The times., 1898-12-18

ed chromo! Its fate reminds one OF the
Pullman coaches with their fine Spanish
names. Before the war they were in
high favor. but their good reputation
went up when the Maine went DOWN
Some OF the most wonderful and beau
tiful effects ever produced on paper were
the delicate prints from stone made TWEEN.
ty-five years ago in America and Ger
many; made from fine originals by ar
lists of sensitive taste and great skill.
utter destruction Thus the chrorno's
of surprising beauty. Two things how
ever. conspired to their downfall. they
become common by virtue of being wide
ly duplicated and the oil cogors with
which they were printed rotted and vel
lowed the paper so very soon, to their
utter destruction. Thus the chormo's
beauty was short-llved. ard one most
fancied their jaundiced coEdition due to
a broken heart.
These good chromos were in such afro
cious company. for no crime ever COM
mitted in the name OF art can equal the
cheap restaurant cromo. Many attempts
have been made to retrieve the lest r.pu-
tation by calling them ''rsplIeas," etc.
and great publishing houses have lent
them the backing Of big reputation. but
the chrome is dead. One tires of a thing
one sees everywhere. thing OF beauty
is joy forever. and the good chrome Is
the one thing of beauty that is not ard
so proves the rule.
Its Genuine Character.
Some one has had the audacity to say
that this Fiuellen is not genuine Tnr-
ner. His name would be given if it was
known Doubling 1homases are every
where. Only last week the Collector had
this to say OF a famous picture: "A lost
opportunity occurred short time ago.
when the picture Etty considered his
masterpiece was exhibited at one of the
clubs here. This picture. originally paint
, ed for Angerstein had found its way into
the possession of an English picture
house, which asked a very moderate
price for 1t on account of its large size.
But one sapient critic-and there are
many in New York-sound IL doubtful.
| others saw little in 1t, one buyer wanted
the price reduced, as usual, and finally
| it went back to London. to be purchased
by the National Gallery, where IL now
is''
These things occur every day. and need
only concern those people who buy pic
lures of dealers who. without advance
agents, conduct one night-or week-s1les
at our leading hotels One may be very
sure that dealers of standing who have
regulations at stake do not buy or per-
nit pictures to be consigned to them the
senuineness of which they have not been
10 great pains, and often great expense,
to establish
The treatment OF the paper by Turner
in this water color is SO unusual, so in
dividual, as to seem on close examination
to look like a chrome or tinted photo
gravure. An acute observer will note
this. but it proves nothing since the re-
I T.
one is mistaking some excellent reproduc-
ton for an original water color OF what
possible concern can those qualities Of
picture be to one interested in what the
artist intended. When one must get very
close and examine with a glass to deter
mine genuineness it is another matter.
Turner-irascible bear that he was-wOuid
nave ordered out of his studio a con-
noisseur who dared to examine picture
thus closely. No. The picture was made
to be seen six or ten feet away. and any
nearer approach would have been a re-
Election on his integrity, not TO be for an
instant tolerated.
Without reference to any documentary
| evidence, it may be sud em9fat Is
that this is original Turner and il
Turner did not paint it some inspired
! crank is hiding in obssur.ty. wh1 has
| only TO prove that he did paint thi pic
! Jure to BE- met by brass band and TWEEN
| y reporters
Work CT Moran.
| There Is but one pupil of Tu-n,r who
has approached this wate- 1lor that is
our own Thomas Moran. whoss two
great pictures OF the Yellowstone at the
Capitol are the most notab n d e1iiTc-
| j. artistic large pictures ii IN. PISS
sion Of the nation. Thomas Moran still
/ lives ard paints in New Yosk. II l. not
~ to speculate now upon mi future
| place in art. but. II twert-eth century
| conroisss urs care for definition and tX-
| actuess and continue TO admire Turner'S
| color. it is safe to say they vi rlzce
Moran above Turner; but there are those
today who miss in Moran, with al his
| Turneresque charm of coio-. M teri
| oUs. poetic quality which shows through
! Turner's reckless liberty with facts a
| liberty Moran seems never to have ar
| ed. Moran is always a Historian ccct-
! sionalIy he is a poet. Turner might have
been a historian. he had the knowledge
| but ne never was. Re was i pot ps:-
| haps. as much as any man that ever
penned line; certainly he was Il ali
| painters the most truly a post.
Art Notes.
The Sunday exhibitions this season at
| the Corcorau Gallery of Art have thus
! Adi pibNSu a 7eNSN'9- u7'NNN
of these exhibitions is to afford an ,p
| portunity for visiting the gallery t. those
! persons who have TO opportunity of doing
so during the week. The attenlaLce
J ranges from about 1 so to . coo prisons
| each Sunday. II Is open every SUI ay
| from l:3O to 40, and it is free u al. Ii
| is believed that thsse exhibitions are u
great institution and of inesiimab'e al
| vantage to the city.
! JAMES HENRY MOSER-