New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-01-22
ART WQalI D ROMANCE
Pictures by Whistler, Long Hid
den, Hung at West Point.
FIVE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS.

Sketches of Academy Life Made When
Great Artist Was Cadet Found In
Fifty year-old Scrapbook Stored In
Attic-camp Life Wittily Pictured
By the discovery in half forgotten
box Of ffty-year-old scrapbook cor
tanning five original drawings by
James Abbott MacNeill Whistler the
library of the United States Military
academy at West Point has been en-
rtched and new light is thrown on the
early work of the great artist, says
the New York Herald The other day
the five pictures were hung on the
walls at the academy, to which they
were presented upon their discovery
few weeks ago. The story of their dis
covery is one of the romances of the
world of art.
Fifty-six years ago, in the summer of
1851, Whistler, then boy OF sixteen,
entered the Military academy. At
that early age in life he had already
begun to show marked talent for
drawing, and the records of the acad-
envy show he was at the head of his
class in that department. One Of the
West Point instructors was First Lieu
tenant Absalom Baird, who afterward
gained distinction in the civil war and
died with the rank of brigadier gen
eral. Lieutenant Baird encouraged the
young cadet in his artistic ambition
and as mark of his appreciation
Whistler gave his instructor some Of
the sketches of scenes about the acad-
envy he had made in his leisure time
Little dreaming that the author of
the sketches would ever become one of
the most famous American artists,
Lieutenant Baird put them in scrap
book in which he had filed many me-
mentoes Of West Point preserving
1 them undoubtedly because of the hu-
morous recollections Of cadet life
civil war the scrapbook, with other
volumes, was packed in a box and
stored away in the attic of the home
of General Baird's widow. The gen
erals son in turn became an army Off
Ger and is now on the army list as
Captain William Baird, retired.
A few weeks ago while rummaging
among rubbish in the attic Of his old
home Captain Baird came upon the box
Of books and the scrapbook with the
Whistler pictures. Knowing the Mill
tary academy was eager to get any
mementoes of Whistler's life there, he
sent the five drawings to Colonel
drawing and dean Of the academic
board Colonel Larned has had them
framed, and four pen sketches repre-.
senting a tired cadet on guard duty
have been hung in the library, while q
wash drawing occupies place on the
wall of the classroom of the depart.
ment of drawing.
There are other works Of Whistler
at the Military academy, but they are
simply the prescribed work Of the
classes in drawing in his time, copies
of other pictures, still life sketches
and Typographical work. The five that
were hung recently are original in idea
there are no earlier examples of Whis
tiers original work in existence. Only
one of them, the wash drawing OF
camp life, is signed. That bears the
initials 81 A. W. Whistler did not
insert the "MacNeill," his mothers
maiden name, until after he had left
the academy. From memoranda ir
the scrapbook, however, the other foul
y pictures are known to be also Wits
tiers work. There is no way Of plac
ing the exact date of the pictures, ex
cept that they must have been made
between 1851 and January, 1854, whe1
Whistler left West Point to become al
engineers craftsman.
Four Of the pictures are a series Of
pen drawings, humorously illustrating
the experience of a sleepy cadet OF
guard duty. In the first he is shown
proudly shouldering his rifle and pac
ing his post, in the second his heat
droops and his feet lag in the third h
Is sitting on the ground, and in thu
fourth he is stretched prone, fas
asleep. They are inscribed First Hal
Hour" Second Half Hour" ETC., ant
each is headed con Guard In Camp.
Each of these drawings is about s b.
10 inches in size. The wash drawing
in monochrome, showing a cadet seat
ed on the ground with the white tent
of the cadet camp in the distance, il
slightly larger.
! EIor;da,e Rinnes+ Cvnress M