Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-24
NAVAL SURRENDER ARTIST
HAD HARD ROAD TO FAME
STR. Of Sir John Lavcry To Inn
mortalizc Scene on Queen
Elizabeth.
WAS PRESENT THROUGHOUT
commissioned by British Govern
mcnt to faint Hist. ric Picture Of
conference Between I,ritons and
Germans.
ny HAYDEN CuURCII.


LONDON. December 23.---It is not
difficult to predict what will he, If
not the picture at the Royal Academy.
london next spring. certainly one OF
'hosc that Will attract the biggest
crowds. 1t will be the canvas for
which Sir John Lavery. the famous
sitting In David i:catty's cabin on IL.
NJ. ). Queen Elizabeth this week. made
ms ms, studies; and which. when completed.
VIII reproduce the historic scene dur
ing the conference with the German
delegates. at which arrangements for
the surrender of the German fleet were
made.
Sir John I.avery. already known as
me Kings portrait painter" and per-
laps even more renowned throughout
Europe than In his own country which
is frequently the last TO recognize It's
greatest art masters WAS commissioned
u? the Admiralty to perpetuate on
isrcnce in history lie was present in
the fore cabin OF big Lizzie" during
me whole OF the. sitting. and painted
finished study OF the scene which will
serve as the basis for the big picture
which he hopes, nc told me Yesterday.
on his return from the grand feet TO
Inc picture was painted in AN almost
artificial light, as there was very little
daylight owing 10 the fog There
VII be fifteen figures. including the
hye German delegates. Sir David
Beatty Admiral Sir Charles Madden
ADMIRAL Brock. Vice Admiral Sir Mon
Reginald Tyrwhit. Commodore Brand
and the CAPTAIN OF II. NJ. S. Queen Eli
zabeth. with two naval secretaries and
naval interpreter. In painting the
study Sir John Lavery concentrated
especially upon tho German delegates.
a as " s MI not be possible 70 get fur
,ure Is ready in ,ime it will be cxifb-
tied at the Royal Academy next year
While he was with the feet Sir John
l.avcry also painted a nocturnc OF the
board ha q las fF y5ek S of n 81
Queen Elizabeth.
BATTERED, together in. the conference
room on board the mighty super Dread
noneh,' Britain,s largest bat,lcship.
least strik ing consider him from what
point OF view you Will The story OF
agIn iargeF T rady i'Ef S n9Yeitsts i'm
o! British royalty. his first job as :.
roor boy Was that Of checker" in
After that. pcnniless, he panied pic.
lures In chalk on the sidewalks in
,;lasg'w lie vas the close friend %
his choicest works. y painting Of
King George. and Queen Mary from
I.avery's brush is in the National Gal
lcry london, and other works OF his
Munich, Inc National Galleries OF
lleries and others at Venice Mannhein,.
Wales,
ue Chilli and Buencs Ayrcs.
LNVERY H0NOREn IN
GOVERNMENT OF ITALY
No better evidence OF his cosmopoli-
tan fame. could he addMced than the
there Is his portrait by himself IT is
there by the express request of the
la Haii an gGvernmen,. which also chose
OF the great art exhibition held at
Venice. ITS snow pictures. done in
direct antithcsis: tho studies he made
during The fo1r months. which. in pre-
war days he spent every year in Tan
sicr. where The sea is as blue as tur-
uuoisc and the shores OF sunny Spain
are family outlined against the cloud
season Sir John Lavcry disputes with
Sargent the distinction OF having pro
duecd The picture OF tho year" Among
Ia Nor, an tyEne he has caught Al "i the
spirit of her famous dance with "A per
critics
Now sixty-,wo, no received knight
hood in tho, last New Year honors " 4
Royal ;'cademician. he has been for
long Among his other advantages he
c c.itn It, that 81 having an American
isiS. wa ae HazSI Ma mgr n "a in
Lady Lavery is a favoritc in LondoT's
smar,est CIRCLES. is extremely artistic
81 war CHARITIES she is the subject
Of one OF her husbands finest paint
inss, The silver Turhan." and he also
sideyably upsct,ing some strait Raced
persons The l-avorys live in Crom-
we'll Place. in the fashionable south
west district of the metropolis. and i.
5 there that the artist has his studio
Is great brown room. With long
OF Japanese screens, Il grand piona.
stacks OF canvasscs against the walls
md a couple Of easeis supporting the
10 he engaged. y final note of pic
lerssGuen a,s, is sir John Moorish
servant standing In the Background
bearing tea tray.
BORN AMID HUMBLE
SURROUNDINGS IN ERIN
1t takes Il considerable flight of
fancy to bark back to the humble SUR
!Siu .,ss; in Ireland, among which
brush was born and spent his early,
poverty, stricken and. at first. deeply
in Belfast, where his father was a
little tradesman who found it hard
10 make ends meet. When he was
10 seek better luck in the golden land
xAmerica This design was quickly
frustrated. The ship Pomona. carrying
the i.avery family, with others, en-
countered. when but Il few days out.
fierce storm which drove her derc-
lie, on on IN the shores OF Wexford and
family were saved, the dead body Of
the father was washed ashore His
wife, Mary. did not long survive him.
\ brief three months afterward she
was dead-brokcn- hearted through
grief.
This was sad beginning to the
life of a genius. but a good uncle .an,e
70 little John 1.averys rescue ana on
this uncle's County Armagh farm he
lived FOR the next ten years or 50
when he was passed over TO the care
OF another relative in Saltcoats. Scot
land. Then came his first tusslc with
life as 4 youthful checker i'm the ,conI
office Of the Glasgow and South Wes-
tern Railway. Recording the humber
Of wagons and other mechanical work
OF the same kind was dreary beyond
suferance in its monotony. So Young
l.atcry quit and took the "Queens
shilling" as II then was to becomc
private in the SiXtieth Rifles. I,Irk
lily for art. the British army refused
John Lavery and the army's rejected is
the worlds accepted "
\ Utterly stranded as he was. The boy