Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-27
ART NOTES.

An exhibition Of drawings showing the
! illustrative work Of some Of the scientific
bureaus OF Washington will be held in the
! assembly hall of the Cosmos Club from De-
| cember % to January 1, from 7:30 to p m,
! and on January to 8, 10 am. to pm.
This collection win comprehend the work
done for the geological survey. the bureau of
| ethnology the fish commission, the United
| States national museum and the depart
| ment OF agriculture, and will consist Of
| between four and five hundred drawings.
| There are so few who realize the size, and
| Importance Of this branch of the govern
/ ment service that there is little doubt that
| this, the first exhibition Of the kind that
| has ever been given, will come as a great
| surprise to the general public. The coterie
of expert artist-scientists whose work will
| be shown is, however, one Of the distinctive
| features OF Washington, numbering on its
lists the most skillful illustrators in the
| country, as well as some Of the foremost
| scientists and most distinguished artists
such, in the past, as Whistler and Alexan-
| der Harrison. and. today, as William II.
Holmes, Charles R. Knight and Hobart
| Nichols. Scientific, to the layman, Is sell
| dom other than synonym for unintelligt-
| BILE, but in this case it stands rather for ac-
| curacy and clearness. A scientific drawing
| Of a shell. a butterfly or a dover is not
| merely a series of cross sections, etc.. but
| instead a vivid, literal reproduction. made
| with more than Photographic correctness.
| Is, nevertheless, a cnOlce OF position
| and method of presenting in which the ar
| tistic sense of the craftsman is allowed full
| liberty, and it is this combination of techni-
| cal skill and artistic feeling which makes
| this collection of work not only extremely
| valuable, but intensely interesting. Some
| of the drawings are made in pen and ink,
| and closely resemble fine line engravings;
| others are done in wash, for half-tone re-
| production, and still a larger proportion are
done in water colors, showing not only
| form and texture, but all the natural hues
| of the various objects. Among the pen
| drawings is series of shells by Mr. Nc
| Council, which are extraordinarily fine, and
| among the wash drawings several fish by
| Mr.. A. H. Baldwin are notable. There is,
| however, in point of merit little to choose
| between them all. Some have apparently
| been more difficult to render than others.
| but none are less well done
| There is, as suggested above. no place in
| these branches of the government employ
| for other than expert workmen. 1t is,
| therefore, to the subjects rather than meth
| DDS that one must turn to find variety.
| They are as surprisingly diverse and ia
miliar any collection of paintings could
| be. There are studies Of birds by Mr.. Fuer-
| tes. pictures Of prehistoric animals by Mr..
| Knight and Mr.. Gleason, sketches of curl
Gus geological formations by Mr.. Hobart
| Nichols and Mr.. Spencer Nichols, paintings
| of insects by Miss Sullivan, of fruit and
| flowers by Mrs Passmore, of reptiles by
Mr. j. L. Ridgeway and Of flowers by Mr..
Walpole. The last named are specially
rect, but also beautiful in line and arrange
| ment. The bureau of ethnology's section,
! in which Mr. w. H. Holmes work is to be
| found, is likewise most interesting, show
| ing specimen drawings of Indian basket
work and other handcraft. This exhibit
| ton will be open from 10 a m. to ) pm.
| daily, and cannot fail to prove interesting
| to all.
Miss B. E. Perrie has sent out cards for an
| exhibition of etchings in color by Mr.. Louis
Potter of New York which will be held in
| her studio, No. sos 18th street, on Monday,
| December %, from to O'Clock Color
| etching, though scarcely a recent invention,
| has but lately come into vogue, and has as
yet but few adherents. 1t is, however, one
Of those novelties which seems to have
sturdy, staying qualities, and to suggest
manifold possibilities for future develop
ment, and Mr.. Potters work along this line
is among the best.
The Society of Washington Artists held
meeting on Tuesday evening at the home of
Mr.. E. L. Morse at which time Mr.. Edward
Kemeys and Mr.. Rudolph Evans were elect
ed members. The dates of the approaching
annual exhibition were at the same time
determined upon, as follows: January 80
| and 81, days for receiving exhibits;
February 9, opening reception; Febru-
airy &c. closing day. This will be a month
earlier than usual, and before Lent has
terminated the social season. 1t will be at
a time when Washington is full of people
from all parts Of the country, yet 1t has
been so arranged that it will not conflict
with other important out-of-town ANNALS.
Every effort will be made to have this ex-
hibition not only equal but excel last years
| notable annual, and there is every reason
to believe that it will fulfill all expecta-
| tons.
Miss Juliet Thompson's portrait Of Miss
Barney, which was painted in Mrs. Bar
neys studio last winter, and has recently
been exhibited. with other works, by Miss
Thompson at Knoedler's, In New York, has
this week been hung in the Corcoran Gal
lery, in the space formerly occupied by
Watts famous canvas, Love and Life"
This portrait among all Miss Thompson's
striking pastels, received the largest share
of laudation from the New York critics in
their very f1attering reviews of her exhibit
ton. 1t shows Miss Barney seated upon a
throne chair, turned squarely toward the
observer, with her hands clasped somewhat
tragically on her breast She wears gown,
simple in fashion, of soft white silk which
falls in long, swiring folds, and the light,
which is from above, turns her crown of
golden hair into a gloria. AS a whole, 1t is
extremely decorative, vital, atmospheric
and effective; there is tremendous amount
of cleverness and strength shown in its exc
cution, but with all it is not good as
other work which Miss Thompson has done,