Evening star., 1941-09-07

The Clark collection passed to the
| Corcoran Gallery in 1928 and was
| installed in wing built for the pur-
| pose by his widow and daughters.
This wing was designed by Charles
A. Platt, who also designed the Freer
Gallery. At the time OF his death
Senator Clark was living in New
York and in his will his collection.
which includes not only paintings,
but rugs, laceS, ceramics and other
ObjetS dart, was bequeathed to the
Metropolitan Museum OF Art, with
the proViso that. If not acceptable
under the conditions named, it
should be offered to the Corcoran
Gallery, of which he was a trustee
and to which he already had made
generous contributions. AS one Of
the conditions (that the collection
should be held together Indefinitely
and shown in its entirety could not
be met, the Corcoran, through the
cooperation OF the Senator's heirs,
became the possessor and Washing
ton profted inestimably.
Declined Acceptance.
Circumstances were reversed In
connection with the Harriet Lane
Johnston collection, which was left
to Corcoran on condition that if
| National Gallery were ever eStab-
lished it should pass to it. The Cor
coran Gallery therefore declined ac-
ceptanCe. and the question OF pos
session was brought, by friendly suit,
before the District Court. which,
after due consideration. declared
National Gallery OF Art to exist un-
der the terms of the SmithSon be-
quest and the Smithsonian InStitu-
ton therefore was the lawful GUS
| todian Of this and other similar
gifts. Thus, in 1906 a National
| Gallery OF Art was legaliZed. The
Johnston collection is now a part Of
the National Collection of Fine
Arts, installed, in part, in the Ma
tiOnal Museum pending the erection
of a Smithsonian gallery.
Harriet Lane Johnston, it will be
remembered, was niece Of Presl-
dent Buchanan and mistress of the
White House during his term of
Office. Some of the 1S paintings in
cluded in her collection were doubt
less obtained during her travels
with her uncle or while under his
roof. They are now all hung in
single gallery on the main floor OF
the National Museum, which, while
purposed for scientific exhibits. has
long given Judgement to works OF
art in the National Collection. In
Guided are five portraits by artists
of the English school. These are
Mrs. Hammond" by Reynolds;
Lady Essex" Juliet" by Lawrence;
Miss kirkpatrick, by Romney,
Miss Abingdon" by Hoppner (who,
it will be recalled, married the
daughter Of Patience Wright and
sister of Joseph Wright, American
artists, who obtained fame in Lon
don, as we'll as this country. when
the English school was at its height,
and Miss Murray" by Sir William
Beechy of Oxfordshire, royal painter
to Queen Charlotte, born in 1883,
died 1889, who is not represented in
any other gallery in Washington.
For this reason, as well as because
of its intrinsic charm, this last
painting Is especially notable. 1t is
of little girl in short-waisted gown.
seen seated outdoors against a mass
of foliage, with her right hand rest
ing on the back of dog, which, with
paws on her lap, IS looking up into
her face. When this picture came
into the possession Of the Nation,
it appeared to be of a much older
person, but skillful restoration
brought forth, amazingly, the orig
inal in all its beauty. Again, how
and by whom it had been altered Is
an unsolved mystery. The other
portraits in this collection have in
timacy and charm and enjoy the
advantage of not requiring restora.