Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-16
Letters to the Editor
a. ,o,,son Art Collection

rke Johnson ART CoUectIon
SINAI. NJ the Eucninr Public Lcdocr:
10 7ootnc'iohn tnc q. Johnson, the Philedelphin art
sf-SI IIcd nearly four years ago At the
collector ,Is death he had one Of the finest
time oil " ort collections in the country,
indViuvv"' va honuea thed to his fellow-citizens Of
wh,Sn, i,tSIn,.i,hIa It IL hard to conceive how
tun.,aIunbIe gift TO US, after being ac-
'n ',od should be 20 arbitrarily, despotca,ly
repl.d of in every way contrary TO the
uG,.ar,a directions.
do." ,obnson willod his house to us to be
Mt Johnson memorial to holS his art
..,ros useu but instead this mansion at olo
u',n proad street now stands empty. In
SI. w,Il he stated that not single picture
hI' nhioct should be removed from the
OF hnt we have witnessed the removal of
hOuee Z, n storage house, where pic
ever ever bronzes art books. etc. are held at
W. orormous annual rental expense OF more
~ $40 $50. This is not including the cost
..,,rancc ',"m $3.50, 700. 72), restoration or su-
Of ofrtond9nce insu, and $IS47. 20 for carctaker.
le,n Tohrson requested that mo political
Nj, M, shouId be made In carrying out
lii particularly as regards curator
hIs % hnt instead OF following his wishes
,n.ro has been employed q curator VINO pos
tne. tneIe o,lv n mere superficial general knowl-
eeso'' ,id masters at $4,000 n year: or, as
'dse .,Iai informant $500; reHtorer,
i.'od per from Holland. they say. but con-
unpo' up, ,(th h prominent New York art
ngoi ,.o;or IN tan,per with those pictures which
.so all IN a perfect state of preserVatioh
", ,to time Of the donors death.
81 Wv ,nr, has been made, through the Or
, n rourt to willfully misconstrue the
..r,s NJ his will. master was appointed
y, ,ho court to investigate whether the pro
U,sai presented BY both the president o, tne
P i,,r,. and the vice president or the PARK
I.,,ission ~. was based on such facts as
O'', .arrarr any favorable accommodation
i,Ing " approval or rejection OF their re-
quest. 1900. a., ,ho oo.ct' that hav.
rg found Mr.. Johnson's residence ,, WIS
s.otrap' and that the treasures tnerc.
nd ,Yould be most certainly exposed 10
nov Lou' Jn,gnr Of being devoured by flames II
",,,rd be condemned. And for this reason
Io collection should be removed ana tenn
,o-orily placed in a frcproof storage nouSe'
w.. house be sold. then be authorlHed 10
, rcoupst to the City Courril Tor
H oddltional funds as would he required
sr,IJ n snecIal johnson memorial along
the new Parkway .... ,,d
M, before any action by the court hau
,,ken place the president OF the ART @ IT,
Ion from $40 South Broad street 10 tne
,rnor,ie,h Century Storage House. Th'rty-
,,ond and Market streets. Since the Jonh-
60, home ard It's si.0OO.OoO colccuon oe
,me public property the city. ana no one
Iso sbould have controlled it's maintenance
,a,,g that the city. IN accepting the giit'
,boud take proper care OF It? Then why
sSouid the city authorities allow certain
,,,sII group Of dcspoticals to handle such
,rsasurr at their wishes? with what hu'hor
,,v are they Invested to have the taxpayers
,. mo exnenscs forced upon them: to pay
r- any so-callcd expert; provide him with
J,e NJ rooms at sixth and Walnut streets
4, order 10 look after their deteriorated con-
dl,,on the result of 'cold storage captivity.
NA1 sNNa NaaNHn
md to rcrciv" $@sOW monthly TOT "hateNer
70 r,,l do to them? Shall we. the taxpay-
az. no required to pay sI6. 900 for wasteful-
less caused by the arbitrary disposal OF the
collection?
n they had been left in Mr.. Johnson's
lone IN the condition they were at MS
Death there would have been no necessity OF
.rrurrIng the heavy expense ~ about s2Soo
monthly for restoration. The stubhornness
Z, kccpIng the pictures out OF the johnson
,ouso should also lead to the suspicion that
some OF the paintings might have been dis
posed o. as were the 1877 pictures belonging
10 the Wilstach collection. This suspicion
"a based on rumors arising from a CONVERSE
ton held about two years ago In public
art institution, during which one OF the
members in charge Of tho collection stated
tina, many OF the Johnson collection. which
were not considered by the party referred to
as worth keeping. would be sent to New
York The investigating committee appointed
lately by Mayor Moore should nave soHe
Deeper than II did and verified why the
newspapers at the time of Johnson's death
stated that the collection contained about
800 pictures while recently 1t was an
rounced that It cont1ired about 1900.
Tho unnecessary wastefulness of the john
son estate OF Taxpayers funds. caused by
the transferring OF the collection to the
Storage warehouse. the payment OF special
guards the yearly expense OF the storage.
the double fec for fire insurance, the ap-
rointment Of q curator. the transportation or
O small group from the storage house to
Memorial Hall and back again, tho rental OF
the suite Of rooms at Sixth and Walnut. for
the unnecessary plans made BY special archi-
tects to build the proposed johnson Little
Temple" on the Parkway. etc. etc, which
ave already been shown in a bill for
ii?S, 900 now before City Council which the
Pennsylvania 60. for assurances on Lives and
Granting Annuties presented TO the Mayor.
this Just at the same time that the said
corporation "is suing the city to collect the
$40 600 before mentioned. Ia an outrage.
II is certainly evident that Mr.. Johnson's
idea IN buying the Darley house In Broad
street was to Leave II johnson Me
UOrial." In which his collection could be kept
from others which we see in any art gallery
or museum. We Philadelphians are feeling
tho humiliatng moral effect caused by the
t'sgracoful manner in which the sublime
thought OF Il generous donor has been shame
fully diverted, while his memory has been
COntcmp'urusly dcsCCratcd.
PASQCALE FARINA.