The Washington herald., 1919-01-19

of human interest. Art and war and
romance were all tied up together
when Mira Edgerly, painter of por-
! traits on ivory, and Col Count Alfred
de Sharbek Korzy bski. Russo-Polish
war hero. defied the hoodoo of Friday
+ and were married on the morning Of
that day in the chambers Of Associate
Justice Ashley NJ. Gould, of the Su-
/ preme Court of the District of Co.
! lumbia.
| Mira Edgerly has achieved an en-
viable reputation as n painter of
J wonderfully attractive little portraits
! not miniatures-she started as a
miniaturist, but soon outgrew ton
/ ivory. She has painted notabilities
of the Old World and the New. Be-
ginning in California, she has moved
/ East and established studios from
time to time in New York and Phira-
delphia. London and Washington. do
ing wonderfully clever. jewel-like
portraits of principally beautiful
women and lovely children. not in the
least in conventional miniature style,
but brilliantly conceived and cIeverly
idealized.
( OF course she won an immediate
! following.
Count Korzybski is-he hims elf
would say-"what the war has left of
a man." Certainly a brave one! He
is OF ancient Polish family. with
vast estates in the neighborhood of
| Warsaw. and a town residence in the
ancient Polish capital He has lived
much in London and New York. and
speaks English perfectly. At the
outbreak OF the war he was on the
Russian general staff and desired ac-
tive service. He got it. and got SO
generally smashed up that he had to
be put on a war mission as the only
way of letting him continue to serve
at all.
Not he. but his bride, tells the story
of what happened. 1t seems that
there are, or were. on the family es-
tates some famous white Arab an
horses that had been given to the
family by one of the shahs of Persia,
in recognition of service performed.
and which had for years been bred
there. OF course all the KorZybski5
rode them. In one of tire early ac-
tions Of the war. Col Korzybski in
endeavoring to save his horse in a
severe barrage missed his way. and
horse and rider together went over n
precipice. Within two months of its
outbreak his active service in the
war was over.
A week later he came to life in
hospital-"one whole side caved in"
When he was able to be out at all
they shipped him to America as an
artillery expert with a Russian mill
tary mission to Canada. During 1916
he was stationed at Camp Petawawa
Ontario. Later when the United
States entered the war he was sent
over the border. and for over a year
Travelled all over the country lectur-
ing at all the army training camps.
1t was only a few weeks ago that,
"Othello's occupation gone" he came
to Washington and met his fate.
Mira Edgerly is established for the
! winter at Stoneleigh Court, where she
has a studio and has been too busy
to let even her best friends-and she
has not few in the city-know that
she was here. Just now she is hav-
ing an exhibition of her work in
about the finest private art gallery
in town, that of the Perry Belmont
residence at New Hampshire avenue
and r street and society is flocking
to see the pictures.
In the exhibit are portraits Of the
Duchess of Connaught and Princess
Patricia, of Princess Henry of Pless
of the late Countess Curzon- of
Kedleston formerly Mary Letter.,
of the young Viscountess Curzon, of
the Duchess of Hamilton, Countess
of Cadogan. and a score of other
British notabilities as well as Of such
wellknown Americans as members
(mostly mothers and children) of the
James A. Burden and Oliver Iselin
families of New York, the Robert
Strawbridges and the Joseph Widener,
jr.'s, of Philadelphia; the Edward B.
McLeans, the Joseph Letters. and the
John Ballentine Pitneys, of Washing
ton; Mrs. Frances Carolan of San
Francisco; Mrs. Willard Straight,
Mrs. Lydig Hoyt, Miss Maxine. FL
lott Miss Elsie de Wolfe, and a score
of other equally prominent Americans.
People who went up to see the pic
lures this afternoon found them
selves taking part in an impromptu
wedding reception and there was a
great deal of laughter and congrat-
ulation in the usually staid atmos-
pfrere of the most beautiful private
gallery in Washington
The pictures are really delightful.
wonderful in their color sense, and in
the artistic conception. The three
amber-toned heads of Mrs. Edward
Mclean are at once lovely in them
selves and very like Mrs. Mclean;
there Is a delicious one of the three
Letter children, and of their mother,
a graceful figure In profile leaning
lagainst a column, purely Greek.
Where are two of Maxine Elliott. each
lovelier than the last, and several Of
Mrs. Frank Carolan, of San Fran
cisco, daughter of the late George NJ.
Pullman. There are dozen-per-
haps a score-of English notabilities-
the Duchess of Connaught, Princess
Patricia. a lovely one of Princess
Henry of Pless, and several rarely
beautiful ones of the late Countess
Curzon of Kedleston. whom Washing
ton knew as Mary Letter.
One recalls that last June when
Prince Arthur of Connaught pas-e1
through Washington. en- route to
japan, Mira Edgerly gave him por-
trait of his mother. 1t seems. how