The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-11-27
NATIONS FAMOUS
PICTURE GALLERY
Excellent Care Is Taken to Pre-
serve the Valuable Works
in Oil.
THEM
Down Under the Famous Capitol Ter
race is a Room Where an Expert
Keeps Busy Restoring Col
ors That May Fade.

Washington special: The famous Pic
ture of Thomas B.. Reed, painted by Sar-
gent while the speaker was in the last
year Of his service. could not be found IN
the corridors Of the capitol now. were one
to search for 1t. Only the great wall pic
lures depicting historical scenes are in
their places and some OF these have I'M
der gone some marked changes in sur
ro%undings and settings.
But start down into the depths of the
terrace-that portion of the capitol which
SO surprises the rural visitor on discovery
that portion with Its light and really
comfortable rooms and wide corridors.
Hidden down there is an art gallery
which cost more perhaps than any other
gallery in tho east. It is q gallery of por-
traits which cannot be duplicated in the
whole world. 1t is not in a place easy
to find. Follow directions carefully n
1t can be found. 1t is IN the second tier
of rooms Of the terrace. 1t Is straight out
from the old crypt, now closed and dark,
where 1t was tn. intention to hury George
Washington-under the exacs center of
the great capitol dome.
A Curious Workshop.
The rooms are the workshop of W. H,
~ - ckoo5Ak Aiolit fSA
part OF tho capitol the portraits to be
cleaned and reframed. They are not an
ordinary lot OF paintings. In that largest
pile to the left can be seen the faces of
every speaker of the house of representa-
tives since the first congress except one.
1t is that of Nathaniel Macon Of North
Carolina, who was speaker of the Sew
enth, Eighth and Ninth congresses. In
life he did not sit for his picture and after
death there did not seem to be the inter-
est attached to the gathering OF portraits
of the men Of the time that now exists.
In recent years spasmodlc efforts have
been made to find a portrait of him. but
without success.
That picture lying on the workbench is
a striking illustration OF the kline OF
work at which Duckstein is most valuable
to the government. The half OF tho pic
ture which is dull and dirty looking, and
through which the features Of the states
mans face can be dimly seen, Is the half
on which Duckstein has not yet applied
h!s magic touch. He has a secret prep
aration which he uses on the pictures for
restoration purposes.
There are in the United States five men
besides himself who nave anything like
the recognized ability for renovating,
Frightening Up and restoring pictures. In
times gone by to rejuvenate a picture
meant the work Of a day and sometimes
several days. Note some of the wonderful
metamorphoses through which Duckstein
brings the pictures and Just suggest that
he has been "Retouching them, nave
you?" Look at the anger in his eye and
the vexation In his voice as he declares:
"Retouchi1g them? No, sir! Nothing but
\ wanda would retouch an oil, SIR"
He Never Uses Color.
! Then, II he Is encouraged, he will tell
you that he never thinks OF laying on new
color when he brightens UP a picture. 1t
is this way: The only real value of a
picture" he says, lis in the signature.
Men spend their lives In study and trial
and experiment, making their signatures
stand for real art. When once placed on
pictures they mean the superiority OF art
which has been attained. A signed pic
ture brought into my studio is brought
here to bring back the light and shade and
color which the artist had there original
ly. If 1 touched up the light places and
altered it one jot or title by adding to it
or taking away from it, the picture would
no longer be that Of the man whose sigma
ture is scrawle with a brush in the COR
ner. 1t would be his original, repainted by
me-"
What Duckstein does Is to use his Sc
cret restorative process. Unless a gas
Jet has been swung into the picture and
the canvass is burned away, or there Is
a ragged hole with rough edges, not a bit
of color goes into the picture. What ails
most of the pictures brought into this
studio from the wall spaces of the capitol
is the oil famine. The changing seasons,
the steam heat, the moisture which comes
through even the solid blocks Of stone, all
sap the oils from the pictures. His expert
eye diagnoses tho aiiment of the picture
almost at a glance. If 1t is this lack Of oil
he applies the remedy in q curious way.
The picture Is removed from its canvas.
Great pads of plotting paper are spread
out OF the cut glass or marble surface
prepared for the service. These blottlng
pads are soaked with oil. The picture Is
placed with Its back on the pads and over
its face weights are carefully placed. In
the succeeding hours the oil IS gradually
absorbed by the picture and the colors
frightened up by it. After the washing
OF the pictures with cold, clear water,
olive oil is rubbed gently over the surface
with what Duckstein calls a dry creased
rag" When it is necessary to remove the
pictures from the frames the custodian
will take the anvas over to what looks
like and is an ironing table. Then with a
great iron just like q "tailor's goose the
picture is carefully ironed out.