Evening star., 1901-02-16
HIS BEST PORTRAIT
A Pastel Of General Washington b.
Sharpless.
SHOWS HIM IN EVERYDAY GARB
Letter to Miss Gusts Containing
Much Sound Advice.
HIS VIEWS ON MATRIMONY
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
DIR. George Reuling, who IS among the
most prominent and enthusiastic collectors
of rare and valuable objects Of art in the
United States, has in his gallery in BalJi-
more a portrait of George Washington
which has never until recently left the
hands of those who are connected by mar
riage with the Father of His Country"
and which has been pronounced, and is
generally regarded, as being the best and
truest portrait Of that great man of which
the world has any knowledge Il is
pastel by Sharpless, a contemporary of
Gilbert Stuart and of Peale. and differs
from the work of either of these great ar
lists in that Sharpless has given us Wash
ington in his everyday garb and depicted
him exactly he appeared in his own
home among those who We're nearest and
dearest to him. 1t is of this picture that
George Washington Parke Custis, iii let
ter to ]. W. c. Moore. wrote:
THE finest and rarest likeness of the
chief is the original picture by Sharpless
done in 1896. Stuart is the great original
of the first President Of the United States,
Peale of the colonial officer. Sharpless of
the man"
The portrait IS one Of the smallest. ex-
cept the several miniatures which have
been made Of Washington, the canvas be-
ing about 24x1S inches. Painted at the ex
press instance of Washington himself but
three years before his death and presented
by him to the granddaughter of his wife,
and by her handed down in direct line to
her descendants to the present generation,
II possesses more than common interest,
not only to collectors of Washington relics
but to the public In general. No reproduc-
ton of u has ever before appeared in the
public prints.
Request for a Portrait.
When Washington married the Widow
Custis' she brought TO him two stepchil-
dren Martha and John. John lived TO be
father TO four children. three girls and a
boy. OF these this sketch deals only with
"Betcy'' whose full name was Eliza
Parke Custis and whose descendants are
now among the most prominent people of
MARYLAND. When this young girl was just
budding into womanhood she wrote, pre-
sumably from Mount Vernon, where she
spent much of her time, TO Washington,
then President Of the United States. and
living in the Norris house III Germant own,
Pa. asking that he send to her his portrait
and declaring its possession to be the dear
est wish of her life. Washington was at
this time greatly harassed and embar-
raised by state affairs of great moment
and annoyed by factious opposition upon
the part of his enemies. bur he found time
II write to this interesting young woman
long. affectionate letter. in which he not
only promised TO grant her request, but
gave her sound advice upon matters of
mCmentOuS importance to her and to all
such as she was then. that ii applies equal
ly well to this day to the average young
woman, who, IN contemplating the APP
proaCh of matrimony, is apt to be carried
away by exaggerated ideas regarding IT.
He wrote not a CyniC, not one dis
grsted and disappointed, but in the calm
disp3ssionate manner of the philosopher
who after years OF experience felt able
to assert positively. but without bitterness
that any one who looked for perfection
IN welded life is more than likely to fall
short of his or her expectations. Here is
the kindly manner In which he warns
'Betcy'' not to be over enthusiastic In heI
articipatioHs. The letter has never before
been published
German Town. Sept. 14th. 1874.
Ny dear Betcy:
Shall /. in answer to your letter OF the
9Th instant say-when you are as near the
Pinnacle as your Sister Patcy conceives
herself to be; or when your candOur thrives
more conspicuously than II does in that
letter. that 1 will then comply with the re-
quest that you have made for my picture.
No: 1 will grant 1t without either, for Il
the latter was to be a preliminary, it would
be sometime j apprehend before that pic
ture would be found pendant at youl
breast. it not being within the bounds o.
probability that the contemplation of al
iIanimate thing, whatever might be the re
fections arising from the possession of it
cal, be the only wish of your heart.
Respect may place it among the desirable
objects of it, but there are emotions OF
softer kind, TO which the heart of cir
turned OF eighteen Is susceptible tina
must have created much warmer ideas
although fruition of them may apparently
be more distant than those of your sister.
Having (by way of a hinO delivered {
sentiment 10 Patty, which may be usefu