Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-08

Stuart. So pleased was he with the creation
that he hated to part with it. He purposey
left the background unfinished SO that he could
make copies and sell them before presenting
the original to the President. Washington,
somewhat impatiently, informed Stuart that he
would accent a copy rather than wait so long
for the original. So the original treasure re-
manned with Stuart, and upon his death, July
81 1929 it came into the possession of his
wife In October, 1881, this picture was sold by
Stuart's widow for $500 to the washington
Association of Boston, which society presented
it to the Boston Athenaeum. There it has been
housed ever since and has come to be known
as the "Athenaeum portrait" Ct George WASH
ington 1t can unqualiiedly be said that the
"Athenaeum portrait" is and always has been
the best known and most popular painting OF
George Washington.
A copy of another famous portrait OF George
Washington, painted by Charles Wilson Peale
in 1772, which shows him in the uniform OF
a colonel of the Colonial Militia of Virginia,
will soon hang in the full-size and exact repro
duction of Mount Vernon, approved by the
George Washington Bicentennial Commission,
which is being erected the banks Of the
River Seine at Paris as part OF the American
exhibit at the International Colonial and Over
seas Exposition sponsored by the French gov
eminent This copy has been loaned by the
General Society of Colonial Wars of this
country.
The original of this historic painting hung at
Mount Vernon until the death of Martha Wash
ington after which it passed to her grandson,
George Washington PaTke Gusts, and then to
his daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee. 1t now
hangs in the chapel of Washington and Lee
University, at Lexington, Va.
The copy of this portrait, depicting Wash
ington as he appeared during the French and
Indian War was made under the direction Of
the General Society of Colonial Wars by Miss
Hattie E. Burdette of Washington 1t is to be
presented by this society to the United States
Government to be hung permanently in Airing
ton House, once the home of George Washing
ton Parke Gusts, later the home of his son-in-
law, Robert E. Lee, and now the central struc-
ture in Arlington National Cemetery This
copy will take the place of the original, which
was a prominent feature of the Arlington House
from the death of Martha Washington until
the beginning of the Civil War. The presenta-
ton will take place at Arlington House in 1882,
during the Bicentennial celebration. Regarding
sitting for this portrait, George washington
wrote from Mount Vernon May 81, 1772:
Inclination having yielded to importantly,
am now contrary to all expectations, under
the hands of Mr. Peale, but in SO sullen mood
and now and then under the influence Of
Morpheus when same critical strates (sic) are
making that fancy the skill of this gentle
mans pencil will be put to it in describing to
the world what manner Of man am" Wash
ington gave Peale three sittingS, on May 20,
q and %, 1772. Peale mentions in his diary
going to Mount Vernon to paint the portrait.
In an appendix to Washington Irving's Life Of
Washington" occurs this sentence, relating to
the Peale portrait: This portrait was executed
in 1772 and is now at Arlington House"
And so-the research Of the Bicentennial
Commission shows-for the past 100 years
artists critics and historians have been inter-
ested In this question: Which of the numerous
paintings Of George Washington, executed by
his contemporaries bears the closest resem-
bance to the man himself"
A SSoCIATE DIRECTOR BLOOM believes
that he has helped greatly toward q solu-
ton OF this question. His Jaffe photograph Of
the Houdon bust is expected to rank with the
Athenaeum picture by Gilbert Stuart and the
Charles Wilson Peale portrait when the de-
cision of the Advisory Portrait Committee is
announced.
But there are many other contenders for the
honor because Washington sacrificed much Of
his time sitting for painters. It can safely be
said that there have been some $50 portraits of
washington, taken from life and copies made
by the original painters. In those days pho
Biography was an unknown art, and an artist
had to produce quantity as well as quality.
When he made good picture of distinguished
man there were many requests for copies. It is
alleged that Rembrandt Peale made 80 copies Of
his father's-Charles Wilson Peales-pictures,
and 20 copies of his own.
Portrait painting was in its infancy IN
America in Washingtons time. The two best
known American artists were John Singleton
Copley OF Boston and the transplanted Areri-
can, Benjamin West, living in London. Practi-
cally all of the American artists who essayed to
portraiti8e washington had studied with either
Copley or West or with both of them-so critics
claim to be able to trace their influence on
Washingtonis portraits.
Charles Wilson Peale after doing his first
portrait Of Washington In 1772, joined the
Revolutionary Army as captain of volun-
teers and during the war executed many, now
famous, pictures between battles. His last
portrait of Washington was completed in 1795
and now hangs in the gallery of the New York