The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-30

bers-F. Hopkinson Smith being among
them. 1t was duty of the members
at the club meetings to paint tiles and
placques and what not for one an
others studios, and the result. in Abb
bey,s case, was that he cultivated a
fondness for spending nearly every
cent he had, not necessary for living
expenses, in adorning his studio and
home.
When he leased Morgan Hall. his
English home, an old rambling struc-
ture, parts of which are over 300 years
old, and which is surrounded by an
estate of thirty acres, he began alter
ing 1t right and left and decora ting
and embellishing it with as much
fervor as he used to display in adorn-
ing the studios of his young days in
America.
To Morgan Hall Mr.. Abbey has also
carried his enthusiasm for baseball.
He doesn't play baseball exactly but
nearly every day he INDUCES in what
he considers the next best thing
cricket His friends accuse him of
having had snow scraped off the crick-
ct neld more than once SO that he
might enjoy his favorite pastime.
However that may be it is true that
whenever no one else is around to play
with him, he presses the gardener, the
estates caretaker, and his models into
service.
Once a year during the cricket season
Mr.. Abbey has cricket week at Nor
gan Hall, and all the artists in Lon
don and Whereabouts are his guests.
1t was at Morgan Hall that Mr.. Abb
hey painted his Holy Grail pictures
in which he has described in letter
as an "abomination of corrugated
iron" This was a shed about eighty
feet long, erected expressly as a studio
in which to paint the panels, as Nor
gan Hall had no room big enough to
accommodate them.
Painting the Coronation Pictures.
1t is to Morgan Hall that numerous
members of royalty and many persons
of title have been journeying Of late
in order to pose in their robes of state
for the coronation painting. Until a
few weeks ago Mr.. Abbey had in his
possession at his home numerous coro-
nation accessories and robes, and much
of England's regalia of state. He wrote
that he had little of everything that
figured in the coronation except the
crown, and he thanked heaven that he
didn't have .that-he was worried
enough as it was while the royal Dau-
bles were in his keeping by thoughts of
burglaries, destruction BY fire, and
what not.
Just at present Mr. Abbey is work
ing on certain architectural features
of the painting. He says that he has
still to see a published drawing of the
coronation ceremony that in any way
faithfully depicts the scene, or any
portion of it, that occurred in West
minister Abbey last August. "All are
absolutely false is his frank criti-
cism.
If the coronation painting is finish
ed by next spring Mrs. Abbey will be
largely responsible. Her husband
much prefers his cricket field to his
easel but she sees to it that his work
is not left too long in his enthusiasm
for the British national game. Mrs.
Abbey is an American, born in the
Isle of Wight while her parents were
travelling, and she and Mr.. Abbey first
met when. as Miss Mary Mead, she
was touring Europe. Mrs. Abbey is
a daughter of the late Frederick Mead
of New York, and is a graduate of
Vassar College. She is distinctly
American in her tastes and loyal to
the great republic.
Mr.. Abbey has lived abroad almost
constantly for some twenty-four years.
He first went to Europe. in 1878, return
ing in 1881. In 1882 he again went to
England with several members of the
Tile Club. Since then he has fire.
quently made trips to this country. At
one time, shortly after going abroad
the second time. he determined to re-
turn and live in America. He had all
his goods shipped over here; and then
a few days after they had reached their
destination, he decided to remain in
England, where he was beginning to
secure remunerative commissions, and
his effects We're sent back without hav
ing been unpacked. But Mr.. Abbey
has not permitted his residence abroad
to interfere with his love for his native
land nor to wean him from things
American.
His Training in OIL.
It was Europe that first gave Mr..
Abbey marked attention as a worker
in water colors. This was at Paris
exposition in the eighties and at a time
when America. outside a small circle, !
knew scarcely anything about his am
billions with the brush, but was well
acquainted with his illustrations in
black and white. 1t was not until he
began the Holy Grail panels that
Americans generally began to learn Of
his abilities in oil and colors. Then
many were surprised and the comment
was frequently heard; Another
painter sprung up over night"
But this was not the case, for while
working in New York and occupying
a quaint studio downtown that Bran
der Matthews has described interest
ingly in 1.-The Last Meeting" Mr.. Abb
DSy pdinlCQ WdlCI anu III ms
first year in England he was made
member of the Royal Institute Of Wa
ter Colors. In fact, before he left
Philadelphia he had received instruc-
ton in coIors in the studio of Isaac l..
Williams, a Pennsylvania Academi-
clan and in his day well-known in his
own town.
The water color displayed at the
Paris Exposition was entitled 1.-THE
Stage Office" and depicted a group OF
weary travellers waiting for the typi-
cal American stage coach TO come
along.
The sobriquet Of THE Chestnut"
was applied TO Mr.. Abbey by his fell
low artists when he was dabbling
in colors in New York and was hale
fellow well met in the Tile Club. A
rule Of the club made II imperative for
each member to tell a story at the
clubs meetings. Mr. Abbey invarl-
ably told with different treatment and
embellishments each new recital, the
tale Of a man who bought chestnut
farm on Long Island. This man had
expectations Of growing rich there.
from, but he never gathered bushel /
Of chestnuts because al tns neigh
b0rs and the buys and girls Tor miles
around would cone 70 MS gate am
ask FOR tust a handful ~ chcsfnvffi
and the owner ~ ibs farm. grantine
their request gave away al me Hpt
81 bis trees
Among me survivors ~ the TIE
Clubwmapg " tbs memiS@fs sfe ceaq 4