The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-12
Washington Times.


 called an official collection, as the DOT
 trait of each President in turn is placed in the White House by authority of Con- gress. after the President has retired from office. The collection of twenty-four portraits. therefore, does not include the portrait of President Roosevelt, which may be painted at any time and will be placed in the collection after he leaves the White House.
 Washington people do not like to say
 new White House." A certain senti- ment of patriotic affection for the old White House holds 1t above all rejuve- | hating changes. Among the changes are
 new places for old portraits. Admission by Card Only. Formerly the portraits of Washington.
 Jefferson and Lincoln were in the East Room-open to the public every day. Now these portraits and all other portraits of Presidents are in the State parlors and
 corridor. open to visitors by card per mission. The Red and Green parlors and
 corridor make the picture gallery of the White House Here on the walls, with but little space to spare, are the DOT traits Of men famous in the history of the nation-men who made the nation It Is collection marked by strong individ- rality and high purpose, and affords a gi eat study of human nature.
 Early Pictures Mainly Bust Portraits Many of the early pictures are bust portraits The latter include three-quar- ter and full-length figures. A number in
 the collection are copies of old portraits, | most of the copies the work of G. P. A. Healy. Among artists represented by | more recent work are William Cogswell, E. F. Andrews. Eastman Johnson and Daniel Huntington.
 It is said that Gilbert Stuart painted
 no less than sixty-four portraits of Pres- ident Washington. Only a small number
 were full-length figures. One of these | leads the White House collection. Of course, it Is the portrait saved by Dolly Madison" in 1874, when the British burned | the White House. of which wildly im- probable stories are told.
 It would seem that Mrs. Madison her. | self should be authority on the manner | of saving the portrait of President Wash | ington. Her letters are accessible, and | the following from letter to her sister gives the story of the portrait ,and also Is pretty good proof that the second mis- tress of the White House never for a
 moment Host her head
 The letter Is dated Tuesday, August g, | 1S14." and written in the excitement of preparations for flight In a last para | graph, added Wednesday morning, Mrs. | Madison writes:
 Our friend, MT. Carroll, has come to | hasten my departure, and is in very bad humor with me because insist on wait | ing until the large picture of General | Washington is secured, and 1t requires to | be unscrewed from the wall. This pro- | cess was found too tedious for these pre- | carious moments. I have ordered the | frame to be broken and the canvas taken | out; it is done, and the precious portrait | placed in the hands of two gentlemen of | New York for safe keeping"
 Jefferson in Courtly Dress. The full-length portrait of President Jefferson, a copy of a portrait by Stuart, like that of Washington, shows the rich | dress of gentlemen of their day-knee brooches, silk stockings. low shoes with | gold buckles, velvet waistcoat, lace
 ruffle shirt front, lace ruffle wristbands | falling over the hands and powdered hair, | quite after fashion of a French courier. l Whatever of "Jeffersonian simplicity there might be in President Jefferson s | administration, there is no sign of 1t in | his dress as presented in the Stuart portraits, and there were many of them, | or in his portraits painted by Sully or by | Peale.
 I l Madison, Monroe and John Quincy | Adams, are also copies of Stuart DOT | traits The dress of John Adams, though | similar in style to the dress of Washing | ton and Jefferson, is far less rich and | shows the wane of velvet and lace as | materials for mems year. It Is said that | President Monroe usually appeared in
 dark blue coat, bluff vest, doeskin
 brooches. topboots, and military hat with | bow of black ribbon worn as a cockade.' | The Plain Clothes President. | This was no doubt true of MT. Monroe
 when he was Minister to France, and
 afterward to the court of St. James. But
 as President Monroe his dress marks the
 era of plain cloth and plain fashion. The
 passing of the picturesque dress of the | first three Presidents was in President | Madison's day. He was the first Presi- | dent to don a sort of plain cloth of American manufacture. The severe style of the high buttoned coat and vest was | relieved by a white stock and scant ruffle | shirt front, which a few years later was superseded by the black stock and high | collar, commonly termed standing col | lar."
 President Van Bueren's portrait shows the first departure from this severe style
 of dress. though not departure to justify
 
 | John's Church, lover his shoulder hung
 a very blue Spanish cloak" or further | criticism that the White House table was l laid with gold spoons, silver knives and | forks and cut glass;" On the contrary ! President Van Buren is painted quite like | inc well-dressed President of our own time.
 Jackson and Taylor in Uniform. | Among the men who went into the | White House on military fame but two, | President Andrew Jackson and President | Zachary Taylor, are in uniform. They are full-length figures, and copies of old | nortraits. the uniform of the American
 general half a century ago presenting a
 striking contrast to the elaborate uniform | of today.
 President William Henry Harrison another military hero, who died one month after his inauguration. is repre-
 sented by a bust portrait in severely
 nIain civilian dress. President Grant,
 an original portrait by Ulke In civilian
 dress gives no suggestion of the great | soldier. But 1t is an excellent likeness and the easy. careless pose Is character ! istic of the man.
 Lincoln and Mckinley.
 Among the portraits in the Green par Tor are those of President Lincoln and
 prasident McKinley. The former is the fulI-length portrait by Cogswen. which hefore the changes in the White House
 hung in the East room twenty-five years. Hn1l n Y7N .