Evening star., 1923-10-25
The North Window
By LEILA arECHLIN

On shelf in an artists studio Is
a row OF shabby looking little vol
umes. mostly in paper cover, which
In all probability would escape the
notice Of most visitors, but are in
reality of exceptional interest and
value. Thsy are catalogues Of ex-
hibitions, rniiestones In the progress
or art and souvenirs Of events around
which .congregate innunaerable de-
lightful memories. Let us take down
a few and turn their pages.
Here is one entitled American
Academy Notes." which shows on it's
cover. q picture of the renaissance
building owned and long occupied by
the National Academy of Design In
New York. corner OF 23d street ana
4th avenue sretesque Imitation or
way and b pattern In brick running
horizontally around it's Upper blank
stery. This Is an illustrated resume
OF the academy's fifty-sixth annual
exhibition, held, In the year 1881, and
is patterned after Mr. Henry Black
burns illustrated academy notes on
the annual exhibitions of the Royal
Academy, England. 1t contains. pen
and ink illustrations interpreted
through the medium of wood cuts. OF
the principal pictures in the exhibi-
tioii. accompanied la each instance
by descriptive notes,
And how Quaint and interesting
both Illustrations and text are, how
eleverly they are done, how oldsfash-
Toned they seem, and yet how sincere
and II, many instances charming
Here Is q Venetian picture, BY Robert
maiden leaning against a tree. by
Douglas Vplk; Eastman Jphnson,s g
well remembered picture, 1.-THE Fund
ing Bill, a portrait OF two gentle
men; Thomas Hovenden's Hoe
signo Yinces:" 9 story telling picture
of, Miss Kate Field" dressed in black
with crimson trimming and seated
upon a rich velvet lounge the color OF
old gold; George Fuilers lovely
"winifred Dishart" which Is now
worth a Kings ransom; gloucester
father OF Maxfieid Parrish. a marine,
by William T. Richards, and a quaint
but amusing stage-coach picture.
May Morning in the Park" by
Thomas Eakins, whom Robert Henri
recently declared one OF the greatest
portrait painters America has pro-
duced.
Evidently the pictorial catalogue
proved popular. FOR in 1883 1t was still
being issued. but in somewhat better
form. each picture being given a
page and greater care being taken,
apparently. with the reproductions,
whereas the descriptive text was re-
duced.
Here and there in the. old copy of
these Academy Notes" is a penciled
notation OF price-sS00. $1,000, S2.500,
the last genre by Robert BIun-agood
prices these. and, what is more, Tices
given. not merely asked, for in those
days the academy in New York was
notable event in the eity's life and
numerous sales were made.
AS special feature Of the 1888
notes two pages are devoted to art
attractions OF New York-the Metro
politan Museum, the Lenox Library,
the New York Historical Society, the
city hall. the churches, the clubs, and
in the hotels. as we'll as a list of pub
lie statuary and private collections.
Among the painters represented in
this exhibition were not few who
all these years, have contributed
much to the development OF Ameri-
can art, such as f. II. Blashfield, C.
c. Curran. Leonard Ochtman and men
Of their group II was at this eS-
Il " 4 x
:. Sineteen-fours was a notable year in
the, history OF American art. as witness
two catalogues in this collection. One
is the Official catalogue Of the art de-
partment of the st. Louis exposition,
and contains an introduction by Hal
sey C. wise. head of the department;
1Apans,,4sx,A fn~ s,1A; f,.
Charles. Kurtz, assistant chief, who
was the editor and author of the
Academy Notes" just referred to,
and descriptive text for sculpture by
George Julian Zolnay. superintendent of
the sculpture division, then of st. Louis,
now of Washington.
This was an international exhibit
tion and the catalogue illustrates and
records, paintings and sculpture
brought from the various nations. con-
tributed by artists and loaned by col
lectors-aa impressive showing, iudg-
ing from the illustrations, which
occupy all of the left and some of
the right-hand pages. These iliustra-
the artist and the wood engraver
serve as interpreters; the camera has
taken their place. 80
In the same year. under the aus
pices. of the Society of Art Collectors,
of which John Harsen Rhoades was
retary, a comparative exhibition, of
native and foreign art was held in
New York to demonstrate to the pub
lie that American art could now stand
shoulder to shoulder with the best
that was being or had been produced
abroad in recent time. This catalogue
was not illustrated, but it's owner
made penciled notes on the margin
which help to revive the memory and
which evidence the pleasure found in
~ A rannarE a hIe aSf1 ihft.hy, fror,1 fit>st
to last, and one which went far to
accomplish its purpose. How generous
the art collectors are with their pos
sessions. how jealous for the ad-
vanoement Of arti
* *&A
With these is a catalogue of a
great one-man exhibition, an exhibi-
ton which all who saw will
always remember with extraordinary
pleasure, that OF the works of Au-
gustus Saint Gaudens, held in the
Corcoran Gallery of Art in this city
in December, 1908. under the auspices
Of the American Institute of Archi-
teets,- and most beautifully installed
under the direotion of Glenn Brown.
printing art as we'll as of the cata-
tribute to Saint Gaudens by Mr.,
Brown and Ii gives q program of the
memorable meeting held on the even
ing of pecenber Is. at which ad-
dresses were made by the President
of the United States, Col Roosevelt,
Elihu Root, the French and British
ambassadors, Mr.. Jusserand and the
late James Bryce, and others, in the
presence of distinguished gathering
of representative. Americans and
diplomats. This exhibition was later
shown In other cities. Here the
catalogue bore on it's cover repro
duction Of Saint Gaudens' beautiful
'.Arilor Caritas." .,ss ~ ~.
.,a.. y aask X
There is sunptuous sort of cata-
logue which does not find its way
on the book shelves of artists or the
modest art lover, such catalogues as
parnont Morpau issued of works of