Bisbee daily review., 1902-01-16
THE KINGS CHOICE.
EDWIN A. ABBEY, WHO WILL PAINT
 THE CORONATION SCENE.

Name and Fame Abroad With His
 Brush-His New Pictures For the
 Boston Library.
 The visit of Mir. Abbey to this coun- try reminds us that the foremost Amer ican painter works and lives in Eng land He is in the United States just now to superintend the placing in the Boston Public library of the five beau tiful panels he has been working on for the past ten years and recently fin- ished. The selection of MT. Abbey as the official painter of King Edwards coronation scene caused a stir in this country. It is the greatest compliment ever paid to one of our artists. When finished. the painting will hang in Windsor castle and will be the only one there painted by an American
 The career of the man to whom this great honor has fallen is- full of inter- est. He is still comparatively young. for he was born in Philadelphia in 1852. so that he will not be fifty years old until about the time that he begins work on what will undoubtedly be his masterpiece When mere boy. he manifested great talent for sketching and after receiving a good education studied in the Philadelphia Art school with the intention of becoming an H. lustrator in black and white. He quick ly jumped into prominence and about 1870 went to New York to illustrate for Harper & Bros. His work caught the fancy of the public in a very short time. and he was soon very well known.
 The Harpers concluded to send NIT. Abbey abroad in 1878 to gather materi- al for Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Con- quer." with the result that the pictures fairly reeked of English country life of a century gone. Shakespeare illus trations followed, and Italy now being fairly near Abbey went there for some of his material, again securing the at mosphere of the stories. His water coiors were remarked in London. and in 1883 he was elected member of the Royal Institute of Water Colorists, and so, finding recognition. materials and sympathetic surroundings, he has re mained abroad pretty constantly ever since.
 In 1890 be sent his first oil picture, "A May Day Morning." to the Royal academy, and 1t was not only well re- ceived, but was hung in prominent place. and was by universal consent one of the pictures of the year. In 1856 ne was elected an associate of ! the Royal academy, and this was soon followed by election to full member ship.
 For some time MT. Abbey had his studio in London, but he finally gave up the city and went to the eastern coast of Worcestershire, where he built a magnificent studio and country house. which he calls Morgan Hall. The house is splendidly equipped for the painters work. It contains the lar gest and probably the finest studio in the country and big apartment built especially for work on large sized pie lures. There is also an immense ward robe full of costumes, originals and au thentic copies of the mediRval period. with furniture and properties" of the romantic past. Before starting on a picture Mir. Abbey is thus able to build up the scene" In somewhat the manner of great stage manager. Besides his ability as an artist Mir. Abbey is a great student, particularly in archaeology. His collection of ar nor. old arms and costumes is consid- cred the finest in the world. and he is rated as an authority on these things. Before producing a play with ancient setting Sir Henry Irving invariably goes to MT. Abbey for advice. The art ist is many sided man and is as fond of cricket as he Is of work and study. One of Mir. Abbey's most important undertakings was the work he has just finished for the Boston Public library, the painting of five mural panels that will cover a space of 1S0 feet by 8. The subject he selected for the panels is ''The Quest of the Holy Grail" and, as elaborated, it comprises "Sir Gala had as an Infant" "The Knighting of Sir Galahad by Lancelot." sir Gala had Brought to the Court of King Ar thur by Joseph of Arimathea," ''The Benediction of the Knights Who Go Forth on the Sacred Quest" and "Sir Galahad at the Sleepbound Castle" Although assisted by MT. Sargent, 1t took MT. Abbey ten years to complete this work. The pictures won the un- | qualified commendation of art critics when they were on exhibition in Lon don and had a good deal to do with | the selection of the American artist to