Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-02-28

the portraits or the laCo I Y
lE George Peter Alexander
" |, 4. Healy, who, although a ma
~ tive Of Boston. afterward be-
| = ~ came a resident Of Chicago,
and really quite Ito the
manner born" in spite of his
birth and his subsequent residence abroad for so
many years. created more than ripple in the
art world, and showed again what strong and
| representative man of his era he was. 1t may
be said truthfully of him that he was most
conspicuous figure in the latter part OF the sec
ond era Of the art Of portraiture in America, as
Gilbert Stuart was of the first era.
Aside from the strong merits of the portraits
seen at the Art Institute their exhibition recalls
to the writer story told him many years ago by
boyish boon companion of Mr.. Healy, the late
| George Loring Brown, SO famous Tor MS studleS
of atmosphere and poetical distance in landscape
and still marines as seen under the skies OF
sunny Italy. Mr.. Healy, at the time of which
speak was about twenty years of age and Mr..
Brown a year younger Mr. Healy had Deen
studying art in a somewhat desultory manner
about the only way in which art could be stud
led in the New England city at that early day,
and was making preparations to go abroad to
enter upon his studies in an earnest way He
had attracted the attention of Mrs. Harrison
Gray Otis the year before that lady then being
the queen of society in Boston. He had gone to
her with letter of introduction, when she asked
the shy boy what she could do for him, and his
to paint a beautiful woman!" She did SO, and
the portrait made quite local reputation for the
! boy upon which he made arrangements to go
abroad
/ Mr. Brown the constant companion of Mr..
Healy was born IN Boston, February g. 1914, and
! began to draw when eight years old. His father
used to encourage the boy to make caricatures
| of people whom he did not like and got the boy
into many scrape If he drew the caricatures,
as he told me once, he had trouble with the peo-
| ~ H0fIn
made it very uncomfortable for him, sending him
out the Back Bay in winter to cut holes in the
ice and fish for cells and other inhabitants of
mud and water, among other things. But the boy
survived it ALL and finally went to the Franklin
| school, where he the silver medal and at
! twelve years of age was apprenticed to the IA
nous engraver, Peter Farley, where he learned
| the art of drawing thoroughly, which stood him
in such stead in his later career
| While with Farley who it may be remembered,
! was the wood engraver who illustrated so many
| Of the school books of century ago, the boy
/ experimental with colors and when not at work
at his engraving experimenting constantly
with colors with the result that he attracted the
attention of Isaac Rich wealthy merchant OF
that day, who day asked him banterngly
how much he wanted to go to Europe.
Zone hundred dollars!" he replied enthusiasts
tfcally displaying a wonderful ignorance of the
/ world
| But Mr. Rich advanced him the hundred dol
lars, and the boy began making preparations to
go.
1t was about this time that the two boys began
| to see the world opening its doors to them, and
in honor of this event, young Brown invested
dollar or two in beer and something eatable "on
the side"-the beer portion of the menu being
considered something almost criminal In Bos-
ton in those days-and the boys made night OF
1t in honor of their early departure for Europe,
! and the taking up of their life work in earnest.
The beer had good deal of head it, and
| 1t gave q good deal of head" to the boys, with
the result that the two future great artists soon
began to imagine themselves great already, and
[ boosted OF what they would do.
II will paint pictures of italian scenery" de-
clared Brown. "and have my pictures in all the
castles of Europe"
"And l." said Healy will paint the kings and
other notables of Europe and have them in the
castles side by side with yours"
/ / did not know Mr.. Healy personally, but was
acquainted intimately with Mr.. Brown for many
years, and have heard him many times tell how
he finally got away to Europe. He went down to
the wharves, and inquired around until he found
vessel that was ready to sail for Europe. He
did not stop to ask what part Of Europe, thinking
that the other side OF the water he would
find everything easy married sister gave him
q mattress and he marched down State street to
Long Wharf with the mattress on his back, hav-
| ing taken steerage passage. He found after the
boat set sail, that her destination Antwerp.
| almost as far from Italy as Boston itself. When
he landed there he had twenty-five dollars left
But he had made friend of the captain of the
vessel, who lent him fifteen more, and with this
amount he managed to get to London, where he
was befriended by Mr.. Cheney, the American
engraver, and he began at his studies of
italian landscape, living almost on the verge Of
starvation for nearly year. at the end OF which
time he sent picture home to Mr.. Rich who
sent him more money, and he continued his
studies.
AS an evidence Of his conscientiousness IN