Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-02-20

different artists a full decimo Of statues, and
hundreds Of pen and shadow pictures are In the
collection of Washington faces now scattered
throughout the libraries, museums, and private
collections of this country" writes DR.. Bernard J.
Cigrand, director of the Chicago public library:
Besides these varied originals have been the
foundation of many hundreds of famous copies,
not counting the nearly 400 different engravings
formed from these sketches from life-in all
making the largest assortment of Hkenesses made
of any human being and representing the prog
of the art of painting and sculpture, as we'll
as engraving, since the year 1772 down to this
present day.
The entire time which he must have spent
before the critical eyes of these famous artists,
if summed up, would doubtless reach at least
full month and while his personality has been
caught in its great varieties of moods yet the
complex physognomy has been deduced to five
basic faces which standard relates to age,
character and physical formation.
THE first among these Washington faces is
the one produced by Charles Wilson Peae who
at the invitation Of Washington called at Mount
Vernon and painted the first portrait of the emf
nent Virginian; this begun May 20, 1772,
when Washington was 40 years of age. This pic
ture is especially interesting since it is the
lest reproduction of the face and form of Wash
ington. He paid Peale about $780, and during
the remainder of his career Peale painted eight
from life, the dates being 1872, IT, 10, 'S4,
i '85, 81, "a, and 95 These studies practi-
the man.
THE war for independence was Just ended and
the treaty of peace signed when the state of Vir-
ginia engaged in the discussion as to how it
could befittingly recognize the public service Of
Washington. of it's native and loyal sons.
After a variety of propositions had been disposed
of the legislature finally voted that a statue of
him should be erected in his honor.
benjamin Harrison the governor at the
time and was personally intrusted by the legis-
lature to execute the wishes of the resolution.
He Immediately wrote to Franklin and Jefferson,
who were in Paris, to engage the best sculptor
of all Europe: the governor also called attention
to the fact that he had ordered Mr. Peale to
make fullsized painting of the general and
this he would forward a model for the scup-
tor Franklin and Jefferson were not long in
selecting the artist He was a Frenchman by the
of Jean Antoine Houdon
when he was informed of the oil painting
project he Immediately objected saying that if
Virginia wanted a living likeness of Washington
he must have his own way as to arriving at the
product; that would mean that he must cross the
Atlantic, visit with Washington, and carefully
model the face from the living take impressions
and casts, and laboring along exact rather than
impressiona lines. This was quickly agreed to
by Franklin and Jefferson, but the terms of the
affair were difficult to arrange
1.-THE short Industrious artist was in no great
hurry to leave gay Paris for the wilds of Virginia
and between illness and rush of work it was
about one year before he set sail. He perchance
came across with Franklin, who on arriving,
wrote a letter Of introduction to Washington.
THE Houdon statue has been accepted as the
nearest true physical reproduction we possess
of the great commander Peale and the
critical Stuart admit this and the Virginians
never grow tired of what Stuart said: TT is the
head Of Washington par excellence" Additional
testimony of the truthfulness of the Houdon
statue dates to 1850 (Feb 22) when the congress
sional committee, after diligent and lengthy dis,
cussion accepted it the standard Washington
for busts, medals and coins.
The military Washington we get in the John
Trumbull picture which has caught the daring
and dashng element Of the war general. Trum-
bull did everything with the greatest possible
exactness, and every detail in the painting is
from life and from nature. The horse and the
background the result of standings and poses
and represent a world Of detail. When it was
completed in 1890 Washington in New York
and the executive mansion was the scene Of an
interesting pictorial arrangement at the sugges-