The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-09-16
ESTHER
GRIFFIN
" HITE

mer teacher Of art in the public
schools of this city and the originator
and founder of the Art Association,
writes charmingly in "The School
Arts Book" for September Of ''How
an Art Association was Founded. ~
She says in part:
"Here is the way it all happened.
We were having a elias in picture
study and it had been bad half
hour. Nobody seemed to care wheth-
er the Last Supper was crumbling
away to ruins in the old cathedral at
Milan or not. The time wore duly
on and just at the close of the period
there came from an inattentive lad
perhaps by way of apology for not
listening-this telling remark, Il
never saw a real oil painting any
way A like complaint was becom-
inc general, when the bell rang and
the class went gladly away to their
other lessons. *** Afterwards T
didn't like to think of this dread
fully tiresome recitation. 1t gave me
a queer feeling. There was no use
trying to do picture study unless we
had something to build on, we really
owed the children better art culture.
"Our art rooms were well fitted up
and quite spacious, but boasted not OF
a single picture. The walls were
decorated after the fashion of their
kind, with the excellent work of pu-
pills long since graduated. These
groups ought to have come down but
you know how it is with drawing
teachers; there is always so much to
do.
"In our town we had plenty OF
beautiful paintings by clever artist
of the place, but they were mostly in
his studio. Then, too, there were
many fine oil paintings, copies of ia
nous Louvre pictures, hidden away
in richly furnished parlors ****** /
sat thinking long while about these
pictures and it was then that | made
up my mind to ask to borrow them.
Wouldn't it be a good opportunity
for our well-to-do citizens to show
some of that altruistic spirit that
should prompt them to lend their
treasures for the children's good -
Miss Mendum then goes on to relate
the manner in which she went about
having the first exhibition, which
was an entirely loan affair, and how
the Superintendent of the Schools
put new school building at their
for use as an art gallery.
How this was such a success that the
next year she secured a number of
paintings from we'll known artists
in Boston and otherwhere and how
a permanent organization was per-
fected with Mr.. Foulke acting as
Mr.. Foulke's name giving
the organization a prestige abroad
which it would not otherwise have
had Miss Mendum makes delight
full little article out of this and ev-
cry one wishing to have the real his
tory of the beginning Of the annual
exhibitions should have copy of this
little magazine 1t will be remember
ed that it was through Miss Mendum
that pictures were first secured for
exhibit in Richmond from we'll known
and famous artists, these first pic
lures being among the best ever
shown in Richmond. The represen-
tative examples of the work of
number of the best known artists in
this country were brought here
through Miss Mendum's influence,
Childe Hassam, in instance, having
sent at that time the best canvas he
ever had on exhibition here. "Bene-
fits forgot" is the unhappy epitaph
of too many an unselfsh originator
of benefcent movements, and it
should never be forgotten that Miss
Charlotte E. Mendum was the foun-
der of the Richmond Art Association.
Miss Martha Boyd, who has been
abroad for several months had the
happy fortune of an interview with
the great German artist Hoffman,
whom she happened to meet in Ores
den. Mr. Hoffman is a man of most
delightful personality, very kindly
and approachable. He presented
Miss Boyd with detail Of his ia
nous painting of ''Christ in the Tenn
ple,' giving her two signed copies of
this print, one for the school. the 9TH
er for Miss Boyd's own possession.
The copy for the school will be