The Jersey City news., 1899-06-13
DR.. ENGLISH IN BRONZE
The Battle Ballads In.
y
spired the Work Of
Art.

"A bas-reIief bronze likeness of Dr.
Thomas Dunn English has been executed
by James e. Kelly, the sculptor. 1t is
remarkably good likeness in every way
It is not necessary to say anything about
Dr. English as everybody here knows
| him, beyond incidentally mentioning the
fact that the 29th Of this month will be
his eightieth birthday. But in the bronze
there appears an inscription in these
words:-"Dr Thomas Dunn English
whose Battle Ballads have inspired me, :"
and signed by the name Of the sculptor
And thereby hangs a tale, the story OF a
remarkably career in American art.
James E. Kelly though born in New
York City, considers himself Jersey
man, because of his long residence in this
State, and his first achievement in the
line Of his art was his winning the prize
over more than sixty others, In COM
petition for the low reliefs on the Mon
mouth battle monument Mr.. Kelly,
though American by birth. and in
tensely American In his feelings, is the
son Of Scottish father and an Irish
mother, though, as the paternal name
implies, he may be said to be of unmixed
Irish descent. His tendency toward ar
tistic design was shown at an early age.
But it is first necessary to explain the
why and wherefore of this inscription.
Passing over the early Incidents of Mr..
Kelly's life, Notwithstanding their inter-
est, we come to the time when young
Kelly was attached to the art department
of the Harper Brothers, both as wood en-
graver and designer.
In 1860 Dr. English began the noted
cariac nf no frtntis ballads Sx-ticI, rrara
published In the Harper periodicals dur
ing all the sectional war, and which were
afterwards issued in book form, along
with others, under the title of Battle
Lyrics AS a boy Kelly had read these,
and when he entered the service of the
Harpers' he studied them more closely
until they exercised over him a kind of
fascination. The first result of this was
the drawing by Kelly of two large and
Vigorous cartoons, illustrating 'The
Fight at Lexington" and 'eThe Battle of
Bennington" The influence of the bal
lads did not stop with this; it gave the
bent to Kellys whole artistic life, and
he is never weary of acknowledging the
fact which he has so decidedly expressed
in the inscription.
Although gaining distinction in the
art of design in an office where
he was the coIIea ene of both
Reinbard and Ahbev he hessn TO
deyeIop a taste for sculpture. Hart
Low. the well known sculntor. took an
interest in the vo,1ng student and gave
hin, va1,,ab1e instructions in tba details
of tha art The inf,uenoe of the ballads
and b,s succass In the eomnatit;on for
tho uonno,,tb designs n,o,,Idad bis f,-
tura and daya1oned bis orioina1itv He
de+ernoined ~ avoid tho entioua which
ninetv-nina out of a hundred seuN,,,,rs
e,avisb1v follow and to devote himself
to American themes and American his
tory He is among the few scuIptors
This country has nrodured whose work
s,nac,xs of the soil and his erieinaIitv of
concention holiness of executfon and
consistency Of purpose have placed him
among the foremost of[ the artists IN
the line he has chosen.
While the "Rattle T,vrics,, had given
the bent. a trifling circumstances confirm
cd IT. Kellv had nafnted a nortrait of
General sheridan for which tbe noted
soldier had efvan hin, several stiffness
This met with enthusiastic admiration
from sheridan,s friends and Kelly,s ia
tller, while looking at 1t, dropped the
chance remark that II would be good
thing for him TO make a statue of the
General. with this impression deepening
in his mind. after obtaining instructions
from his friend Hartley. the Younger
xeTIv began modelling a statuette of Sher-
iaan on horseback. and this met with the
annroval of all who saw 1t. He desired
to enter it at the exhibition of the Ac-
5.s...- - r,o.;,,, TIT, ,,,,o,,,a,5 +ha ~
ademy Oh Design. TINS HiVolVeu the eA-
pense of a glass case, and Kelly hesi-
tated. lest 1t might be rejected after all.
1Ia s,,owad & ~ q Rrown the noted
genre artist, who was high in the coun-
ellis of the Academy, and after viewing
- 4ro<,,l1,, saia =, = dao3aad +one. ..ra,,,
II csal saw ~ q oee,osu .oiie '
the glass; 1t was exhibited and ex-