Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10
OUR NAVAL HEROES
Pictures of Them in Navy De-
partment Library.
INTERESTING COLLECTION
More Than a Thousand Engravings
and Photographs.
VIEWS OF FAMOUS BATTLES
Incidents of American Wars - Por-
traits of Illustrious officers of
the British Navy.
OF FAMOUS BATTLES

II the Navy Department lhEdly' cdiS-
fully preserved. though little known, there
IS "a decidedly interesting collection OF pic
ures-ehgravingS. Autographs and photo
graphs-relating t. the navy and its his
tory. 1t consists Of more than a thousand
prints. many OF which have an artistic as
well as a historical value, and it has been
gotten together chiefly within the last
oiEht years
one section is given over TO portraits Of our
naval heroes, and from John Pau! jones to
Admiral Dewey the galaxy is a most com
pIetc The carrier officers are rep cs3n-ed
by crggavings, the later ones by photo
graphs There are several Iikenessls OF
some, ana only ono of etsc S. rut as ar
as possible. effort hos been made to collect
and preserve the best.
4 portrait always possesses a dual inter
est-arst personal and tleu artistic. The
sitter to tie general public, ~ pi para
mount Importance. and then the DAlbth.- II
Is seldom, though, THAT GouoEs Nill De
found more evenly divided than IN ne pres
ent instance. OF al the men whom Amer
Tea has houorei there are few, 4 any
more worthy OF distinction than -dose VINO
have commanded American SHIPS. In the
history of the United States There 2.e no
more stirring chapters than those ~h'ch
chronicle our naval warfare. And these
men who helped to make this history are
set forth i'm this collection by tho foremost
and American art were both, at one and
the same time infants in arms; TIE former
outstrlpped the latter, but both were pre-
cOclUus. The child navy won great victo-
ries tho child art laid firm foundations.
Heroes could be no more intrepid, but
painters have become more sEllifu.
There Is a tendency 10 Ceprt ciate the
works Of the early American artists, but in
looking over this Navy Department collec-
ton Of portraits il is Impossible not to be
impressed by their worth. The men which
they set forth are Of noble vis3gc. and their
chdracteTizIuuus, though frequently faulty.
carry with them conviction. The men tic
tUcd are real persouages and their deeds
OF vai0r seem not afor off
Early Commanders.
Esek Hopkins who was commanier-n-
chief of Tie American navy in i57i is
quantity pictured above two flags bearing
the notices, Liberty Tree. An Appeal to
God" and Don't Tread Upon Me- while
John Paul Jones is set forth in every poss--
BILE gCise from hero to pirate ny the more or
less zsilIful artists and sugravers Of Eng
land, France and America. There Is q
likeness or John Barry, engraved 10y LonS-
acre, after an excellent painting by Gilbert
Stuart, and "a portrait of James Biddle en-
BrJvvd by GimbTCGc who from 1873 TO lS}2
was instructor OF drawing at west Point.
SUhy's spirited picture OF Stephen Decatur
ls here. engraved by A. Is. DuIaud, who for
sixteen years was president OF the Ma
Uonti Academy OF Design: while Gilbert
Sluarts Isaac HUI Is found 10 he en-
gravej in Supple by David Edwin, who -
SAID 90 have been tho hrst good eugraver
OF i.@ human ccuntenance 10 appear in
this country Jacob Jones. the hero OF
the Wasp. has been represented jointly by
Peale and Edwin; Thomas Gamble by
Waldo and LcugaCre and William Balm
bridge by Jarvis and Parker. PTebie ike
ness is engraved by Kelly frOm a picture
n Fauaul Hall: Richard Dsle's by Dodsun,
"Elter "a painting by Wood N Pe1le &lu-
N."T.. Tn
are both engraved from paintings by jarvis
"hy permission OF the corporation Of New
York. GiMbretc's portrait of Commodore
Shubrigli IS one of his best works and II.
r. Halls likeness OF Commodore Stockton.
engraved after an English miniature, IS
fairly commeudable
There "a only one example of Tiebaut's
work. a likeness OF Commodore TTuNtOli
after painting by Robertson. which las
apparently disappeared. This Is rare
ana valuable print, and was patti )tiCally
presented to the Navy Depa~tment a few
months ago by a histOrlan-former.
With tie coming or Photography the art
%. engraving detcriOrdted and gradually
iel .utI oisuse. The portraits OF Admirals
FarTegut. Pauldiug, GolC,sbotuu.sn. Porter
and Wilkes are engraved, bUt after photo
graphs rather than paintings: and for the
comnemoraton Of the present day officers
the cameras art has alone apparently Suf-
feed In this connection II IS interesting
70 note that Brady's entire coIles.fon OF
photographs OF naval officers has passed
ment ana will there be permanently pre-
served.
Keen Local Interest.
Washington. the national capital. las
local interest and pride IN these national
heroes. as many Of them. for years, made
this city their home. The house is SIN
standing on the corner Of II street and
Jackson place in which Commodore Stephen
Decatur lived. and directly across from 1t
IS the one-time residence IF the late Co:a
moJore Shubricl The Cosmos Club occ,r-
pies the old Wilkes home and General
Greedy now lives IN the house wherein
Commodore cambridge once dwelt.
But not the men alone are commemorated
IN the Navy Departments collection, their
deeds are likewise pictorially set forth
Hanging in the librarlans oilice Ia an en-
craving Of the fight between The Ron
homme Richard and the Scraps, i1aGe 10y
John Boydell FOR Captain Pearson. about
TWO years after the famous action took
place, and framed and stored are other
prints OF the battle between the E-rolic and
the Wasp and Of MacDonoa3h's victory
Lest-we become too boastful there has been
preserved a series OF four views illustrating
the unfortunate fight between the English
frigate shannon and the American Chesa-
peake, which were autographed from draw
ings made under the direction of Capt r.
H. King Of the royal navy and dedicated
TO Sir Philip We're Bower Broke who COM
nlanded the shannon, but side by side with
It will be found picture OF the signal
naval victory achieved by Captain Hull OF
the United States frigate Constitution over
his royal majesty's frlgate Guerrero, which
terminated IN total destruction OF the enc
my's ship after @ close action OF thirty
minutes, designed, engraved and published
by W. Strickland and w 1<neass tust one
month end two days after the battle took
place. There is also curious old utho-
graph. produced In 1913, by Sarony and
Major OF New York, after a painting by
Lieut. II. Wake OF the navy OF Perry's
fleet ascending the previous year, the Fus-
pan river in Mexico.
The war Of 1912 is separately set forth In
series OF twenty-four prints, including
a series Of odd wood cuts made IN Ger
many; an engraving OF the Battle of Erie"
made by Peter Maverick, one OF the earliest
American engravers: and irreleyantly from
the naval standpoint. illustration from
Hapin History of England OF the Capture
OF the City Of Washington" in 1914.
Pictures of Famous Battles.
Almost all the naval heroes and famous
battles, both on sea and land, IN which our
countrymen participated from III6 to 1850
were painted by one Alonzo Chapel for