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


the bicentennial celebration of his birth in 1882.
Writers and historians all over the country are
searching eagerly for facts which will more
clearly reveal the life and character Of Wash
ington
First of all, the people want to know what
the Father of His Country really looked hike.
He lived in the days before photography, and
visual conception of Washington is entirely
dependent upon such hkenesses as the artists
made of him. Although the portraits of Wash
ington vary greatly, they we're painted at
different periods of his life by various artists,
there is something about each portrait of the
great American that clearly resembles all his
other pictures.
There are more portraits of Washington IN
the United States Capitol than of any other
Individual His likeness is painted in the mural
decorations of several rooms, including the
Presidents room; he is also In the historical
frieze in the rotunda and in the alegorical
painting in the eye of the dome. AS Gen.
Washington, he is included in two of the
colossal Trumbull paintings in the rotunda,
The Surrender of Lord CORVALLIS" and
washington Resigning His Commission"
Besides all these, there in the Capitol
five celebrated portraits of Washington by OUT
standing American portrait painters-Charles
Wilson Peale, John Vanderln, Rembrandt
Peale and Gilbert Stuart. The government Is
fortunate in owning two Stuart portraits OF
Washington. The State of Virginia sent
handsome bronze statue of her great son
enc Of her contributions to the National Stat
cary Hall. In the rotunda is plaster cast Of
Washington and also a bronze bust Of him
which donated to the American Govern
ment by the French people.
THE first Stuart picture of Washington ac-
Quired by the Government was purchased
June 16, 1876, for 81 200. 1t now hangs in the
main corridor of the Senate wing of the Cap
itol. This picture is called the Thomas Chest
mt D0rtrait and il is said to be worth
than $400 900 at the present time. The other
Stuart portrait of Washington, known the
Edward Pennington portrait, was purchased 10
years later for the same that paid for
the Chestnut picture. Although the two pic
lures are almost identical, the Edward Penning
ton is considered the better portrait, but it Is
rarely seen by the general public because 1t
Is in one Of the Senate Committee rooms.
Gilbert Stuart, the portrait painter, was born
In Narragansett, r. l., December 3, 1855, of
Scotch American parents. His Scotch grand
father was an ardent admirer Of the pretender
to the Scotch throne. Young Gilbert was a
handsome child, quick to learn but not very
studious. He did his first portrait when he
was IL years old, without any art instruction.
He had wild, romantic nature and he wan
dered away from home when he was II years
old with Cosmo Alexander, an itinerant Scotch
painter. They eventually landed in Scotland.
where Alexander died, leaving Stuart fEiendless
and without resources in foreign land. The
boy finally worked his way back home, pennieSS
and in rags.
When Stuart was 18 years old he painted
from memory q portrait of his grandmother,
who had been dead eight years. It was so like
her that one OF her shed tears over the
portrait. Stuart could not be contented long
In one place, and In ITS he again went to
England, where he remained for IL years. He
not, therefore, In America during the
stirring period OF the Revolutionary War.
The careless, happy go-lucky young painter
could not make B1/agh money In London to