Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-08
IS THIS THE TRUE LIKENESS
M authorities claim the Hon Bust of George Wahigtn Comes Nearest
Being the Thousand Pictures Exqmued By COMMITTEE OF
Bemnna -PhOQgyaph Made BY Famed Vienna Az
May Be Official Centennial Picture

proved by Washington himself, who agreed that
it could not be better Houdon, realizing the
importance of his accomplishment, wisely de.
cided that it would be risk for him to attempt
to take the bust by rough roads to New York
and uncertain travel Of sailing vessels from New
York to Paris to work it into statue form and
decided not to take it from Mount Vernon
at ALL
"Houdon mixed plaster of paris and made q
cast in order to make the bust and took it to his
studio and made moulds and then casts.
think Mr. Morgan, in the library in New York
has one Of the first casts from that mould made
from the Houdon bust at MoNnt Vernon, called
The Life Mask of George Washington When
he reached Philadelphia Houdon made casts
from the moulds and gave Franklin one.
"The authority for the statement that the
Houdon bust never left Mount Vernon is found
in letter that John Augustine Washington,
the last private owner of Mount Vernon, wrote
concerning the history of the bust. He tells
in that letter the full story Of the arrival Of
the sculptor and the determination not to take
the bust. He narrates that Gen. Washington
left it to Bushrod, who in turn left it to John
Augustine" This letter Is in a safe deposit
vault in Washington.
In the book, George Washington Parke Gusts
Memoirs" he states that when he was S years
of age the sculptor came to Mount Vernon
and that he personally saw Houdon make body
measurements Of Washington preparatory to
making the statue. Tobias Lear, George WASH
ington'S private secretary, wrote letter to his
mother, two days after Washington died, de-
scribing all Of the circumstances of Washing
tons illness and death and the preparations
being made for interment, but no mention was
ever made by him of death mask.
MRS. ALICE H RICHARDS of New Castle.
A'A Me, regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies'
Association of the Union which owns and main-
tains Mount Vernon as the Nations premier
shrine, says 1.-THE Houdon bust is, we think,
the truest likeness of George Washington, and
sincerely hope these pictures will settle the
question for the Portrait Committee The
presentation of a large print of the Jaffa por.
trait photographs Of the Houdon bust (printed
herewith) will be presented, with ceremony, to
the Grand Council meeting of the the Mount
Vernon Ladies' Association at Mount Vernon
next May"
Representative Bloom has written to Mrs
Richards: 81 believe that your association will
be thrilled with delight at seeing so wonderful
a presentation of the likeness of that great
man, and feel that all of us will consider it
an advantage to the world if these likenesees of
him might be universally shown
Representative Bloom is himself the owner Of
a marble bust of Washington by the great
English sculptor of the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries Joseph Nollekens, in
his day well known throughout all Europe.
When the Gilbert Stuart portrait Of Washing
ton, known as the Lansdowne portrait, brought
a record price at auction Nollekens made the
bust now owned by Mr.. Bloom to cash IN on
Washingtons popularity It now adorns the
Washington Bicentennial headquarters.
When looking at the picture of George Wash.
ington which adorns the dollar bill few
persons know the interesting story connected
with this now famous portrait or the fasci-
mating biography of the artist.
According to the data compiled by the official
Portrait Committee, Gilbert Stuart was one of
the leading portrait painters of the eighteenth
century. This colorful artist was born in Mar
ragansett, r. l., on December 3, 1755, and at
an early age gave promise of his future fame.
At the age of 20 he was in London and soon
was painting portraits of King George III OF
England Louis XVI of France, the famous Eng
lish actress, Mrs. Siddons and many other
notables Of the day.
His fame preceding him, Gilbert Stuart re-
turned to his native land in 1890. AS George
Washington was one Of the ranking figures
of the world and as Gilbert Stuart was one of
the ranking portrait painters of the world it
was only natural that the latter would execute
a portrait of the former.
Gilbert Stuart made three, now famous, pic
lures of George Washington. The first was
painted in September, 1795, and turned out not
to the artists liking. This picture found its
way into the hands of Samuel Vaughan of
London and has since been known as the
Vaughan painting" of George Washington. In
April, 1896, Stuart had second chance to
paint the Father of His Country" This pic
ture, full-length portrait, was made for the
Marquis of Lansdowne and has come down in
history as the "Lansdowne portrait"
STUART, however, was still not satisfied. He
had his third and last opportunity that same
year when Washington commissioned him I'd