Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-21

wings to Hartford House that the treasures
might be displayed properly.
Ii was Sir Richards intention to beQueath
this collection to the nation, but when he
offered the gift he was invited calmly by
the government OF that time 10 give also
the house in which the treasures were The
government thought the casket ought to go
with the gems. and said so In good British
fashion. That naturally annoyed Sir Rich
ard, and he withdrew his offer and made a
will providing otherwise for the pictures.
Fate stepped in again. however. for he died
before the will was signed. and The collec-
ton thereupon passed to his widow She
died three years ago, and bequeathed the
pictures to the public.
Nation Broke the VIII.
But even then the history OF the treas
ures did not become uninteresting. for Lady
Wallace stipulated express condition
that the government should build a special
museum for the collection and that tho
pictures should not remain at Hereford
House more than four years after the death
OF the testatrix- The government fused
and fretted over this condition for a long
time. There was talk of building an addl-
ton to the National Gallery on Trafalgar
square. and there was also a plan to build
the gallery on Leicester, Square. But all
the time the government had its eye on
Hertford House, and finally closed the
story OF the adventures of this collection
HEREFORD House for 100000 and leaving
the pictures where they were.
Ever since then the directors have been
preparing in leisurely fashion to make the
magnificent gift ready for the public and
now at last the doors have been opened
The first person through the gate on the
oIilclal opening day was butchers boy,
who was not admitted because he was car
rying basket Of meat. The doorkeeper
offered to take care Of It for him while he
satisfied his longings for art, but the faith
ful soul refused, and distinguishea-look-
ing lady who was next to the lad was
therefore the first of the public TO enter
into possession.
1t is believed that the collection
to the world at large is not only
the finest ever brought together by
private means. but the most valuable from
the money point of view. 1t is estimated
that it is worth $50, 600 OOO and there are
dozen of its treasures any one OF which
alone would make a sensation in the art
world II put up at auction and would bring
a comfortable fortune.
Queer Series of EIevens.
BY accident or design the collectors seem
to run to elevens. for there are eleven Mu-
rflios there. eleven specimens OF REM
brandt. including THE UnmercifuI Sery-
ant" one of his most famous pictures:
eleven Of Rubens. including the landscape
with the rainbow, of which so much has
been written; eleven of the dainty fanci-
1uf artificial Watteaus, eleven by Sir
Joshua Reynolds. eleven by Cuyp and
Deiaroche and twenty-five examples of
Sreuze, said to be greater number than
can be found in any other gallery in the
world, and of themselves worth going miles
to see. whether one is an art critic delight
ing in technical niceties. or whether one
merely wants to see lovely faces exouiseite-
iy painted, even If some of them do look a
little artificial and self-conscious
Sir Joshua Reynolds has some wonderful
pictures there. Including his M
witching little strawberry Girl" which
Sir Joshua himself calmly said was lone
or those half dozen original things which
no man ever exceeded in hts life WORK
His Nelly O'Brien' is there, too. the
painting that Gabriel D'Annunzfo classes
with the Mona Lisa"
one OF the most interesting of all to any
one who knows some of the wild history OF
HEREFORD House is Gainsborough's WONDER
full full-length portrait of Mrs Robinson.
She was the naughty beauty whose name
was on every lip in the day OF the Marquis
OF Steyne. She had probably seen some
liVely little dinner parties in the room now
graced by her likeness. THE Prince and
Perdita have been in and out of that door
SIR says the Marquis of Steyne's agent
In vanity Fair" speaking of that mys-
terious little back door to Hartford House
SO Wei known to Becky Sharp.
The collection of French furniture in
herttord House Is said to be finer than even
that In the Louvre, and the marvellous dis
play OF arms and armor on the ground floor
back where the Marquis of Steyne used TO
keep his horses is far and away the best to
be seen anywhere The collection at the
British Museum does not compare with IL
Many OF the exhibits are of great historical
interest, but that is only Incidental The
Hertfords bought things solely from an
art viewpoint, and probably did not give a
penny more, for instance. for a certain ex-
quisitely inlaid table because it happened
to be the table on which the treaty of Tilsit
was signed, for a marvellous Sevres ink
stand two feet wide and representing a
comfortable fortune in itself lust because
1t happened to be a wedding present to
Marie Antoinette from Louis XVI.
They Got Only the Titles
Although the public has been so much in
terested in the collection that 1t has not
Disseminated between the days on which
you have to pay sixpence admission and the
days which you get in free, it is not re-
corded that the sixth Marquis of HEREFORD,
who lives quietly in a comparatively modest
house over In Eaton square. or his son and
heir, the young Earl of Yarmouth who
lately came home from America to testify
in bankruptcy proceedings against him.
have taken the trouble to Join the throng
at HEREFORD House and gaze on the treas
ures that would have been theirs IL IL had
not been for Richard Wallace. When the
fourth marquis died and the vast estates
were left theoretically "out of the family
the titles went to cousin who had to
comfort himself in comparative poverty
with being called Fifth Marquis and Earl
of HEREFORD, Earl of Yarmouth. Viscount
of Hoche and Baron Conway" He was the
father OF the present marquis. and In due
course the glittering array of titles will
pass to the young man. who is now or
nament to the American stage for lack Of
other means Of support.
CURTIS BROWN.