Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-10-08
WASHINGTON IN MASONIC RE.
GALA.

come has presented to the Grand Lodg'
of England, and which Ambassador
Choate unveiled the other day, wa.
painted two years ago, it never has beer
shown, and photograph of it has jus
been printed. If this unique portrait Of
the first President is not historical,
accurate in every detail, it is the fault
neither of the American Freemason wht
ordered nor the American artist who
painted it. When Mr.. Welcome de
cided to have the picture made he ex.
planned to Robert Gordon Hardie, the
artist to whom he entrusted its execu
ton, that he wished him to spare nc
pains to make the painting faithful
representation of General Washington
as he looked in Masonic dress.
'This proved, however, to be rather g
difficult matter. 1t was by no means
easy to find out what sort of regalia The
first President used to wear. Only ont
of his pictures showed him in Masonic
dress, and that was merely an engraving
which proved to be inaccurate in several
ways. Mr.. Welcome, however, who
was determined to have his picture, and
equally resolved that it should be exact,
gave Mr. Hardie carte balance to search
the records of the period and collect in
formation, from any and every reliable
source in America, England and France.
'.The artist, on his side, spared nc
pains in his search for reliable data.
He interviewed descendants of Wash
ington, wherever they could be found
from New York to Virginia, and this
part of his work was both prolonged and
expensive. 1t resulted, however, in the
discovery that the Masonic regalia worn
by Washington was presented to him by
Madame Lafayette. BY the titled French
woman's instructions the regalia was
sent to the first President by the firm OF
Watson & Cosson, of Nantes, France,
and Washington's letter to his house
acknowledging the ornament is in the
possession of the librarian of the Mason
ic Hall In London. II was written from
New York in 1882.
Accordingly, in painting his portrait
of Washington, Mr.. Hardie arrayed the
great American in the Masonic regalia
worn in France in his day. That he
was quite justified in doing so doubts
have been expressed, but it is generally
admitted that the likeness of Washing
toms portrait, which, until Mr.. Choate
unveiled it the other day, had never
been shown, is one of the best that has
ever been made of the first President.
1t is believed that, including the ex-
penses of the artist in collecting material,
the cost of the work was about SO, 600.
The ceremony of unveiling the paint
ing in the library of the Freemasons'
Hall was presided over by the Earl OF
Warwick, a prominent English Mason.
In his speech the Earl recalled that in
the Revolution General Washington
several times returned to the general oi
the British forces treasures and emblems
which had been capturrd by the
Americans. He added that Englishmen
were proud of the fact that the Forty
sixth British Regiment had in its
possession the Bible on which George
Washington took his oath as Mason.
tIn unveiling the painting the Ameri-
can ambassador, as usual, was both
eloquent and facetious. He spoke OF
the first President as the illustriou'
champion Of liberty and justice and said
that today, after three generations hao
been completed, he still remained the
first of Americans in the hearts of q grea
people He congratulated the Crane
Lodge of England on having accepted
George Washington as oneof their patror
saints, and trusted that his memor,
might be cherished in England as il
America, to the end of TIME.
"The painting will remain in the Ma
sonic library for month or two before
being placed in the picture gallery. II
the meantime the library is being Al
Librarian Sadler expressed it, fnun
dated with citizens of the United State
eager to see the portrait. A good many
of them are prominent American Mason'
on their way home from the continent
'Mr. Sadler added that King Edward
has expressed wish to see the portrait
and that the Prince of Wales also in
tends to inspect it. Lord Rcsebery
who is in possession of what is said +
be the only genuine portrait of Washing
ton at present in England, is delighte'
with Mr.. Hardie's work"