The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-02-04
ALBERT ]. CONANT,
ARTIST, DIES At SO
Painter of Famous Smiling Lincoln n
Native of Chelsea, Vermont
Noted Men His Subjects.

NEW YORK, Feb 4-Alban Jasper |
Conant. veteran artist and writer. painter
OF the famous portrait OF the Smiling LIN
coin. died early yesterday from heart dis
ease III his 94th year. IN the studio build
ing - West Tenth street. where he h&d
made his home for the last 80 years. lie
was the last of the older artsts-J G
Brown, John La Fargo, William Beard, and
others. whom he numbered among his init
mate friends
Mr. Conaut was a friend of President
Lincoln, of whom he painted several por
traits. The Smiling Lincoln, made when
lis subject was running for president and
in Jolly mood IS best known. 1t Is now
IN the PhiIipse Manor at Nonkers, with
portraits OF the presidents OF the United
States. The artist was making his home
IN Washington at that tnne and he paint
ed portraits of Gen. Sherman. justices OF
the court OF appeals and the supreme court
Of the United States. and cabinet secreta-
ries He also painted portraits Of Henry
Ward Beecher, DI. James AIcCosh OF
Princeton Bishop II. c. Potter, and of de
Soto. The McCosh portrait is in the Met
ropolitan Art Museum.
In the hall Of the house in which the ar
fist died hangs his last work. completed
in 1910. 1t l. ii large picture, the First
Cum at Sumter. and is Il portrait OF Gen.
Anderson. III Civil war uniform. standing
beside a gun resting upon itS carriage
There was difficulty in getting accurate de-
tail for tins picture. there was no Civil
war gun and carriage to be found. Gen.
Mordecai obtained the plans and spccihca-
tions OF the Civil war guns in Washington
ior the artist, and the picture is correct
IA every detaf The Stars and Stripes are
tn b4, soon 1T npp .iIa of he 0rrY 4 -r,.1F
| en- replica OF the portrait is at West Point
! Other portraits which were among the
! last painted by the artist was his fourth
| picture of Henry Ward Becchcr and one
| OF Judge Philemon Bliss. which + in JET
tcrSon City. Mo. Much ot the earlv part
If his life Mr.. Conant spent IN St Loui~.
| The artist was born IN Chelsea. Vt.
sept II. 1921. He was graduated from
/ the Gouverneur Wesleyan seminary in
1914 and took the degree OF \. Nj in the
Madison university. Hamilton, n s.. and
attended the University of Missouri in
1871. He was curator OF the University
of Missouri for eight years and founded
the school Of mines and metallurgy. OF
which ne was the supervisor three years
I'm 1880 he was appointed Delegue Core
Ispondcnt Institute E1lnomaphique il
Paris.
This appointment was in line with on,
lof his interests. archaeology In his busy
life lie found time to write The Archaeol
io@y OF the Missouri Valley. which wa,
tr9nlatcd into several languages: Foot
lprints OF Vanished Races in tie 3Iissi~
~ippi Valley. as Welt a. Ny Acquaintance,
with Abraham Lincoln. ami some poetry
Mr.. Conant was first married in 1915 /,
sarah N. Howcs OF Chelsea, Vt, who dice
N ST., and hi~ second wife was Briann,
e.. Bryan OF san Francisco. To- whom h,
was married in 1869 and who died in New
York several years ago. He leaves a sol
land daughter, both residents Of New Work