New-York tribune., 1912-11-03
Early Portraits OF George
Washington.


The exhibitions made by the print
department Of the New York Public
Library have for some time been recog-
nized as of Importance to the student
and their usefulness has, of course, in
creased since the building nearer the
centre of the city has been opened In
his new and more spacious quarters
Mr.. weitenkampf, the curator OF
prints, has been able to do even better
than hitherto in exposing the resources
of the library for the benefit OF the
public. The situation Is also more
favorable now to the arrangement OF
those loan exhibitions which have
proved popular before and may be eX-
pected to win even wider apprecia-
tion. since they are to-day rendered
more readily accessible. At this mo-
ment notable show Of the sort Is
going on. one devoted to portraits Of
Washington. II contains nearly three
hundred pieces, carefully selected from
about fifteen hundred belonging TO
private collector The examples dis
PLAYED have been chosen more par
ticularly for their rarity and in Illus
tration of eighteenth century crafts
men rather than those of later
period. The cOnnoisseur of prints, in
short. will not search these souvenirs
for works of beauty, but for odd and
interesting evidences of that pro-
foundly human enthusiasm which has
eddied round certain of the great fig
ures of history.
With what untiring force has the in
Stinct for portraiture been wreaked
upon statesmen or military heroes,
especially since the rise of the en-
graver's art, II is the work of years
TO assemble the prints dedicated to a
Napoleon, a Franklin or a Washing
ton. And one of the most absorbing
phases of the collectors pursuit is that
which develops the immense scope Of
what we must call purely derivative
portraiture. There is, after all, limit
SOOll W Dt DldAtu uDOII Nbt SthNlfo va
given hero made from life. Then
comes the flood of portraits at second
hand, and so on through an almost
illimitable succession. A goodly num-
Der Of the portraits in the present ex-
hibition for example are labelled
Fictitious" These are not we may
add by any means the least interest
ing portraits shown. On the contrary,
they include some of the best bits Of
Washingtoniana in existence. We may
cite in illustration the comic print
which we reproduce, Mrs General
Washington Bestowing Thirteen Stripes
on Britannia" When this figured in
the sale of the collection formed by the
late f. B. Holden it was described in
feature Of Washington" Mr.. Weiten-
kampf, in his just published book on
American Graphic Art" quotes the
historian Benjamin Losing as author
fly for the statement that another car
feature appeared, full of disloyal and
profane illusions" on the day after
Washington's arrival in New York as
President-elect. But this scurrilous
print has disappeared, and for the pres
ent, at all events, the droll engraving
now visible at the library retains an
absolutely unique character.
Another very curious print is the one
preserving in the face the traits iden-
titled with the portrait by Peale and
surmised to have been engraved by
John Norman. Washington is here
shown in armor, or, as the inscription
quantity states, 'in the Roman dress
as ordered by Congress for the monu-
ment to be erected in Philadelphia to
perpetuate for posterity the man who
commanded the American forces
through the late glorious revolution"