The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-05-01
"THE BURNING ARROW,
Throngs witness 1t at Howe & stet.
sons. IA ij5y

sons. .,.,
A large canvas, entitled, 1.-THE Burn.
ing Arrow" painted by Ashley d. NJ.
Cooper, and valued at $4,000, has been
on exhibition at the Howe 6 Stetson
Co.'S stores, and during the past week
it has attracted throngs Of witnesses.
The exhibition is free to the public.
1.-The Burning Arrow" is a representa-
ton of night signalling by the Indians
in time of war. The Indians sometimes
used the burning arrow to set fire to
the camp of an enemy. They would
take an arrow, wrap it in flannel or
buckskin, dip it in grease, light it and
shoot it into the sky. In the signalling
code shooting the arrow in different
directions had different meanings.
The picture which is now on exhibit
tion represents a group of Indians sig
Mailing a camp in the distance. The
scene is laid in the Black Hills of Da-
kota, and is produced from an actual
scene witnessed by the artist during the
| Custer campaign of 1876, which culmin-
ated in the Custer massacre. A group
of warning Indians are assembled in
the moonlight behind a clump of rocks
on an incline leading: to the mesa. Be
| hind one rock a fire Is lighted. From
| this fire the arrows are ignited. Stand.
4 ing on top of the rock is an Indian
with bow in hand in the act of just
releasing the string. The arrow makes
a lurid arch in the Silly darkness Of
the night. The redskins are all intent
| in watching its flight. In the distance
can be observed the rising smoke from
a far off camp fire. To the left are the
Black Hills, somber sentinels beneath
a flecked sky, from behind a cloud in
which the pale moon is slowly pushing
| its way. = ~
| The chiaro -scuro effect on the canvas
| is remarkably effective. Moonlit shad-
ows contrast picturesquely with the
| ruby glow of the fire behind the rocks,
| which illuminate the stalwart physiques
of the red men. while the perspective
is marvellous in its portrayal of dis
| tances, the campfire appearing to be
fully tenmiles away, while in reality II
4 is no further than double that number
of inches. The painted Indians are
. models of portraiture and the grouping
is magnificent, the fire light effects
wonderfully fantastic. The figures arr
so naturally portrayed that one woult
hardly think they were painted on q
fiat surface but rather that they were
modelled figures artistically placed.
.Atsley D. M. Cooper, the painter O
this celebrated picture was born in ST
Louis. He studied art in Paris, ant
was on the staff Of Frank Leslie
Weekly during the Indian war Of 1876
accompanying the Custer and Crool
expedition. His knowledge Of Indian lif,
is most accurate. and no artist in TIL,
world equals him in depicting the eff
feet of fire light.
+ The original engagement for the ex
hibition Of the picture at the Howe 6
Stetson stores was for two weeks, bu
the throngs of persons going to see
were so numerous and continuous tina
the company decided to extend the en-
gagement to six weeks. 1t will be oil
exhibition all this week. The exhibition
is in charge of Mr.. Howard p. Lynch
representing the Lincoln Art Co., 2
East Twenty-third street, New York
Mr.. Lynch delivers lectures at interval
descriptive of the picture The children
are especially invited to view the can
vas. = " h..n'