The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1912-01-30
General Porter
John Paul Jones?
Harris Findings Are Based en-
Measurements of Two
Busts by Houdon.

OF the laboratory Of anthropology of
the Ecole des Hautes Etudes. in his
official report of his examination of
| the body said:
THE dimensions Of the bust. life
size. by Houdon. are exactly those Of
| the body. The comparison il therefore
| easier than if the bust had been OF
| reduced size. Thus all the measure
ments offer an approximation truly ex
traordinary. Two experienced anthro
biologists measuring the same subject
/ would often make as great differences.
Thus | could not hope to find between
bust and its model similar iden
tity.
Il recollect having measured some
! years ago Il cast of the head of Blan
! aui and the statue which DalOu made
| from that same cast Dalou was
! very precise and conscientious artist.
/ using and even abusing, as his col
leagues said the caliper compass.
/ found differences greater than in this
| case
II have not been able to take up any
| characteristics the divergence of which
was sufficiently marked to waive the
| Identification of the bust and the body
Without forgetting that doubt is the
first quality of all investigators and
that the utmost circumspection should
be observed in such matters | am
obliged to conclude that all the obser
vations which | have been able to
make plead in favor of the following
conclusion: The body examined is that
of Admiral John Paul Jones'
The second" bust of Jones, which
was the one used in the Identification
of the body. is known as the ''Philade
phia" bust. because it was made at the
order of Philadelphia admirers of 1.-The
intrepid Paul" 1t is now in the Ma
tional Academy of Design. New York,
the measurements used in Paris hav-
ing been secured from the replica in
the Trocadero. The first" bust was
| made by Houdon at the order of the
| Freemason lodge of the Nine Sisters.
Paris, and was exhibited at the salon
of 1881.
Houdon, who was born in 1741 and
died in 1928. had many American
friends. In l779 he made the bust of
Franklin which is now in the Louvre,
and in 1856 he came to the United
States with Franklin to make for the
state of Virginia the statue of Wash
ington which now stands in the capitol
at Richmond. To obtain his data he
spent two weeks at Mount Vernon, al
though completing the work in France.
This statue is signed "Fait par Hou-
don. citoyen Francois, 1888"
Hunt an Idol Smasher.
Other famous works which bear his
name are the draped statue Of Vol
taire in the vestibule of the Theatre
Francois. the Cicero in the Luxem-
bourg Plaza and the Diana which he
made for Catherine IL. of Russia. This
was refused by the salon because it
was undraped, but is now in the
Louvre. A bronze replica made by
Houdon himself belonged to Charles
T. Yerkes. At the sale of his works of
art this replica brought $4,000.
Mr. Hart. who has now become the
historian of Houdon, has written crit
cally since 1855. He practiced law in
Philadelphia until 1894, when a rail-
way accident incapacitated him for
further activity. Since that time he
has devoted himself to research and
criticism He has always had lik-
ing for assailing popular artistic idols
and in 1903 published Frauds In His
torical Portraiture. Five years later
he upset the accepted notion that Ben
jamin West was a Quaker
In 1907 Mr.. Hart denied the anthem
ITCHY of two of the Gilbert Stuart por-
traits in the Metropolitan museum.
New York. The portraits in question
were those of Don Josef de Jaudenes y
Nebot. FIRST Spanish minister to the
United States. and of Dona Matilde
! Stoughton de Jaudenes. Mr.. Hart Of
! fered his denial directly to Sir Caspal
: Purdon Clarke. going into great detail
! The controversy that followed lasted
for long time and attained interna
tional proportions.
! sas. |. = + - I