Evening star., 1941-09-21
National Gallery Exhibits
Gilbert Stuart Portraits
Works of Contemporaries
Are Included in Loan From
Mellon Educational Trust
By Leila Mechlin

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Final
ly, there was third portrait, a
full-length done on order from Lord
Lansdowne, which, with slight dif-
ference, followed the style of the
| first. These three portraits were
painted from sittings, augmented
by the painters phenomenal men,
ory, and from them he painted 124
replicas with but slight divergence.
And yet, for one portrait by Stuart
as much as $75 900 is known to have
been paid by an American collector.
Ihls seems almost absurd when it
Is known that Stuart, himself,
charged only $l00 for his replicas of
the most popular type. He was a
rapid workman, requiring, as rule,
only three sittings for a portrait
OF medium size, drawing and paint
ing with great assurance and dex-
terity, never muddling and re-
working. Partly for this reason.
his paintings have retained their
freshness and vigor.
From Philadelphia. Stuart came
10 washington in 1903 to paint
portrait of Thomas jefferson, and
here he remained until 1905. Short
ly after his arrival a friend wrote
Dolly Madison, who was then out
OF town, Stuart is all the rage. he
is almost worked to death, and everv
one is afraid they will be the last to
be finished. He says all the ladies
come and say, Dear Mr.. Stuart. I
am afraid you will be very tired, YOU
really must rest when my picture is
done. His great success seems to lie
In his power to interest and amuse
the sltters so that they forget them
selves and appear simple and ma
tural."
Both Madison and his charming
wife were painted in 1904, at which
time Mrs. Madison wrote her sister
Mrs. Cults: Our city is now almost
deserted, and will be more so in a
week or two. Stuart has now
finished nearly all his portraits, and
says he means to 60 directly to
Boston, but that is what he has said
this two years. Being a man of
genius, he, of course, does things
differently from other people. I
hope he will be here next winter.
as he has bought square to build
temple upon"
to Washington, and the Temple of
Art" which he envisioned for our
National Capital had to wait for
erection until, through the generos-
ity and munificence of Mr.. Mellon,
the dream came true. How suitable,
under these circumstances, that a
group of portraits by Stuart such
as that now on view should be
among the first special exhibitions
which the National Gallery of Art
sets forth.
Strong and Interesting.
Turning now to this loan collec-
ton, the first paintings which meet
the eye of the visitor on entering
the gallery in which it is shown are
those on the far wall of Dr. william
Hartigan and Betsy Pollock Harti-
gan, his wife. Both are strong and
interesting works, the man a sue
cessful surgeon of Dublin, member
Of the faculty of Trinity College, his
wife of distinguished family, sister
of George Pollock of New York,
alive, alert and capable.
In the center of the side wall is
to be seen very impressive portrait
OF Stephen Van Rensselaer,, the last
PATRON of New York. painted in
New York City in 1894, seated in
an upholstered armchair with gloves
in his left hand, in an attitude of
ease but attention-a strong charac-
terization. On either side of this
work hang portraits of William
Thornton and his wife, painted here
between 1903 and 1905, when sitters
were so superabundant Thornton,
it will be remembered, was the de-
signer of the Capitol, of the "Octa-
gon House" now owned by the
American Institute of Architects),
and of Tudor Place" in George
town, built for a granddaughter of
Mrs. Washington Mrs. Beverly
Kennon-and still occupied by one
of her own grandsons. Col. Tayloe,
for whom the Octagon House was
designed, had his portrait painted by
Stuart at the same time, but it is
not here. For some reason, the
Thornton portrait is rather disap-
pointing. The man who, without
professional training, designed ar
chitecturally so well as he. and had
so much administrative ability. as
was shown in his other occupations,
notably that of first Commissioner
OF Patents, must have had more
force and individuality than Stuart's
painting portrays. Mrs. Thornton's
portrait, which is simple and direct
in execution, is much more satisfy
ing.
Edward Stow, Philadelphia mer-
chant, who is next met on the
rounds of the gallery, is purported
to have been an especial friend of
Stuart's, and has certainly been
sympathetically interpreted-a man
of affairs, one would judge without
a glance at superscription, one quick
of decision and firm in conviction.
Fashionable Ladies.
But but one eXception-that of
likeness of Luke White of Killaloe,
Ireland-all the other paintings in
this room are of ladies. Here are
Mrs. George Pollock, who, before her
marriage, was Catherine Yates,
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Richard
Yates, and Matilda Caroline Cruger,
who became the wife of Lawrence
Reid Yates, both of New York-they
whose families were angels, indeed
to Stuart on his return to America
ITO their house I am indebted" he
wrote to his uncle in Philadelphia
in 1894, 'for more civilities than to
the world beside" That these la
dies were of the fashionable world,
there can be no shadow of doubt
Their hair, in each instance, is elab-
orately dressed; their gowns, in the
latest and most charming style.
Painted with light brush and fiat
tering grace, these portraits must
have given great satisfaction; but,
artistically, they fall short of the