Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-09

was purchased by the municipal govern
ment and both were made a gift to the pub
lic provided 1t should always be properly
maintained and protected.
We saw pictures Of Victor Hugo's BIRTH
place; portraits Of his parents and of him.
self in his childhood; photographs of the
casket In which he was buried his funeral
procession and the impressive scene when
the catafalque under the Arch of Triumph.
was visited by hundreds of thousands OF
people to pay their tribute of respect From
the arch procession proceeded to the
Pantheon, where his remains were laid. We
nave newspaper accounts and illustrations
OF the funeral, and the faded and pressed
flowers that were laid upon his coffin. There
are flowers also that were presented to him
at different times of his life posters and
advertisements announcing the presenta-
ton of his plays, theater programs, news
paper notices and letters of congratula-
ton. There are several rooms full of ar
ticles which show how popular he was,
medals bearing his profile pipes. umbrella
handles and tops of canes carved into SEM
blance OF his head, plaques, coffee cups.
glasses, goblets, spoons and other articles
bearing his face, soaps, cigarettes, collars.
gloves, cravats and infinite variety of
other articles that were called after him.
All of these things were preserved by him
self evidently for this express purpose. He
seems to have foreseen that museum
would be created and to have prepared for
1t. He seems to have expected fame and
was ready to promote it.
In one of the cases is a lot of bullets from
the field of Waterloo, which he visited to
write description of that battle The
WaliS OF two rooms covered with the
original sketches for illustrating his books,
which were evidently presented to him by
the artists. Many Of them, and indeed the
best or them, were suggested designed
by himself. His colossal egotism appears in
a sketch FOR a poster to advertise his book,
"Chatement," which was an attack upon
the character and record of Napoleon III.
The sketch represents copy of the book
failing upon the eagle of France and
crushing the life out of It, while flashes Of
lightning are playing around.
Another room is filled with cartoons of
himself that were published during his life
tirac. He seems to have saved every one
Of them, and among them is pen and ink
portrait OF himself made of words. 1t is
his biography as well as his portrait. You
begin at the top of his head to read where
he was born, and the list Of his achieve
ments runs under his collar 1t is a clever
idea, and Is carried out with great skill He
seems to have sat for his portrait often
Catherine II of Russia and evidently
saved every picture of himself that has
ever appeared in a newspaper.
Walls Covered With Drawings.
The walls of several rooms are covered
with his own drawings, etchings and paint
ings, for he was almost as Clever with the
brush he was with the pen. He might
have teen a great artist if he had not gone
in for literature. During his boyhood he
studied art, but he drifted into another pro-
fession. He was an habitue of the studios,
of the Latin quarter all his life. Many Of
his sketches are exceedingly clever, partic-
uarly his caricatures of both his friends
and his enemies. They show the keenest
Satire ard a great sense of humor. They
were collected from among his friends and
acquaintance to add to the interest of the
museum. Some Of them are unique One
day, for example, he upset an inkstand on
his writing desk. Before the Ink was dry
he took biunt match and converted the
bot into a picture representing spider
weaving its web on branch of tree
Another clever cartoon represents the i'm
perial carriage of the third empire In very
dilapidated condition. being hauled by an
old crowbait of horse with a dilapidated
harness and every evidence Of poverty This
was intended a satire upon the preten-
sions of Napoleon III.
One day Savanna his cook, served him
an unusually good dinner. In honor of the
event he made her picture in imitation of
the Chinese style of painting, representing
himself as a mandarian seated at a dinner
table. In the corner was an inscription,
ITO Shu-san. from Victor Hugo" There
are several other limitations of Chinese and
Japanese paintings.
He made his own picture frames and
much of his own furniture, showing talent
as we'll as industry in wood carving and
cabinet making. He made all of the furni-
ture that he used in his room while he was
in exile in Guernsey. and 1t was presented
to the museum by Nine. Duret, with whom
he boarded The furniture Is covered with
unique and fantastic carving, both designed
and executed by himself. Some Of it is ugly
and clumsy, but that makes 1t all the more
interesting. He made his own breast high
writing desk. for he always wrote standing,
and it appears in the museum just as 1t
was when he last used it, with his portfolio,
pens and pencils. inkstand and blotters. He
made cabinet in which he kept his manu-
scripts, and the frame for the mirror that
hangs over his dressing table That is COM
posed of four strips of ordinary pine. with
a great many knots in the grain, which,
with an ink brush. he worked over into
pictures of dragons. animals and flowers
china and silver plate that he used, his
library and the ornaments in his house are
all here. There is a complete collection of