The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-12-03
ELKINS AS ART COLLECTOR.
ONE PHASE OF THE LIFE OFTHE
LATE TRACTION MAGNATE.

LATE TRACTION MAGNATE.
"a
Al Lover of Beautifu, Things az We'll
as q Successful Business Man-FOund
Delight aud Rest in His Art Treas
urss-some of His Representative
Paintings.
William L. Elkins, who died at his
home near Philadelphia in the early
part of this month, street railroad
magnate and many times a millionaire,
was a great business man. People who
did not know him personally were apt
to think of only this phrase of his char
acter. But there was another side to
Mr.. Eikins' life not less broadly devel-
oped than the business side.
He was a great lover of the fine arts
and Of everything beautiful; and after
he acquired wealth, he never let an OPP
portunity go by to crafty his desires in
this respect. The pleasantest hours o
his life, those who knew him intimately
say, were passed in his art gallery, with
which few private galleries in this coun-
try can be compared as regards general
excellence. r.
People who visited him at his magni-
ficent home at Ogontz almost invariably
found him sitting in his gallery, some
times with company, but more often
alone, studying painting-the same
painting, perhaps, which he had studied
thousands Of times before. He would
spend hours at a time, his friends say,
arranging piece Of statuary in his
home, SO as to place 1T in just such a
position that 1t would harmonic with
the other things in the room.
He would try 1t first in one corner,
then in another, standing off and view
Ing 1t from every possible angle. Some
times, If he couldn't get it placed to suit
him, he would throw it out Of the room
altogether, although he was, 1t is said,
very careful In his selection of art OBJ
jects and usually satisfied himself of
their fitness for the places where he de-
sired to put them before purchasing
them. ,".t
This work, which would be not only
tiresome and monotonous, but actually
source of evaporation to most people,
was a real pleasure to Mr. Elkins. 1t
was a rest for him. s-e-
He enjoyed doing it after returning
from his office work. Or, If he did not
arrange and rearrange statuary or sit
In his gallery after his return from his
days labor, he would while away an
hour or more twiddling a little piece of
/ iridescent glass or small oriental trim
ket In his hand.
Even in his office hours he would, it is
said, receive a man with bit of shin
ing glass or an attractive piece of pot
terry, while a financier, with propositions
involving thousands of dollars to sub
init, would be kept waiting outside.
His interest in art is illustrated by an
incident which dealer in this city says
occurred at the Waldorf-Astoria one
morning when Mr.. Elkins was stopping
there. Mr.. Elkins was eating break
fast with three of the best known finan-
ciers in this city He had made an APP
pointment with them to talk over some
business propositions.
The dealer did not know that Mr.. FL
kins was at breakfast, but was sure
that he had something which would in
terest him. He sent in his card
Mr.. Elkins left his breakfast and the
financiers to come out and talk with the
dealer. He was interested in what the
dealer had to tell him. He apparently
forgot all about breakfast and the par
ty that he had left inside, for when a
waiter came out into the corridor to dis
cover what had happened to Mr. Elkins
he gave a quick "oh, that's sol" and
hurried away to apologize.
A well known amateur in this city,
who knew Mr.. Elkins personally, says
of him: r 3D.
Mr. Elkins had genuine inclination
for art and beautiful things. He was
not at all affected in his love for fine
arts. He was not the kind of man to
assume affectation in anything. He
was man who had come into a posi-
ton where he could acquire works of
art, and the doing of it afforded him a
most delightful diversion.
'"That is, in large measure, undoubted-
ly true of a good many of our great
business men. To acquire and handle
pieces of art seems to afford them a
great relief. In fact, it is our great
business men more than any other class
who are the leading patrons of art in
this country and who do more in this
city to encourage art than any others
Some of them, it is true, do so mere.
ly because they find in collecting a
pleasant diversion from business pro-
blems; but Mr.. Elkins, do not hest"
tate to say, was Influenced in all his
collecting entirely by a genuine love fol
the fine arts.
- /. i -
conjunction with Mr.. Widener, his bus
mess partner, and Mr.. Johnson, his law
Yer. The collections of these three men