The Republican journal., 1906-09-13
Americas Most Wonderful Enqrayer
Dead.

William Edgar Marshall, the most famous
engraver in the world, died Wednesday,
August goth, at his studio, I'll Broadway,
New York city. He was born in 1885 of
Scotch-English parents, and was the great
grandson of Lady Charlotte Gordon, who is
buried in the cemetery of Old Trinity
church on Broadway, New York city, and
who belonged to the Gordon family of
which the Earl of Aberdeen is the head.
Duke of Glenbucket, and Sir Alexander
Reid, all of Scotland
Mr.. Marshall painted the likenesses of
many famous Americans, including Wash
ington, Lincoln, Grant, LongfellOw, Charles
Sumner, Henry Ward Eeecher, and James
T. Fields He engraved portraits of Wash
ingtoD, Lincoln, Longfellow, George Ban
croft, J. G. Holland, Garfield and j. Feni-
more Cooper, whose works he illustrated at
%. His engraving of Lincoln, who was his
personal friend, Immediately after the as
sasination, brought him early fame. His
engraving of Washington is famous in the
artistic world, while that of Longfellow is
pSSe PoSe
existence He was an intimate friend of
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Nathaniel Haw-
thorne, Horace Greeley and others. He
spent a winter at Grants headquarters and
painted that Generals picture, which is
now owned by Yale College General
Sherman sat for him for his first portrait
He painted and engraved the portrait Of
bo of NIrr T D,,tp 70
nephew of James Russell Lowell. One of
his latest paintings was of Mrs. George
Westinghouse.
His engravings are exhibited at Les
Beaux Arts in Paris as examples Of the fin
est engravings in the world. Gustave Dore
OF Paris, the famous artist, who illustrated
the Bible, the ''Wandering Jew Poe's
large drawings-"Jeremiah preaching to
People'-and an autograph letter telling
him he was the greatest line engraver that
had lived in the last 800 years.
The artists favorite and probably most
wonderful work was heroic portrait of
Christ, which still remains at his old studio
The canvas is seven feet by ten feet, and
the head from the crown to the tip of the
beard measures four feet. 1t represents
the Messiah as having dark hair and eyes,
with skin of an olive tint, departure from
the conventional representations that
ca used unusual discussion. The tunc is
dark red and the outer garments green.
He also wrote poem on Cuba and her
struggles, which is full of poetic feeling.
While studying in Paris in 1864 he was
presented to many prominent people, and
was treated with marked distinction by
Napoleon the Third and his court. He was
invited to skate whenever he pleased on
the Empress Eugenie's private skating
park, and he had the pleasure of propelling
her majesty over the ice in her sledge.
Jan. s, 1868, Mr.. Marshall was married by
the Rev. Thos. Gallaudet, D. D., of New
York, to Mrs. Emma T. Hayter, widow of
George Frederick Hayter of England, who
was the grand nephew of Sir George Fred
erick Hayter, artist to Queen Victoria. The
issue Of the Marshall-Hayter marriage was
one daughter, Lillian Gordon Marshall,
now Mrs. Robson Kinnersley Swift.
Mr.. Marshall had all the peculiarities of
| an artist, but his wife Emma was unable to
bear these eccentricities and the studio life,
and retired years ago to her mothers, Mrs.
S. G.. Preston's country home in Belfast,
| Maine, on Northport avenue, with her
| daughter.
So passes away one of Americas most
alented sons, but the memory of his work
will ever survive and 60 down through the
ages to come.