The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-07

Thomas Wilson, U. S. A. (Retired), in
the Book Buyer.
was "second class man" in the corps
of cadets in 1851, when James Whistler
entered the military academy at West
Point. He subsequently called himself
James Mcneil Whistler. He was then
slender lad of 16 years, of STRIKING per-
sonal appearance. His father had neeh
graduated at West Point with distln-
guished honors many years before, hao
become an officer of the corps OF engl-
neers, United States army, and had re-
signed from the army to become the CHIEF
of civil engineers under the car of Rus
STA. He built many of the railroads OF
that empire. Young Whistler's mother
was Miss Winans of Baltimore, daugh-
ter of one of the oldest and most distin.
guished families of Maryland. 1t was
said that the artist was born at st. Pet
ersburg.
1t was during his fourth, or "plebe"
year, as it is called, and during the cadet
encampment, that Whistler's skill as a
draughtsman first attracted general
notice. He was fond of making pen and
ink sketches on camp-stools, on the flaps
of the tents, and some very beautiful
heads decorated these unconventional can
vases, and he would occasionally make
pen and ink drawings in the 4autograph
albums which it was the custom at that
time for cadets to keep.
The instructor in drawing and painting
at the military academy, during Whist
ler's stay, was Prof. Robert Weir, vino
executed the panel picture in the rotunda
of the capitol building at Washington
known as "The Departure of the Pill
grims," for which the government paid
him $4,000.
The models which cadets are required
to copy when they first enter the drawing
class at West Point are what are known
as Typographical conventional signs"
They illustrate the mode of depicting
with pen and ink, the various Topographic
cal features of a country, such as water,
hills, trees, cultivated ground, etc. In
much shorter time than. seemed possible
Whistler had finished the copy of the
model given to him, and his work was
most exquisite, far surprising the model
itself in accuracy and beauty of execution.
Prof. Weir then brought from the picture
gallery a large painting cOntai ming many
figures and directed Whistler to prepare
board with drawing paper. and copy
this picture upon it with pen and ink.
Whistler was very near-sighted, and in
making drawings he would first fix his
eyes near a portion of the model and
then proceed to copy it upon his drawing
board. He never drew any outline of the
work he was copying. He seemed to work
at random, and in this instance he dis.
pl Eyed one of his favorite tricks, which
was to draw first, say, face from the
model, then foot, then the body, skip
other, apparently without keeping any
relation of the parts. But when the pic.
turs was completed all the parts seemed
to fit in together like mosaic And it
was complicated piece of work. This
remarkable copy by Whistler was placed in
the picture gallery at West Point
Prof. Weir's assistant in the drawing
class, one Lieut.. S., was apparently
jealous of Whistlers' talent, and of the
value the professor appeared to place upon
his work. On one occasion Whistler was
painting in water-colors from picture
representing the interior of a cathedral,
with monks and nuns scattered about.
Behind the tonsured head of one of the
monks Whistler had painted a shadow
Lieut.. S., in making his rounds of
examination of the work Of the students,
paused at Whistler's seat, and said, very
audlbly:-,
"Your work, sir, is. faulty in primo iple.
What is the meaning of the shadow?
There is none in the model, and you
of light and shade could any shadow be
there. Why. there Is nothing to cast it. -
Without saying a word Whistler filled
his brush, and with one sweep of 1t he
threw a cowl over the head of the monk.
He had painted the shadow first. Lieut.
S. walked quietly away . without
word.
West Point cadets then took their meals
in one general mess. Graduates of many
years ago will recall boarding house
there conducted by one Mrs Thompson,
and familiarly known to cadets as "Mam-
m les" Mrs. Thompson, then an aged
" oman of more than 30 years was the
mother of Col. Thompson, United States
army, an officer who had been killed by
Florida. She had three maiden daugh-
ters-the Misses Amelia, Kate and Mar
garet-long since gone to their rest, all of
them AS means of support this family
was permitted to conduct small board
ing-house for cadets, where they might
take their meals. Since the house was
small, they could entertain but twelve.
anu IL was q aIOaV pI4vllORO W Obu11h q
seat at "Mammie's'' table. for at that
board were luxuries unobtainable at the
general mess, and very dear to the palate
of growing lad. Whistler succeeded in
finding place there. The ladies were
exceeding punctilious-quite martinets
in their requirements of courtesy-and
the least and most involuntary infraction
of their rules resulted in the offenders
being unceremoniously requested to leave.
Whistler had somehow incurred their dis
pleasure, and when he next came to din
ner he found a note informing him that
he need not come again. This was a
a great blow. So he put his,wits to work.
with kview to securing reinstatement
In the little parlor OF their residence hung
an oil painting, portrait of Mrs. Thomp-
sons son. the officer who had been killed
in Dade's massacre. 1t was the custom
for one of the Misses Thompson to con-
duct each cadet to this picture when he
came to take his first meal, and to
desoant upon its merits in some such
terms as these:-
"This is the portrait of our brother
Col. Thompson, who was killed in Dade's
massacre. 1t was painted by a celebrated
English artist, and it is said to be q re-
markable work of art, though it is not as
handsome as our brother was.
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