Evening star., 1939-09-03

IdIlOIl. LII 1910 ne was eleCCeQ q
member of the National Academy of
Design, of which for some years he
was curator He was rather a small
man with twinkling eyes and white
beard, very French despite his many
years in America; an astute critic,
a lover of music and also of art
a delightful person.
His colleague, Mr.. Hill, was musi-
clan as well as engraver, playing in
the Georgetown Orchestra, of which
he was one of the founders. OF each
OF these artists much might be
written; suffice it to say, however,
that as delightful coterie they did
much to leaven art in our Capital
City. Mr.. Hill made further con-
tribution-inasmuch as he gave to
the city his daughter, Clara Hill,
who became one of our outstanding
sculptors.
Local Artists.
On a post card, much faded, the
writer has the likeness of four out
standing Washington artists OF other
days with their autographs. These
are Max Weyl, E. C. Messer, Richard
N. Brooke and E. H. Miller. Max
Weyl came to Washington, plying
his trade as a watch and clock
mender. to see Abraham Lincoln
lnaugurated. On his seventieth
birthday retrospective exhibition
arranged by his friends was opened
In the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and
he was summoned to the White
House to receive the fluctuations of
the President of the United States
Theodore Roosevelt. The first paint
ing he ever sold was purchased bv
the late S. H. Kaufman of The
Evening Star, later to become presi-
dent OF the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
a discriminating art patron. Mr..
Weyl was great lover of beauty,
an artist every inch, simple heart
ed, kindly person, beloved of all
with whom he came in contact.
To his the landscape in the vicinity
OF Washington was most lovely of
al! although he travelled extern
slvely. Never did he tire of pic
turing 1t on his canvases.
Edmund Clarence Messer and his
close friend, Richard N. Brooke,
came to Washington from different
parts of the country in the days fol-
lowing the Civil War and took STU
dios in Vernon row on PENNSYLVANIA
avenue, between Ninth and Tenth
streets, where they were later Joined
by E. H. Miller Jointly they opened
an art school which later became the
Art Students League of Washing
ton with quarters at 808 Seventeenth
street. In 1915 Mr.. Messer succeeded
Mr.. Andrews as principal of the Cor
coran School of Art and his friend
Richard Brooke became vice prin-
cipal. Then the league, which had
served an excellent purpose, went
out of existence
There could not have been a
frlendlier association than that of
Messer and Brooke, although tenn
peramentally they were utterly diff
ferent. Mr.. Messer, tall, lanky
man with strong, marked features
ana pointed beard, was distinctly a
philosopher and poet as well as
painter, Richard Brooke was first
and always painter, but his sense of
appreciation was very keen, because
OF which he was one of the first to
recognize the merit of the Dutch
school OF 1sraels, Mauve and Maris
and had the honor of introducing
these modern masters to an appre-
clative American public. The Wap-
gaman collection (alas, now long
since disperseO was largely assem-
bled through his advice. He studied
IN Paris under Bonnat and Constant
and his Pastoral Visit" in the Cor
coran Gallery of Art is a most ex-
cellent piece of painting.
Had Love Of Beauty.
E. H. Miller was painter and at
the same time etcher, a charming
person reminding of Longfellow in
appearance and with the poets love
OF beauty in life. His water colors
OF the Catskills, where he had a
summer home, were particularly
charming-but as an etcher he at
tanned to highest rank. Before COM
ing to washington he did illustra-
tions and the writer has a copy of
Tam oShanter" which he illus
trated delightfully."-, long before the
half-tone process of reproduction
vas discovered
Closely associated with the four
mentioned was James Henry Moser
who had the distinction of being
the f1rst to illustrate Uncle Remus,"
by Joel Chandler Harris-and who,
Of all who have illustrated 1t, did 1t
best. Primarily, however, he was
known - . water colorist which