Evening star., 1901-05-20
On View at the Annual Exhibition in
London.
SEVERAL OF THE BOER WAR
Constants Portrait of Queen
Victoria of Great Interest.
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

LONDON. May S. 1901.
Interest in this year 5 academy is directed
especially to NJ. Benjamin Constants por-
trait of Queen Victoria, which occupies the
greater part of the wall in the third gall
lery- The queen sits upon the throne wear
ing her crown. The portrait was originally
pointed. not from life. but from a photo
graph OF her majesty. Two years ago NJ.
Constant showed the sketch to the cen
az Windsor Castle and she was SO delight
ed with it that she gave him a sitting in
order that it might be retouched.
On entering the exhibition ones atten-
tion is also drawn to the memorial to her
late majesty. executed In marble and
bronze by Mr.. Onslow Ford which is to be
erected at Manchester. The statue Is too
massive to be properly appreciated in its
present position, and ought to have been
placed in the great courtyard at the en-
trance.
The event of the year. the queens death
Is portrayed on several canvaSseS. The
I'D of January, 1901" by Mr.. Stanhope
Forbes represents the interior of Cornish
cottage. where an aged man is reading to
his family the sad tidings from a news
paper. Mr. John Charlton depicts the gun
carriage with its burden on I'D of Feb
ruary 1901 Mr. William Willie in The
Pass1ng OF a Great Queen" pictures the
historical passage across the Solent. Mr..
Hatherell has pictured the scene of the
Edward
Chancery Lane.
Pictures of the Boer War.
We have few pictures of the Boer war
Miss Lucy Kemp-Walsh gains a decided
success in Lord Dundonald's dash on
1-adysmith." Mr.. Cation Woodville's Lind
ley, Whit Sunday is a picture of a mill
tary service, with rude communion table
and priest wearing khaki helmet. Sir
Alma Iadema gives US another of his mar
neious marbles In his picture Under the
ROOF OF the Blue 1onian Weather. and Sir
Edward Poynter has q canvas just oppo-
site this, Helena and Hermia,'' in which
we have examples of his splendid and deli
cate coloring. Mr.. Napier Hemy has never
done better work than his sea scenes of
TINS year Mr.. Sidney Cooper, the veteran
or nlnety-eight years, who is still very i'll,
sends four of his familiar pictures and Mr.
G. F. Watts exhibits one painting In the
Highlands. Curously composed land
scape, with the figure of a young girl sit
ting on a boulder by river. Mr.. H. Won
herkomer sends one of the best of the por-
TRAITS and MIR. Sargent send fewer than
nine portraits Mr.. Ernest Croft gives US
pretty picture in AN Affair of Honor"
ana Ar- E A Abbey contributes a paint
ing representing the Crusaders Sighting
JeFuStle m the armOr-chain and
tunes OF the crusaders being exceptionally
good Most of the other well-known ar
tlSts scarcely enhance their reputation this
year
Dazzling spring sunshine helped to make
OF its predecessors Early birds, anxious to
get glimpse of the pictures arrived in
such numbers that before lunch the gall
I,rleS We're well filled. Later in the day no.
bouy thought of looking at the pictures-a
fortunate dispensation. since the rooms
Were 50 thronged to render locomotiou
well nigh impossible
Poets politicians artists. eminent actors
and beautiful actresses. the lions Of So
ciety and their captors their hunters
jostled one another stared at one another
her urith tho
freedom. If not the accents of a holiday
crowd on Hampstead Heath. The males
Tie height of the younger generation of wo-
men present was one striking feature OF
the crowd. another being the unexpected
Gayety of many Of the dresses
Black was worn by the best-dressed wo-
men and served as a background for some
lovely half mourning gowns in fnauve and
gray and one or two costumes of more bril-
liant coloring. Some beautiful lace gowns.
dainty nuslins and dresses with transpar-
ent sleeves suggested that their wearers
We're eager to anticipate the laggard sum
mer.
Exhibition at EarI's Court.
A May exhibition at EarTs Court, Lon
don's only outdoor entertainment has ne-
come 4 recognized institution, and London
would certainly miss the pleasant place OF
summer resort which the ingenuity Of Mr.
Imre kiralfy arranges year after year un-
der such varied forms Last year was de-
voted 70 the women of all nations. This
LErolls a panorama with which it can hard
IL be said that women have nothing to do
since they are the traditional inspirers of
doughty deeds. and their safety is often a
: primary consideration in military achieve
ments, but in which the inferior Sex GER
tainly has lions share.
The military exhibition at Earls Court is
an object lesson in military science. 1t is
certainly very realistic. Two large groups
of British and French soldiers in their re-
spectiTe camps are OF life size and are very
itHf+e
a great variety of valuable and interesting
relics, while the battle pictures and por-
traits deserve, as they will undoubtedly re-
Ceive. large share Of public attention
But it is the grand spectacular drama
of The Siege and Relief of the British
Legation at Pefn," which is the central
feature of the exhibition 1t Is triumph
of dramatic effect and of scenic manage
ment. and is similar TO the spectacular per-
formances given at Manhattan Beach with
the assistance OF Mr.. Paine. The story Is
told in six tabeaux by the aid of more
than a thousand performers. and series
of canvasses many scores OF yards in
length. Gazing at these stirring scenes,
which were declared by an American who
was with the relieving force when they
entered the legation to be thoroughly real
istic the spectator has brought home to
him in the most vivid manner the inten-
sity of the crisis. the heroic endurance of
the beSieged the equally heroic courage
of the rescuers. All the chief episodes of the
thrilling story are presented, the murder
of Baron Won kettler, the rush Of the
Boxers through the Ha-ta-men gate, the
massacre of Chinese converts by the
Boxers, the attack by the allied troops on
the outer walls of Pekin, and the crowning
scene of the entry of the British and In
dian troops into the long guarded precincts.
This drama VIII doubtless arrest the at
tentlon of the public to a greater degree
than any OF its predecessors. successful as
OF them have been. 1t has a painful
human interest. shadowed by the recollec-
tiou that It's tragic side is unhappily as
true TO fact as the grand relief which
lifted heavy a weight from the heart
OF the civilized world.
Curious Facts Shewn by the Census.
The census returns show some curious
results in London expansion. Although the
population OF London is increasing at a
rate which necessltates building a new
board school for 100 children every
month. yet congestion is being to a con-
siderable extent, relieved BY expansion
London Is not a town. but a federation of
towns, and II is the border towns which
sin bei