The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-08-16
FRAMPTON'S
GODSEND

the following interesting paragraph.
Knoophuysen. Johannes QGOs-9D, COM
monty called Van Dordrecht from the
place of his birth. pupil OF the elder
Cuyp and fellow student Of the younger
and more famous member of that family
he excels In the depletion of cattle grazing
and Teposing.
s'fAll Of which reads ordinarily enough
until one looks up johannes Knoop-
huysen, called Van Dordrecht," and
finds that such an artist never existed
:, 1t all began in the conference room
Of the Philadelphia Daily Dissent
nator. We were discussing the fea-
lures for the coming week when
Frampton strobe in. Now, Jack Tramp
ton was an Englishman, something of
an art critic on The Dissemination. He
conducted a column as intermittent as
malaria and nearly as sweeping. AS
regards art, he honestly held that the
only living writer at all worthy Of at
tention was John Sedley Frampton.
Jim Chuffey, our Sunday supplement
editor, loved nothing better than to pre-
pare pitfalls for the feet of the self
confident Frampton. But a magnif-
cent trait of the latter, a national trait
indeed, was that he never knew when
he was beaten and often succeeded in
turning the tables on the funmakers.
On this particular afternoon Tramp
ton found us In the throes of an art
discussion and smiled superciliously.
Jim Chuffey turned toward him with
m appealing air.
"Oh, Framptonw he exclaimed.
Heres Stephenson claiming that the
elder Cuyp was better artist than
Knoophuysen."
"Knoophuysen repeated the critic.
Eyes, Johannes Knoophuysen, the
cattle painter. or course you know all
about him."
The expression of doubt on Tramp
toms face was only momentary. If he |
never owned to defeat neither did he |
confess to ignorance.
"Oh, Knoophuysen!" he said. Eyes,
of course | know all about the old fel- |
low-nne painter, very fine. His work |
In many respects equals that of Claude
Lorraine He Is particularly good In the |
treatment of golden sunshine and his
cattle approach Paul Potters"
"Knoophuysen has been shamefully
neglected" said Chuffey earnestly.
"You ought to write screed about him
for your column, Jack"
"H'mw observed Frampton, his brow
clouding again. II haven't much time
to look him up. Suppose you write me
q brief biography, and I'll run over it
and use 1t for next Sundays paper"
Il think Knoophuysen's masterpiece
Is The Cow and Calf In a High
Wind" yentured Stephenson at this
Juncture.
Nonsense snapped Frampton.
The Cattle Fair on the Canal is
Infinitely superior. Lord st. Mungo
bought it in go for $4,000"
Down went "The Cattle Fair and |
'"The Cow and Calf" on Jim Chuffey's |
memoir OF Knoophuysen. Next Sun
day The Dissemination gave to the
world an appreciative account of this
master, with glowing eulogy of his
work, the whole signed "John Sedley
Frampton."
Not long after that a notable pub
fishing house of the metropolis COM
menced the compilation of the Univer-
sal, Royal and Imperial Art Dictionary.
1t was destined to eclipse all other
works Of the kind In scope and thor.
oughness. Frampton took it as a mat
Ter OF course when he was chosen ed
itor of the publication.
In course of time the great dictionary
appeared, and there, to his intense de-
light, Chuffey found the foregoing b.
ography of Johannes Knoophuysen
van Dordrecht.
This was the ingenious Chuffey's OPP
portunity. He seized pen and ink and
straightway indicted a stirring letter
to The Easel, a famous organ Of inter-
national art The letter called atten-
ton to the name Of Knoophuysen In
the new dictionary and roundly de-
clared that no such person had ever
existed.
Frampton could not let that pass.
Next week he appeared in print with
q defense of Knoophuysen's identity.
BY curious coincidence he had actual
y hSh'SN uIOu tuc uuluc dluOIS u uSt
OF obscure Dutch painters in the seven
teenth century, and this flimsy fact his
vigorous imagination expanded into a
case which really sounded plausible
enough.
Chuffey replied under several differ
ent aliases, sometimes supporting.
sometimes combating. the Knoophuy-
sen theory. Several well known art
critics took part In the controversy.
which spread to England and even to
the continent. Matters looked bad for
Framptons side Of the question at first.
Then London dealer produced two
genuine Knoophuysens. When a Paris
collector displayed the original Cow
and Calf' Of Knoophuysen van Dor.
drecht and sold the same to a Chicago
millionaire, the tide began to turn.
At length Frampton's monograph on
the Life OF Johannes Knoophuysen"
appeared and convinced many doubt
ers, though the dispute ragged even
more fiercely. There were Knoophuy-
senists and acknowledgements and
the enthusiastic founded the Knoop-
- |