Evening star., 1935-12-08
By Leila Mechlin.

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cellent and delightful. It comprises
53 exhibits by "a painters only 8
of whom, incidentally, are men. All
of the artists represented have won
distinction in their professional ca
Teers: the majority have studied not
ealy in this country, but abroad, under
the foremost masters; not few have
received high awards in international
exhibitions as we'll as in exhibitions in
this country and at the hands of their
confreres; considerable number are
represented in the permanent collec-
tions of the Metropolitan Museaum of
Art, New York; the Brooklyn Museum
and the Pennsylvania Museum.
Miniature painting, as we now un-
derstand it-aside from the illumina-
ton of manuscripts-was introduced
into England by Holbein during the
reign of Henry VIII. The billiards,
father and son; the two divers, two
Hoskins, two Coopers, and the two
Engelhearts-strangel enough, they
seemed to have come in pairs-carried
on the Holbein tradition for more
than hundred years. Then, after
a brief interim, came the great minia-
turists of the eighteenth century,
Smart, Cosway, Plimer and others.
The first group painted their little
portraits on cardboard or on vellum
stretched on cardboard, but never on
ivory. In the great period of the
eighteenth century all the miniatures
were on ivory. and they have been
ever since.
At the sale of the Morgan collection
in London last Summer the highest
price, $3O,306, was brought by a
Holbein of Mrs. Pemberton, which
was painted in gouache on playing
card. This was purchased by Lord
Duveen, who, a few days after the
sale, turned it over to England for
the price paid, and it is now in the
Victoria and Albert Museum. Numer-
Gus items in this sale brought from
$1,000 to $4,000 each-to say nothing
of the Armada Jewel" with its por-
trait of Queen Elizabeth, probably by
Hilliard, which cost the purchaser
$4,000. With this very tangible evil
dence of high estimate, so lately given,
none can question today the honor
able place occupied by miniature
painting among the arts.
In our own country, what is more,
we have had, since the early days OF
the Republic. miniature painters OF
exceptional skill and ability; more, in
fact, than we can name, for many OF
our early painters did not sign their
works and therefore have slipped into
oblivion. But Malbone and Fraser
and half a dozen others we do know,
and they constitute a distinguished
coterie.
THAT our American artists of today
are carrying on the great tradi-
ton is amply testified by the collec-
ton now on exhibition. 1t has been
chosen with the utmost care and dis
elimination and upholds from first
to last the highest standard. In fact,
so high is the average maintained
that it is difficult to single out sep
arate miniatures for special comment
all are good and almost all are very,
very charming. There is an intimacy
about a miniature-a portrait that
one can hold in ones hand-which
nothing else can possess-and those
who have mastered this art of paint
ing lin little" have triumphed indeed.
In painting on ivory artists gener-
ally use transparent water color, and
not little of the beauty of min1a-
ture is derived from the tint of the
ivory through the paint. The tech
nique is enormously difticult-to
blunder means to wipe out and begin
again-and yet there is, as these
contemporary painters show in their
works, more than little latitude for
individuality of expression.
Margaret Foote Hawley, in her por-
trait of w. j. Foote, handles her
medium with the same strength and
vigor as she might were she painting
a large canvas in oils. The back
ground to this portrait is red, evenly
laid on, against which the sitter's
head is boldly modelled. 1t is a vital
piece of work, strong, personal and
completely successful.
Miss Hawley's portrait OF Mrs.
Rodman Swift-a symphony in gray
is no less knowing, but more subtle,
and her third eXhiDit-portratt OF
Clarence DAYS. essentially interpre-
tative-an impression. Miss Hawley
who holds extremely high rank
among contemporary miniature paint
ers, studied here at the Corcoran
School of Art, then in New York and
in Paris. She was at one time pupil
of Howard Helmick of this city. She
Is represented in the Metropolitan
and other museums and has received
many prize awards.
Laura CoombS Hills, who has won
eminence both here and abroad by
her brilliant miniature painting, is
represented in this collection by two
characteristic exanples-portratts OF
Hannah Carey and of Mrs. Roger
Warner, both full length, done on
oval worries about by inches in
dimensions, which is unusually large.
Miss Hills paints her miniatures with
the verve of a Sargent, laying her
color on with a sweep of the brush
AL h4cC OLAdb Va OAAS
emotional content of the moment is
lost. In her Hannah Carey" minia-
ture there is exceptional vitality in
the p0Sz, sad especially is the place
ment of the hands of unusual signih-
canoe. The portrait of Mrs. Roger
Warner is a study in yellow, which
has the freshness of jonquils in
Spring. The head here Is finely de-
iineated, but there is quite as much
character in the hands, eXquisitely
rendered. Miss Hills also does flowers
In pastels-one is owned by the BoS-
ton Museum of Fine Arts-and so
popular are they that the day of the
opening Of her annual exhibition
would-hs purchasers are on hand, 1t
is said, before the doors are unlocked,
and there is thereafter a scramble
for possession.
Unusual in character is Helen at
the HarpSiohord, by Elsie Dodge
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