The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-03-06
WfSTlISE BOY A GREAT ARTIST.

The name of Benjamin Eggleston,
Westline boy of twenty years of
age, was recently brough. Into prom
inence i'm connection with the un-
yelling at Brooklyn of the artists
masterpiece, a life-size portrait of
Abraham Lincoln, painted by Egg
gleston for the Lincoln club of that
city.
The father of Eggleston moved
into Westline township in this coun-
ty about thirty years ago. H. N.
Eggleston was man of intelligence
and was greatly respected by the
few neighbors who lived along the
border line between Redwood and
Lyon counties. He went to Ohio
some time in the eighties. Before
that time his son Benjamin had
attended public school at Marshall,
and made drawings for the News
Messenger. Editor Whitney of that
paper recognized his marked talent
and encouraged him to submit sew
eral specimens of his work, which
were sent to one of the leading
papers in Minneapolis, with view
TO securing for him an opportunity
to enlarge his efforts and meanwhile
end remuneration for his work. He
soon became engaged with the Min
neapolis Tribune as a staff artist,
and progressed with his studies in
the School of Fine Arts in that City.
The Minneapolis Tribune recently
devoted considerable space to Mr..
Eggleston, thru the correspondence
Of its Brooklyn department, which
we are pleased to reproduce here
with:
One Of the most notable event
held in the city of Greater New
York last week was the Lincoln day
banquet of the Lincoln club of
Brooklyn 1t lays claim to this pre-
eminent distinction because of the
presentation of a new and original
portrait Of the martyred president
by number of the club members.
The presentation of this picture is
of interest to Minneapolitans be-
cause the picture is the genius of
Benjamin Eggleston, who secured
his art education in the Minneapolis
School Of Fine Arts.
Eggleston is native Of Mime
sofa, having been born forty years
ago in Belvedere. Upon graduating
from the common schools of Mar
shall, he went to Minneapolis and
took up the study Of art under
Douglas Volk, who had just founded
the Minneapolis School Of Fine Arts.
This school was then quartered in
duplex frame dwelling on Hennepin
avenue, near Eleventh street. Doug
las Volk is now one Of the foremost,
of American painters. His work is
known to Minnesotans from samples
of it now hanging in the new state
capitol The Metropolitan Museum
of Fine Arts recently purchased an
other specimen Of the Volk work,
paying the artist a goodly sum for
the same.
when Eggleston completed his
course at the Minneapolis Art School
he secured position on the Mime
apoIis Tribune as staff artist. He
comprised the entire art department
Of the paper at that time and any
one may see specimens of his early
work in black and white by going
over the files of the paper in the
early '80s.
Newspaper work, how ever,
proved too strenuous for Eggleston,
and suffering from throat trouble,
he left the northwest and settled for
a time in Ohio, whittier his family
had moved. About 10 years ago he
came to Brooklyn. He had not been
here long when he received a com
mission to paint the portrait of DR..
j. NJ. Buckley, editor of the Chris
tan Advocate, and in quick success
sion came other commissions to paint
the pictures Of prominent people
of New York The last portrait he
painted prior to that of the great
Republican president Of reyered
memory was that of the great Demo
cratic boss Of Brooklyn Patrick