Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22

The club eontTiPptes the ,,f foll o. z.
activities in the National Capital.
BY MARIETTA MINNIGERODE
ANDREWS.
"ROM time to time the pendulum
l. of thought swings back to those
who went before. The thought
Il full visitor to the Library OF
Congress will find in its mu-
rails a representative national exhi-
bition of the painting of past gen.
Grafton of American artists. and be
struck with a certain consistency In
character, the academic tinged with
the rising impressionism of the day.
This series of paintings Is peculiarly
valuable, since it is the habit OF gal
leries to follow the changing schools
and relegate many of the movable ex-
amples of an earlier art to the limbo
of forgotten things.
But now and then the public mind
reverts to these discarded forms, de-
handing some reminder OF them; re-
verts affectionately, reverently, and
their old-fashioned quality does not
blind a younger world to their sin
cerity and to the definite knowledge
of form, line technique and compost
ton which they displayed. qualities
acknowledged as fundamental, how
ever fashions may f1uctuate.
Older Painters In Capital.
Such a backward glance is turned
today, by our local art fraternity. TO
the older painters of Washington who
35 or 40 years ago were the leaders OF
their profession in the Capital-E. c.
Messer, E. F. Messer, E. F. Andrews,
Lucien Powell, Richard N. Brooke,
Parker Mann, S. Jerome Uhl, Max
Weyl, Harold Macdonald, James Henry
Moser-all dead. Their students took
their places, and the pupils OF their
students have become in turn the
Washington artists.
At the request Of the preSent-day
Water Color Society of Washington, the
writer will attempt to recall the first
chapter in the history Of this now
flourishing organization. The begin
nings were very small.
After a season with William M. Chase
and Rhoda Holmes Nichols, the as
sistant instructor of the Corcoran Art
School developed passion for water
color and inaugurated class at the
Corcoran, to which, upon her marriage,
James Henry MoSer succeeded, as LII
Ian Cook to her classes in the antique.
Luclen ROWcnS WOfk.
At that time the art world of Wash
ington was provincial. Our present-day
water colorists we're not born. Parker
Mann. James Henry Moser. Walter
Paris, Bertha Perrie were the stars in
the water color armament. Lucien
Powell used all mediums. any medium;
william Henry Holmes was painting
brilliantly for the Government while
pursuing his scientific explorations all
over the continent.
In local exhibitions the water colors
were Segregated" Eddie Nye. Kari
Rakemann, Everett Warner, Cnarles
LIVINGSTONE Bull. Dick Childs were
bright little boys: the Nichols brothers,
De IAncy Gill. Felix Mahony, U. s. j.
Dunbar, Wells NJ. Sawyer, George Gibbs
and Carl Weller were regarded as prom
ising lads.
Juliet thompson, Catherine Crichter.
Marie Mattingly, Mathilde Meuden,
Rosie Simons, Daisy King, the Princess
Cantacuzene, Lillian Cook, Aline SOLO
mons. Hattie Burdette, Maud Edelin,,
Daisy Brown were talented little girls,
thinking romantic thoughts. speak, .ias
strange, artistic idiom, wearing MD
eous aprons and behaving now and
then in an cratic manner supposed to
be Bohemian.
Some of these are grandmothers to-
day.
September Morn" Debated.
Parents we're discussing the moral
aspects of drawing from the nude.
Gen. John M. Wilson had stored the
symbolic canvas given by the English
artist, G. F. Watts, TO our Nation,
Love and Life" in the cellar Of the
White House; the local police were
ordering September Morn" out Of the
dealers showcases as obscene. Mrs.
Barney was astonishing us as she
covered all the arts in her amazing
versatility Winnie Ream was living in
h studio at Seventeenth and Y
streets. in full view of her mast
piece" the Farragut statue. N
Elizabeth Lander, even then vete: al
sculptures" was riding about VAIN
ington in her funny little victoria,
wearing blue glasses and a green berege
veil, holding over her head little sun
shade with a scalloped frill. Her old
colored coachman wore bottle green
livery and beaver hat. Mrs. John B.
II nderson had registered her generous
appreciation Of the genius OF Lucien
Powell.
These were the artistic personalities
of Washington. The National Gallery
ana the Freer gallery na0 not Deen
born. The Corcoran, and its job lot Of
works of art, was in the old building
with its cylindrical walls and bad light.
There was no Arts Club.
Society Formed in 1895.
In 1896 in the early Spring a group
of water colorists met and the Wash
ington Water Color Society was born
in the studio of E. F. Andrews. Quoting
| The Evening Star OF that date: "At a
| meeting held last Saturday the follow
ing officers were elected: Parker Mann,
president: Marietta M. Andrews, vice
| president: Lillian Cook, secretary; Carl
| Weller, treasurer. and an executive
committee composed CT George Gibbs,
chairman: Lucien Powell and Margaret
/ Tones The other members on the
! rolls of the Water Color Club are
| Grace Atwater, Delaney w. Gill. How
ard Helmick, Mamie Ingle, Spencer
| Nichols, Hobart Nichols, Josepha New
comb and Mrs j. w. Smith"
/ Parker Mann was living at "Tangle-
bank" the low-roofed rambling red
house still holding its romantic interest
| on Kalorama road where the apart
| ment houses have not quite closed 1t
in-now the residence Of Admiral and
Mrs Ridley Mclean: the Andrews were