Evening star., 1938-04-24
Bv Leila Mechlin.
A MONG the numerous eXhibi-
tions which have opened here

OF Congress under the auspices OF the
Department of Fine Arts, of which
DR.. Leicester B. Holland is director.
The bulk of this collection, consisting
of about 80 drawings and a sheaf of
the Library's Cabinet of American
Illustration" less than year ago by
the artists son, John Frost, who has
since died. 1t is valuable and alto
gether notable contribution, for A. B.
Frost was one of our most gifted illus
traitors and his work has distinction
as we'll as charm.
Some of the drawings now on view
ere in line, others are in wash, but the
medium does not greatly signify ex-
ccpt to emphasize the skill and ver-
satlllty of the artist; what should be
noted is the spirit in which the work
is done and its vitality today. which
is no less than at the time of produc-
ton. 1t has been truly said that few
successful artists have been more
completely self-trained than Frost, or
have drawn their inspiration so COM
pletely as did he from what might
be called the folk-ways of this coun-
try "aS what today would be
called 100 per cent American in his
background, experience and interests
Especially did he delight in draw
Ing the life he saw around him and
in particular the life typical of our
rural districts. He had not only an
adept pen, pencil or brush, but a keen
sense Of humor. "a B. Frost could
be comical enough" wrote Royal Cor
tlssoz, Ito upset the gravity of a cast
iron stag on a suburban lawn, but
even through the fearful mirth of
The Bull Calf or Our Cat Takes
Poison there runs the golden thread
OF sober truth. In his jokes, as in his
ordinary friendly studies of rustic
groups. he keeps to the very form and
pressure of American life"
Those whose memories go back so
years and less must recall with delight
the drawings made by Frost for the
Century, Harper's and Scribners
magazines. Almost without exception
they were scenes from contemporary
lie IN familiar settings-the kitchen
as well as the best parlor," the work.
shop and the village store, to say
nothing of the road and countryside.
Take for example certain drawings in
the current eXhibition-such as The
Watering Trough" across which two
rustics hold converse, while mutaly
standing by are the patient horze of
one and the horseless carriage of the
other-one of the first models of the
gas-run car, the progeny of which to-
day literally seem to inherit the earth.
Or turn to the neighboring lllustra-
ton, entitled "A June Afternoon"
which gives another backward look
q picture of young man and young
girl bicycling along a country road,
much thrilled" in one anothers COM
pany, unmolested by passersby, or the
tear OF sudden death, contented,
happy. This is dated 1898. Equally
characteristic of the time and the
artist is "A Muzzle-loading Gun"-an
old Negro, small dusky boy and a
dog, out hunting. This last was made
Tor "A Book of Drawings" to which
Frost himself supplied the text.
A T THE same time that the leading
magazines were making a feature
and a very popular one-of illustra-
tions, the book publishers were like
wise giving numerous commissions to
illustrators. An unillustrated book was
indeed then regarded as incomplete. as
would one today without board covers.
This meant that the successful illus
traitor must not only be able to draw
what he saw, but interpret pictorially
people and scenes which the imagina-
ton of an author had created. To do
this required ability to follow anothers
lead, to enter sympathetically into the
writer's conception and to revivify it.
Frost had this gift. The books that he
Illustrated, when obtainable today, owe
price and high value as much to his
illustrations as to their excellent text.
This is, of course, equally true of VOL
umes of prose and poetry illustrated
by some OF his colleagues, notably Alb
hey, Vedder. Kemble and others.
Especially interesting is the series of
illustrations in pen and ink included
in this exhibition which were made for
two books by Frank R. Stockton
"Rudder Grange" and The Squirrel
Inn" These are almost all quite small,
but they are packed with character.
The illustrator has, with rare insight,
caught the spirit of the text with all
It's Whlmsicality, its sober exaggeration,
It's humorous thrusts at human frailty
or conceit, and has transcribed it in
terms OF art-delightfully. Techni-
cally, his work in pen and ink is out of
the ordinary. DR.. Holland sees in it a
resemblance to that employed by Zorn
with the etching needle Certainly it is
no less free and at the same time SEN
sitive. But to go back to our starting
point. A. B. Frost was not only
gifted artist, but born illustrator.
The two are dependent one upon the
other, but they are not synonymous.
FROST arrived at distinction by a
difficult and by no means direct
road. His ancestors came from Maine,
but he was born in Philadelphia. When
he was only 8 years of age his father
died and the straitened circumstances
OF the family he left made it obliga-
tory for Arthur to find employment
when only Is. Thus it was that at the
time most lads are in school he was
working as delivery boy for a wood
engraver. After six months, however.
he gave up this job to go with firm
Of lithographers, and there he re-
manned for number of years. The
work that he had to do was undoubt-
edly monotonous and discouraging, but
it was in the line of his special interest
From childhood he drew for his own
amusement and he turned to drawing
as his principal recreation. In this
way he trained both his eye and his
hand.
BY the time he was 21 his work had
taken on competence and character.
It was these qualities in it which so
impressed William ]. Clark, whom he