White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-08-05
FIND AUDUBON BIRD
PAINTINGS ON WALL
Priceless Art Treasures May
Be Lost.

New York.-Hitherto undiscovered
paintings of bird life by John James
Audubon, world famous ornithOlogist
and artist, who died In 1851, are be-
lieved to lie concealed beneath paint
and dingy wall paper on the plaster
walls Of his old studio In the Audubon
mansion at One Hundred and Fiftieth
street and the Hudson river, 1t was
learned recently.
James McGrath, railroad worker,
who occupies the first floor of the now
rickety frame house and uses the for.
mer studio for kitchen, uncovered
the paintings several years ago. Hav-
ing no idea of their origin or their
value he covered them over and per-
haps obliterated them forever with
lead paint and wall paper.
McGrath, who has lived with his
family in the old Audubon house for
seventeen years, cheerfully admitted
that he had painted out the scores of
bird pictures and sketches which had
adorned his kitchen walls.
Calls mem Right Pretty.
Sure" he said, II remember them
we'll. Soon after we moved here
took off the dirty old wall paper in
the Kitchen several layers of it-and
underneath on the plaster we're all
kinds Of bird pictures. Every sort of
bird ever saw and whole lot ]
never saw, painted in all kinds Of col
ors. There was whole bunch of them
and bowl of fruit painted right there
over the sink. They were right pretty.
about two years ago, though, got
tired of looking at them, so got a
can of good lead paint with a little
linseed mixed in and put nice coat
of paint all over the walls. A little
later I got tired of the paint and put
up that green wall paper. Those birds
are dead now all right-fown away
for good"
Alexander A. Kelly, an expert on the
restoration of paintings, made an ex-
animation of the walls of the studio
a few days ago. From such study OF
the plaster as he could make, where
the wall paper was peeled or abraded,
he concluded that the paint used by
McGrath had aged to such point that
its removal might at the same time
remove or deface the paintings be-
meath. Whether any recovery or res
toration is possible cannot be learned
without thorough examination.
Reginald Bolton Pelham, whose
grandfather was a close friend Of Au-
dubon, and who himself is a historian
and an authority on Audubon's life,
was questioned about the paintings.
"McGrath's statement checks exact
ly with what have heard from my
grandfather and with rumors which
from time to time have come to me-"
Mr.. Bolton said. "Audubon was fond,
my grandfather said, Of covering the
walls of his studio with bird sketches,
often as we'll executed as his best
work. And have heard that at the
time Of his death, through some I'M
pardonable oversight, these sketches
were papered over.
II have often thought of trying to
confirm the report but have been I'M
able to obtain further information.
McGrath's own statement in the mat
ter seems conclusive. If the pictures
cannot be restored it is a tragedy"
Mansion to Be Destroyed.
The memory of Audubon is revered
by thousands Of bird lovers and natu.
ralists throughout this country and
abroad. The Audubon societies, the
junior. department of which alone is
said to have several hundred thou.
sand members, was organized in his
honor in 1886. His drawings of birds
in complete series Of life-sized col
ored figures, published in his "Birds in
America" in 1888, marked an epoch in
ornithology. Original copies of this
work, in good condition, bring today
thousands of dollars.
The Audubon mansion, nearly cen.
fury old, is doomed to destruction
within few months by the straight.
enfng of Riverside drive at One Hun
dred and Fifty-seventh street. Audi.
bon park and Garage Village" will be
eliminated, and a series Of modern
apartment houses will rise upon the