Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-22
IUOF DEMANDED
|OF ART TAKING
1dependence Hall Commits
sion Will Bar Removal
Of Portraits Otherwise
ESSENTIAL HITS AT HART
4inter of Historical Pictures
4 Says He's "Posed Long
Enough as Critic"

iQtionary portraits was gathered for Inde-
4 pondcnce Hall, today threw itself into the
4 breach In the art battle over alleged fake
* &opies In the collection
Xxi Hampton L. Carson, chairman OF the
X body. announced that the commission would
y oppose removal OF any pictures without
eubmssion of charges backed by the name
= OF the accuser and by proof Of taking
"A Other Ingredients were cast into the hotly
boiling artistic pot OF Philadelphia when
8 Albert Rosenthal. named as one OF the
s. artists who painted alleged spurious copies
launched a counter attack against Charles
y Henry Hart. the art critic. who declared
Y that seven of the portraits of sgners OF the
Declaration of Independence hanging in the
hall are not genuine copies from the orig
inals.
Aixnant over the anonymous charges con-
cerning the portraits of Frenchmen VINO
y took part In the American Revolution paint-
z ed by Mr. Rosenthal. These charges now
z are In the possession of the Art jury
which, Il is understood on good authority
will act tomorrow at a regular meeting
independent of the commission.
I'VE will object seriously to any move to
break up this great historical conectioh
4 unless the charges are substantiated pE
responsible persons" said Mr.. Carson. so
far the charges have resembled Indian war
fare No accusers have appeared NO
names have been attached to the accusa-
tons The mass of anonymous misintorma-
collection is astounding
READY TO HEAR CHARGES
The commission, he said, was ready and
xvt,I,np TO receive and consider charges of
\ ..fake" pictures. Its attitude Is one OF walt
ing for the accuser accusers to disclose
themselves and rid themselves of the Dur
den of the proof.
I'VE are open for communication either
from the Art Jury or the person or per
aons making the accusations" he said
The Art Jury. so far. has ignored the In
dependence Hall Commission In its inNest-
cations
Asked to confirm the authentic report
that the Art Jury would act independently
ON the charges at tomorrows meeting an
drew Wright Crawford. secretary of that
body said that the president. Joseph ".
Widener. was the only person authorized to
give information for publication AT MI
Widener's offices in the Land Title Building
N II was said that Mr. Widener was too busy
sF., other matters to furnish any informa-
scn.
.r Carson who with the late Justice
S Mitchell and the late Charles Roberts
formed the original membership of the In
dependence Hall Commission. raised the
q question as to whether or not the Art Jury
y has the authority to pass on the authen-
ticity of pictures.
"Without any thought of being Gntago-
nistic toward a body of men who heretofore
& have worked in cooperation with us, |
$ deny the right of the Art Jury to remove
& ptctures on the grounds that they are spurl-
= Gus without first consulting us, he SAID.
ssThe duty of the commission has been to
Il pass on matters of authenticity of pictures.
Questions of art referred to the Art
Jury. We have always worked together
In entire harmony.
& -In this case the charges should come
20 us, as it is a question of history and
Z Biography, not of art. Independence Hall
IL not an art gallery. 1t is a museum of
history"
Efforts to break up the collection and
undo the work of the commission without
consulting that body would be opposed
Mir. Carson repeated.
, FRENCH ENVOY INFORMANT
'-rhe French pictures were copied from
the originals at Versailles and elsewhere
y in France" he said MIR. Rosenthal learn'f
d the whereabouts of these originals through
NJ. Jules Jusserand the French Ambassa-
dor. We asked NJ. Jusserand to furniS"
us with a list of Frenchmen who took part
In our Revolution and where their por-
traits could be found. This information
was furnished by the French Ambassador
who thus voucnel for them. We had the
expert knowledge Of the late Mr.. Roberts,
the word of reputable artist and cor
respondence and other corroborative eVi-
z 6ence that these pictures were genuine
q copies from the originals Is II small Won
.t1I DER then, tnat we OBJECT 10 dTDltidlS AZ
= tion upon charges the source of which we
do not know?
# In his attack upon Mr. Hart, who sall
that his painting of Carter BraXton and
six other artists portraits of signers of
the Declaration were faxed Mr.. Rosen-
thai presented evidence which. he said,
proved Mr., Harts Incompetence as an art
e critic The object of his fire portrait
Of Robert Fulton. said to have been painted
& BY the great inventor. but pronounced by
Mr.. Rosenthal to be a plain fake"
'sThis portrait" said Mr.. Resenthal, was
introduced. to art circles by Mr. Hart as a
b Fulton by Fulton. He attempted to sell
4 II to the Holland Art Gallery, Of New
York. for $4,000. He was offered $1,000 for
II. but refused. He wrote a long article for
New York newspaper describing it as a
portrait OF Fulton. He supplied it to the
Publishers of the book. Robert Fulton, En-
eineer and Artist; His Life and Works
pulporting 1t to be portrait of Fulton.
Reproduction of it. facing page 200 of
1 this book. shows that the features, espe-
cially the chin, do not resemble the au-
thentic portraits of Fulton
TRUE STORY OF FULTON PORTRAIT
The true story of the portrait. Mr.. Rosen-
\. thai said. told to him by friend, a
N, urominent art dealer, whose name he was
x: &foquested to leave out of the controversy.
~ assume full responsibility for this
G1ory," said Mr.. Rosenthal. MY friend pur-
+ ohnsed this portrait in London years ago,
while he was buying for an art firm. 1t evil
= IDENTIFY was that of prominent Italian
S "a architect connected with the restoration of
81 Peters, for the dome of the structure
K Rises In the background. He took the por-
"a (rnit to Paris where he and friend, a pic
|l ture restorer, amused themselves by touch
rs Ing II up Because IL was the time OF the
Z f<,l{udson-Fulton 4 celebration, they trans
~ -10rned the architect into a Fulton. paint
{nx picture of the ClaremQnt in the fore
<round; and the picture restorer put an
uthenticating' inscription ON the back Of
my friend brought the picture TO New
Xofk where II was considered great joke.
then severed his connection with this
1n Later he learned that an empoye
~ Il for a trining sum and as a joke TO
<1l1bert L. Parker Of Philadelphia. Then
1rod Mr.. Halt's acquaintance with this