Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-08-07
A REAL BENJAMIN WEST.
Painting Supposed to be by the Great Artist
Found lin Attic OF u Residence Near Mid

Painting Supposed to be by the Great Artist
Found lin Attic OF u Residence Near Mid
dletown,
Marshall Ballard of the Johns Hop
kins University, Baltimore. contributes
the following to the Philadelphia North
American concerning painting found
near Middletown:
"a real Benjamin West" is probably
in the possession OF DR.. Edmund g.
Gibbs, a physician of East North
avenue in Baltimore. He is satisfied Of
it himself and the artists of his ac-
quaintance all agree with him. A mere
picture by West is of no great note.
His industry produced hundreds and
American galleries hold many of them.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine
Arts has number of them, but there
is no single portrait in its collection.
DR.. Gibbs painting possesses an added
interest. If it is indeed a Benjamin
West is is a very rare survival Of the
short period in his youth when the
father of American art'' supported him
self by painting portraits for the gentry
of old Philadelphia. 1t is an example
of his early style--of his work before
he went to Italy and entered upon re
nown which kept him kings favorite
in England to the end of his days.
Cracked, faded, defaced by dirt,
smirched by SCOT. and soorched by fire,
the old canvas came from trash heap
in the attic of a family residence near
Middletown, in Delaware. Cleaned and
restored to some part of its former
state it now hangs on one of the
DOCTORS walls, u reminder of long ago.
The portrait is that of beautiful
young woman in the quaint dress worn
when the future soldiers of the Revo-
luton were boys. The subject and its
relations bring strongly to mind the
early romance of the great artists life
and weave it closely with family and
neighborhood interests of the present
day in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland
and Delaware.
1.-THE old house near Middletown be-
longed to my father for go years, says
DIR. Gibbs in telling of his find. "While
pulling over pile of debris in the attic
one day came across the canvas wrap
ped in tissue Taper. In spite of cracks
and dirt / thought | saw good lines
and color in it. When it was restored
as you see it now my friends and
the artists to whom / showed it were
all surprised by its excellent portrait
qualities set out then to learn all
could about it.
"The picture is that of my great.
grandmother. 1t was painted when she
was 10 years old. / had this with Ger.
tainty from a very old aunt, who was
nearly 20 years old when my
| great-grandmothe died. She knew the
old lady we'll and was also acquainted
with the portrait. Hannah Shewel
Il AL Sc
She was niece of Benjamin Vest:
to Leigh Hunt, the English poet. The
! delphia, next door to Benedict Arnold
I, ward famous and infamous. 1t is !;
| platter of certainty that West was {
! frequent visitor to the house, and Their
(, is tradition in the family that b,
! painted some of its portraits.
/ Descendants of the Shewells are still
numerous in Delaware and Eastern
Maryland. The painters marriage will
| Elizabeth Shewell was one of the mos
| romantic incidents of his whole re
markable career. They fell in love sool
after West left his family home il
Swarthmore to set up as an artis
in Philadelphia. His friend and biog
rapher, Gait, has written that he sup
ported himself at that time by paint
ing portraits. DR.. Gibbs old pictur
is probably one Of them. The Sbrothe
of Elizabeth was wealthy merchant
He met Vests proposals with a con
temptuous, rejection and locked hi
sister in her room until the artist wa
we'll on his way to Italy. Not man
years later, when West numbere
Burke, johnson, Garrick, Drummon
and Goldsmith among his friends, an
had King George himself for patron
he renewed his proposal. 1t was agai
rejected. Three young Philsdelphians
whose fame is still alive in the world
took the girl from her brothers. hous
one dark night by means of hig
ladder and set her aboard ship q
Chester for England, where the mai
riage was celebrated. These three al
known to us as Bishop William White
Judge Hopkinson and Benjamin Frank
lin.
In the course of time" continue
DR.. Gibbs, the picture passed to fou
spinster sisters, who lived in the oil
housesat Middletown. Hannah Gustav
Gibbs, my aunt, was the last of th
four. 1t was among the debris she lei
in her garrett that / found the canva.
An old Maryland kinswoman has tol
me that the picture hung on the wa
of my aunt's living room. This @,
plains the fire effects it shows. -
W. g. F. Rost, a local artist to whol
the doctor first showed the pictur,
, undertook to restore it. A dirty pieS
of broken oilcloth was what it locke
most like. Mr.. Rost took it to a
old woman who. makes business ,
cleaning such paintings by methoc
: bequeathed to her by her husband. Il
!, himself touched it as little as possib
, when she had finished with it, and i
original details are no wise altered.
it now hangs the canvas shows the bu
portrait of a beautiful young womai
The painting of one eye and its eye
brow is badly marred by an old scorcl
ing, and the dark colors of larg
colonial head-dress have faded I'M
the background until they are scarce
:, perceptible. In style and detail ii
I portrait resembles somewhat tho
painted by the English school of TIL
/ period. Despite its i'll preservatio
= solid qualities can still be seen in I'll
painting of the face and of a gre
7 pearl necklace the lady wore-accura
and artistic observation and boil
strong expression.
mn