with regard 10 the probability Of the newly
invented photograph superseding the miniature
replied, with fine understanding OF human ma
tuFt. even II has soul was not prophetic: '.No
madame there IS no dangere; the photograph
doe not nattere-" However much or little those
beautiful ladies' grandmother owe 10 their
llmners. they arc to be congratulated upon the
faet that their charIas have been preserved for
Inns generation by the brush OF the artist rather
than by the uncompromising touch Of the sun.
god, be he never SO truthful
One Of the American bellies who charm
ed British officers IN New York during
the occupation of that city by the enc
my des-ite the fact that she was a
stanch Daughter Of Liberty" was Miss
Peggy Champlin, of Newport. r. l.. of
whom a French prince writes most ap-
preciauvely, reInarldng. among other
things, that she was dressed and Golf
fured with taste-that is to say. in
the French fashion. The miniature
shows her 10 be piquant young dame
with narrow. bright dark eyes. and a
literal tower Of powdered hair. lin the
French fashion"
The art OF miniature painting seems 10
nave been one in which women have al
ways eXceIled. AS far back as mfnia-
lures existed the name of a woman artist
Is TO be found IN the same rank with
ihose OF the men. Two or three bits Of
work by Emily Drayton Taylor are re-
produced, and are OF a high order OF ex-
ceilence. In the last chapter of the
book some hints on miniature painting
are given. The wonderful indiyidualitv
shown In the portraits reproduced in
this volume is proof enough that
TINS art beloved OF our ancestors
should not be allowed TO die out
There is an accuracy about
really good portrait which a photo
graph can never attain, and the tiny
portraits on ivory. which are so easily
preserved and so much less ambitious as